At the HealthOne Wellness Clinic, we have been overwhelmed by the number of patients following a ketogenic diet. Many of our patient partners are using this type of diet to lose weight, as they have heard accounts from family members and friends about the great results they have seen following this eating pattern.
However, many people are using online resources to learn how to follow this diet, and are left feeling slightly unsure that they are doing it “right”. There is a lot of conflicting information online, which can lead to frustration when the results don’t appear as anticipated!
This week we got together with one of HealthOne’s Registered Dietitian’s, Emily, to bring you her best tips and tricks when following a low carb or ketogenic diet.
Here are Emily’s 5 best tips and tricks for getting the most out of your ketogenic diet.
1. Go Easy on the Protein.
A lot of the pictures you see under “keto” online and on social media are of huge steaks and high protein animal foods.
In reality, the ketogenic diet is actually a moderate protein diet, as protein is converted to energy using the same pathway as carbohydrates. Too much protein can actually kick you out of ketosis!
Consume a moderate amount of protein, while focusing on healthy fats like avocado, olive oil, ghee, and coconut oil.
2. Steer Clear of Keto Junk Foods
With the popularity of keto has come an onslaught of keto products such as protein bars, cookies, and ready-made shakes.
Although there are a couple good products out there, most of these are made with very low-quality ingredients including inflammatory oils and artificial sweeteners.
Even though they are “keto”, they are still unhealthy foods. It’s completely fine to try baking your own keto cookies at home for a treat, but relying on packaged foods to supplement your diet will negatively impact your health.
3. Get Lots of Fibre
Green leafy vegetables are important to include in your ketogenic diet, and will help you feel satiated.
Vegetables like kale, spinach, broccoli, swizz chard, bokchoy, and fermented foods like sauerkraut and kimchi all have insoluble fibre and are important in maintaining optimal gut health.
4. Test Yourself
Testing to see if your body is in ketosis is important and also super fun!
You can use urine strips, breath monitors, or home finger prick tests. It is good to know what level of ketosis you are in, to make sure you are following the diet correctly.
Emily generally recommends for nutritional ketosis to have your ketones only within 0.5-1.5mmol/L.
Everyone has unique carbohydrate tolerance so there is no standard amount of carbohydrates right for everyone, testing your ketone level is important to determine what’s right for you.
5. Use an Eating Window
Time restricted eating is popularly known as intermittent fasting, and basically just means eating only between certain times of the day.
Time-restricted eating is another way to enhance our utilization of fat stores in the body for fuel and is great to pair with a ketogenic diet.
If you have any questions about following a ketogenic diet, make an appointment at our Wellness Clinic with one of our Registered Dietitians here.
Have an inspired day!
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