Keto meals will get your body into a metabolic state of ketosis. Ketosis is a process that happens when your body doesn't have enough carbohydrates to burn for energy. Instead, it burns fat and makes things called ketones.
One of the benefits of the keto diet is when you achieve ketosis, it makes you feel less hungry. A keto diet meal plan should have carbs that are typically reduced to 20 to 50 grams per day, though looser versions of the diet exist. Fats should replace the majority of cut carbs and deliver approximately 75% of your total calorie intake and proteins should account for around 10-30% of energy needs, while carbs are usually restricted to 5%.
Is Your Body in Ketosis?
Here are some common symptoms of ketosis to look for, some desirable and some less positive.
- Keto Breath
- Decreased Appetite
- Increased Focus
- Frequent Urination
- Rapid Weight Loss
The best way to achieve ketosis is to follow a keto diet meal plan.. However, if the keto meal plan is not working for you, research suggests that ketone supplements can also increase the rate at which you go into ketosis and create a ketotic state even without following a ketogenic diet.
When you are on a normal diet with high-carb content, your body relies on glucose for energy. Your body depends on carbohydrates to make glucose.
Your carbohydrate intake is less than 50 grams a day when you are on a keto diet or low carbohydrate diet. 50 grams of carbohydrates a day is not enough to turn into glucose and then into energy. In this condition, your body enters ketosis.
Your liver starts breaking down fat to produce ketone bodies. The source of this fat can be your diet or fat stored in your body.
The following are the types of ketone bodies:
- Beta-hydroxybutyrate
- Acetoacetate
- Acetone
To test the depth of ketosis, you need to measure these ketone bodies. You can take these measurements through your blood, urine or breath.
Using Ketosis Strips
With these strips, it takes only a few seconds to see if ketone bodies are present in urine and blood or not. The color corresponds to the concentration of ketones in your urine, which can range from no ketones to high concentrations. The darker the color, the higher your ketone levels.
If you want to check your urine ketones day-to-day, stick with a specific time, like in the morning or several hours after your last meal of the day, for best comparison.
Using a Ketone Blood Metre
Ketone blood meters are a reliable and accurate way to measure the ketones in your body.
Here’s how a blood ketone meter works:
Cleanse your finger using an alcohol swab. Draw a drop of blood using a fresh lancet. Place the blood drop on the strip and wait for 10 seconds.
Your body is in ketosis if the level is above 0.7 mmol/L. If the level is above 1.5mmol/L, your body is in deep ketosis.
Breath Testing
Your body releases acetone (a ketone body) through your breath when it is in ketosis. The presence of acetone tells about the depth of ketosis. You can use a breath monitor to measure acetone in your breath. A ketone metre is an expensive one-time investment that is highly accurate.
Depending on the results of these tests, the best way to achieve ketosis is to track your carb intake, be aware of hidden carb sources, increase your intake of high-quality fats, Try intermittent fasting, exercise more and do a keto diet. There are several keto meal providers who can create a customized meal plan for you.
