A ketogenic diet (also referred to as a keto diet) is designed to achieve a state of ketosis by assembling a particular ratio of macronutrients (commonly called macros) that cuts one's carbohydrate intake significantly. The essential macros in a keto diet are protein, fat, and carbohydrates. The right ratio for inducing ketosis is roughly 70 percent fat, 25 percent protein, and just 5 percent carbs.
The reason ketosis is important is that, while the body is in this metabolic state, it gets the energy it needs by burning fat, not carbohydrates. This makes ketosis excellent for losing weight, encouraging mental clarity, and boosting energy levels. Any effective keto diet is aimed at starting and maintaining ketosis; this is achieved by putting sharp limits on the number of carbohydrates consumed. Calorie restrictions are sometimes a subordinate part of this arrangement; when you minimize the body's intake of carbs, it starts burning fat to get the energy it needs. The following tips will help you achieve ketosis by cutting your carbs down to where they need to be.
1Always Check Servings
Check nutrition labels. You need to be particularly vigilant about packaged, prepared foods, but check whatever labels you can find on dairy and fresh meats, too. You have to be careful about the relationship between serving size and nutritional data. The carbs listed on the tag apply to individual servings. Food producers are allowed to mark a product as "zero-carb" if it has less than a gram of carbohydrates per serving, but those fractions can add up.
Be aware of deceptive serving sizes. That tasty bag of low-carb almond crackers looks like a great snack, and the carb count on the label is meager. But you need to make sure that the manufacturer isn't pulling a fast one on you by splitting a single-serving package into one or more servings on the label; if the package contains more portions than you think, you may wind up taking in more carbs than you wanted to.
2Watch Ingredients And Total Carbohydrates
Know your way around the ingredient list. Many foods contain a lot of "hidden" sugar. These carbohydrates can be a nasty surprise, lurking in foods that you wouldn't expect to be carb-rich based on their general makeup. The front of the box and even the nutrition label can be deceptive.
Remember to assess your carbohydrates across your whole diet. Inducing ketosis and getting the real benefits of a keto diet may oblige you to cut your daily carb intake down to less than 50 grams in total. This extra low level of carb intake can deliver great results, and the best way to get there is to eat more natural, raw foods rather than heavily-processed ones.
3Focus On Low-Carb And No-Carb Foods
One of the best ways to hit your target carb count is to (at least in the meal-planning process) turn no-carb foods into the centerpiece of each meal. Remember that leafy greens are terrific in ketogenic meal plans. Boosting a meal with salad, kale, or spinach is always an option.
Micronutrients, like vitamins and minerals, remain extremely important, and it can sometimes be challenging to get your full allowance while you're sticking to a low-carb diet. You may need to take supplements to make sure you stay healthy. Be cautious with heavily-processed foods that claim to be zero-carb; their carb counts can sometimes be deceptive, or they may achieve them using other ingredients that are bad for you.
4Understand Net Carbs
"Net carbs" is a crucial concept in building a ketogenic diet, and it amounts to total carbohydrate content (in grams) minus fiber and sugar alcohols (again, in grams). You can subtract fiber and sugar alcohols because the body doesn't digest them. It's not a hard formula once you get the hang of it: net carbs = total carbs minus fiber minus sugar alcohols.
Everyone has a unique metabolism, so it will take some experimentation to find the right carb level for you. An understanding of how net carbs work is sometimes a stumbling block against setting up an adequate ratio of macronutrients. Keep your priorities straight, and remember that staying in ketosis is your top priority, not hitting a certain carb count.
5Remember Quality, Quality, Quality
Food quality is critical to an effective keto diet, particularly in terms of meats and healthy fats. It can be difficult or even impossible to get the full health benefits of ketogenic eating if you don't use quality foods to reach your goals. Eating more fat is not going to help you if it's the wrong kind of fat.
Remember that you're part of a food chain. If you're getting your fat and protein from animals that were fed on low-quality food, you may be in trouble. The nutrition they pass onto you is going to be like their own food, i.e., low-quality. Look for meat from free-range and/or grass-fed animals to get better nutrition and also avoid harmful ingredients like growth hormones.
A keto diet is incredibly flexible and sustainable over the long term. It will free you from feeling constrained or bored. And once you know the basics, it's not even hard to maintain.
Training yourself to avoid carbohydrates is the toughest part of starting a keto diet. For lots of us, carbs are a part of every single meal we eat. For the safest, most effective results, work with a dietitian, particularly at the start of your ketogenic diet, to ensure you can maintain ketosis without depriving yourself of any essential nutrients.
Elizabeth Ralph is a proud lifelong resident of Nashville, Tennessee, a reader with a healthy appetite and mom to three kids and three dogs. She believes the healthiest lifestyles involve the entire household and loves reading about new ways for her family to cook and play together.
