Jen's Ketogenic Diet Cheat Sheet

My family and I have been Keto for a year now. It has been a most wonderful year! This new way of eating has been so beneficial that friends and family have taken notice of the amazing changes Keto can bring about. So for you, I've created this blog to share what knowledge I've gained to help you get started down this wonderful path.

Jen's Ketogenic Diet Cheat Sheet

Why most diets don't work: Your body doesn't keep track of calories. Simply eating less calories than you burn doesn't work. In fact a calorie deficit will slow the metabolism and cause more problems. It's hormones that tell the body to store or burn fat, especially the hormones Insulin and Ghrelin. Every time you spike your insulin levels with sugary foods you're telling your body to store fat. Every time you allow yourself to become overly stressed, you're telling your body to store fat.

Why keto works: Keto reduces insulin spikes by eliminating all sugars and most carbohydrates from the diet. The reduced insulin levels allow your body to access energy from it's own fat stores. Keto recognizes that the research linking fat to heart disease is wrong, and fat is actually a healthy and necessary part of the human diet (see Dr. Fung's works for the science to back this up.)

How to do keto:

Eliminate all processed foods with sugars and carbs from your pantry. Keto is mainly made up of real whole food that is not very shelf stable. Begin purchasing fresh proteins and veggies for your meals.
Educate yourself on how the diet works. Look at the resources listed below.
Keep your diet simple, incorporating foods you enjoy. Easy meals would have a serving of protein, a serving of veggies, and added fat.
Count your net carbs. Look at the total carb count for your serving of food, and subtract the fiber count to obtain your net carb count. Keep your daily net carb consumption around 20.
Make sure your 20 net carbs come from a variety of low glycemic vegetables to ensure your body receives necessary nutrients.
Make sure you are getting enough fats. Fat makes up 70% to 75% of the diet, protein makes up 15 to 20%, with carbs limited to 20 net per day. An app like CarbManager may help you keep track.
Eliminate industrial oils (canola, vegetable, corn, soybean, and all seed oils) from your life and incorporate healthy oils (olive, coconut, MCT oil or fractionated coconut oil, avocado, beef tallow, pork fat, butter, ghee)
Only eat when you're hungry. Don't feel pressured into eating something because of the time displayed on the clock. Let your body determine mealtime.
The first two weeks are the hardest, but stick with it and you'll feel so much better soon! Watch this video on "keto flu:" https://youtu.be/NWLjQoTb_Zg
Beware of products claiming to be "keto!" Most don't fit into a true keto lifestyle. True keto food is not manufactured and marketed.