Everything you need to know about the Keto diet for beginners

MEAT AND CHEESE lovers, rejoice in a diet plan that allows you to keep your favourite foods that still help you lose weight. The ketogenic diet has been helping people lose weight since its humble beginnings as a treatment for epilepsy in the 1920s.

Its popularity has ebbed and flowed over the past hundred years. But, it has picked up steam recently, thanks in part to the hoards of celebrities touting it as the reason they got in shape (if you’ve been waiting on the Jersey Shore cookbook, the Keto Guido Cookbook is here to answer your prayers). Success stories aren’t hard to find— you probably know a person or two who have seen great success doing keto.

It’s all about sticking to, well, the meats and the cheeses. Following the keto diet means consuming about 60 to 80 per cent of your calories from a source of fat—preferably healthy fats like olive oils, avocados, nuts, and eggs. Around 20 per cent is dedicated to protein, like chicken, tofu, turkey, and beef. Lastly, a measly 10 per cent gives carbohydrates some wiggle room into your diet, so you can get a nibble of bread, rice, and pasta.

The idea revolves around the understanding that our bodies burn carbohydrates first as fuel source when we need energy. After all the carbohydrate stores are burned off, the body turns to fat stores to power its functions.

When it comes to weight loss, “there is no question that ketosis does work in the short term,” Dr Konstantinos Spaniolas, associate director of the Stony Brook Metabolic and Bariatric Weight Loss Center in New York.

It makes sense in theory, and the keto diet entices people by allowing those who participate in many cult-favourite foods. Come on, a diet where you can eat endless amounts of bacon and Gouda? We’re sold (maybe).

So, exactly how far do the benefits of this diet reach?

It’s not without its fair share of controversies. The diet has received some criticism for its high fat intake and its effect on heart health.

Its rigid macronutrient counts can be tough to stick to, too. But if you have the motivation and don’t give into the temptation in the food-form that is bread, then you may see some great success with the keto diet.

So, in short, keto is facing a reality check. If you’re thinking about trying keto and want to determine if it’s worth sacrificing carbs, here’s a healthy dose of perspective.

What Is Ketosis?

Ketogenesis has existed as long as humans have.

If you eat a very low amount of carbohydrates, you starve your brain of glucose, the organ’s main fuel source. Your body still needs fuel to function, so your brain flips the switch to tap into your reserve of ketones, which are compounds the liver creates from fat when blood insulin is low. This process is known as ketosis: It’s like when a hybrid car runs out of gas and reverts to pure electricity.

There’s nothing inherently magical about ketones. You already have them in your body. “Your liver produces ketones all the time, but the rate depends on carbohydrate and protein intake,” says Dr Jeff Volek, R.D., a professor of human sciences at Ohio State University.

When the majority of your diet is made up of carbs and protein – as the average Australian diet is – ketogenesis (the process of producing ketones) slows. Replacing carbs and protein with fat will put your body into ketosis, thus ramping up ketone production. Essentially, you’ll burn fat instead of carbs for energy. Ketosis is not instantaneous, and the process takes about three days to induce – often with some side effects during the transitioning stages. (More on those later!)

What can you eat on the Keto diet?

To understand which foods you should and which you should avoid on the keto diet, you have to first consider three key nutrients: fat, protein, and carbohydrates.

A ketogenic diet generally requires that fat comprise 60 to 80 per cent of your total calories. Protein takes up about 20 per cent, while the remaining 10 per cent comes from carbs. Proponents of a ketogenic diet often recommend limiting your carb intake between 20 to 30 grams per day to maintain ketosis. For perspective, that’s the equivalent of about half a medium bagel.

Yes, that all. Half a medium bagel.

And remember, carbs aren’t just present in processed foods; a cup of chopped broccoli has 6 grams of carbs, a cup of chopped carrots has 12 grams, and a cup of Brussels sprouts has 8 grams. In other words, eating the recommended five servings of vegetables per day (because fruits, which are higher in carbs, are pretty much off the table) will probably put you at your max carb allowance.

If this sounds like the Atkins Diet from the 1990s, it’s close, but “ketogenic diets tend to be more severe in carb restriction and have a more moderate protein restriction,” says Spencer Nadolsky, D.O., author of The Fat Loss Prescription

Though you can eat bacon on a ketogenic diet, the rest of the spectrum is limited. Starchy vegetables like potatoes, corn, and squash are too high in carbs. Same with most fruits. Milk, beans, rice, pasta, bread: nope.

To stay as healthy as possible, keto dieters should eat plenty of low-carb vegetables like red bell pepper, kale and cauliflower. These vegetables contain important micronutrients (AKA vitamins and minerals), as well as fibre, which is linked to a lower risk of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.

The rules of keto impact more than just mealtime, too, since juices, sodas, and alcohol will knock you out of ketosis.

