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What is the Ketogenic Diet? – Your Keto 101 Guide
I’ll start with a quick answer to “what is the ketogenic diet?” before diving into the intricacies of this diet.
Definition of Ketogenic Diet:
The ketogenic diet (AKA keto diet, ketosis diet) is a low carbohydrate diet designed to put your body into the natural state of nutritional ketosis. When your body receives very few carbohydrates, it can’t use glucose to supply all your energy needs. So your body’s fat cells will be broken down in your liver to produce ketones (ketone bodies). Your body will then use those ketones for energy.
Dr. Stephen Phinney, M.D. from Virta Health expands on this. “Nutritional ketosis is a natural metabolic state in which your body is fueled mainly by fats and ketones, instead of carbohydrates (glucose). Nutritional ketosis happens when carbohydrate consumption goes low enough that a person’s liver can convert adipose tissue and dietary fats into a fatty acid known as ketones, then burn the ketones for energy.”
In this article, I’ll go over some of the basics of a ketogenic diet like what do you eat, will you lose weight, how do you measure ketones. I’ll also reference other articles so that you can (if you want) go into more depth.
Before you really dig into specifics, you can check out this quick 5-minute recap of the diet:
Table of Contents – Keto 101 Guide
- There are several types of ketogenic diets…
- How much fat, protein, and carbohydrates do you eat on keto?
- What foods do you eat on keto?
- Benefits of a ketogenic diet
- What to expect when you first go keto?
- How long should you do keto for?
- Who shouldn’t be on a ketogenic diet?
- How do you know you’re in ketosis?
- Keto diet basics
There are several types of ketogenic diets…
Many people consider a ketogenic diet (aka keto) a low carbohydrate diet like Atkins. Strictly speaking, while an Atkins diet can be ketogenic, it has traditionally emphasized different things. Atkins emphasizes low carbohydrates while keto emphasizes getting your body to have higher ketone levels.
As the negative myths around eating fat have melted away in the past decade or so, high-fat diets (like the low carb high fat (LCHF) movement) have taken off.
While keto is perhaps a stricter version of LCHF, in general, the foods we eat on both diets look very similar.
There are also several other types of keto like the Cyclical Keto Diet or the Targeted Keto Diet.
I’ll try to contain myself to just the basic keto diet in this article though.
How much fat, protein, and carbohydrates do you eat on keto?
According to Registered Dietitian Maria Zamarripa, RD, “The ketogenic diet highlights the “fat burning” effect of ketosis. The key factor in the ketogenic diet is the rearrangement of macronutrients to make fat the primary fuel source.”
The exact percentages and amounts of fat, protein, and carbohydrates will differ depending on why you’re on a ketogenic diet. For weight-loss purposes, you’ll probably want to eat more protein. But if you’re using keto to reduce epileptic seizures or for other therapeutic reasons, then you might need to go higher fat. Continue reading
Keto Diet for Beginners: A Guide for How to Start Keto
Starting any diet is tough, and starting a ketogenic diet is often even harder. In fact, I’m often asked if there’s a keto diet for beginners.
You’ve got to give up your toast and cereal (or donuts) at breakfast, your sandwiches at lunch, and your pizza for dinner. Oh…and no yummy desserts!
But starting keto doesn’t have to be painful!
I’m pointing out that starting a ketogenic diet isn’t a walk in the park (at least for us normal humans who dream about what to eat for lunch while we’re eating breakfast).
In this article, I’ll show you the absolute best way for a beginner to start a ketogenic diet. And then, I’ll show you 2 other methods that you might find easier, depending on your particular personality.
Check out Dr. Zyrowski’s video to get started then read on to find out which way works best for you: