Keto Diet for Beginners

Starting a keto diet

When you follow a ketogenic diet, you eat as few carbohydrates as possible. It is, therefore, a low-carb diet. In a keto diet, you consume a maximum of 30 grams of carbohydrates per day! The standard proportions in the keto diet are that you get 70% of your nutritional needs from healthy fats, 20% from proteins, and only 5% from carbohydrates. This allows you to quickly lose body weight. When you consider that your body normally burns carbohydrates first to function, it makes sense. Those are the easiest fuels for your body. Since you can only provide very few carbohydrates while following a ketogenic diet, your body chooses other fuels. And those are fats. Ketones are formed during the burning of fats. That’s where the name ‘keto diet’ or ‘ketogenic diet’ comes from. And when your body starts burning fats, your natural fat stores quickly decrease, and you will lose weight rapidly.

The problem with sugar as fuel: with the large amounts of carbohydrates (often regular sugar) that most people consume daily, your body has an excess of glucose. Due to the high amount of glucose, you will burn body fat less quickly. The reason for this is that your body has to make much more effort to convert fats into usable energy when there is a lot of sugar present. If there is enough sugar available, your body will always prefer it. After all, your body wants to waste as little energy as possible.

Furthermore, the glucose from your diet that you haven’t used will be stored as extra body fat. This is a way for Mother Nature to create a reserve for times of food scarcity.

The advantage of fat as fuel: in sugar-burning mode, your body is therefore not inclined to burn body fat quickly. However, when you are in ketosis, your body also uses your stored fat for energy more easily when the energy from your diet runs out. Your body sees fat as the primary fuel (if you are in ketosis), so it doesn’t have to make much effort to convert body fat into usable energy.

Your body produces ketones to supply energy to all vital functions (such as brain function) to keep everything in your body running and healthy. The reason this lifestyle is called keto/ketogenic is that you start producing ketones and enter a state of ketosis.

Gradually Building Up the Keto Diet

If you’re going to start a ketogenic diet, it’s wise to give your body some time to adjust in the beginning. Some people may feel a bit weak at first or experience a restless, rumbling stomach. Listen to what your body is telling you in the beginning. It’s important for everyone to ensure they get enough nutrients while following a ketogenic diet, including B vitamins, fiber, and iodine. In principle, you can obtain enough nutrients from eating all allowed vegetables, nuts, and seeds (except for iodine). Taking dietary supplements is not always necessary but can be an option.

What Are Keto Diet Products?

To give you an idea of which products are essential for a ketogenic diet, we’ve listed a few practical items you can have on hand to enjoy a keto-friendly diet:

• MCT oil or coconut oil: These oils contain healthy omega-3 fatty acids that the body converts into energy. Medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) oil can be used in coffee, smoothies, for cooking, or as salad dressing.
• Sugar substitutes: Low glycemic index sweeteners are suitable for the keto diet. Natural sweeteners are preferred, including erythritol, stevia, and monk fruit. You can learn more about sweeteners here.
• Choose low-carb and high-fat nuts, including walnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, almonds, and Brazil nuts, as they fit well into the keto diet.
• Vegetables: Vegetables are the main source of vitamins, minerals, and fiber (essential nutrients) in the keto diet. Compared to how you ate before, you will consume many more vegetables. You can vary your diet with the numerous vegetable varieties available, but keep in mind that not all vegetables are suitable, as some are relatively high in carbohydrates. If you’re looking for an easy overview of all the vegetables you can eat, you can find it here.

Additionally, there are more and more keto products available to support your diet, allowing you to follow your ketogenic diet without missing out on essential nutrients.

Is Keto Suitable for Everyone?

As a keto beginner, it’s important to note that keto is not suitable for everyone. There are a few exceptions. For example, it is not recommended for women to lose a significant amount of weight quickly during pregnancy or while breastfeeding. However, it is possible to follow a ketogenic diet without losing weight. Since you want to go through pregnancy as healthily as possible, adopting a ketogenic diet can be beneficial. For women with gestational diabetes, it is advisable to eat a low-carb or ketogenic diet, and this recommendation is not made lightly. In this article, you can read everything about ketogenic eating before, during, and after pregnancy. Additionally, ketogenic eating can be very beneficial for people with kidney problems because it provides rest for the body in various ways. However, if you have various medical conditions, you should not make dietary changes on your own. Always consult your treating physician before doing so. In some cases, adjustments to the standard ketogenic diet may be recommended.

The Easiest and Best Start of All!

It’s important to educate yourself thoroughly before making radical changes to your diet. It would be a shame if you thought you were doing well but were making mistakes along the way, right? Unfortunately, there is a lot of conflicting information on the internet, and how do you know what to look for? To give you the perfect start to your keto journey, I have designed a free keto mini-course just for you. You will receive all the essential starter information so you’ll know exactly what you can eat and what you should avoid. Sounds great, doesn’t it? Sign up for the mailbox surprise below to receive the best starter info right in your inbox.