WHAT IS A KETO DIET?
The Science
A keto diet is a very low-carb diet that relies on you eating very little carbohydrate and replacing it with increased amounts of protein and fat. This type of diet is called 'keto' because when eating a low-carb diet, your body goes into a metabolic state of ketosis and your body produces ketones, which then serves as the body's alternative and primary source of fuel.
When your body reaches ketosis, fat burning (from both food and your body) can increase dramatically, which means it is easier to lose weight. it also means that without the sugar peaks associated with eating a regular carbohydrate-rich diet, you can experience higher and sustained energy levels, be less hungry and may experience a higher level of focus or concentration.
A keto diet usually means consuming around 20g net carbs per day and a low-carb diet usually requires you to eat less than 50g of net carbs per day. It is certainly true that the lower the level of carbs, the quicker you will see weight loss.
What you can eat & drink on a Keto Diet
- Meat & Chicken
- Fish, Shellfish, Seafood
- Eggs
- Full-fat dairy products (cheese, milk, cream)
- Vegetables (non-root vegetables)
- Nuts (and nut flours and meals)
- Full-Fat oils
- Small amounts of low-sugar content fruits
- Vodka/Gin/Whisky & dry wines
What you should restrict or not eat & drink on a Keto Diet
- Most fruit and juices
- Pasta
- Rice
- Potatoes and root vegetables
- Wheat products (including wheat flour & cornflour)
- Bread
- Sugar (including honey, chocolate & sweets)
- Beer
The Keto Pyramid
Unlike a regular food pyramid, which is predominantly carbohydrate-heavy, the typical keto diet will consist of foods in the above categories; 5% carbohydrate, 25% protein and 70% fat. Fats need to be healthy fats, like those derived from coconuts, oils, avocados, fatty fish, seeds, nuts, dairy products, meat and eggs. Protein is supplied by poultry, meat, cheeses and eggs. The carbohydrates typically come from your vegetables and limited amounts of fruit.
Counting the carbs
Once I had accepted that I could eat meat, cheese, cream, nuts and all manner of lovely foods that would normally be excluded on a regular calorie-counting diet, I counted the carbs I ate faithfully every day. There are a number of carb-counting apps for your phone and websites online to help with this. Once I had accepted that I could eat certain low-carb food types, but should refrain from eating other high-carb foods, I found I didn't need to count carbs anymore. I was strict with myself on the 20g a day diet until I had lost the weight I wanted to lose, but now I don't count at all and because the ingredients I use are now essentially all low-carb options, I don't need to count anything at all and my target weight has been maintained.
Keto means no traditional diet products are allowed
When first starting out on a diet like this, it's important to check all your products for the carbohydrate content until you get used to what you can and cannot have. You are going to be very surprised. A counter-intuitive keto or low-carb diet must is that you should avoid low-fat diet products as they are often packed with sugars to improve the taste because they have had the fat content reduced. It's important to remember that full-fat milk is required on a keto or low-carb diet as the sugar added to semi-skimmed or skimmed milk can be quite substantial and there is not enough fat content. It is also a given that you should avoid or limit highly processed foods.
As someone who doesn't like regular cow's milk for my coffee, I also check that I always buy unsweetened almond milk. Quite often the cartons of nut-milks, as an alternative to dairy, contain added sugar. There's also a brand of almond milk, which contains rice and although this is one of my favourites because it has a wonderfully creamy taste and texture, I tend to limit it to the days that I am having a lower-carb food intake because the rice content raises the carb intake levels.
Sugar substitutes
There are quite a few sugar substitutes on the market, which are naturally derived and are recommended for use on a keto or low-carb diet. I just don't like them as I find there is sometimes an aftertaste, which I am sensitive to (but this is not true for all people. It's trial and error I'm afraid). However, I have discovered bottles of sugar and carb free liquid sugar sweeteners and have spent considerable time adapting my recipes to accept this liquid sweetener, rather than a granular one. I have a sweet tooth, so I am not one of those people who can forego the sweetness of food or drinks.
Wheat-flour substitutes
As it is not acceptable to use regular wheat flours for baking and in food preparation on a keto diet, I have discovered a multitude of different nut-flours and nut-meals to use as a substitute. They all have different flavours and baking qualities and need to be used in different ways. It's important to recognise that you can't always just swap one flour for another in a recipe. I've had fun trying (and a number of disasters along the way). There is a multitude of information online, but the recipes on this blog are tried and tested and should work as stated.
There is a multitude of options for any product, but you can see some of my preferred products on the 'Useful Products List' page of this blog.
Keto Diet benefits
There appears to be a number of health benefits that can be obtained from following a keto diet and I list some of those I have experienced here:
- Weight loss - I lost 10kg in 4 months and have not regained the weight
- Appetite control - I very rarely feel hungry these days
- Improved blood sugar and insulin levels - I don't have high and low sugar spikes
- Increased energy levels - I don't experience the high & low energy spikes and slumps
- Increased physical endurance - Increased energy levels enable me to exercise more
- Relief from IBS - Bloating and constipation is no longer an issue for me
As with anything new, starting a new diet, whether to lose weight or improve your health, is a journey. There is an abundance of information online for all things related to a keto and low-carb diet. I hope you enjoy the keto and low-carb experience as much as I do and I hope you enjoy trying some of the recipes within this blog. Let me know how you get on via the email-link on my profile.
Good luck and enjoy!
Nicki x
Disclaimer: Although I understand the basics of the keto science, which eliminates most carbohydrates from the diet and conditions the body to use fat as its energy source, I am in no way a medical expert. I can only say how the diet has helped me with my weight and health aims. I advise anyone wanting to try this diet and method of cooking to conduct their own research and if necessary, take advice from a qualified medical practitioner.