I created this guide to provide a brief but straight to the point overview of the ketogenic diet and how you should go about implementing it. I have tried to make this content as easily digestible as possible (no pun intended).
You may choose to follow this guide closely but you know what is best for your body. You may be interested in tweaking things here and there to meet your own personal fitness goals and body type. However, you should not stray from the core principles of the diet. In order to really make sure that you stick to the best keto foods you would be best off getting a keto diet cookbook so that you know for sure that your eating habits are on point.
The basics
On the most basic level, the ketogenic involves taking in high amounts of fat, high amounts of protein and low amounts of carbohydrates. You typically should adjust your food intake like any other diet according to your fitness goals.
When you are off the ketogenic diet, your body normally utilizes carbohydrates by turning carbs into glucose which is used as energy. However, when you are on the ketogenic diet your body begins to instead utilize fats as its main source of energy.
Fats and proteins
You cant just eat any fats, however. It is important that you eat healthy saturated fats. Feel free to balance out your diet with animal fats such as beef and duck fat but also good quality plant fats such as avocado, and nut fats. However, animal fats are the best to use when cooking.
As far as animal proteins go, you should certainly eat your fair share of proteins but it is important to not go overboard. Chicken, pork, eggs, and red meat as well as seafood are all excellent sources of animal protein. Don’t be shy about eating fatty meats. Remember that eating fat is critical for the keto diet since your body will need to utilize these fats for energy.
Now greens come into play. You should never shy away from eating too many greens. Leafy greens such as spinach, and kale are essential for the keto diet but cruciferous vegetables are also good to eat. Ultimately you want to balance your diet out with a wide variety of vegetables to take in all the nutrients that you can.
Nuts are also good to eat on the keto diet. Only a handful of assorted nuts can go a long way for your health. As far as seeds go it is important that you don’t eat too many seeds like berries as they contain high amounts of carbohydrates.
Speaking of carbs… don’t eat any.
When on the keto diet, you should only be eating proteins and fats. This means that you shouldn’t be eating any complex carbs that come from grain, nor should you be eating any simple carbs like sugar. This can be a difficult change for some people but it is essential that you avoid carbs at all costs to keep a good keto diet.
As far as dairy intake goes, feel free to eat plenty of it. Cheese and milk are both great choices to start however there are various dairy products that are particularly high in carbs that you should avoid. In addition, most of your protein should come from animal meat as well, not dairy products.
When first starting out you should be prepared to experience flu-like symptoms. The transition from a regular diet to the keto diet might not be easy at first. Your body is normally used to utilizing carbohydrates as its main source of energy. However when you make the switch to only eating proteins and fats your body needs some time to adjust to utilizing fats for protein. To get over this hump you need to make sure that you drink as much water as necessary to stay adequately hydrated.
As far as meal frequency, you don’t need to eat three meals a day. However, you certainly could if you wanted to. It is entirely up to you to determine when you eat your meals just as long as you are getting enough calories to meet your fitness goals.
However, you should always avoid eating right before you go to bed. Making sure that you get good quality sleep is also critical to keeping your energy up during the day.
For the beginners
When first starting out on the keto diet I would recommend recording your eating and fitness habits. This means that you should plan out your meals and regularly weight your self to track your progress. You may also find that taking measurements around focus areas of the body is also helpful.
Be sure that you know how many calories your body needs when you are on the keto diet. If you are intensely exercising, then you need to accommodate for this high-intensity lifestyle by eating the appropriate number of calories.
The best advice for anyone just starting out on the keto diet is to give your body some time to get used to the system. The body is a delicate system and when you abruptly change from eating carbs to eating no carbs at all, it can throw your system for a loop. After a few days, you will get over the drowsiness.
Keep in mind that this diet certainly isn’t for everyone either. You might find out in the first week of the diet that you like carbs much more than you thought you did. Other people may simply not have the willpower to stick to a diet like this
Keto Crazy 