A Beginner's Guide to Keto. What are some powerful supplements for supporting ketones?
What is the Ketogenic Diet?
The keto diet, or ketogenic diet, is a very low carb (<50 grams per day), high fat diet that helps increase the body’s efficiency in using fat for energy.
The key to the keto diet is that low carb intake alters metabolism to form ketones, which are a backup energy source for the brain when it lacks adequate glucose (blood sugar). The keto diet has been used to fix some forms of epilepsy and can also help promote healthy blood sugar and insulin levels, which may have a positive impact on weight management.
The keto diet encourages high fat intake, limited protein content, and keeps carb intake low, such as less than 50 grams per day. Typically, total calories are split into 70% fat, 20% protein, and 10% carbohydrates.
For more information on the basics of the keto diet, read my article “Benefits of the Keto Diet: Brain Health, Weight Management, and More”. It provides important information on how to construct an extremely healthy keto diet.
Starting a keto diet requires thoughtful planning to create meals that meet personal preferences and nutritional needs. While there may be a learning curve at first, learning becomes easier with time and practice. This article provides some practical tips to help keto beginners make a smooth transition to a keto lifestyle.
Supplements to Support Keto
When you first start a ketogenic diet, your body and digestion may have an adjustment period. Before the body switches to ketosis, the lack of carbohydrates can cause people to experience headaches, brain fog, fatigue, irritability, and gastrointestinal discomfort such as bloating, nausea, and difficult bowel movements. When these symptoms occur, it is often called the "keto flu" and usually goes away on its own after the first week or so, but there are some helpful keto supplements that can help maintain energy levels when starting a keto diet and as you continue the diet.
1.Multivitamins
The first supplement to consider is a multivitamin specifically formulated to support a keto diet. It can help ensure adequate intake of essential nutrients and fill in deficiencies that may make dieters feel tired or grumpy. These nutrients are also involved in proper energy production and metabolism in the body.
2.Digestive Enzymes
The keto diet involves eating a lot of fat, up to 150-200 grams per day. In comparison, typical recommendations only take 20-60 grams per day. Keto dieters may consume 3 to 10 times more fat than on most other diets. This increase strains the pancreas to produce enough lipase, the enzyme that breaks down fat. Enzyme deficiencies can contribute to the common digestive issues associated with keto. Using a digestive enzyme supplement high in lipase or one tailored for keto can help.
3.Protein
Unless a person is following a vegan version of the keto diet, protein intake is not typically a focus on the keto diet. If so, incorporating 15-20 grams of protein per day from a vegan protein powder into the daily diet as a base ingredient in smoothies or recipes is recommended to ensure adequate protein intake.
4.Omega-3
Because the keto diet is so high in fat, it is important to intentionally focus on foods rich in health-promoting fats and oils, such as those found in nuts and seeds, olive oil, avocados, fish, and other seafood. To provide adequate intake of the long-chain omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which are essential for health, it is recommended to take a fish oil or algae supplement to consume 1,000 mg of EPA+DHA per day.
Best Fat Sources for Keto
The high fat intake of keto may seem indulgent, but many dieters have a hard time making healthy choices. The key is to focus on fats and oils that promote health.
Most keto dieters tend to eat a lot of avocado and avocado oil. Thinly sliced avocado is very easy to enjoy on its own as a side dish or as a boost to almost any main dish or smoothie. Avocado mousse is a popular dessert for many keto dieters. Avocado oil is delicious and works well mixed into salad dressings, meat marinades, and vegetable stir-fries.
MCT oil is composed of medium-chain triglycerides found in coconut oil. This vegan oil is very light and tasteless, so it can be added to keto fat bombs and smoothies without changing the taste. It’s also great to have on hand because they can easily try it when a person just wants to increase their fat intake without having to cook. MCTs promote optimal energy metabolism and weight management, and can quickly stimulate brainpower.
One of the most useful foods for keto dieters is nut butters. While peanut butter is considered a nut butter, peanuts are technically a legume. Regardless, nut butters and peanut butters are great foods for the keto diet if they don’t contain more than a gram or two of sugar per serving. Nut butters are now available in pistachios, almonds, pine nuts, macadamia nuts, walnuts, pecans, and cashews. These nut butters can be blended into smoothies, eaten as a basic snack with low-glycemic vegetables like celery, or used as an ingredient in sauces and dips.
Keto Baking Substitutes
With the right products, you can still bake favorites like cookies, breads, cookies, pancakes, waffles, and cakes on a keto diet. The key is to use keto baking substitutes, such as almond flour or lupine flour.
These low-carb flours are great for replacing wheat flour and have only 1 gram of net carbs. Keto dieters can usually substitute them one-to-one in recipes. Almond flour and lupin flour have a neutral flavor and can boost protein in small amounts.
For baking, allulose and monk fruit sugar substitutes are good choices.Allulose is nearly as sweet as sugar, and when combined with monk fruit extract, it can be used as a one-to-one replacement in recipes. Unlike regular sugar, allulose is absorbed by the body but is not used by the body for energy. ALA may also help optimize blood sugar control and insulin control and insulin sensitivity.
Stevia-based sweeteners, made from the stevia plant, are a popular choice. Stevia is 200 times sweeter than sugar but has no carbs or calories, so a small amount goes a long way. While early products had a metallic aftertaste, many newer products have a high sweetness with minimal aftertaste.
While the ketogenic diet can help some people lose weight or manage a health condition, the restrictive diet is not for everyone. It can be harmful if you don’t follow the diet correctly or without proper supervision. The ketogenic diet also affects everyone differently. If you plan to try the ketogenic diet, talk to your doctor, dietitian, or nutritionist to make sure it's right for you.