Decided to try a ketogenic diet? Or are you interested in learning more?
We've put this guide together to help you get started or learn more about the ketogenic diet and whether it's right for you.
What is the ketogenic diet?
The ketogenic diet, or ketogenic diet, is a diet that is high in fat and very low in carbohydrates. The ketogenic diet usually consists of reducing your carbohydrate intake to around 5-10%, increasing your fat intake to around 70-75%, and keeping your protein intake around 20%.
The keto diet has many similarities to the Atkins diet, among others, although the macro ratios can vary.
The main goal of a ketogenic diet is to put your body into a state of "ketosis".
What is ketosis?
Ketosis is a process your body uses to create energy in the absence of glucose from carbohydrate-rich foods.
Normally, your body breaks down carbohydrates to release glucose, which it uses for energy. In the absence of glucose, your body will use fat as a fuel (energy) source.
Energy from fat sources is created in the form of ketones, a chemical the liver produces after breaking down fat. Hence the term ketosis.
How can I introduce a keto diet plan into my daily routine?
To begin with, it can be quite difficult to introduce a ketogenic diet. This is mainly because the typical Western diet is high in carbohydrates (especially processed foods).
- A good place to start is to learn which foods are high in carbohydrates, fats and proteins. This will help you choose the right foods to include in your diet. Not only bread and pasta are rich in carbohydrates, for example. Some vegetables, fruits and nuts also contain carbohydrates.
- Forget what you thought you knew about fat: the ketogenic diet is a high-fat diet. However, in Western society, the prevailing opinion is that fat is bad for health. This is not the case. Fat is a nutrient, just like carbohydrates and protein. However, there are different types of fats: unsaturated fats (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated), saturated fats and trans (hydrogenated) fats. The key is to eat mostly unsaturated fat, limit saturated fat, and avoid trans fat.
- Research keto recipes – The internet is full of recipes that are great for a keto diet. There are also some great keto recipes listed on therecipes section of our website as well.
- Track your food. A great way to make sure you're eating the right nutrients in the right amounts is to monitor what you're eating with a free nutrition tracker likeMyFitnessPal. You can download the app from the App Store or Google Play. You can enter the percentage of fat, protein, and carbs you want to eat as part of your diet, and scan the barcodes of the foods you eat to track them, among many other useful things.
- Start slow. If you find it difficult to switch directly to a very low carb, high fat ketogenic diet, try slowly reducing your carb intake and increasing your fat intake over time. It will take you longer to reach ketosis, but it should make the switch easier.
What are the benefits of a ketogenic diet plan?
There are a number of benefits associated with ketosis and the ketogenic diet. These include:
- Stabilize blood sugar levels – limiting carbs can improve insulin sensitivity
- Reduced appetite and cravings – Putting your body into a state of ketosis can positively influence hunger hormone levels.
- low blood pressure
- Weight management: Ketogenic diets may be more effective than low-fat diets for weight management
- Mental clarity: Ketogenic diets have been linked to better concentration and memory
- Possible treatment of medical conditions: More research is needed, but it has been suggested that a ketogenic diet may help support therapy for conditions such as diabetes, epilepsy, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
How to eat on a keto daily plan?
To put (and keep) your body in ketosis, you need to eat lots of high-fat, low-carb foods. Protein is also an essential nutrient, but the ketogenic diet is not a high protein diet; therefore, a healthy amount of protein (about 20%) is fine.
There are some types of foods that are keto friendly and great for a keto diet and certain foods that should be avoided or only eaten in very small amounts.
What can't you eat on a keto plan?
Sometimes it's easier to discard what you can't do before moving on to what you can do. So, here is a list of certain foods to avoid while on a ketogenic diet.
- Starchy vegetables such as potatoes, sweet potatoes and corn.
- Fruits that are high in sugar and carbohydrates, such as bananas, mangoes and grapes.
- Beans and grains like black beans, lentils, chickpeas, quinoa and millet.
- Pasta, bread, and rice (unless it's low-carb pasta and bread like Lizza's, of course!)
- Beers and mixed drinks - sorry! Most beers, spirits and blends are high in carbohydrates.
- Juice - one more for the drinks list. Many fruit juices are high in sugar and low in dietary fiber.
- Soft drinks: The same goes for soft drinks. Most soft drinks are very high in carbohydrates and can cause you to exceed your daily carbohydrate limit. Although unsweetened versions are fine to drink in moderation.
- Sauces: Ketchup, barbecue sauce, and sweet chili sauce, for example, are loaded with sugar, and while they don't have as many carbs as other types of foods on this list, they can add up quickly if you add certain sauces. every meal.
- Low-Fat Foods – Keep in mind that the keto diet is high in fat, so opting for low-fat options is a no-go.
- Sweetened or flavored yogurts and dairy products. This will increase your carb count. Choose natural, unsweetened options like Greek yogurt or unsweetened almond milk.
- Mix of nuts and dried fruits. These can be high in sugar and carbs.
- Honey and syrups. Honey has 17 g of carbohydrates in a single tablespoon. They are essentially concentrated sugar.
- Chocolate. Another apology! But milk and white chocolate are not keto-friendly as they are high in sugar. However, dark chocolate that is at least 70% cocoa and low in added sugar is fine in moderation. You can even buy keto dark chocolate!
What can you eat on a ketogenic diet?
