The hottest diet of 2018 was just getting steam in 2019. The right way to avoid these mistakes.
By Jessica Migala
Medical review, Kelly Kennedy, RD
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Seeping into your food can help reduce keto flu symptoms. Jamie BBQ/Getty Pictures
Due to the lack of research ketones, it's hard to know the results — after losing weight or getting from high fat, you might see a very-low-carb diet.
But one thing is for sure: the keto diet is super-restrictive, so it's hard to get "right."
For example, in this diet you must reject starchy vegetables, restrict fruits, and avoid grains, sauces, juices, and sweets. For each standard ketone food list, you need to load fat (a lot). Doing so kicks you in on your metabolic state of ketosis, triggering your body to burn fat instead of carbohydrates, potentially accelerating weight loss.
Still, because carbohydrates come in all and fat comes in various forms (not all healthy), it's easy to make mistakes, especially if you're a beginner to the keto lifestyle.
Avoiding the following common pitfalls of keto helps ensure that you follow this method as safely as possible:
Related: Beginners need an 8-step before a keto diet
1. Lower your carbs and increase your fat too much too quickly
One day you eat cereal, sandwiches, pasta, and then you decide to jump on ketones and eat only 20 grams (g) of carbohydrates for the day, which is usually the recommended amount. (A medium apple 25 g carbohydrate, for reference). This can be a drastic change to your body. Consider being loose. "Before starting a keto diet, individuals may benefit from a gradual reduction in carbohydrate intake rather than a reduction in carbs for cold turkeys," said Laura Clevenger Ketogenic Dietitian-Nutritionist, a private clinic at New Smyrna Beach, Florida.
2. Ketones do not drink enough water
Pay attention to what you eat and don't forget what you are drinking. Dehydration is an increased likelihood of ketones. "Drastic reductions in carbohydrate intake on a ketogenic diet can lead to changes in your fluid and electrolyte balance. Carbohydrates and water are stored together in the body, these stores are depleted, and the water is lost together," said Alyssa Tucci, RDN, Nutrition Manager Virtual Health Partners in New York City. She also said that the accumulation of urinary ketones excreted by the body also depletes the body's water and sodium. It all says: Drink. Tucci recommends waking up with a large glass of water and drinking half the weight of the body weight that regularly reaches the goal each day in ounces of water per day.
Related: 8 best drinks for people on the keto diet
3. Do not prepare your own ketone flu
Because your body switches from a carbohydrate burner to a fat burner, you may experience what's called the "keto flu," or flu-like symptoms (including muscle cramps, nausea, pain, and fatigue) during your diet during the first two weeks of keto. (It won't happen to everyone, for reference only.) If you're not prepared for this feeling, you might think it's completely wrong and give up on dieting altogether. What's more, you can help yourself plan your meal or meal preparation through low-energy transition periods, Clevenger says. She also recommends eating foods rich in potassium, magnesium, and sodium, as well as moisturizing to help relieve keto flu symptoms.
4. Forget to eat foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids
And for a fat-dominated diet, don't just put bacon, cheese, and cream. When you choose your fats, designed to include more anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids, especially EPA and DHA, types in salmon, sardines, oysters, herring, and mussels, Clevenger said. Seafood (if it's not your stuff, you can put cod liver oil or krill oil). Other healthy fats are also a good choice; If you haven't stockpiled avocados, olive oil and seeds and other Chia seeds and flax seeds, definitely do it. Not only are they ketone friendly, they also provide healthy unsaturated and unsaturated fats that your body needs to perform on the best side.
Related: 10 best and worst fatty ketones to eat on a diet
5. Not enough to seep into your food
With people consuming more sodium in their diets than ever before, you may not be used to hearing more salt called to eat. But in ketones, this is a must. The keto gap not only causes the body to lose sodium, but you may get less table salt (which is made up of 40% sodium and 60% chlorine) now kicking out the highest standards of salt sources in the U.S. diet: packaged, processed foods, including bread, potato chips, biscuits, biscuits. "If you're after a ketogenic diet you'll most need to prepare, if not all, your own meals and snacks from scratch, so just use salt," Tucci says.
6. Go it alone, do not clean up the diet with your doctor
Many followers of the keto diet try it because they want to use it to treat diseases. If this is you, talk to your doctor first and make sure they are with your plans, especially if you're still taking your medication, Clevenger said. "Some medications may need to be adjusted for your healthcare practitioner to improve their signs and symptoms," she said. Just one example of insulin right now, as a low dose may require you to severely limit carbohydrates.
Related: 11-day health ketones can help – and 6 absolutely not
7. Do not pay attention to the intake of vegetables
Vegetables have carbohydrates. This means you have to see how much you eat, even lettuce. If you're not careful or eat for free, you can get as many carbohydrates as you want, and therefore get kicked out of the ketosis. On the other hand, you may skip vegetables altogether if counting each baby carrot becomes too complicated. But it is important to consider vegetables (these contain fibers that prevent ketones from constipation, a potential side effect to consider), while partially and correctly calculating carbohydrates. Go nonstarchy options in a rainbow of colors for a wide variety of nutrients, Tucci says, like leafy greens, cucumbers, tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, green peppers and asparagus.
8. Caught in gout and forget food quality problems
When it seems that the only goal of ketones is to drastically cut carbohydrates, the rest is like an afterthought. "Reducing carbohydrate intake is great, but focusing on high-quality products on a budget allows will help improve your health," Clevenger said. This means choosing omega3-rich foods like wild salmon, herbivorous, local, or organic meats, and snacking at Whole Foods instead of keto-approved treatments. It also means that trying to follow a balanced diet is best you can do by containing a lot of nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables. Many registered dietitians are not fans of ketones because it can lead to malnutrition. You can help avoid these by using an RD yourself when you follow ketones. Find one in the EatRight.org.