Custom Keto Diet Plan

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What is a keto diet?

The keto diet is a very low-carb, higher-fat diet. It’s similar in many ways to other low-carb diets.

While you eat far fewer carbohydrates on a keto diet, you maintain moderate protein consumption and may increase your intake of fat. The reduction in carb intake puts your body in a metabolic state called ketosis, where fat, from your diet and from your body, is burned for energy.

What “keto” means

A “keto” or “ketogenic” diet is so named because it causes your body to produce small fuel molecules called “ketones.”

This is an alternative fuel source for your body that can be used when blood sugar (glucose) is in short supply.

When you eat very few carbs or very few calories, your liver produces ketones from fat. These ketones then serve as a fuel source throughout the body, especially for the brain.

The brain is a hungry organ that consumes lots of energy every day, and it can’t run on fat directly. It can only run on glucose – or ketones.

On a ketogenic diet, your entire body switches its fuel supply to run mostly on fat, burning fat all day long. When insulin levels drop very low, fat burning can increase dramatically. It becomes easier to access your fat stores to burn them off.

This is great if you’re trying to lose weight, but there can also be other benefits, such as less hunger and a steady supply of energy — without the sugar peaks and valleys that often occur when eating high-carb meals. This may help keep you alert and focused.

When the body produces ketones, it enters a metabolic state called ketosis. The fastest way to get there is by fasting – not eating anything – but nobody can consistently fast forever.

A keto diet, on the other hand, also results in ketosis and can be eaten indefinitely. It has many of the benefits of fasting – including weight loss – without having to fast long term.

Learn more about ketosis

Who should NOT do a ketogenic diet?

There are controversies and myths about a keto diet, but for most people it appears to be very safe.

However, three groups often require special consideration:

Do you take medication for diabetes, such as insulin? More

Do you take medication for high blood pressure? More

Do you breastfeed? More

For more details about pros and cons in different situations, check out our full guide: Is a keto diet right for you?

Are you a doctor or do you need your doctor to help you with medications on a keto diet? Have a look at our low carb for doctors guide.

Disclaimer: While the ketogenic diet has many proven benefits, it’s still controversial. The main potential danger regards medications, e.g. for diabetes, where doses may need to be adapted (see above). Discuss any changes in medication and relevant lifestyle changes with your doctor. Full disclaimer

This guide is written for adults with health issues, including obesity, that could benefit from a ketogenic diet.

Controversial topics related to a keto diet, and our take on them, include saturated fats, cholesterol, whole grains, red meat, whether the brain needs carbohydrates and restricting calories for weight loss. Learn more

What to eat on a keto diet

Here are typical foods to enjoy on a ketogenic diet. The numbers are net carbs per 100 grams (3.5 ounces) of food.

To remain in ketosis, lower is generally better:

What’s the most important thing to do to reach ketosis? Avoid eating too many carbs. You’ll likely need to keep carb intake under 50 grams of net carbs per day, ideally below 20 grams.

The fewer the carbs, the more effective the diet appears to be for reaching ketosis, losing weight or improving type 2 diabetes.

Counting carbs can be helpful at first. But if you stick to our recommended foods and recipes you can stay keto even without counting.

Detailed list of what to eat on a keto diet

Try to avoid

Here’s what you should avoid on a keto diet – foods containing a lot of carbs, both the sugary and the starchy kind. This includes starchy foods like bread, pasta, rice and potatoes. These foods are very high in carbs.

The numbers are grams of net carbs per 100 grams (3.5 ounces), unless otherwise noted.

Also avoid or limit highly processed foods and instead follow our whole foods keto diet advice.

You should also avoid low-fat diet products. A keto diet should be moderately high in protein and will probably be higher in fat, since fat provides the energy you’re no longer getting from carbohydrate. Low-fat products usually provide too many carbs and not enough protein and fat.

More specific advice on what to eat – and what not to eat

What to drink

What can you drink on a ketogenic diet? Water is the perfect drink, and coffee or tea are fine too. Ideally, use no sweeteners, especially sugar.

