A ketogenic diet is a low-carbohydrate regimen. Carbohydrates are sugar, starch and cellulose present in dairy foods, grains, fruits, vegetables and legumes. This diet requires you follow a menu low in, but not devoid of, these foods. The diet's name comes from ketones, sugars your body converts into energy to compensate for a low carbohydrate intake. One famous ketogenic diet plan is the Atkins Diet. Reducing your carbohydrate intake causes your body to lose water and reduces your caloric intake, both of which result in weight loss.
Step 1
Schedule a physical exam with your doctor to get your current blood pressure, weight, blood sugar and lipids (fats) in your bloodstream. Use this baseline information to evaluate down the road how your ketogenic diet has affected your health and to make adjustments accordingly.
Step 2
Toss the simple carbohydrates and replace them with complex carbs. The former provides one or two sugars, zero to few nutrients and empty calories. You find simple carbohydrates in sodas, candy, white-flour products, and anything used as a sweetener, such as honey, sugar and fruit juice. Complex carbohydrates contain at least three sugars and provide vitamins, minerals, fiber and calories. They are in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes.
Step 3
Get in the habit of counting your daily carbohydrate intake. Packaged foods have a "Nutrition Facts" label that shows how many grams of carbohydrates one serving of that product offers. If you follow a specific diet program, the instructions tell you your carbohydrate limit. In phase 1 of the Atkins Diet, for example, you're allowed only 20 grams of carbohydrates a day. The Mayo Clinic says that a range of 50 grams to 150 grams daily is the usual for someone on a low-carb diet.
Step 4
Look up low-carbohydrate recipes. No doubt your library has books, but you'll find an almost infinite number of recipes on the Internet. Select from a reputable site such as Atkins, which shows an analysis of the recipe indicating how many grams of carbohydrates it provides as well as other nutritional information.
Step 5
Think ahead. If you know you're going to Guido's Italian Restaurant tonight, skip the morning toast and the baked potato at lunch. Always consider your three daily meals and snacks as a whole unit, totaling up carbohydrate grams for the day to avoid inadvertently breaking your diet.
Tips and Warnings
- Consult a carbohydrate calculator to learn the carbohydrate content of a non-packaged food -- such as fruits, vegetables and herbs.
Things You'll Need
- Calculator
References
- Vanderbilt University Psychology Department: "The Key into Ketogenic Diets"
- MayoClinic.com--Weight Loss: Continued: Low-Carb Diet
- "The 30-Day Low-Carb Diet Solution"; Michael R. Eades and Mary Dan Eades; 2003
- "Better Homes & Gardens": 12 Steps to Start a Low-Carb Diet
- MedlinePlus: Carbohydrates
- Atkins: Objectives of Induction
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