The Perfect Keto Cookbook
A keto or ketogenic diet is a low-carb, moderate protein, higher-fat diet that can help you burn fat more effectively. It has many benefits for weight loss, health, and performance, as shown in over 50 studies. That’s why it’s recommended by so many doctors.
A keto diet can be especially useful for losing excess body fat without hunger and for improving type 2 diabetes.
Here, you’ll learn how to eat a keto diet based on real foods. Get started with our visual guides, recipes, meal plans, and simple 2-week Get Started program. It’s everything you need to succeed on keto.
1. 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.
You can quickly learn more about the basic ideas behind the keto diet in this video course:
Watch the entire 8-part video course
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 24–7. 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.
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? You can also read about a scientific paper exploring the potential contraindications for a keto diet.
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.
2. 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:
3. Keto benefits: Why eat a keto diet
The benefits of a ketogenic diet are similar to those of other low-carb and higher-fat diets, but it appears to be more powerful than liberal low-carb diets. Think of keto as a super-charged, low-carb diet, maximizing the benefits. However, it may also increase the risk of side effects a bit.
Turning your body into a fat-burning machine can be beneficial for weight loss. Fat burning is significantly increased, while insulin — the fat-storing hormone — levels drop greatly. This appears to make it far easier for body fat loss to occur, without hunger.
More than 30 high-quality scientific studies show that, compared to other diets, low-carb and keto diets result in more effective weight loss.
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Appetite control
On a keto diet you’re likely to gain better control of your appetite. It’s a very common experience for feelings of hunger to decrease dramatically, and studies prove it.
This usually makes it easy to eat less and lose excess weight — just wait until you’re hungry before you eat. It also makes intermittent fasting easier, something that can enhance efforts to reverse type 2 diabetes and speed up weight loss, beyond the effects of keto only.
Plus, you could save time and money by not having to snack all the time. Many people only feel the need to eat twice a day on a keto diet (often skipping breakfast), and some just eat once a day.
Not having to fight feelings of hunger could also potentially help with problems like sugar or food addiction. At last, feeling satisfied can be part of the solution. Food can stop being an enemy and become your friend, or simply fuel — whatever you prefer.
Control blood sugar and reverse type 2 diabetes
Studies prove that a ketogenic diet is excellent for managing type 2 diabetes, sometimes even leading to complete reversal of the disease. It makes perfect sense, since keto lowers blood-sugar levels, reduces the need for medications and reduces the potentially negative impact of high insulin levels.
Since a keto diet may reverse existing type 2 diabetes, it’s likely to be effective at preventing it, as well as reversing pre-diabetes.
Note that the term “reversal” in this context simply means that the disease gets better, improving glucose control and reducing the need for medications. In the best case, it can be so much improved that blood glucose returns to normal without medication, long term. In this context, reversal means the opposite of the disease progressing or getting worse.
However, lifestyle changes only work when you do them. If a person returns to the lifestyle he or she had when type 2 diabetes appeared and progressed, over time it is likely to return and progress once again.
How to reverse type 2 diabetes 200+ success stories
Improved health markers
Many studies show that low-carb diets improve several important risk factors for heart disease, including the cholesterol profile, which includes high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and triglycerides. Total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels are usually impacted modestly.
It’s also typical to see improved blood sugar levels, insulin levels, and blood pressure.
These commonly improved markers are connected to something called “metabolic syndrome,” an insulin-resistant condition that low-carb diets treat effectively.
My health markers after 10 years on a keto diet
Energy and mental performance
Some people use ketogenic diets specifically for increased mental performance. Also, it’s common for people to experience an increase in energy when in ketosis.
On keto, the brain doesn’t need dietary carbs. It’s fueled 24–7 by ketones along with a smaller amount of glucose synthesized by your liver. There is no need for dietary carbohydrates.
Therefore, ketosis results in a steady flow of fuel (ketones) to the brain, thus avoiding problems experienced with big blood sugar swings. This may sometimes result in improved focus and concentration, and resolution of brain fog, with improved mental clarity.
A calmer stomach
A keto diet can result in a calmer stomach, less gas, fewer cramps and less pain, often resulting in improvements in IBS symptoms.
For some people this is the top benefit, and it often only takes a day or two to experience it. Learn more
Ketogenic diets can in theory increase your physical endurance by improving your access to the vast amounts of energy in your fat stores.
The body’s supply of stored carbohydrates (glycogen) only lasts for a couple of hours of intense exercise, or less. But your fat stores carry enough energy to potentially last for weeks.
Beyond this effect, another potential benefit is the reduction in body fat percentage that can be achieved on a keto diet (see weight loss, above). This reduction in body fat weight is potentially valuable in a number of competitive sports, including endurance sports.
How to maximize endurance on a keto diet
The ketogenic diet is a proven and often effective medical therapy for epilepsy that has been used since the 1920s. Traditionally it was used primarily for children, but in recent years adults have benefited from it as well.
Using a ketogenic diet for epilepsy can allow some people to take fewer anti-epileptic drugs or none at all, while potentially still remaining seizure-free. This may reduce drug side effects and thus increase mental performance.
