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Keto 101: The Basics
Health | May 02, 2018
Those of you who’ve followed me for a long time know that I’m no stranger to keto. I’ve attempted it several times in the past, and have recently gone back to it after doing a Flexitarian, plant-based diet for some time. My body benefits very well to this way of eating, and for some people, theirs will as well.
If you’ve ever thought of doing keto but don’t quite know what it is, here’s everything you need to know:
What’s Keto?
Keto (short for Ketogenic) is a high-fat, low carb diet that shifts the metabolism and changes the body from relying on sugar to relying on fat for energy. This happens through ketosis, a state in which the liver has been depleted of glycogen (sugar) and starts producing ketone bodies for fuel.
(If you want to know just a bit more on the history of keto, I covered it a few years ago in this post.)
This should not be mistaken for ketoacidosis– a very dangerous and serious complication from diabetes. In ketoacidosis, the blood becomes acidic due to extremely high concentrations of ketones and blood sugar. The triggers behind ketoacidosis include illness and insulin-production imbalances, and of course poor diet. Once ketoacidosis happens, the internal organs run the risk of undergoing serious damage. [1]
So in a nutshell, ketoacidosis is a life-threatening condition that should not be taken lightly, especially if you are diabetic and have problems producing enough insulin to keep blood sugar levels balanced. That said, there are many professionals in the medical field that use ketogenic diet to treat type II diabetes and with a lot of success. If you’re struggling with type II diabetes, it might be worth your while to do some research and see where you can get more information about keto treatment.
Ketosis on the other hand is just the state when the body is producing ketones and running off of fat for energy.
(Want to know what happens once you go keto? Check out my post on the Ketogenic Diet Benefits.)
How Do I Get to Keto?
First things first: clean up your diet. That should be the number one thing you do before attempting any kind of diet, period. We all know what this means- getting rid of processed foods like chips and cookies and desserts and take out meals. Eating whole foods that come from nature.
The next thing to do is lower the amount of carbs and increase the amount of fat in your diet. Since eating keto requires you to convert into a fat burner, you’re going to have to teach it to stop relying on the sugar from carbs for fuel. This process may take some time. For others, it’s very short. People who’ve already gone into ketosis usually have an easier time doing so, since their bodies already seem to know what the process is like and how to transition to it. Low carb, high fat eaters will also have an easy transition given that their bodies already run on fat to a degree. But again, it varies from person to person.
Be patient, and give your body time to adjust. You can’t expect instant results after eating a certain way for most of your life. Use this time to focus on healthy, nutritious foods and try not to focus so much on calories. Eat until you’re full, and enjoy the process.
For more on becoming keto, read up on my Keto Diet Jump Start.
Source:
[1] https://www.healthline.com/health/ketosis-vs-ketoacidosis
Private Member |
san antonio, texas
You read my mind Z…..Thank You for this article. I’ve been researching on how to dive into a Keto diet. I’m definitely going to check out your other articles. So far I’ve been following a modified Keto, but feel my body can adjust to more.
Private Member |
can you put your recipe for the keto salad you had in your video this week? it looked good but I couldn’t catch all the ingredients.
Private Member |
Since last week I’ve researched Keto and one of the things I’ve found is that in some cases it helps with migraines. And I’ ve been having this really mean migraines for over a month. Basicly non-stop migraines. So for the past week I’ve reduced carbs (I’ve left berries and kefir). It may be just a coincedence, but so far I did not have any migraines this week (first time in a month!). Actually, the fear of that pain coming back makes it soooo easy to stick to the diet 🙂
Private Member |
I also have discovered Keto as in aide in my lifelong battle with migraine!
As you said, it is so easy to stick to Keto when I see that I can avoid all of the pain associated with the brain crushing headaches!
Private Member |
airdrie, ab, canada
Hey Zuzka, I hope you will answer this question. I want to give keto a go. The thing is I am going to visit home, Montreal, on March 28 and I will be there for a whole month. I kind of eat like a ruthless pig when I am there because the food is soooooooo good, way better than where I live now and I REALLY take advantage of it! You must understand, you’ve visited Montreal. Anyway, my question is, should I invest time and effort in keto now, knowing I will definitely not eat keto for a whole month soon, or should I wait to start when I get back?
As always, I love everything you do and really appreciate your expertise 🙂
Private Member |
Hi Zuzka,
How many net carbs per day are you allowing yourself this time around? I know you don’t calculate things much, but I figured you might have a general idea 🙂 .
Best,
Katie
Private Member |
I’ve been taking keto into consideration lately to improve my health. I’ll have to try it one step at a time by slowly incorporating more keto recipes considering I’ve been doing well with the super food meal plan. I would love to see the recipe for keto-porridge- looks absolutely delicious! I know you’ve been working hard lately and I thank you for all that you do Z. Keep the tips coming! Perhaps in the future we could see an 8 week keto meal plan. 😉
Private Member |
bicester, oxfordshire, united kingdom
I also hope that one day we can find an 8 week keto meal plan here.
Private Member |
st leonards on sea, east sussex, uk
It’s been 10 days now since I started on keto diet…the Keto flu is now gone ( I had dizziness, muscle cramps, I just felt rough )…I have to say I actually enjoy eating high fat diet, because I am less hungry than I was…and the recipes are soo good.
Good luck to all who decide to give it a go!!
Private Member |
Hi, I practice a lot of endurance/cardio sports and I wonder how I’ll be able to sustain 100km bike ride without any carb as fuel. Is it possible to follow a keto diet as a cyclist, runner or triathlet? I wonder if it’s possible because I remember I had to avoid any kind of sugar, even from vegetables like beet or carrots for a year (candidosis diet) and during high intensity long bike rides, I was often dropping the pack laking from sugar…
Private Member |
hendersonville, nc, united states
Check out the documentary on you tube “Carb loaded” 36:00 minutes in
Private Member |
Thank you! I watched it entirely! I eat lean but too much quinoa and grains since I don’t eat a lot of meat and I’m lactose intolerant…
Private Member |
hendersonville, nc, united states
It always boils down to what works for you. What to eat has never seemed more complicated these days. 🤯
I think what is a “for sure” is the sugar and processed food 😉
Private Member |
Hi Zuzka,
I own both of your meal plans…would it be possible on your site to label your existing recipes as Keto as you have FM or WEM? I think I have been gradually making my diets Keto because that what feels best to me but I’m not sure I’m being as thorough as I want to be. Thanks!
Private Member |
medellín, colombia
Video from Mastering Diabetes about Keto diet https://www.facebook.com/plantbasednews/videos/807073919480193/