A Beginner s Guide to the Keto Diet

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The ketogenic or keto diet has been widely popularized in recent years for weight loss and other health benefits. Here we'll take a look at what you can and can't eat on the keto diet, what some sample meals might look like, and review the pros and cons to figuring out if the keto diet is right for you

Transcript

00:00Hi, I'm Lisa Valenti, registered dietitian with Healthline,

00:03and today we'll be talking about the ketogenic diet,

00:06otherwise known as the keto diet.

00:07Super popular diet, but what is it?

00:10What kind of foods can you eat?

00:12Is it good for you?

00:13What are the downsides of trying keto?

00:15Plus, we'll give you some meal ideas

00:17and hopefully help you decide

00:19if trying the keto diet is right for you.

00:21What is the keto diet?

00:31It's a high-fat, moderate-protein,

00:34ultra-low-carbohydrate diet,

00:36so very different than the way that most people eat.

00:39The ketogenic diet is set up so that about 70%

00:42of your calories come from fat, about 20% from protein,

00:46and no more than 10% of your calories

00:48are coming from carbohydrates.

00:50The idea behind the keto diet

00:52is that it puts your body into ketosis.

00:55Normally, our bodies run mostly on carbs.

00:57We break down the carbohydrates we eat

01:00into smaller molecules, into simple sugars called glucose,

01:03and then we're able to absorb that and use that as energy.

01:07When there's no carbohydrates left,

01:09we can tap into the small amount of carb sources

01:12we have in our muscle,

01:13but most of our energy's stored as fat in the body,

01:16or if we're not eating any carbs,

01:18we can get that energy from fat in our diet.

01:20What types of foods can you eat on a ketogenic diet?

01:23What types of foods can you eat on a ketogenic diet?

01:26Well, pretty much anything,

01:28as long as it doesn't contain carbs.

01:30Think about foods like meat, red meat, pork,

01:34chicken, bacon, and sausage.

01:36You can eat nuts and seeds.

01:38You can eat low-carb vegetables,

01:40so think about spinach, asparagus,

01:43and again, some of those moderate-carbohydrate-containing

01:46veggies like onions and peppers

01:48may also have a place in your diet

01:49because it's not zero carbs, it's just low carbs.

01:52So some fruits you may find on a ketogenic diet,

01:55like berries, tend to be lower in carbohydrates

01:57than fruits like mango, pineapple, and bananas.

02:01You can also include lots of different oils

02:03and fats in your diet,

02:04so avocado oil, olive oil, butter, coconut oil,

02:08those can all be part of your diet.

02:09So when it comes to the list of foods you can't eat,

02:12you may think that feels a little bit longer

02:14when you decide to start a keto diet

02:16because some of your favorite foods,

02:17like pasta, rice, brownies, ice cream,

02:20so anything that's super starchy,

02:22anything that's really sweet

02:23might not be allowed on keto diet

02:25because of the carb intake

02:27or the carb count on those foods.

02:29Those are some foods you can eat on the keto diet,

02:31but how might it come together at mealtime?

02:37Now, it helps if you know how to cook

02:39and you have a little bit of creativity,

02:41but some breakfast ideas on a ketogenic diet

02:43might be a cheesy omelet,

02:45so you're having eggs, cheese,

02:48and you add some of those non-starchy vegetables in,

02:50maybe asparagus or a little bit of peppers.

02:52A lot of people doing keto

02:53may also stray from traditional breakfast foods

02:56and have some other meats or avocado for breakfast.

02:59So again, instead of putting avocado on toast,

03:01you might use avocado as a topper

03:03for an omelet or an egg muffin

03:06so that you're keeping that fat high and those carbs low.

03:09Some lunch and dinner ideas for the ketogenic diet

03:12might be putting together things like chicken salad

03:14or a shrimp salad,

03:16making them with the full-fat versions

03:18of mayonnaise or Greek yogurt,

03:20serving them with a side of greens dressed with olive oil.

03:23You can get creative with different stir fries,

03:26again, using low-carbohydrate sauces to put together meals,

03:30and instead of serving your meals with rice or over noodles,

03:33you can make zucchini noodles or try cauliflower rice.

03:36So with a little bit of creativity,

03:38you can still have a diet

03:39that has a lot of different varied fat sources,

03:43vegetable sources.

03:44Again, trying some of those things for snacks

03:47that may be lower in carbs, like berries,

03:49paired with something higher in fat,

03:50like a full-fat Greek yogurt.

03:52And then again, sometimes just grabbing a handful of nuts

03:55or something like that, which are higher in fat,

03:57do have a little bit of carbs, but not a lot.

03:59Also, the keto diet may seem really appealing

04:02because technically you could eat all the bacon

04:05and sausage and cheeseburgers without buns that you want

04:09and still maintain your fat and carb ratios.

04:12You could do that,

04:13but then you'd be getting a lot of processed meat

04:15in your diet, which isn't linked with great health outcomes.

04:17So to truly get the benefits,

04:19you're gonna wanna focus on eating things like sardines

04:21and salmon and avocado and nuts

04:24and less of the ultra-processed foods.

04:26Let's talk benefits of following a ketogenic diet.

04:32Most people who follow a keto diet will lose weight.

04:35While you get to eat all those high-fat foods,

04:38you're probably ending up consuming fewer calories

04:41than you were on whatever way of eating you were

04:44before you went keto.

04:45That's because it's really hard to overeat high-fat foods.

04:47They're very satisfying, very filling,

04:49and so you tend to have smaller portion sizes

04:52and a lot of those easy-to-grab snack foods

04:55like potato chips, pretzels, popcorn,

04:57those won't fit on your diet.

04:58So weight loss tends to be at least a short-term benefit

05:01for people following a ketogenic diet.

