6 Essential Tips when starting Ketogenic Diet (KD)
Before starting the KD, consult your doctor and ensure this diet is right for you according to your medical condition. One of the most beneficial diets is the Ketogenic diet; however, it is also one of the most challenging to start. There are 6 essential tips when starting this diet:
1. Plan Your Keto diet.
During the planning phase, it is essential to understand ketosis and how it can help you reach your goal of improving your health. Nowadays, there are plenty of sources that you can find on the internet such as videos, articles, books, and booklets that are available to the public. The most important in the planning phase is the following:
1. Reduce carbs up to 20g per day (average). You can use the free carb calculator for more accuracy. If you have diabetes, reducing carbs must be done slowly as it might cause hypoglycemia when it is drastically done.
2. The keto diet is not only fat, it also includes macronutrients that will balance your nutritional intake (7):
- 5 percent of calories from carbohydrates, including low-carb, non-starchy vegetables and small amounts of leafy greens. The keto diet excludes carb-rich foods like grains, beans, fruits, and starchy vegetables.
- 20 percent of calories from protein, such as meat, eggs and cheese.
- 75 percent of calories from fat, such as oils, unprocessed nuts, butter, and avocado.
3. Plan your meals according to steps 1 and 2. There are a lot of meal ideas that you can use based on your preference (see step 4 as an example). As this diet progresses, you will feel more satisfied with two meals instead of three meals daily.
There are more videos on YouTube from Dr. Berg who explains more in details
One of the sources of information that I found very useful is by Dr. Berg. I started with this video, and I would like to share it with you as well. The information here is easy to understand, and the author has 30 years of experience in the field. Several videos on the internet can help you to understand the ketogenic diet, and how ketosis works.
2. Eliminate All Foodies That Does Not Serve You
This phase must be done to avoid temptation as the processed carbs and sugars contain a high level of addiction. According to the NCBI “Sugar elicits addiction-like craving and self-reported problem foods are rich in high glycemic index carbohydrates. These properties make high glycemic index carbohydrates plausible triggers for food addiction” (8). It is not an easy step, thus keeping in mind why you are doing this diet will help you, for any health conditions you want to improve, or any other reason, write it down and make it visible to you. Remove all these carbs from your kitchen, and do not look back at them. YOU CAN DO IT..!
Keep in mind that many people do not understand the ketogenic diet, and they will offer you carbs and sweat treats when you are at work or with your friends. Ensure you communicate your decision on the keto diet as a restricted diet and you are not accepting any foodies that are not part of this diet.
3. Keeping Your Body Hydrated
As the diet progresses, dehydration and electrolyte imbalances are caused by eliminating carbohydrates in your body. Carbs hold water and sodium in our bodies, thus you will sweat easily and lose electrolytes such as sodium, magnesium, potassium, and calcium. As the ketogenesis is progressing in your body, there are symptoms that you need to know and be prepared for it. The most common symptoms of dehydration are:
- Headache
- Muscle cramps and spasms
- Fatigue and weakness
- Dry mouth
- Constipation (also due to low fiber intake)
- Keto Flu
If you are having these symptoms, it is clear your body is facing ketosis. Increase daily water consumption and add electrolytes to improve or even avoid these symptoms (9). Also, you can make smoothies with leafy greens, coconut water, and berries.
4. Have FUN with Keto Recipes
Ensure a sustainable keto diet by looking for different recipes for the keto diet. Consider the Gluten-Free option to keep your carbs low and make sure there is no additional sugar in the ingredients or hidden carbs. The following is a table with a meal plan with recipes that you can use to start your keto diet. You can make a food list with these ingredients to make easier your first week of groceries.
5. Remember "You Are Not Alone"
There are many groups for keto diet friends, you can join these groups and participate in the forums and conversations. If you have any doubts, asking in the group may help you as people like to share their experiences and also you can participate by sharing your own experience. Once you have adopted this diet as part of your lifestyle, then you will realize that it is easy to maintain.
Additionally, in the keto diet groups, the members share recipes and ideas which can also help you to support your diet. There are products that I did not know they were available in the market.
6. Monitor Your Progress
The product of ketosis is ketones and they can be detected in three main tests; breath, urine, and blood.
The Breath Test measures acetone levels by using a breath ketones monitor. It is a very easy way of monitoring and also you can test your breath as many times as you want during the day. There are several devices in the market, however, INNOVO provides an excellent option with two devices with a versatile design by BreePoot, portable and easy to use. They are affordable and customer satisfaction is high. There is no need to go for an expensive one when you have a good option in the market.
The Urine Test is a very low-tech way to test for ketones and consists of testing strips there are commercial brands available in the market; Ketostix (50 strips), JustFitter (150 strips), BecaGoode 11-in-1 (100 counts) and “Prime Screen” (100 strips, made in the US, available in Amazon.ca). It is very important to read the instructions on how long you need to wait to read your results.
The Blood test measures the amount of B-hydroxybutyrate in your blood; however, it requires a finger-stick like the insulin monitor. It is the most accurate test for ketones monitoring if you have diabetes, you can monitor ketones when monitoring insulin using the same blood drop. If you go with this option, you can get the “blood test Ketone kit” available in the market like ¡FORA test N’GO which is an advanced technology that eliminates O2 and non-glucose sugar (ex. Maltose and Galactose) interferences and you can download an app to store the data in your phone.
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Take Away
KD is one of the diets that provides several benefits to our health; however, before starting the KD diet consult your doctor if you do not compromise your health with a preexisting condition. Calculate your carbs intake using the calculator and have fun planning your diet for the week. Keep in mind you will be satisfied with two meals instead of three per day. Ensure you are adding healthy fats and limit the saturated fats to 5% to 6% in your daily intake, as well as, keep in mind the macronutrient percentage in your meal (5%/20%/75%). Sustain your diet by making visible the whys of your decision on KD, and listen to your body to stop the diet.
You will enjoy the benefits of this diet in a very short time, and I am sure you will reach your goals.