You’ve seen the research. You’ve read the stories of people improving their health, losing weight, and feeling more mentally sharp. Now, you’ve decided it’s your turn to reap the benefits of keto, too. But what if you’re stuck on exactly HOW to start ketogenic diet the right way? No worries here—the hardest part is starting, right? You’ve already made the first step, so let’s help you begin in style.
The Basics Of A Ketogenic Diet
As explained in this article, a ketogenic diet focuses on putting your body into a metabolic state called “ketosis.” What this generally means is that your body uses fat – rather than sugar – to generate energy for your body.
In order for your body to switch into this state, the typical advice is to eat a diet low in carbohydrates, high in fats, and moderate in proteins. (Hence why bone broth is very keto-friendly.)
How To Start A Ketogenic Diet
A keto diet is pretty simple in theory (low carbs, high fat, moderate protein). But that doesn’t necessarily tell you exactly what to eat, what to avoid, or how much to eat.
So What Exactly Can You Eat on A Ketogenic Diet?
- Healthy fats, e.g., coconut oil, butter or ghee, lard, tallow, bacon fat, olive oil
- Meats, including organ meats
- Eggs
- Fish and Seafood
- Non-starchy vegetables (especially green leafy vegetables)
- Some berries
So a typical day’s meal might look like this:
- Breakfast – eggs with bacon
- Lunch – cup of bone broth with chicken salad
- Dinner – steak with sauteed veggies followed by a keto dessert
Here are some other meal ideas from proponents of a ketogenic diet….
Stephen Phinney has a MD from Stanford University, a PhD in Nutritional Biochemistry from MIT, and did post-doctoral work at Harvard. He’s been researching ketogenic diets for decades and is the co-author of Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living. His example meal plan is:
- Breakfast – black coffee and sausages
- Lunch – salad with greens, tuna, olives, blue cheese dressing
- Snack – nuts, broth, cheese with celery sticks
- Dinner – tomato bisque, steak, green beans, mushrooms.
- Dessert – maple walnut ice cream made with sucralose/xylitol
Dominic D’Agostino, who is an Assistant Professor in Pharmacology and Physiology at the University of South Florida and studies neurological disease prevention, eats eggs, sardines, oysters, and broccoli for breakfast.
Those are just a few examples, and the possibilities are endless. For more ideas, here’s a free 7-day ketogenic diet meal plan.
Potential Hazard: “Carb Flu” and How To Get Over It
When you first start a ketogenic diet, you might feel tired, moody, and even slightly nauseous – this is pretty common.
These symptoms typically arise because your body is adjusting to using ketones after having been so dependent on carbohydrates for most of your life.
While carb flu typically lasts less than a week or two, you can do a few things to get over it faster and to minimize how bad you feel:
- Drink more water
- Take some MCT oil or exogenous ketones
- Take in a bit more healthy fats and protein
- Consider adding a bit of clean carbs like sweet potatoes or fruit into your diet to ease that transition
After the initial transition period (often referred to as the fat-adaptation or keto-adaptation period), most people find they gain a ton of mental and physical energy. They don’t have energy crashes in the afternoons and they often sleep a bit less but wake up feeling refreshed. They also tend to eat less because they don’t feel hungry or have cravings.
When you’re first getting started, it can be helpful to use a blood or breath ketone meter. What these meters do is measure the amount of ketones (the energy source your body is switching to) in your blood or your breath. Knowing those amounts and seeing how they increase or decrease depending on what you’re eating daily can often be a motivating and helpful indicator of the transition occurring in your body.
How Long Do I Have To Stay Keto For?
There’s really no set rule for how long you have to stay on a ketogenic diet.
Many keto proponents think of it as a tool for aiding weight loss or mental clarity. Many will do a ketogenic diet for several weeks and then you can be in a Paleo diet for a few months and then back to a ketogenic diet.
However, if you’re using a ketogenic diet for therapeutic purposes, then you may need to stay on it for longer – that’s something to discuss with a health practitioner.
Personalizing Your Ketogenic Diet
One of the best things about a keto diet is that many people in the community love figuring things out. There’s a lot of self-experimentation and sharing of data and ideas.
Some people do better on a slightly higher fat ketogenic diet while others can eat slightly more carbohydrates. Intermittent fasting is also an area that many people on a ketogenic diet experiment with.
This is an exciting growing field that’s helping a lot of people, so if you’re ready to give it a try, keep an open mind and have fun improving your body and mind.