Hi fellow low-carbers. I'm new to the forums and I briefly browsed over everything and I was surprised that there wasn't a whole lot of discussion about ketosis in particular. This thread can be used as a discussion about keto. I will try my best to answer any questions that you may have.

For those who are not familiar with keto/ketosis, here is a guide:

Contents

I. Why You Should Care About Ketosis: The Benefits of a Ketogenic Diet
1A. Ketosis Increases Neuronal Stabilization and Mental Focus
1B. Ketosis Initiates Rapid Losses of Body-Fat and LDL Cholesterol
1C. Ketosis Eliminates Various Ailments such as Type 2 Diabetes and Hypertension
1D. Ketosis Treats Several Diseases such as Alzheimer's and Various Cancers
1E. Ketosis Promotes Cardiovascular Health
1F. Ketosis Preserves Lean-Body Mass

II. Understanding Ketosis; An Overview of Metabolism
2A. Metabolism Defined
2B. The Krebs Cycle
2C. Glycolysis
2D. Ketogenesis
2E. Ketosis

III. The Basics of the Ketogenic Diet
3A. Entering Ketosis: The Hallowed Macro Ratio of Keto
3B. Saturated vs. Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids
3C. Sample Ketogenic Meal Plan
3D. The Wonders of Fiber
3E. How to Enter Ketosis Quickly, Easily, and Reliably
3F. How to Know You're Under Ketosis
3G. The Gloom of Induction
3H. Cyclic Glycogen Re-feeds
3I. Reentering Glycolysis Correctly
3J. The Ultimate List of Ketogenic Foods

IV. Useful Resources and Websites for the Keto-Minded
4A. The Cook's Thesaurus
4B. Restaurant Nutrition Facts
4C. Keto Macro-Nutrient Calculator
4D. Keto Goods Online
4E. Keto Recipes Galore
4F. Further Information

V. Keto FAQ
5A.What is the ketogenic diet in simple terms?
5B. Is ketosis unhealthy?
5C. Is ketosis unnatural?
5D. How can you lose fat if you eat fat?
5E. Is it best to bulk on keto or on a normal diet?
5F. Are ketostix reliable?
5G. Please leave any questions in the comments.

A Guide to Ketosis

1A. Ketosis Increases Neuronal Stabilization and Mental Focus

Ketogenic diets have long been a known and established treatment for epilepsy. Ketosis somehow stabilizes the brain in a way that a normal glycolytic metabolism does not. It turns out based on Devivo’s “Chronic Ketosis and Cerebral Metabolism” that ketosis actually increases the ATP/ADP ratio in the brain; in other words, under a ketogenic metabolism there is actually more energy available for your brain to utilize, so the brain is able to function more efficiently, quickly, and effectively than it would otherwise be able to.



Many people cite anecdotal experiences of "brain fog" as proof that ketosis actually hinders mental thinking, but this is false. This misconception arises from the fact that one must undergo a period of induction into ketosis (approximately 10-30 days) in which the body adjusts itself fully to a ketogenic metabolism. It is during this induction period that people experience the physical and mental sluggishness that is often associated with ketosis; unfortunately, these people often employ "glycogen refeeds" prematurely so that they suspend themselves in a perpetual state of ketogenic adaptation.

1. Chronic Ketosis and Cerebral Metabolism
2. Ketogenic Diets in the Treatment of Epilepsy: Short-Term Clinical Effects

1B. Ketosis Initiates Rapid Losses of Body-Fat and LDL Cholesterol

If your goal is to rid yourself of body-fat and LDL cholesterol, then it simply does not make a single bit of sense not to be on a ketogenic diet. Under a normal glycolytic metabolism, fat exists only as a backup or reserve fuel. Your body does not like to use it. When your body requires energy under a glycolytic metabolism, it first scans your blood-stream for glucose. If not much blood-glucose is found, then your body will command the liver to convert its stored glycogen into glucose. If not much glycogen is found, then your body will breakdown muscle and fat. Fat is the very last option. Under ketosis, fat is the very first option for energy ahead of anything else. LDL cholesterol is also readily reduced under ketosis.

1. Long Term Effects of the Ketogenic Diet in Obese Subjects with High Cholesterol Level
2. A Low-Carbohydrate, Ketogenic Diet versus a Low-Fat Diet to Treat Obesity and Hyperlipidemia

1C. Ketosis Eliminates Various Ailments such as Type 2 Diabetes and Hypertension

Ketosis has been shown to eliminate ailments such as type 2 diabetes and hypertension. This makes sense since insulin levels are scrupulously controlled under ketosis, and large portions of fat and LDL cholesterol are lost.

1. A Low Carbohydrate, Ketogenic Diet to Treat Type 2 Diabetes
2. Effects of high protein vs high carbohydrate intake on insulin sensitivity, body weight, hemoglobin A1, and blood pressure in patients with type 2 diabetes melitus
3. Comparison of a Low-Fat Diet to a Low-Carbohydrate Diet on Weight Loss, Body Composition, and Risk Factors for Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease in Free-Living, Overweight Men and Women

1D. Ketosis Treats Several Diseases such as Alzheimer's and Various Cancers

Alzheimer's disease most likely arises, among other factors, from abnormally low levels of beta amyloid due to a dysfunction of the glycolysis pathway in certain areas of the brain. Ketosis has been shown to raise the levels of beta amyloid, and is seen as a possible treatment for Alzheimer's disease.