05:03The keto diet may also be easier to follow

05:06than some more complicated diets.

05:08Once you have an awareness of how many carbs are in a food,

05:11you have a good sense of whether or not you can eat it,

05:14and you don't necessarily need to be counting calories

05:17or tracking any of your intake

05:19as long as you stick to choosing those high-fat

05:21and lower-carbohydrate foods more often.

05:24Low-carb diets in general have been popular for a long time,

05:27so there's typically something for you to work with there,

05:29but it does require some cooking skills,

05:31some basic nutrition knowledge.

05:33What's really interesting about the ketogenic diet

05:36is beyond weight loss,

05:37it's effect on certain chronic conditions.

05:40So the diet actually came into existence in the 1920s

05:43as a way to help kids who have epilepsy

05:46stop their seizures.

05:47So there is some promising research

05:49around following a keto diet

05:51and reducing your risk or helping manage symptoms

05:53for certain neurological conditions

05:55like Alzheimer's, MS, and Parkinson's.

05:58The research is really preliminary

06:00because it wasn't until recently

06:01that more people were trying keto

06:03and more researchers were looking into its effects,

06:05but we do know that it changes the way

06:07that your brain gets fuel,

06:09and there may be some benefits to following a ketogenic diet

06:12for those neurological conditions.

06:14That said, we really need to do more research to learn more,

06:17and when it comes to chronic conditions and a keto diet,

06:20it's not all good news.

06:24A recent study found that eating a keto diet

06:27or a very low-carb diet

06:28may increase your risk of heart disease,

06:30and again, I think it comes down to which type of foods

06:33you are choosing to include on your keto diet.

06:35Is it olive oil and almonds and salmon,

06:38or is it bacon and sausage and processed cheese?

06:41And again, they both can fit,

06:43but which are you choosing more often?

06:44Plus, all of our individual disease risks vary,

06:47so someone who has heart disease in their family

06:50or is maybe less active

06:51might be at higher risk to begin with,

06:53so talk to your doctor as you're thinking through

06:56if the ketogenic diet is right for you.

06:58Another downside to following the ketogenic diet

07:00is that as some people enter ketosis,

07:02they experience what's called the keto flu.

07:05Now, that's exactly what it sounds like.

07:06You're truly experiencing flu-like symptoms

07:09because of your dietary changes.

07:10That may be headaches, nausea, fatigue,

07:13diarrhea, constipation.

07:15You just don't feel great.

07:17And now, one way to help reduce those risks of keto flu

07:21is to make sure you're really dialing in

07:23your water and electrolyte balance.

07:25As you start ketosis,

07:27you're cutting out a lot of foods

07:29that are rich in electrolytes

07:30like potassium and magnesium and sodium,

07:33so you may wanna consider being mindful of your intake.

07:36Again, making sure you're getting enough

07:38of those non-starchy vegetables

07:40like celery has potassium in it,

07:42but so do bananas and potatoes,

07:43which you're not really gonna be eating,

07:45so really being mindful of which foods

07:47contain those micronutrients,

07:48potentially adding an electrolyte supplement to your water

07:51and making sure you're staying hydrated

07:53to help reduce those symptoms.

07:55Anecdotally, some people say that just going low carb

07:58before they enter ketosis can help them

08:01because they're not going from eating a lot of carbs

08:04straight to an ultra low carb diet,

08:05so you may wanna consider sort of weaning yourself

08:08into keto by just focusing on cutting back on carbs

08:11and then deciding to make the leap

08:13all the way into a keto diet.

08:17A ketogenic diet also may not be for everybody.

08:21If you're pregnant or nursing,

08:22it's not recommended to start a ketogenic diet.

08:25Also, if you have a history of eating disorders

08:28or disordered eating because the keto diet

08:30is very restrictive, it is likely not right for you.

08:34If you're at higher risk of certain chronic conditions,

08:35like heart disease, you also may want to talk to your doctor

08:38so that you have a better sense of what embarking

08:41on a keto diet may do to your health.

08:43So talk to a doctor or a dietitian who knows you

08:46and your health concerns and issues more closely.

08:49It also may be helpful for people with diabetes,

08:52but it's not the only way to manage your diabetes.

08:55So if you do have diabetes and you're interested in this

08:57but you really love carbs,

08:59just know that you don't have to cut them out

09:01to manage your diabetes.

09:02There's lots of different ways to eat

09:04and you can certainly still have carbohydrate

09:06containing foods and manage your blood sugar

09:08if you're doing it in a smart way

09:10and choosing more of those good for you carbohydrates,

09:12more complex carbs that have fiber.

09:14So those starchy vegetables, those fruits and whole grains.

09:18As with any diet, it's really important when you're,

09:20especially when you're cutting out food groups,

09:22to be mindful of the foods you are choosing.

09:25You really want to have nutrient rich options more often.

09:29When we look at the research overall,

09:30if you're just doing keto to help lose weight,

09:33what the research shows is that the best diet to lose weight

09:36is the one that you can stick to long-term.

09:38So if cutting out all carbs forever

09:41doesn't sound great to you,

09:42you may want to consider changing the way you eat

09:45and focusing just on adding more fruits and vegetables

09:47or adding more fiber to your diet or lean protein

09:50in order to help you meet those weight loss goals

09:52without necessarily entering into ketosis.

09:55I hope you found this video really helpful.

09:57If you do decide to try the keto diet,

09:59we have lots of resources on healthline.com.

10:01And again, I highly recommend that you read up

10:04and learn a lot about nutrition

10:06because if you're gonna do keto the right way,

10:08you kind of have to become

10:09a little bit of a nutritionist yourself.

10:10Let us know what other questions you have about keto

10:13or other diets down below in the comments.

10:15And don't forget to like, subscribe,

10:16and hit that bell for more from me and Healthline.

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