The Beginner's Guide

to the Ketogenic Diet

by Megan Dozler

For years we’ve been told that in order to live a healthy life we should eat a diet consisting of high carbohydrates, moderate protein, and low fat.

A high-fat diet has always been synonymous with weight gain, and in some cases, people will do their very best to avoid all sources of fat.

Recent research has brought rise to a different style of dieting that claims it can help you lose weight, burn fat, and provide more energy throughout the day. This diet is called the ketogenic or “keto” diet.

 

What Is the Ketogenic Diet?

The ketogenic diet is a diet that urges the opposite to many other traditional diets. Rather than shunning fatty foods, a low-carb diet utilizes a high amount of unsaturated fats and moderate intakes of saturated fats as a staple.

 

In addition to high intakes of fat, the keto diet also requires that you remove much of the carbohydrates in your diet and replace them with lean protein sources.

 

A low-carb, keto diet contains approximately 60% of calories from fat, 25% from protein, and 15% from carbohydrates (sometimes even lower).

 

Why Try the Ketogenic Diet?

Many of us have been struggling for years to lose weight and effectively live a healthy life with the current foods we’re eating. A low-carb diet may just be the best change you can make to start losing weight and feeling great.

A ketogenic diet works to induce a state of fat oxidation.

This state is called ketosis and will occur when the body has a higher supply of fat and the frequency of meals decreases.

Your body will enter a mild starvation, or fasting phase. At this time your body can start to utilize stored fat as fuel, effectively burning calories and fat you may have had stored for years.

 

What Do You Eat on a Ketogenic Diet?

The keto diet works best when you’re in a moderate fasted state, with high amounts of fat as your primary source of calories.

So what foods are best?

The main idea on a keto diet is to eat as few carbs as possible. Of course, you’ll need some carbohydrates in your diet, but avoiding high carbohydrate foods will help you to enter ketosis much more effectively.

 

Here are the best foods to eat on a keto diet: 

1. Natural fats. The staple nutrients on a low-carb diet are natural fats, including oils, butter, and some whole milks.
2. Meats and seafood. Both meat and seafood contain high amounts of fat and are great sources of protein. Beef, chicken, cod, Basa fish, and other meats are also staples in a ketogenic diet.
3. Eggs and cheese. We start to run into small amounts of carbohydrates when we eat eggs and cheese, although it’s highly recommended that you consume 1-2 servings of eggs and cheese daily.
4. Dark, leafy vegetables. Vegetables like broccoli, spinach, avocado, asparagus, cabbage, and peppers are the perfect vegetables to consume on a daily basis.

• NOTE: Vegetables should be your main source of carbohydrates on the keto diet.

 

Foods to Avoid

You’ll want to avoid all foods that contain moderate to high concentrations of carbohydrates. This means everything from fruit to pasta - and even candy (yep, candy has very high carbohydrates).

Is Keto Right for You?

The ketogenic diet isn’t right for everyone. While many people may benefit, others could struggle with the specific dietary requirements needed to succeed.

Chances are, if you’ve been struggling to lose those pesky pounds, you could use a suitable change to your diet.

Above all the specific dietary requirements on a ketogenic diet, the change to a keto diet will help you to become more conscious of what you’re eating. You can't eat any junk food on this diet - no candy, desserts, or baked goods. All the junk food is taken out of your diet and replaced with whole foods.

With the keto diet and the astounding benefits of achieving a state of ketosis, weight is sure to drop off faster than you can say “I miss bread.”

We have a comprehensive program to help you achieve your health, wellness and weight goals here at Core3. Give us a call today for a complimentary 20-minute consultation on the benefits of our Holistic Health/Life Coach Program. Subscribe to our YouTube channel as therapist Megan Dozler takes you on her personal keto diet journey.