Edible’s Ketogenic Diet Guide
A starter’s guide to going fat-adapted
Welcome to The Edible Project’s Diet Guide Series, a starter’s introduction to eating pescetarian, vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, paleo or keto. We cover the basics of each diet, pass along tips and tricks curated from the diet community, and provide some simple recipes and communities to get started.
PDF versions of all the guides can be found at www.edibleproject.io/guides. To help improve these guides, leave feedback in the comments or send an email to media@edibleproject.io.
ketosis, noun | \kē-tō-səs\: a metabolic state characterized by raised levels of ketone bodies in the body tissues, which is typically pathological in conditions such as diabetes, or may be the consequence of a diet that is very low in carbohydrates
Overview
The ketogenic, or keto, diet is a low carb, high fat (LCHF) diet used to induce ketosis in the body, a metabolic state where the body produces ketones in the liver to be used as opposed to glucose produced on a moderate or high carb diet. Glucose, or blood sugar, is produced when high carb foods are ingested, and advocates of the keto diet suggest that once the body is adjusted to a very low carb intake, the body naturally enters ketosis and utilizes dietary fats more efficiently and sustainably than carbohydrates.
The diet avoids all processed food and grains, relying on a diet of high fat foods (avocados, oils, and butter), leafy greens (kale and spinach), meats, fish, and eggs, as well as nuts and seeds. Starchy vegetables (see below) are avoided and carbohydrates are normally restricted to under 25 grams a day.
The ketogenic diet was originally used at the Mayo Clinic to treat children with epilepsy and was successful. The jury is still out to whether a LCHF diet directly contributes to weight loss, but the diet has gained popularity among bodybuilders, weight-loss enthusiasts, and bio-hackers.
Things To Note
macronutrients: although this can vary slightly for protein and fats, macronutrients are normally split around 70% fat, 25% protein and <5% carbs
keto flu: influenza like symptoms may arise during the transition period from a high to low carb diet (occurring within the first or second weeks). To combat this, it is recommended to drink water often in addition to salty bone broth to replenish electrolytes
Avoid ❌
- Potatoes and starchy foods, processed foods, pastas, breads and grains
- Sugary, high carb fruits (bananas, grapes, apples, pears, oranges, mangos, among others) and instead opt for berries which are lower in carbs
- Avoid vegetable oils and hydrogenated fats such as margarine
Watch Out For ⚠️
- Strict low carb diets should not eat much at all of peas, lentils, corn,
- beans or quinoa
- Almonds, cashews, and peanuts are high in carbs, so take care to avoid snacking on these and instead opt for pecans, brazil and macadamia nuts
- Onions, garlic and tomatoes can quickly contribute to a high carbohydrate count
Eat ✅
- Keto staples: eggs, bacon, avocado, and grass-fed butter for breakfast; broccoli, cauliflower and kale for vegetables; nuts, berries and seeds for snacks; coconut oil
- Substitute low carb sweeteners (such as Stevia) into drinks and smoothies
How-To Order
- Order burgers without the bun and ribs without the sauce (as they have a high sugar/carb content)
- Use coconut oil and high fat salad dressings
- Eat out at Indian restaurants as they are usually keto friendly. Watch out for potatoes and lentils in curries and daal and see if you can replace rice with vegetables
- Order kebab or other Middle-Eastern foods without pita
Recipes
These are some curated simple dishes that are great for any beginner on a ketogenic diet! Bon appetit!
- Hamburger Patties with Tomato Sauce & Fried Cabbage — 35 min
- Asian Cabbage Stir Fry — 45 minutes
- Spicy Jalepeño Tuna Cakes
- Pinterest also has a huge assortment of keto recipes
Community
While embracing a new diet can be daunting, there’s a ton of great keto resources. Check out the following
- The Keto Diet Blog, started in 2012 by Martina Slajerova, is the most followed keto specific blog other than /r/ketorecipes
- Dietdoctor.com a LCHF diet blog by Andreas Eenfeldt, M.D.
- A more extensive food specfic cheatsheet on Medium by Michael Sinanian
- MyFitnessPal is the easiest way to track macronutrients throughout the day, and is commonly used for keto-ers.
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