Tips on how to go Keto

1

What exactly is a ketogenic diet? The answer is a diet that centres on fat and very little carbohydrates— a low carb, high fat diet 2. In an average daily 2000 calorie diet, it might look like 165 grams of fat, 40 grams of carbs, and 74 grams of protein. However, the exact ratio will differ depending on each individual 3. The following tips will help you when following a keto diet:

  1. Focus on healthy fats: Eat plenty of high quality sources of fats including: nuts, seeds, avocados, coconut oil 4 and olive oil 5. Many high fat foods are also very low in carbohydrates. The classic ketogenic diet consists of 85-90% of calories from fat 6.
  1. Minimise and pay attention to different carbohydrates: Try to limit carbohydrates to 20-50 grams daily 7. You should avoid or greatly reduce carbohydrate-rich foods from your diet, such as grains, starches, legumes, potatoes, wheat, rice, barley, rye, fruits high in sugar, sweets and sugary soft drinks 8. You could consider tracking your carbohydrate intake to ensure you are not underestimating your intake and be aware of hidden carbohydrate sources. Many sauces and dressings are high in carbohydrates. All fruits are rich in carbohydrates but you can have certain fruits like berries, avocados, lemons and limes in small portions. Regarding vegetables stick to leafy greens such as kale, swiss chard, spinach, cauliflower, broccoli, asparagus, cucumber and celery 3.



3. Buy keto products and choose low-carb snacks: Elly Momberg offers a wide range of delicious keto friendly snacks such as their riegel bars and raw crackers. Stock up on their keto granola, chocolate spread and almond spread. I like to drizzle the chocolate spread on chia pudding, the almond butter spread on keto pancakes and the granola on coconut yoghurt for breakfast. Once you have lots of keto products in your home, it will make it easier to stay on track.

  1. DoctorKlitz (2022) Vegan keto diet
  2. Sukkar, S. and Muscaritoli, M. (2021) A Clinical Perspective of Low Carbohydrate Ketogenic Diets: A Narrative Review. Frontier’s Nutrition 12(8)
  3. Harvard Health Publishing (2020) Should you try the keto diet? Harvard Health
  4. McCarty, M.F. and DiNicolantonio J.J. (2016) Lauric acid-rich medium-chain triglycerides can substitute for other oils in cooking applications and may have limited pathogenicity. Open Heart. 27;3(2)
  5. Dreher, M.L. and Davenport A.J. (2013) Hass avocado composition and potential health effects. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 53(7):738-50
  6. Runyon. A. M, and So T.Y. (2012) The use of ketogenic diet in pediatric patients with epilepsy. ISRN Pediatr
  7. Oh, R., Gilani, B., and Uppaluri, K.R. (2022) Low Carbohydrate Diet. StatPearls
  8. Atkins (2022) Helpful tips: Ketogenic Foods to Avoid. Atkins
  9. Everydayhealth (2021) Keto fruits
— Alexandra Drenth