Amount Of Carbs Can You Have on Keto Diet?
When you start a keto diet, your goal will be to lower your carb intake to the point where your body goes into ketosis, which means your body is burning fat for fuel instead of carbs.
The exact point at which you’ll get into ketosis will be different for everyone. Some people might achieve it by consuming no more than 40 carbs per day, while others have to go all the way down to 30 carbs to get into ketosis.
It usually takes about 2-4 days for ketosis to happen. Then, you’ll experience some symptoms associated with this condition. Some people get keto flu, which means they need to remedy the symptoms by consuming electrolytes.
Others will experience positive side effects right from the start. Such as increased energy, a clearing of brain fog and absence of cravings that they had once battled before. It would be nice if everyone experienced this initially, but some people do go through a lethargic, sick feeling for a while.
You want to calculate your macros so that you’re getting approximately 70% fat, 25% protein and 5% carbs. In a 1,300 calorie diet, that would be about 15 net carbs, 93 grams of fat and 75 grams of protein.
Some people who do ketogenic dieting don’t track calories, except with how it impacts their macros. You could enjoy a 2,600 calorie day of meals and keep your ketosis levels in check just by managing your macros.
People worry if they mess up they will get knocked out of ketosis. This happens, it’s often a result of hidden carbs. Carbs can be hidden in on simple seasonings and some foods – things you don’t expect to be loaded with carbs.
If you get knocked out of ketosis, you should be able to get back in within 2-4 days. The weight should continue coming off, but it will increase more when your keto kicks in.
Make sure, when you’re choosing carbs, that you choose healthy foods. Eating something like spinach or a strawberry is better for you than a handful of fake sweets that could take a toll on your digestion.
Your body still needs plenty of nutrients, so choosing your carbs carefully will help you get the vitamins and minerals that you need throughout the week. Natural supplements can help, but it’s better to try and use mostly healthy foods when possible.
Sweetener Choices for Keto Dieters
The keto diet is a great way to loose weight, but you’ll have to adjust your eating habits and stop consuming certain foods. The keto diet relies on low carb eating so that means foods that are high in carbs have to go.
Otherwise, they have the potential to make your carb count so high that you won’t enter into ketosis. Get rid of processed foods immediately when you start. Stop eating desserts that are loaded with carbs and sugar. Get rid of any foods that are high carbs and sugar so that you’re not tempted.
When you eat following the rules of the keto diet, your body will start using fat rather carbs for energy, which is what you want. The thing that many people have a problem with is not eating as much sugar as they are used to.
You might find it difficult to let go of that sweet tooth. If done right, you don’t actually have to stop eating sweet things. You just need to use sugar alternatives so that you don’t sabotage your efforts.
There are many sugar alternatives available that you can use to add to beverages, use in baked goods or in making regular meals that call for sugar. Sugar alternatives come in forms that are similar to granulated sugar, powdered and brown sugar and are low in carbs, so you get the sweet taste without risking your state of ketosis.
One sweetener is erythritol. It’s a compound that’s known as sugar alcohol. You can find this type of sweetener naturally. Erythritol is what gives certain vegetables and fruits that sweet flavor.
When you use manufactured erythritol, it works by triggering the sweet taste buds located on the tip of your tongue. Your taste buds can’t tell the difference between the sweetener and regular sugar, so you get the same effect, but without the carbs. This sweetener contains a small amount of calories and research has shown health benefits like helping keep glucose levels lower.
Another sweetener you can use is xylitol which has a low glycemic Index , which makes it a good alternative to sugar for people looking to lose weight and those with diabetes. Research also suggests that xylitol has antibacterial properties that can help prevent tooth decay, gum disease, and ear infections.
Monk fruit or luo han guo is a fruit from Asia and is much sweeter than sugar. Yet, it doesn’t contain any calories. You use the liquid or powdered extract from the fruit to sweeten your foods. The fruit is loaded with health benefits, too.
Stevia is another excellent sweetener. It has zero calories and is 200 times sweeter than table sugar. It’s a popular choice for people looking to lose weight and decrease sugar intake. Stevia has also been associated with several health benefits, including lower blood sugar and cholesterol levels.
Coconut sugar contains healthy fats that are known to help prevent high cholesterol and heart disease. Inulin is a type of dietary fiber that helps keep your gut healthy, prevent colon cancer, and balance your blood sugar. Standard table sugar is pure sucrose, but coconut sugar only contains about 75 percent sucrose and has a low glycemic Index.
What Are Macros On A Keto Diet?
Macros are the nutrient ratios that you adhere to whenever you get on a low carb or keto diet. Most keto dieters follow a plan that allows between 60-80% fat grams, between 15-40% protein grams and between 5-20% grams of carbs according to the total number of calories consumed.
Most people track their net carbs, not their total carbs. Tools like MyFitnessPal will automatically track your total carbs, but you can use Chrome Extensions like Tamper Monkey to get the net carbs calculated within MyFitnessPal.
Net carbs are when you take the total carbs and subtract the dietary fiber from it. The fiber won’t negatively affect you, so it’s a non issue when calculating your macros to track. If you buy low carb packaged foods, they’ll often have the net carbs listed on the front of the package. Some high protein shakes, for example, have 6 total carbs, but when you subtract the 5 grams of dietary fiber, it means the drink has a total of 1 net carb.
If you’re very athletic or exercise a lot, then you might want to go on the higher end of the carb intake – the 30 grams, as opposed to 20. But that’s only because your body needs more fuel, so if you’re sedentary, stick to the 20 grams.
When you calculate the macro nutrients, you’ll want to think of the micronutrients that could impact your health. These are the vitamins and minerals you need so make ensure you get plenty of these in your meals.
You can ensure this by choosing the right carbohydrates for your diet. Carbs are what your body uses for fuel, until you go into a state of ketosis and it begins burning fat instead. You’d probably be shocked if you tallied up how many carbs you normally consume on a regular basis. It’s not just sitting down with a bag of potato chips – it’s the hidden carbs found in various foods and condiments that send your numbers soaring. Choose leafy green vegetables as your carbs so that you enjoy plenty of vitamins and minerals with your keto diet.
Don’t overload on the protein, because it can negatively impact your kidneys. Stay at the right macro levels to allow your body the necessary protein to grow and heal tissue in the body. The fats you choose will help energize your body and help use the vitamins you take in and contribute to healthy cells. Avoid trans fats and focus on healthy fats.