Keto might be a high-fat and low-carb diet, but it has limitations. It does not mean that you can indulge in an excessive calorie intake. Indeed, people adopt this method because it ensures a fulfilling and satisfying feeling after every meal.
No, you cannot eat as much as you want when you are on a keto diet. It would be best to regulate the amount of calories you eat. But you can eat anything – only if it is in a controlled quantity and has low carbs, moderate protein, and high fat. If you want to lose weight you can start by cutting 200-300 kcal per day.
So, as a rule of thumb, the carb intake should be reduced to 5% to 10% per day. Similarly, the protein and fat intake should be 10% to 25% and 70% to 80%, respectively.
For example, 2000 calorie diet = 75 grams of protein, 40 grams of carbohydrates, and 165 grams of fat.
Even then, it is entirely possible to consume too many calories through more significant portions of calorie-dense foods. If you want to reap maximum benefits from such a diet, you must follow strict guidelines.
Are you ready to indulge in the ketogenic diet the right way? Read on!
A Brief Explanation of the Keto Diet
Any diet involving adequate protein consumption, with high quantities of fat and low carbs, is a ketogenic diet.
A keto diet helps treat children having epilepsy that is generally hard to control from a medical perspective. Therefore, enforcing this diet helps these children burn fat rather than carbs.
The keto diet has become a trend because of the minimal restrictions it harbours.
This diet shares similar features with the Atkins low-carb diet. A keto diet will drastically reduce your carbs intake and replace it with fat. So, how does that help the body?
A Keto Diet Burns Fat
The reduction in carbs allows your body to get into a ketosis state. This metabolic state helps your body to lower insulin and blood sugar levels. Moreover, the metabolism system will break down fat instead of carbohydrates.
Due to the ketosis process, your body can efficiently burn the fat to create an incredible energy level.
Upon entering the liver, the fat turns into ketones, ensuring a proper energy supply to the brain. Though, you need to have a controlled intake of macronutrients for that to happen.
What Amount of Macros is Ideal for a Ketogenic Diet?
To reach ketosis, you need to control your intake of calories. To do that, you should regulate macronutrient or macros consumption.
The macros refer to protein, carbohydrates, and fats in a ketogenic diet. You get to ingest all the calories required for a ketogenic diet through this. Therefore, it is essential to keep the macros regulated to fit their unique role.
The perfect macro ratio for a keto diet will support your fitness goals and keep you healthy. So, the typical ratio you need to follow should be:
- 70% to 80% from fat
- 5% to 10% from carbohydrates
- 10% to 25% from protein
As you can see, the calories from carbohydrates are significantly lesser in a ketogenic diet. Hence, through this macro range, you are guaranteed to reach ketosis.
Fun Fact: Following this ratio will help you trick your metabolism into burning fat for energy rather than carbohydrates.
How Much Food Can You Eat While on Keto?
A keto diet might have strict restrictions on the type of food, but it is wise to follow a routine. Some food groups may not be appropriate for your consumption, even if it contains high-fat levels.
It includes sweetened yogurt, packaged chips, baked goods (even gluten-free), juices, starchy vegetables, and grains.
Follow this in-depth breakdown of the food groups appropriate to eat and curate a diet plan for yourself. A ketogenic diet demands a routine and regulated intake from oils to dairy and meat.
Fat and Oils
The only two oils recommended for any keto diet are:
- Olive oil
- Coconut oil
If you go for an extra-virgin olive oil, you will be getting heart-healthy fats and antioxidants that are monounsaturated. Moreover, it contains high levels of oleic acid that lower heart diseases.
On the other hand, coconut oil contains saturated fat with medium-chain triglycerides (MCT). It helps increase the ketone production in your liver and enhances your metabolic rate.
It also promotes the loss of weight and reduces belly fat.
How to incorporate it into your diet?
You can base the olive oil salad dressings and utilize the coconut oil to food your meals. Either way, you need to measure the amount you are drizzling. For example, you have to use one tablespoon of coconut oil.
Protein
Protein is found in meat, dairy, and nuts. Daily, you need to indulge in at least 20% of protein.
FOOD | Protein |
|---|---|
Greek yogurt (non-fat) | 10g |
Egg (boiled) | 13g |
Cheddar cheese | 25g |
Meat | 26g |
All of these foods are exactly 100g.
Usually, the best range of protein intake to aim for is 0.7 grams to 0.9 grams per pound (lbs.) in your body. So, it translates to a 1.5 gram to 2.0 gram per kilogram of your body weight.
Vegetables
You need to indulge in non-starchy vegetables with low calories in a keto diet. Such vegetables need to be high in nutrients but average in carbohydrates.
It will have antioxidants that will assist your body in remaining healthy. The nutrients contained in non-starchy vegetables can protect you from cell-damaging free radicals. Therefore, aim to indulge in vegetables with less than 8 grams of net carbs.
