Keto Meal Prep

One way to reduce your symptoms is to speed up the ketosis process. You can do that with MCT oil, or medium-chain triglycerides. These are found in coconut oil, so mix a teaspoon or two into a glass of water every morning. This should help jumpstart the ketosis process.

When your body moves into ketosis, you lose a lot of water weight. You need to replace that or you’ll get dehydrated. Drink more than you would normally. When you get sick of water, sip on keto-friendly beverages like unsweetened coconut water. Bone broth is also a good drink during this time since it’s full of nutrition.

Nuts and seeds are great keto-friendly snacks, but you should avoid eating more than just a handful per day. They have a lot of calories and the carbs can quickly add up. The ones on the “Fat” list that we already named are the best because they have high nutritional value and a low GI.

Dairy is a great source of fat and protein on the ketogenic diet. Whatever you get should be full-fat. For the healthiest keto diet, don’t overdo it on the cream cheese and cheese, however. Dairy isn’t meant to be the main part of your diet. Note: No cow’s milk allowed on the keto diet, since it’s full of sugar.

Micronutrient deficiency is a risk
A big issue that nutritionists have with all restrictive diets is that it eliminates good sources of important nutrients. Whole grains and high GI vegetables provide many of those vitamins and minerals, so if you aren’t careful to get those from other foods or take supplements, you can become deficient. The top three gaps: sodium, potassium, and magnesium. You are the highest risk of losing these during the first weeks of the keto diet, since you’re losing a lot of water weight. Be sure to stay thoroughly hydrated and eat foods rich in these nutrients the first few weeks of your diet.

Getting into ketosis can be a hard transition
Depending on how carb-heavy your diet is, the first few weeks of the keto diet can be very hard. This is due to the “carb flu” or “keto flu,” which causes your body to develop flu-like symptoms while it transitions from carbs to fat as fuel. We’ll get into more detail about how to manage this, but just know for now that it’s a reason some people don’t go on the diet. They don’t believe there’s ever a good time for a 1-2 week period of feeling nauseated, tired, and grumpy.

It’s too restrictive for the long-term
Because the ketogenic diet cuts out grain, it’s considered a restrictive diet. You also can’t eat certain vegetables or fruit because of their carb content, or packaged foods with refined sugar. That’s a lot of food you can’t have. While this is a great diet for resetting your health, it can be very challenging for the long-term. Many people don’t stay on the diet very long, which can be a problem if they go back to unhealthy eating habits and undo the progress they’ve made. Other diets that aren’t as restrictive may be better for some people.

Speaking of disease, one of the most common problems in today’s society is chronic inflammation. This is when your immune system attacks your own cells, leading to joint pain, leaky gut, and more.

You are officially in ketosis if you are between 1.5 and 3.0 mmol/L. Anything higher than 3.0 mmol/L doesn’t offer additional benefits.

How do you know if you’re in ketosis or not? At the beginning of your diet, you’ll be testing your ketone levels using a urine strip, a breathalyzer, or a blood test. At the start of the keto diet, you lose a lot of ketones through urine because the body hasn’t figured out how to use them just yet.