So what does a typical day of eating look on the ketogenic diet?

Sample keto meal plan

• Breakfast: 4 eggs, 1/2 avocado, 1 to 2 Tbsp olive oil
• Lunch: 115g baked salmon with 1 Tbsp olive oil, 1/2 bunch asparagus with 1 to 2 Tbsp butter
• Dinner: Rib-eye steak, 2 cups spinach with coconut oil, 2 oz macadamia nuts

Most men consume nearly half of their calories from carbs, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. So, it goes without saying that cutting your intake to less than 10 per cent will be a challenge, and may pose some risks.

We’ll get into those a little later, but, first, the ketogenic does have some benefits that are worth highlighting.

How do you know if you’re in ketosis?

Sure, eating bacon and cheese may sound like a dream but achieving ketosis isn’t easy, says Melanie Boehmer, a registered dietitian at Lenox Hill Hospital.

“Sometimes people try and teeter into it and they won’t lower their carbohydrates enough,” Boehmer says. She recommends eating no more than 20 to 30 grams of carbohydrates per day to maintain the ketogenic state.

Often people think they can eat unlimited amounts of meat on the diet, but that isn’t true. Consuming too much protein will also decrease ketone levels.

Cheat days, even if they are rare, and drinking alcohol can take you out of ketosis, too.

You can determine whether you’re actually in ketosis by purchasing an over-the-counter test. However, they’re not always accurate, warns Ginger Hultin, M.S., R.D.N., spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

So, in short, it’s kind of tough to tell. You just have to stick to your macros and hope the number on the scale drops.

What are the benefits of Keto?

Well, you can lose weight on keto. And maintaining a healthy weight can reduce the risk of and alleviate symptoms related to heart disease, diabetes, and a whole host of other challenging conditions.

Some studies show that keto may lower blood sugar for people with type 2 diabetes, but there is not enough long-term research to determine whether it’s safe and effective for diabetics.

Also, side note, although studies have shown that the keto diet can reduce seizures for children with epilepsy, there is no evidence indicating that keto helps with other brain disorders or improves mental cognition, according to Harvard Health Publishing.

So, in the short term, yes, a keto diet can help you lose weight, which may reduce your risk of disease – but more indirectly than directly. But what about in the long term?

Does Keto work for long-term weight loss?

It’s still too soon to tell. In fact, the rapid weight loss which occurs at the start of a keto diet may not be fat loss at all.

“Early weight loss at the beginning of the Keto diet is likely related to fluctuations in fluid,” says Ashley Harpst, R.D., a sports dietitian and the owner of Go For the Gold Nutrition in San Diego. “Three to four ounces of water is retained for every 1 gram of carbohydrate stored as glycogen in the muscles to use for energy.” So, as your glycogen stores are depleted and you enter ketosis, there’s less water in your body as well.

There’s also no long-term data on ketogenic diets versus other diets. In a 2015 Italian study, those on a ketosis diet lost 12 kg in three months. About half of the participants stayed on the diet for a year but lost little additional weight in the next nine months. People in a 2014 Spanish study who followed a very-low-calorie ketogenic diet lost an average of 20 kg in a year – but a third of them dropped out, possibly because it was too hard to maintain.

Another study, published in 2020 in The BMJ, analysed the results from 121 previously conducted clinical trials that looked at the effectiveness of various diets (low-fat, low-carb, low-calorie, etc.) for weight loss and lowering markers of cardiovascular disease risk, like blood pressure and LDL cholesterol. Based on data from nearly 22,000 adults, the researchers found that while all of these diets led to weight loss and improvements in cardiovascular health markers in the first six months, virtually all of those benefits had disappeared at the one year mark.

The bottom line: Keto (and any other diet) may lead to weight loss and improved health in the first several months, but even if you’re able to stay on the diet for longer, those benefits will likely disappear after about a year.

Do Ketone supplements work?

No.

While it is possible to elevate your ketones by taking them, “without the low-carb stimulus, there is no net increase in ketone production, no decrease in insulin, and no net increase in fat oxidation,” says Volek.

So don’t trust trainers or “body hackers” who say that you can induce ketosis quickly via a pill, powder, or potion – without changing your diet.

What are the side affects?

There are a few. Let’s hit them one at a time.

Keto flu

People who begin the diet often develop “Keto Flu,” as their bodies get accustomed to eating fewer carbs. During this time you may experience headaches, nausea, fogginess, muscle cramps and fatigue. Symptoms last about a week, but staying hydrated and getting ample sleep will help with cramps and exhaustion.

Bad breath

Aside from Keto Flu, you may notice a few other unpleasant side effects. Acetone – yes, the ingredient in nail polish remover – is one of the compounds found in ketones, so your breath may be stinkier than normal. Pooping may be difficult since cutting carbs will lower fibre intake, but a fibre supplement will help keep you regular.