How to Start Ketogenic Diet?
How To Start Ketogenic Diet | Ketogenic Diet Quick Start | Keto Starter Menu | Beginner Keto Diet Plan
To begin a ketogenic diet, you’ll have to understand the basics. Ketosis is a metabolic process of the body which is usually triggered due to low carbohydrate consumption. In ketosis, the body will begin producing molecules in the liver that aids itself for energy. The body usually burns carbohydrates to fuel the body. However, if you cut out carbohydrates from your diet and replace it with fat, your body will believe that it is starving. With this knowledge, the body begins producing ketone bodies, which utilize fat reserves by breaking them down and using them for bodily functions. By doing so, you are essentially running on fat, which can cause weight loss and also a healthier lifestyle. This diet breaks down the nutrients in three different categories. Firstly, the fat consumption should be from 70% to 80%. The protein intake should be around 20% to 25%. Finally, the carbohydrate intake should be about 5% to 10%.
Eating Do’s and Don’t
Some healthy food sources from animals and vegetables include, grass-fed butter, avocados, coconut oil or butter, egg yolks, and nuts (especially the fattier varieties like almonds or macadamia nuts). As for proteins, a good source would be, fatty cuts of beef, poultry, and fish, less processed pork, and whole eggs. Some examples of nice amounts of low-carb veggies are, kale, spinach, bok choy, onions, zucchini, and cauliflower. Another great tip is to try buying organic whenever possible with produce. However, this is not required. Food to avoid are high-carbohydrate foods like: fruits (there are also some fruits that are low in carbohydrates such as berries), any kind of grains, beans and legumes, and starchy vegetables like potatoes or rice.
Proteins vs. Fats
The reason why protein is so limited in a ketogenic diet is due to the fact that excess protein is broken down first instead of fat. The process of breaking down proteins is called gluconeogenesis. This allows the body to break down muscle mass in order to function properly. The main goal is to keep your protein levels moderate, not extremely low or high. If you follow the 20% to 25% margin, you will be in great shape.
Tracking Your Progress
In order to start a ketogenic diet, you must track your progress daily. This is to ensure you are on track and it allows the ability to tweak your diet to match your needs. To do this, there are three ways, blood testing, urine testing, and breath testing. Of course, the most reliable way to check the ketone levels is blood work, but you can also purchase urine strips to check the amount of ketones present in your body. You will have to be checking blood and/or urine daily and charting it in order to follow the diet. As for breath testing, most individuals on a ketogenic diet will begin producing a different mouth odor, due to the chemical compounds that make up ketone bodies.
Speeding Up the Process
To get to the ketosis metabolic process, it will take a while even just by following the diet. To speed up the reaction, you can begin fasting, physically inducing your body to go into survival mode. For fasting, a quick method is to just rely on drinks that have little no carbohydrates, such as coconut milk, coffee, and tea. Just relying on the bare necessities can allow your body to reach ketosis in 4 days.
How To Start Ketogenic Diet | Ketogenic Diet Quick Start | Keto Starter Menu | Beginner Keto Diet Plan