This repo serves as a resource for all things keto.
The Ketogenic Diet (Keto Diet for short) consists of depleting your intake of carbohydrates so that your body produces more ketones, which acts as the main source of energy while on the diet. Ketones are water-soluble molecules that are produced by the liver during low carbohydrate diets, and is used to fuel the body when glucose is less available than normal.
The goal of the Keto Diet is to get our bodies in a state of ketosis. The main way we do that is by drastically cutting our carb consumption. Why? Because when we introduce a lot of carbs into our system our bodies will transform them into glucose, which it will in turn use as our main source of energy. If we instead replace most of the carbs with fat our bodies will convert them into ketones - and when we rely on Ketones for energy instead of Glucose we are said to be in a state of ketosis. If you can produce less glucose in your system, your body will start to use ketones to break down fat and use that as energy to fuel your body.
Do note that carbs are still necessary for the production of insulin. Also you’ll still need to eat a moderate amount of protein. The typical Keto Diet follows this rule: Of your total daily caloric intake 70% should come from fat, 25% from protein, and 5% from carbs.
In grams, on a ketogenic diet you will generally consume 30g or less of carbohydrates per day. The exact quantity of carbohydrates may very somewhat based on your activity level, level of insulin resistance and physiology. Very active people may be able to tolerate as much as 50g per day while more insulin resistant people may need to go as little as 20g.
When the Keto Diet is done correctly and safely you can experience numerous benefits including:
- Weight loss
- Mental clarity
- Preventing heart disease
- More consistent energy levels (no crashes)
- much more...
A common misconception is that a ketogenic diet is high in protein. While the Atkins diet is one that puts you in a state of ketosis and it could be a high protein diet, the common definition of a "well-formulated ketogenic diet" is one that is moderate in protein.
Another common misconception is that nutritional ketosis is similar or the same as diabetic ketoacidosis. Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a serious health condition that occurs when the ketone levels in your blood get so high that your blood becomes acidic. DKA is most common amongst people who cannot produce enough insulin (for example, Type 1 diabetics) or who are starving themselves. DKA occurs at blood ketone levels much higher than can be achieved using a ketogenic diet. DKA becomes a concern when blood ketone levels are above 5mmol/L, particularly if your blood sugar levels are above 250 mg/dL. Nutritional ketosis generally ranges from .5-3mmol/L
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