The Ketogenic Diet- How to Start Healthy Keto – the Ultimate Guide
Chances are you’ve heard about the ketogenic diet, a highly restrictive diet that claims to cure insulin resistance, obesity, even type 2 diabetes.
The health benefits and weight loss benefits of keto all stem from replacing food items; when you cut out sugar you replace it with healthy fats, nutrients, and whole foods.
I can vouch for it.
In only a month I was down 15 pounds and felt better than ever!
While I have since added the occasional potato, bowl of rice, or fruit, I know the habits I learned and picked up from keto stayed with me.
A low-carb lifestyle simply means reaching for healthier alternatives to over-processed foods.
What is the Ketogenic Diet
A ketogenic diet, or keto diet, is referring to the state your body enters when consuming high amounts of fat, moderate amounts of protein, and low amounts of carbs.
This state is called ketosis.
In a state of ketosis, your body switches from using glucose (i.e. sugar/carbs) to using fat as the primary fuel source for the body.
To do so, your body must first break down the fat into usable energy, called ketones. This happens when carbohydrate intake is lowered sufficiently, and fat intake is increased.
Why do a Ketogenic Diet?
Carbohydrates and sugar are the same thing, they provide the body with glucose, and using them as fuel is fine. if that energy is not used, however, it can start to accumulate in the body as adipose tissue (body fat).
This is what sugar does to the body. Whenever it is consumed, insulin is released to lower blood sugar by storing it.
Every time you eat something with carbohydrates, insulin acts. This can lead to weight gain along with other problems.
Once you start using fat as your primary source of fuel, your body will be able to use what it eats and what it already has!
Our body tends to store energy as fat, it wants to be ready for a time of famine or a tough drought season. Now, with food more readily available, there is no need to gain weight to survive the winter.
Your body is designed to break down fat to be used as energy; just as easily as it is stored, it can be accessed. However, your liver will only break down fat storage in the absence of insulin.
If you consume the correct amounts of macros, you too can reach a state of ketosis.
What are Macros
Macros are the macronutrients your body needs to function: fat, protein, and carbohydrates.
In a ketogenic diet, we want most of our daily macros to be fat, a moderate amount to come from protein, and a low amount from crabs.
To be in a state of ketosis, you want to limit your carbs to 20 to 50 grams a day, though some people may be able to get away with 100 grams.
How to Start a Keto Diet
Keto is about adapting to a fat-burning diet.
It has many benefits, including reduced inflammation, weight loss, stable energy, and reduced blood pressure among many more.
Without going into complex calculations, make sure you obtain a high amount of your nutrition from healthy fats, most if not all your carbs from vegetables, and eat a moderate amount of protein.
Keto Made Simple, Just Pick:
| 1 Protein | 1 (or more) Veggie | 1 (or more) Fat |
| Beef Chicken Pork Turkey Fish Protein Powder Seafood Eggs Bacon | Cauliflower Eggplant Squash Zucchini Broccoli Asparagus Lettuce or Spinach Mushrooms Cucumber Cabbage Green Peppers | Butter Olive Oil Heavy cream Avocado Nuts Seeds Cheeses Coconut oil Ghee |
You can also break down your macros into percentages. Between 70% to 80% of your daily food will be fat, 25% to 20% will be protein, and 10% to 5% carbs.
This translates to about protein that amounts to the size of your hand, half a plate of low-carb veggies, and a quarter of the plate being fat.
Remember to avoid high-carb fruits, grains, and other ingredients.
Check out the complete list of all the foods you can eat on a keto diet here.
The Takeaway
Remember that a keto diet is all about how you feel.
Make sure you are listening to your body and what it needs.
Stay hydrated with sufficient electrolytes and salt to overcome the keto flu, symptoms felt at the start of a keto diet that goes away after about 5 days.
Always read the nutrition label correctly to know what you’re putting in your body, and know what foods to eat!
