Because of the ketogenic diet’s unique requirements (high fat, very low carb), a common concern for many people is whether or not they’ll be getting adequate protein. I’ve also gotten a fair amount of questions regarding protein and keto, and thought I’d open up about the subject.

On keto, the body’s fuel sources are based mostly on fat and ketones, with some glucose. Even though carbs are limited, the body is still capable of creating glucose (sugar) from another source: protein. This is actually a process known as gluconeogenesis, which can occur when you eat more protein than your body needs. Gluconeogenesis can break you out of a ketogenic state, so you’re back to being mostly a sugar burner rather than a fat burner. It’s also a sign that your body is breaking down lean protein for energy, which is what we want to preserve rather than lose.

However, I do want to point out that this line of thinking is currently under debate within the keto community. Not everyone agrees that high protein (or gluconeogenesis for that matter) can spike insulin and send ketosis packing. Some people argue that as long as carbs are restricted, then protein- even a lot- will not keep you out of ketosis. [1]
With this in mind, if you’re an athlete or someone with an active lifestyle, the concern about protein is valid. And while keto is praised for its benefits towards brain health, inflammation, and weight loss, it’s gotten mixed results for athletic or fitness performance.

So what is the optimal protein intake for keto?
First of all, you need to have a reason why, or context, for having a certain amount of protein. Are you mostly sedentary? Or are you regularly working out? Are you trying to lose weight or put on muscle? These are all things to consider first and foremost. Because one person’s needs are completely different than another’s.

Next up, you should first be focusing on getting into ketosis. The real challenge should be rewiring your metabolism to focus on relying mostly on fat and ketones instead of glucose. Toss in the growing pains from the transition (aka, the keto flu) and you’ve already got enough to deal with. Protein should be the least of your concerns during this time provided you aren’t starving yourself and eating a balanced keto diet (like my meal plan) that already factors in plenty of protein, fiber-rich vegetables, and fats.

Once you’ve been able to maintain ketosis for a few weeks (and have gotten over the hump of the transition), then you can start tinkering around with protein intake. This involves paying attention to your body’s reactions and measuring with a ketone monitor (blood being the preferred, then urine and breath if you can afford it). If increasing protein is indeed messing with your ketone production and blood sugar balance, then perhaps you don’t need as much. Or, if adding more protein is helping you to build muscle and perform better, and it’s not interfering with keto, then by all means, stick to the higher intake.

But what’s the expert take on the matter? Let’s take a look:
According to leading keto researcher Dominic D’Agostino, “Keep your protein between 1g-1.5g/kg per day. This is optimal to staying in nutritional ketosis. But protein can be insulinogenic and excess protein can feed into the gluconeogenesis metabolic pathway and kick you out of ketosis. Higher protein is only needed in people who are more active and work out a lot.” [2]
Summary: For most of us, consume 1-1.5g of protein per kilogram per day. People who are more active and/or work out a lot are the ones who need a higher amount.

This to me seems like a safe recommendation. Anyone who’s looking to build or maintain muscle mass can get away with having up to 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight (or 2g per kilogram), since the body actually needs the extra protein to break down into amino acids and use to build and preserve muscle. [3] For people working out moderately or are not as active, the general recommendations are ideal since your body doesn’t need the extra protein. I’ll even mention that going as low as 0.8g per pound of lean body weight is another recommendation that’s shared amongst other experts as well.

We also cannot forget that protein is just a part of the equation when it comes to keto. After all, why are we following it to begin with? Was it to lower inflammation, or support brain health? Break free of sugar addictions? Improve overall health? Marty Kendall, engineer and founder of the excellent site optimisingnutrition.com, notably states, “I think the real problem with eating ‘too much protein’ is that once our protein goes too high we end up reducing the amount of vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids that our food contains. While it is important to get adequate amino acids, it is also important to get adequate vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids.” [4]

Putting it all together, here’s what you need to do in order to figure out your personal protein intake:
Part I: Get into ketosis (follow a keto diet for 1-2 weeks, and confirm through a ketone monitor that you are indeed in a state of nutritional ketosis)
Part 2: For 1 week, observe your body’s response to exercise and current protein intake. Look for physical signs such as how well or poorly your body recovers from exercise, whether or not you can build or maintain muscle, and any signs of soreness or pain.

Part 3: Based on your results from Part 2, optimize your protein intake based on the following:
• Moderately Active or Sedentary: 0.8 to 1-1.5 grams of protein per kilogram per day
• Active, Building or Maintaining Muscle: 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight (or 2 grams of protein per kilogram)

Really, there is no perfect answer. Search online and you’ll find a world of conflicting information. These recommendations are what they’re supposed to be: recommendations. I cannot repeat this enough. If you need more protein and it’s working for you, then have more protein! And the same can be said for the opposite; have less if having less is what’s going to serve you and your body the best.

Use this information as a reference while you discover your unique needs. I believe in the concept of bio-individuality, which is all about people having different needs amongst each other. No two people are exactly alike, so while one person may thrive on a low protein intake on keto, another may suffer and thus need to increase their intake. It’s never about a one-size-fits-all solution; it’s about finding our own true and unique path.
Thank you to those of you who reached out asking about protein and keto. I know it’s a tricky subject, and quite honestly, we’re all going to make a few mistakes as we discover what works best for us. But hopefully with the right information, we can empower ourselves to not give up hope and find the solutions that work best for our bio-individuality.

Sources:
[1] https://ketosummit.com/much-protein-can-eat-keto-diet/
[2] https://overcast.fm/+KebuxX02g/16:21
[3] https://www.ruled.me/comprehensive-guide-bodybuilding-ketogenic-diet/
[4] https://optimisingnutrition.com/2017/06/09/how-much-protein-is-too-much/