When followed well, a ketogenic diet is a very nutritious diet. It should be based around real foods with a strong vegetable intake, particularly leafy greens.
The aim of ketogenic diets is to allow ketosis to happen through the day. Ketosis is the process of burning body fat for energy and, for this to happen, insulin levels in the body need to be low.
So, by sticking to foods that won’t cause a surge of insulin, you give your body a chance to go into ketosis and burn body fat.
What Does A Ketogenic Diet Plan Look Like?
The content of the diet will vary, depending on an individual’s goals, personal health and financial situation. But, the focus should invariably be on eating nutritious minimally processed, real foods.
A ketogenic diet will usually be:
Low carbohydrate
Moderate protein
High fat
The challenge can sometimes be to get enough fat without having too much protein.
Energy Balance
Whilst there are different ways to follow a ketogenic diet, the following is a good guide for people with diabetes, looking to control their sugar levels and lose weight.
This will determine the nutrient density of the ketogenic diet as well as how to follow it, as different foods will have different effects on insulin and blood sugar levels.
Carbohydrate
Carbohydrate intake should be low. Usually carbohydrate intake will be under 50g per day to maintain ketosis.
Some people may restrict themselves to under 30g of carbs per day to maximize the chance of maintaining in ketosis through the day.
Protein
Protein intake should be moderate at around 40 to 50g per day for women and around 50 to 60g of protein for men.
These are rough instructions. If you’re having trouble losing weight even with low carbs, the next step is to check if you’re eating too much protein. Remember that foods like cheese and nuts are high in protein, which some people may overlook.
Fat
Fat is generally free due to the ketogenic diet. You can avoid too much fat on the ketogenic diet, but it is recommended that you do not eat snacks on the ketogenic diet.
Low Carb Vegetables
We’ll start with vegetables because research shows that all healthy foods have one thing in common; they all have a good vegetable base that provides many benefits. [209]
Plan to eat vegetables at every meal. Vegetables are also a good way to get more fat into your diet, as are fatty foods, such as avocados, nuts, olive oil or sugar.
People following a stricter ketogenic diet can limit their vegetable intake to low-carb vegetables such as leafy greens, tomatoes, asparagus and cauliflower.
Look for root vegetables in all their forms, such as potatoes, parsnips and beets.
150g of boiled broccoli (non-starchy vegetable) contains about 5g of carbohydrate whereas 150g of boiled sweetcorn (starchy vegetable) contains 30g of carbs.
Meat And Eggs
You’re good to have meat on a ketogenic diet and this includes fatty meat such as pork belly, lamb and poultry with the skin on. This is good news for the taste buds as fat helps to add a lot of flavour.
Eggs are a staple for most ketogenic dieters. They’re low in carbohydrate, filling, a good source of protein and very versatile.
Note that it is possible to come out of ketosis if you’re having a large amount of protein. This is because a high protein intake can cause the liver to convert the protein into glucose – a process known as gluconeogenesis.
For this reason, try to keep your intake of meat to a moderate level.
Fish
Fish provides a good source of protein and oily fish, such as mackerel, salmon, tuna, sardines, trout or herring, contains essential omega-3 fatty acids.
The consumption of significant amounts of fatty fish is widely advocated for heart health and longevity.