A splash of milk or cream in your coffee or tea is OK, but beware that the carbs can add up if you drink multiple cups in a day (and definitely avoid caffe lattes!). The occasional glass of wine is fine too.

Check out our full guides to keto drinks and keto alcohol.

Visual keto diet guides

For more on specific topics – like what fruits or nuts to eat on a ketogenic diet – check out our popular visual guides:

Vegetables

Fruits

Nuts

Snacks

Alcohol

Drinks

How many carbs?

Sweeteners

Dairy

A keto diet is an eating plan that focuses on foods that provide a lot of healthful fats, adequate amounts of protein, and very few carbohydrates. The goal is to get more calories from fat than from carbs.

The diet works by depleting the body of its sugar reserves. As a result, it will start to break down fat for energy. This results in the production of molecules called ketones that the body uses for fuel. When the body burns fats, it can also lead to weight loss.

There are several types of keto diet, including the Standard Ketogenic Diet and the Cyclical Ketogenic Diet.

In this article, we explain the benefits of the keto diet, as well as its risks.

1. Supports weight loss

The keto diet may help a person lose weight.

The ketogenic diet may help promote weight loss in several ways, including boosting metabolism and reducing appetite.

Ketogenic diets consist of foods that fill a person up and may reduce hunger-stimulating hormones. For these reasons, following a keto diet may reduce appetite and promote weight loss.

In a 2013 meta-analysis of 13 different randomized controlled trials, researchers found that people following ketogenic diets lost 2 pounds (lbs) more than those following low fat diets over 1 year.

Similarly, another review of 11 studies demonstrated that people following a ketogenic diet lost 5 lbs more than those following low-fat diets after 6 months.

Here, learn about the difference between a keto and Atkins diet plan.

2. Improves acne

Acne has several different causes and may have links to diet and blood sugar in some people.

Eating a diet high in processed and refined carbohydrates may alter the balance of gut bacteria and cause blood sugar to rise and fall significantly, both of which can adversely affect skin health.

According to a 2012 study, by decreasing carb intake, a ketogenic diet could reduce acne symptoms in some people.

Find out more about acne here.

3. May reduce risk of certain cancers

Researchers have examined the effects of the ketogenic diet in helping prevent or even treat certain cancers.

One study found that the ketogenic diet may be a safe and suitable complementary treatment to use alongside chemotherapy and radiation therapy in people with certain cancers. This is because it would cause more oxidative stress in cancer cells than in normal cells, causing them to die.

A more recent study from 2018 suggests that because the ketogenic diet reduces blood sugar, it could also lower the risk of insulin complications. Insulin is a hormone that controls blood sugar that may have links to some cancers.

Although some research indicates that the ketogenic diet may have some benefit in cancer treatment, studies in this area are limited. Researchers need to carry out more studies to fully understand the potential benefits of the ketogenic diet in cancer prevention and treatment.

4. May improve heart health

When a person follows the ketogenic diet, it is important that they choose healthful foods. Some evidence shows that eating healthful fats, such as avocados instead of less healthful fats, such as pork rinds, can help improve heart health by reducing cholesterol.

A 2017 review of studies of animals and humans on a keto diet showed that some people experienced a significant drop in levels of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or bad cholesterol, and triglycerides, and an increase in high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or “good” cholesterol.

High levels of cholesterol can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. A keto diet’s reducing effect on cholesterol may, therefore, reduce a person’s risk of heart complications.

However, the review concluded that the positive effects of the diet on heart health depend on diet quality. Therefore, it’s important to eat healthful, nutritionally balanced food while following the keto diet.

Discover which foods promote heart health.

5. May protect brain function

Some studies, such as this 2019 review, suggest the ketones that generate during the keto diet provide neuroprotective benefits, which means they can strengthen and protect the brain and nerve cells.

For this reason, a keto diet may help a person prevent or manage conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease.

However, more research is necessary into a keto diet’s effects on the brain.

Find out more about Alzheimer’s disease.

