Ketogenic

What Is a Ketogenic Diet?

A ketogenic diet is a very low-carbohydrate way of eating that delivers moderate amounts of high-quality dietary protein and high amounts of healthy dietary fat. This reduction in carbohydrate intake helps the body shift toward a state that promotes the breakdown of fats (from the diet and your body) to produce ketone bodies and enter a state known as “ketosis.”

When following a ketogenic diet, your brain, as well as other organs, depends on ketones as an energy source. Ketones are produced in the body once you have reached a state of ketosis and can be measured in the blood and urine to ensure that you stay in ketosis during the keto diet.

What Does a Healthy Ketogenic Diet Look Like?

A ketogenic diet is comprised of approximately 10% of daily calories coming from healthy carbohydrates such as leafy greens, nonstarchy vegetables, and limited amounts of legumes and berries; 20% of daily calories coming from proteins such as omega-3-rich fish and grass-fed animal protein; and ~70% of daily calories coming from high-quality fats such as avocado, unsaturated and medium-chain triglyceride oils, nuts and seeds, and coconut.

This 10/20/70 ratio is a guideline for the macronutrient distribution for a given day, including meals, snacks, and beverages. Your practitioner may recommend a slightly modified ratio based on your physical activity and personal health goals.

Getting Started with a Ketogenic Diet

While there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all diet, diets with varying macronutrient compositions can help in supporting different health goals. The ketogenic diet, with its high fat, low carbohydrate, and moderate protein intake, has been solidly researched for a number of health applications since the 1920s and has been growing in popularity in recent years. Additional science and the potential for the ketogenic diet in various applications is emerging.

Professional guidance is important in deciding whether or not the ketogenic diet is the right path based on the individual’s health history and goals, and it's also necessary to routinely monitor ketone levels in the body while on the diet. At Metagenics, we offer a number of resources to help support the ketogenic journey along with several convenient ketogenic supplementation options to help bring convenience and variety to ketogenic living.