FOOD | CARBS |
|---|---|
Broccoli | 6.64g |
Green beans | 7g |
Cauliflower | 5g |
Spinach | 3.6g |
Zucchini | 3.1g |
Bell peppers | 6g |
Note: When on a keto diet, stay away from potatoes!
Dairy
Most dairy products are keto-friendly, and moderate consumption can help promote fat loss. Butter and cream contain a conjugated linoleic fatty acid that helps lose weight. At the same time, it can harbour calories and carbs that can be harmful.
You need to keep the portion size regulated and indulge in dairy products like:
- Milk – 1 cup contains 12 grams of carbs and 8 grams of protein.
- Cream – 1 tablespoon has 0.5 grams of carbs and 0.4 grams of protein.
- Cheese – 28 grams contains 7 grams of protein and 0.4 grams of carbs.
- Full-fat yogurt – 100 grams has 3.5 grams of protein and 4.7 grams of carbs.
- Butter – 100 grams contain 0.9 grams of protein with 0.1 gram of carbs.
Nuts
Some seeds and nuts are a great way to start your journey towards ketosis. It contains healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, protein, and fibre. Moreover, they are low in net carbs and help you stay healthy.
Indeed, you can replace unhealthy processed food with nuts as your snacking option. With frequent consumption, you will reduce the risk of heart diseases and depression.
When on a keto diet, you should choose nuts like:
- Almonds
- Brazil nuts
- Pecans
- Walnuts
- Chia seeds
- Macadamia nuts
- Pumpkin seeds
- Flaxseeds
- Sesame seeds
These items have less than 10 grams of total carbs, except for chia seeds with 12 grams. Moreover, the lowest total carb value is of Brazil nuts.
Cheese
Cheese is an excellent option for ketogenic diet followers as it has zero carbs and is high in fat content. The richness of calcium and protein helps you keep your health in check. However, a 1-ounce cheese slice has around 30% of saturated fat.
Cottage cheese of five ounces has 5 grams of carbs but 18 grams of protein.
So, you need to keep the intake regulated if you are worried about heart diseases. Portion control plays a considerable part in leading to your ketosis goal.
Plain Yoghurt
Any yogurt (except sweetened ones) has a high protein value with a calcium-rich essence. Indulging in five ounces of any Greek yogurt will offer you 5 grams of carbs but 12 grams of protein.
Eating calcium and rich protein will help reduce your appetite. This way, you will feel fuller, and your need to eat will diminish.
Meat
You can get lean protein with the consumption of meat. In a keto diet, this type of protein is considered a staple. So, fresh meat is an excellent addition to your diet as it does not have any carbohydrates.
The richness of Vitamin B and minerals like selenium, potassium, and zinc makes it a great choice. However, processed meat like bacon or sausages might not be an excellent idea for your heart. It would be best to choose chicken, beef or fish that are fresh-cuts.
How Often Should You Eat in a Day on Keto?
When planning a keto meal, common mistakes include frequent snacking or too much protein intake. You need to swear by the "three meals a day" plan to counter that. Though a keto diet allows five to six smaller meals, keeping it at three square meals is best.
On the other hand, you can benefit from smaller snacks after three moderate meals every day.
If you do not eat enough, you will likely feel hungry and eat unprocessed food that will hamper the diet. So, keep some nuts and avocados handy!
What are the few Common Keto Mistakes that Dieters Make?
It is okay to encounter roadblocks on your way to reach ketosis. Beginners face issues that can only be countered by the strict understanding of a ketogenic diet. Dieters make obvious mistakes revolving around the intake of certain foods.
You can avoid them by creating a diet plan corresponding to any keto diet. For example, you can choose to follow the macros requirement strictly.
Consumption of too many Carbs
It is crucial to decrease carbs from any ketogenic diet to reach ketosis by inducing fat burn. In a keto diet, the calories from carbohydrates should be 5%. Therefore, you can use fitness applications to track your macronutrients and keep a close eye on your carb intake.
It will help you get a clear view of the carb servings and regulate your calorie need.
Excessive Protein Intake
A keto diet stipulates the need to indulge in a moderate protein intake. In some cases, you might intake too much protein without realizing it.
Excess protein can hinder your ketosis state and produce glucose. You may encounter problems due to the sudden glucose in your body because keto does not allow you to indulge in sugar. In a keto diet, your blood sugar might not be adequately controlled.
To keep your protein intake regulated, you can utilize a food calculator and determine the nutritional value of the products you eat.
Excessive Calories Intake
Any diet requires you to reduce calorie intake to promote a healthy weight loss. But, with fewer limitations in the keto diet, you can overdo it while eating certain foods.
Various keto-friendly foods contain a high calorific value. Hence, you need to be careful while eating olive oil, avocados, nuts, and full-fat dairy products.