Now that the bad news is out and you know which foods you can't eat on a keto diet, let's move on to all the wonderful foods you can eat.he caneat to keep your body in ketosis!
- Fish and shellfish such as salmon, mackerel, sardines and tuna.
- Meat and poultry. Try to keep the amount of processed meat you eat to a minimum.
- Eggs. Eggs are a great source of protein and help keep you full.
- Low-carb vegetables like broccoli, peppers, spinach, kale, cucumber, etc.
- Cheese – High in fat, high in protein and zero carbs, cheese is great for a keto diet.
- Avocados – Rich in healthy fats, avocados are perfect for a keto diet.
- Pure unsweetened yogurt.
- Healthy oils such as olive oil and coconut oil.
- Nuts and seeds. Most nuts and seeds are packed with healthy fats, protein and fiber, making them perfect for the keto diet. Nuts like almonds, cashews, macadamia nuts and seeds like chia seeds, flax seeds and pumpkin seeds are great.
- Tea and coffee are fine as long as they are not sweetened.
- Berries like strawberries, blackberries, blueberries and raspberries are good.
- Dark chocolate with at least 70% cocoa.
How many carbs can you eat on a ketogenic diet?
On a ketogenic diet, you want to eat around 5-10% carbs as part of your total daily calorie intake.
The average adult needs about 2,000 calories a day. 5-10% carbs in a 2000 calorie diet is roughly equal to about 40 grams.
In general, you want to keep carb amounts to less than 50g per day.
Is a ketogenic diet safe?
As with any diet, it is always recommended that you consult your doctor before starting.
Studies have been done on the ketogenic diet and putting your body into a state of ketosis that have shown various benefits, but more research is needed to delineate the long-term benefits of the ketogenic diet.
For most people, a ketogenic diet will be perfectly safe and may even provide many of the benefits described above.
However, it is not recommended for pregnant or breastfeeding women, children, people with kidney problems, people with IBS, or people with osteoporosis.
What can you drink on a ketogenic diet?
As with many diets, there are a few different types of drinks that should be avoided. Beer, soft drinks, fruit juices, energy drinks, and sweetened or flavored milks are often high in sugar and carbohydrates, so most of them cannot be consumed.
However, there are still many drinks you can choose from, such as:
- Water (obviously).
- Sparkling Water: Most sparkling options are unsweetened and therefore low in carbs.
- Flavored waters – Most are good for a keto diet as they use very small amounts of flavoring, just check the label for carb/sugar amounts.
- Teas (including black, green, and herbal teas) and coffee, as long as you don't add anything high in sugar or carbohydrates.
- Sugar-free sodas are fine in moderation (though still not the healthiest options).
- Sugar-free vegetable milk. While cow's milk should generally be avoided due to its natural sugars, unsweetened plant milks such as almond and coconut are a good choice.
- Sports drinks low in carbohydrates and sugar. Most sports drinks contain electrolytes, which can help fight off something called the "keto flu" that can occur when you start a keto diet. However, you will need to check the labels and avoid sports drinks that are high in sugar. Or you can add electrolyte powders to your water.
- Some spirits like vodka, whiskey, and rum don't contain carbs, so it's okay to enjoy them as part of a keto diet. Be careful if you add a blender as many are high in sugar and not good for a keto diet. Use carb-free mixers and avoid fruit juices and tonic water.
- Beer! Okay, just a few types of beer. Fortunately for beer drinkers, some brewers produce low-carb beer. Just make sure what you're drinking or buying is low carb before opening the lid.
Are there side effects of a ketogenic diet?
As with any restrictive diet, or any diet that drastically changes your nutrition, there can be some side effects as your body adjusts to the new normal. Although the ketogenic diet is normally a perfectly safe diet for most people.
Some side effects of the ketogenic diet that have been reported are:
- low energy
- increased hunger
- nausea
- digestive discomfort
- Tiredness and difficulty sleeping
- Lower performance during exercise.
- Diarrhea
- vomit
- Cold
While these symptoms are not very common, if you experience any while transitioning to a ketogenic diet, we suggest that you slow down the speed at which you start the diet and increase your carbohydrate intake and reduce your fat intake. Once you adjust to the new levels, you can cut the carbs even further and increase the fat. Do this slowly, one stage at a time, as your body adjusts, until you reach the ideal nutrient levels to get your body into ketosis. After all, it can be a learning curve.
Is the ketogenic diet good for diabetics?
One of the benefits of the ketogenic diet is that it can regulate blood sugar levels, and research suggests that a ketogenic diet can help people with type 2 diabetes by lowering blood sugar levels and losing weight.
The keto diet may also help reduce the need for insulin, improve insulin resistance, and increase and improve heart health and cognitive function, all of which are affected by people with diabetes.
A 2018 study published by Diabetes Therapy claims that people with type 2 diabetes who followed a ketogenic diet for one year lowered their A1C levels and reduced or eliminated their diabetes medications.
However, type 1 diabetes carries an increased risk of diabetic ketoacidosis, which can lead to a medical emergency, so a ketogenic diet is not recommended for people with type 1 diabetes.
We always recommend consulting your doctor before changing your diet if you have a pre-existing medical condition.
Where to buy keto products
There are many specific keto or keto products available online or in stores.
At Lizza we have a selection ofketo friendly productsto help you on your keto journey!
we even have a greatketo packTo help you make tasty, low-carb, ketogenic bread at home!