Ketosis is the metabolic state in which some to all of the energy a body needs is derived from ketone bodies in the blood, as opposed to glycolysis where blood glucose is used to provide energy. The ketones used for energy are the result of fat metabolism, which means that in ketosis your body is breaking down fat and using it for fuel. There are three different forms of ketone bodies or ketones in the blood: 1. Beta hydroxybutyrate (ßHB) which is what the blood ketone meter tests for, 2. Aceto-acetate which is what the urine ketone strips test for, and 3. Acetone which is the ketone present in the breath, which the new ketone breath meters test for.
Why is being in ketosis a good thing, you may wonder? The fact is that everyone (even the smallest professional cyclist) has at least tens of thousands of fat calories stored in their body. This means that we all have an unlimited amount of energy stored inside us at any given time. We just need to teach our bodies how to unlock and use that energy, which is what a ketogenic diet does; it is the key to burning fat for fuel, losing weight while eating good, satisfying food, and having energy like you haven’t had in a long time! It sounded great to me, which is why I started a keto diet.
A ketogenic (or keto) diet is simply a diet that will help your body get into ketosis so it is burning fat for fuel instead of sugar. There are many different versions of keto diets, recipes, and keto websites out there now, but they all basically aim to achieve the same thing: give your body the best chance to get into and maintain a ketone state. It’s important to remember that fact when surfing the web and planning a keto diet. It is also important to know that ketosis is a very individual thing; the things I do to produce ketones might not work for everyone. This is the most fun and most frustrating part of ketosis, you have to self experiment and see what works for you. Ketosis is also a very fragile state, and one big carbohydrate day can potentially kick you out of ketosis for several days.
So what are the basics of a ketogenic diet, or what should you look for when evaluating a diet to see if it’s a good keto diet? First and most importantly, it has to be a diet that promotes low blood sugar and low insulin levels. As you might imagine, there are many steps in the pathway that turns fatty acids in fat cells into ketone bodies that can be used for fuel. Several of these steps are inhibited by the presence of insulin, which is why one binge can knock you out of ketosis until insulin levels settle back down. A ketogenic diet is a diet that is very low in carbohydrates. Carbs cause the strongest insulin response, especially the yummy, highly processed kind of carbs. Those processed carbs are very quickly absorbed, which causes a rapid spike in blood sugar. This in turn causes a large insulin release to counteract the high blood sugar, which drops blood sugar, causing you to be tired and hungry and to eat more carbs, and the cycle continues. This is the reason why people feel lethargic after eating carbs and why you get hungry so quickly after eating straight carbs: its your blood sugar doing this yo-yo dance up and down. Many keto experts recommend eating less than 50 grams of carbs a day, although the number of carbs is going to be different for everyone depending on how sensitive they are to carbs, as well as a number of other factors.
A ketogenic diet also has only moderate protein, which is where it is different from the high-protein, low-fat Atkins type diets. Protein also causes an insulin response, although not as dramatic as carbs. So, an excess of protein will release enough insulin to keep you out of ketosis. You need to eat enough protein to feed your muscles and repair tissues, but should be careful not to eat too much protein. The right amount is probably somewhere between 0.6-1.0 gram per pound of lean body mass (Lean Body Mass Calculator) to get into and stay in ketosis.
Finally, and most importantly, a ketogenic diet is high in fat, which is the macronutrient that causes the least insulin release. By high in fat I mean 65-80% fat. Sounds crazy right, that by eating mostly fat you can lose weight, feel great, and have almost unlimited energy. I promise it is the truth, and the beauty of this diet. Fat is the thing in food that gives it good texture and taste. It is also the part of food that makes you feel full after eating. What this has meant to me is no more only egg white dishes, lots of extra bacon, heavy cream in my coffee, no more salad dressing on the side but right there on the salad, lots of butter, and many other delicious changes. The keto diet really is an easy diet to stick to because you feel full and satisfied after you eat, and never feel like you are sacrificing flavor or texture for your diet. In fact I do not even think of it as a diet, but think of it as the way I will always eat now because unlike a diet, with severe restrictions and cutting calories, I can eat this way forever! What makes it even easier is that now there are keto versions of all the yummy foods that are high in carbs. I have had some delicious keto ice cream and keto bread.
Next time I will go more into ketosis, how to know if you’re there, tips for getting there, as well as some common concerns/misconceptions about ketosis. So stay tuned, and until then, here is the recipe for my new favorite dessert:
Keto Chocolate Mousse
Total Fat 36.41g 56%
Saturated Fat 19.308g 97%
Trans Fat 0g
Polyunsaturated Fat 5.524g
Monounsaturated Fat 9.124g
Cholesterol 109mg 36%
Sodium 66mg 3%
Potassium 172mg 5%
Total Carbohydrates 3.88g 1%
Dietary Fiber 19.6g 78%
Sugars 0.71g
Protein 7.31g 15%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