You can save yourself from calories by cutting down on portion size and limiting snacks. You can even indulge in some exercise to shed some weight.
Overeating Saturated Fat
Keto dieters make a common mistake eating trans or saturated fat in high quantities. Indeed, keto requires eating more fat, but such fats are healthy. On the other hand, saturated fat creates bad cholesterol, leading to heart diseases.
It might be impossible to let go of this fat, but you can indeed limit the consumption.
Instead, you can consider eating foods having monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fats. Such items include nuts, fish, olive oil, and avocados.
Lower Consumption of Veggies and Fruits
One of the best alternatives to high-calorific food is to replace it with veggies and fruits. It would be best if you stocked up on low-starch and low-carb veggies, like broccoli or cauliflower. Moreover, veggies play a critical part in keeping you healthy.
Some fruits have high-carbs which makes them an enemy for keto dieters. However, fruits like watermelon or berries will be a great alternative.
Unrealistic Weight Loss Plans
No diet can magically help you lose weight. Along with eating healthy and portion control, you need to exercise. This way, your body can burn the fat intake and turn it into energy.
At the same time, you need to set realistic, short, and attainable goals when on a diet. You can connect with a dietician or go to the gym daily.
You can aim for a weight loss of 0.5 to 1 kg every week. It will help you lose weight over time and stay on track.
Frequent Snacking
The keto diet requires you to portion control for ending up in a ketosis stage. But, with frequent snacking on high-calorie cheat meals, you can hamper your ultimate goal.
Indeed, it is hard to ignore your cravings. So, you can try low-carb variants of your favourite snacks. This way, you indulge in your favourite while keeping your body healthy.
Fun Fact
You can order cauliflower crust pizza with broccoli and cheese.
Underlying Medical Issues
Have you been on the keto diet, but you have still seen no results? You need to consult your doctor to rule out any medical issues that might be preventing you from dropping weight.
Certain medical conditions can stop you from losing weight even with a strict diet. If left undiagnosed, hypothyroidism, PCOS, and depression can make it challenging to continue a diet.
What are the Possible Outcomes of an Unplanned Keto Diet?
Unplanned keto diets can be your worst nightmare. If you choose to enter this diet without prior knowledge or understanding of the macronutrient requirements, you will most likely fail.
It is essential to understand and plan a keto diet as per the food and macros needed. Instead, you will witness problems like:
- Excess consumption of carbs will lead to the formation of glucose
- The desired weight loss goal can never be attained
- Excess consumption of animal fat can lead to heart diseases
- You can risk low blood sugar levels if you do not eat properly
- It might be impossible to reach ketosis, and you can fall out of it easily
- Constipation due to the lack of vegetable or fruit intake
- Prolonged effects of the keto flu
If you do not understand portion control or what foods to eat, it can be hard to reach your ketosis goal and lose weight.
The Bottom Line
A keto diet does not necessarily mean that you can eat anything you want in whatever quantity. Even though the restrictions are less, such a diet requires proper determination and dedication.
Indeed, to reach the ultimate level of ketosis, you need to lower your carb intake while increasing your fat intake drastically. The protein intake needs to moderate. Planning out a keto diet can be daunting, so you should contact a doctor or a dietitian for the same.
Frequent snacking on unsaturated fat, starchy vegetables, and high-carb fruits is a big "no-no" for keto followers.
It would help if you regulated your calorific intake. You can do this by adhering to the macronutrient requirement of any keto diet. Now, you are fully equipped to start your journey towards ketosis.
FAQ
When you are on a ketogenic diet, you can consume too many calories. 70% to 80% of it can be from fat and 10% to 20% from protein. In contrast, the carb intake needs to be lesser than 10% when you are on keto. So, too much is when you eat unprocessed food with excessive carb content.
A ketogenic diet does not require you to control your calorie balance strictly. You will feel more satiated faster because of the increased amount of fats, resulting in a natural calorie deficit.
Yes, you can consume more calories on a ketogenic diet if it comes from fat or protein. You can do this by eating more significant portions or snacking on foods with a high calorific value. This way, you will feel satisfied and filling after a ketogenic meal.
It is always good to track your calorie intake, no matter which diet you are on. Generally speaking, any ketogenic diet will not ask you to control the calories balance.
As a rule of thumb, the calories from your protein consumption should be 20% to 30%. Therefore, you need to aim for 1.5 to 2.0 g per kg of your body weight (0.7 to 0.9 g per lbs.). You can never get into ketosis if you consume excessive protein when on a low-carb diet because of a process called gluconeogenesis which converts proteins to carbs.
Yes, you can eat a lot of meat when on a keto diet. Meat is never "off-limits" for anyone following a ketogenic diet because of the mostly high-fat and high-protein content.
Unfortunately, you cannot have unlimited cheese when on a keto diet. It contains high levels of saturated fat, calories, and carbs. Furthermore, it is a lesser heart-healthy food option.
