If You Wanna Do Keto, Do It Right

September 3, 2018

The ketogenic diet is very popular right now, and for good reason. While best known for helping to control the symptoms of epilepsy, it has also been shown to enhance cognitive function, regulate blood sugar, improve physical performance and promote weight loss.

Humans were most likely in ketosis quite often throughout history because food was not always very easy to come by (fasting can put you into ketosis). Even as recently as when I was growing up, eating between meals was discouraged, which meant we were probably close to that ketotic state without even knowing it, at least occasionally.

There are many reasons to try a ketogenic diet, but before you decide if it's right for you, it's important to understand what the diet actually IS. There is a common misconception that the ketogenic diet is basically just a low carb diet and that if you stick to eating lean proteins with some veggies, you're in ketosis. This is not the case.

The basic keto framework -- which should never involve sacrificing nutrition -- is to eat 65-75% of your calories from healthy fats (grass-fed butter, ghee, coconut oil, avocados and avocado oil, olives and olive oil...),15-25% protein (stick to small portions of high-quality proteins like wild salmon, shrimp and oysters and grass-fed beef/lamb/pork) and 5-10% carbs (dark, leafy greens, cruciferous veggies -- most of which have almost no carbs at all, so you can eat TONS of them -- and berries are great options). Wonder what that looks like on your plate? Watch this video.

Those macronutrient ratios are a good ballpark for the average keto-enthusiast but, of course, you need to adjust your ratios based on your own personal body composition and activity level. Let me know if you need help figuring out what's right for you.

In order to be in ketosis, your body needs to be able to burn fat for fuel. As most of us are typically running on carbs, transitioning to burning fat is a HUGE change and can take weeks to achieve. Make sure to use a resource like this one to help you through the process.