It seems like every day there is a new diet for longevity and amazing health: Atkins, paleo, vegan, gluten-free, fruitarianism, you name it.
It’s always so hard to navigate which of these diets are best, and often times there isn’t enough information to actually base your decision on.
Today I’ll introduce you to the Ketogenic Diet, which helps to burn fat quickly for fast results.
How does the ketogenic diet work?
The Ketogenic Diet requires some tracking, but don’t worry about counting those calories – you will merely want to break up the categories of what you’re eating into categories:
- 75% of your diet will be comprised of fat
- 20% of your diet will be comprised of protein
- 5% of your diet will be comprised of carbs (between 20-60 g per day)
When you keep to these ratios, the body will enter a state of ketosis. Ketosis occurs when there aren’t enough carbohydrates to burn for energy, so the body burns fat.
The main purpose of this diet is to keep your body in a state of ketosis so that it’s constantly burning your excess fat.
75% of the diet is from fats – Is that a typo?!
No typos here! Fat, including saturated fat, has no effect on the blood sugar, which is what keeps the body in a solid-state of ketosis.
Carbs are the true culprit of driving up blood sugar, spiking insulin and converting straight to fat.
Even though you’ll be increasing your saturated fat intake, the low carbohydrate diet will help to lower your triglycerides, resulting in a better metabolic panel.
Studies have shown that over the course of three months on the diet, cholesterol numbers looked better on average than off of it. Pretty cool!
Alright, so what should I eat?
Remember, this diet is high on fat and low on carbs, so you will see that most of what you can expect to eat is meat and/or animal products.
When choosing animal products, pick grass-fed and organic to limit exposure to pesticides and antibiotics.
Meat:
- Beef
- Pork/Pork Products: bacon, ham, sausage, all cuts of pork
- Lamb
- Venison and wild game
- Buffalo
- Deli Meat (use sparingly)
Poultry:
- Chicken
- Turkey
- Duck
- Quail/Cornish Hen, other birds
Seafood:
- All seafood and shellfish (fresh, frozen, canned)
Dairy:
- Eggs
- Whole milk and heavy cream
- Cheese
- Butter
- Greek Yogurt (no flavor, that just adds sugar)
Vegetables (low carb only, no potatoes here!):
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Cabbage
- Greens
- Onions
- Zucchini
Other:
- Nuts/seeds
- Avocados
- Other low-carb, low-sugar condiments
OK, I think I’m ready to do this. What else should I know?
Ultimately, the Ketogenic Diet is all about balancing those fat/protein/carb ratios.
You can pick up ketone strips at your local health food shop to test your urine to ensure that you’re in a state of ketosis.
It’s also very important that you stay hydrated and drink enough water so that the ketones don’t build up in your system.
Since it’s not very easy to get these types of foods in a drive-through window, expect to spend more time prepping and preparing your foods.
Planning your meals ahead of time will help to keep you on track and motivated.