Learn more
More possible keto benefits
A keto diet can also help treat high blood pressure, may result in less acne, and may help control migraine. It may also help improve many cases of PCOS and heartburn, while also often reducing sugar cravings. Finally it might help with certain mental health issues and can have other potential benefits.
It might sound like a keto diet is a miracle cure for anything. It’s certainly not. While it can have many benefits, it’s not for everyone. Learn more about if a low-carb or keto diet is right for you
Learn more about the science supporting the effect of low-carb diets
Keto diet results
We love receiving stories from people who are using a keto diet to dramatically improve their health. We’ve been sent thousands of such stories, and we publish some of the most amazing ones — over 250 so far — for you to read.
All stories about keto results
Examples
Bottom line: To get into ketosis, restrict carbs to very low levels, preferably below 20 net carbs per day. That’s a ketogenic diet, and it’s by far the most important thing for ketosis to occur.
Should you need to increase the effect, implement more steps from the list above, starting from the top. Got questions? Our Facebook group has answers.
5. How to know you’re in ketosis
How do you know if you’re in ketosis? It’s possible to measure it by testing urine, blood or breath samples. But there are also telltale symptoms that require no testing:
- Dry mouth and increased thirst. Unless you drink enough water and get enough electrolytes like sodium, you may feel a dry mouth. Try a cup of bouillon or two daily, plus as much water as you need. You may also feel a metallic taste in your mouth.
- Increased urination. A ketone body, acetoacetate, may end up in the urine. This makes it possible to test for ketosis using urine strips. It also — at least when starting out — can result in having to go to the bathroom more often. This may be the main cause of the increased thirst (above).
- Keto breath. This is due to a ketone body called acetone escaping via our breath. It can make a person’s breath smell “fruity,” or similar to nail polish remover. This smell can sometimes also come from sweat, when working out. It’s often temporary. Learn more
Other, less specific but more positive signs include:
- Reduced hunger. Many people experience a marked reduction in hunger on a keto diet. In fact, many people feel great when they eat just once or twice a day, and may automatically end up doing a form of intermittent fasting. This saves time and money, while also speeding up weight loss.
- Possibly increased energy. After a few days of feeling tired (the “keto flu”) many people experience a clear increase in energy levels. This can also be experienced as clear thinking, a lack of “brain fog,” or even a sense of euphoria.
Measuring ketosis
There are three ways to measure for ketones, which all come with pros and cons. For a detailed comparison, see our full guide to the best way to test ketones.
For a shorter version, use the links below to our ketosis guide. Note that we have no affiliations with any of the brands shown here.
- Urine strips
- Breath ketone analyzers
- Blood ketone meter
All keto guides
7. Potential side effects of a keto diet
When you suddenly switch your body’s metabolism from burning carbs (glucose) to fat and ketones, you may have some side effects as your body gets used to its new fuel, especially during days two through five.
Symptoms may include headache, tiredness, muscle fatigue, cramping, and heart palpitations. These side effects are short-term for most people, and there are ways to minimize or cure them (see below).
To reduce potential side effects, you may decide to gradually decrease your consumption of carbs over a few weeks. But with a slower start you’ll likely not see results as quickly. While the short-term results may differ, the long-term results should remain the same.
We recommend you stop sugar and starches all at once. You will likely lose a number of pounds within days. While much of the initial rapid weight loss is water weight (from reduced swelling), it’s still a highly motivating way to start your keto journey.
Most people who start a ketogenic diet will experience some symptoms of the “ keto flu. “ This is what you may feel, more or less, a few days after you’ve started a keto diet:
- Headache
- Fatigue
- Dizziness
- Light nausea
- Difficulty focusing (“brain fog”)
- Lack of motivation
- Irritability
These initial symptoms often disappear within a week or two, as your body adapts to increased fat burning.
The main cause of the keto flu is that carb-rich foods can result in water retention (swelling) in the body. When you start a low-carb diet much of this excess fluid is lost. You may notice increased urination, and with that some extra salt is lost too.
Before your body adapts, this can result in dehydration and a lack of salt. These appear to be behind most of the symptoms of the keto flu.
You can reduce or even eliminate these symptoms by making sure you get enough water and salt. One simple way to do this is to drink a cup of bouillon or broth, once or twice a day.
More about keto flu and how to minimize it Learn more about low-carb and keto side effects
Keto diet controversies
Most side effects of a keto diet are minor and temporary. But there are a lot of controversies and myths that scare people.
Have you heard that your brain will cease functioning unless you eat lots of carbs? It’s a myth, based on a lack of understanding of the way the body works in ketosis (switching the fuel supply of the brain to ketones). Learn more
Another common misunderstanding is mixing up normal ketosis — resulting from a keto diet — with the dangerous medical emergency ketoacidosis. Don’t worry! They are two very different things. Ketoacidosis does not happen just from eating a keto diet.
The keto diet controversies don’t stop there. Will keto kill your kidneys or destroy your bones? Will it stop your thyroid from working? See our low-carb and keto controversies page, or choose below.
There are many common questions about keto, and we do our best to answer them all. Feel free to check out our full keto diet FAQ, or choose below:
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Originally published at https://www.dietdoctor.com on October 25, 2020.