6. Potentially reduces seizures

The ratio of fat, protein, and carbs in a keto diet alters the way the body uses energy, resulting in ketosis. Ketosis is a metabolic process during which the body uses ketone bodies for fuel.

The Epilepsy Foundation suggest that ketosis can reduce seizures in people with epilepsy — especially those who have not responded to other treatment methods. More research is necessary on how effective this is, though it seems to have the most effect on children who have focal seizures.

A 2019 review supports the hypothesis that a keto diet can support people with epilepsy. The ketogenic diet may reduce epilepsy symptoms by several different mechanisms.

Discover natural treatments for epilepsy here.

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7. Improves PCOS symptoms

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a hormonal disorder that can lead to excess male hormones, ovulatory dysfunction, and polycystic ovaries. A high-carbohydrate diet can cause adverse effects in people with PCOS, such as skin problems and weight gain.

There are not many clinical studies on the ketogenic diet and PCOS. One pilot study from 2005 examined five women over 24 weeks. The researchers found that a ketogenic diet improved several markers of PCOS, including:

weight loss

hormone balance

ratios of luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)

levels of fasting insulin

A different review of studies from 2019 found that a keto diet had beneficial effects for people with hormonal disorders, including PCOS and type 2 diabetes. However, they did also caution that the studies were too diverse to recommend a keto diet as a general treatment for PCOS.

Risks and complications

The ketogenic diet may have a range of health benefits. However, staying on the ketogenic diet long-term can have an adverse effect on health, including an increased risk of the following health problems:

kidney stones

excess protein in the blood

mineral and vitamin deficiencies

a build up of fat in the liver

The keto diet can cause adverse side effects that many people know as keto flu. These adverse effects may include:

constipation

fatigue

low blood sugar

nausea

vomiting

headaches

a low tolerance for exercise

These symptoms are especially common at the beginning of the diet as the body adjusts to its new energy source.

Some populations should avoid the keto diet, including:

people with diabetes who are insulin-dependent

people who have eating disorders

those with kidney disease or pancreatitis

women during pregnancy and breastfeeding

People who take a type of medication called sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors for type 2 diabetes should also not follow a keto diet. This medication increases the risk of diabetic ketoacidosis, a dangerous condition that increases acidity in the blood.

Takeaway

It is important to discuss any intended diet plan with a doctor, dietitian, or trusted healthcare provider, especially for people who are trying to manage a health problem or disease.

People looking to start the keto diet should seek consultation with a doctor and check if they have diabetes, hypoglycemia, heart disease, or any other health conditions to ensure the keto diet is a safe eating pattern.

Keep in mind that studies on the long-term benefits of the ketogenic diet are lacking. It is unclear whether maintaining this diet over more extended periods is more beneficial than less restrictive healthful eating patterns.

A ketogenic diet restricts or severely limits carbohydrates. However, some carbohydrates provide health benefits. For a less restrictive dietary approach, people should consume a diet that includes a variety of nutrient-dense, fibrous carbs, such as fruits and vegetables, alongside nutritious protein sources, and healthful fats.

Q:

How long can I maintain a keto diet safely?

A:

There is a fair amount of research backing the potential benefits of the ketogenic diet, including weight loss blood sugar regulation. However, the majority of studies have only taken place over short periods of a few weeks or months.

Some studies show the benefits of following the ketogenic diet over more extended periods of up to 2 years. However, there is a lack of studies exploring the potential side effects of following a ketogenic diet for longer periods.

One recent cohort study that followed 432,179 adults over 25 years associated both high and low carbohydrate intake with a greater risk of mortality than moderate carbohydrate intake. Specifically, people who consumed more than 70% or less than 40% of calories from carbohydrates were at a higher risk of mortality.

While it is likely that you will lose weight when following the ketogenic diet correctly on a short-term basis, research suggests that it is probably not the healthiest diet to follow long-term.

If you want to try the ketogenic diet, it may be best to limit this dietary pattern to a few months, then transition back to a less restrictive diet that you can maintain long-term. No matter what diet you follow, remember to make sure you are consuming whole, nutritious foods.

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