Ketosis is also seen as a treatment to various cancers. Cancers are simply malignant tumors which possess a glycolytic rate that is up to 200 times that of surrounding non-cancerous cells - that is, cancer cells indirectly consume vast amounts of glucose. Without glucose, these cancer cells should not survive, and this does seem to be the case.

1. The ketogenic diet; fatty acids, fatty acid-activated receptors, and neurological disorders
2. Study of the ketogenic agent AC-1202 in mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial
3. Implementing A Ketogenic Diet Based on Medium-chain Triglyceride Oil in Pediatric Patients with Cancer
4. Carbohydrate restriction in patients with advanced cancer: a protocol to assess safety and feasibility with an accompanying hypothesis

1E Ketosis Promotes Cardiovascular Health



Taken from Arguments in Favor of the Ketogenic Diet

1. A ketogenic diet favorably affects serum biomarkers for cardiovascular disease in normal-weight men
2. Fasting lipoprotein and postprandial triacylglycerol responses to a low-carbohydrate diet supplemented with n-3 fatty acids

1F Ketosis Preserves Lean-Body Mass

Under glycolysis, you must first deplete blood-glucose and glycogen stores in order to begin utilizing fats as energy, but the breakdown of fat must then compete with the breakdown of muscle-mass. The result of this competition or duel catabolism is about as much muscle-mass lost as fat. This can of course be largely avoided thru ketosis since under ketosis body-fat is the first and primary source of energy. Ketosis is muscle-sparing for the simple reason that proteins no longer compete with fatty acids for energy utilization. Under ketosis, protein is a secondary energy source and thus muscle is largely spared.

1. Comparison of energy-restricted very low-carbohydrate and low-fat diets on weight loss and body composition in overweight men and women
   
2. Effect of body composition and other parameters in obese young men of carbohydrate level of reduction diet

2A. Metabolism Defined

Metabolism can be defined as those particular processes by which a creature derives energy. There are several different possible metabolic processes that humans are capable of, but perhaps the most prevalent and important of them all, and the one that plays a central role in understanding ketosis is the krebs cycle.

2B. The Krebs Cycle

The krebs cycle is the primary mechanism by which the human body extracts energy yielding molecules from food.

This is the krebs cycle:



All that we care about though is the initiation of the cycle:



As you can see, all that is required for the initiation of the krebs cycle are the molecules acetyl-CoA and oxaloacetate. Oxaloacetate is naturally regenerated from the cycle, but Acetyl-CoA must be fed into the cycle continuously. Both of these molecules can be produced from the molecule pyruvate as shown in the diagram. Pyruvate itself is produced thru glycolysis.

2C. Glycolysis

Glycolysis begins with a glucose molecule that is phosphorylated and reduced down to 2 molecules of pyruvate.



Pyruvate is the molecule from which oxaloacetate and acetyl CoA originate if you remember from the previous section. This is what happens to all carbohydrates; they are all converted into a form that can be fed into this pathway for the production of pyruvate.

So, is there another mechanism that is able to produce acetyl CoA and oxaloacetate without the breakdown of glucose and other sugars? Yes, of course: ketogenesis.

2D. Ketogenesis

Ketogenesis begins with the lipolysis of fat by the enzyme lipases in which fat is cleaved into 3 fatty acid chains and 1 glycerol molecule.



These fatty acid chains then undergo a series of beta oxidations of which the final result is the production of acetyl CoA.



This acetyl CoA molecule can then be fed into the krebs cycle for the eventual production of energy yielding ATP molecules.

So what then of the production of oxaloacetate? Well remember that fat is made up of fatty acids as well as a glycerol molecule. The glycerol molecule can be converted into dihydroxyacetone phosphate in the liver which can be used instead of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate in the glycolysis pathway.



The process of beta oxidation itself actually produces energy without the krebs cycle at all, so you have both the krebs cycle and beta oxidation now fueling your body.

2E. Ketosis

At this point NADH molecules are produced from both the krebs cycle and beta oxidation. After a certain period of time these NADH molecules begin to accumulate which prevents the continuation of the krebs cycle. Because of this, the acetyl CoA produced by beta oxidation are no longer fed into the krebs cycle and are instead routed to the liver where they are transformed into so called ketone bodies.



These ketone bodies are sent into the bloodstream from the liver. It is when this occurs that one is said to be in ketosis. Acetoacetic acid and beta-hydroxybutyric acid are catabolized or broken down into simpler molecules with the byproduct of energy where needed, or they are reformed back into acetyl CoA which can then enter the krebs cycle. This last point of acetyl CoA reformation is especially important since fatty acids cannot pass the blood-brain barrier; only ketone bodies are able to pass this barrier.

Acetone is an extremely volatile molecule (boiling point ~ 30 degrees celsius) and is thus readily released from the breath and urine. Acetone is said to have a "fruity" smell. It is acetone that you smell in your breath and urine when under ketosis, and it is acetone that interacts with the chemical(s) on ketostix to indicate ketosis.

So, under a ketogenic metabolism, by simply urinating and breathing you are indirectly ridding yourself of fat.

3A. Entering Ketosis: The Hallowed Macro Ratio of Keto

Ketosis occurs when the body has no dietary source of glucose/sugar and its store of glycogen has been depleted. When this occurs, the body primarily begins cleaving fats into fatty acids and glycerol, and transforms the fatty acids into acetyl CoA molecules which are then in turn eventually transformed into ketone bodies in the liver. In other words, under a ketogenic metabolism, the body uses dietary and bodily fats as its primary energy source.

It is possible to induce the initiation of this metabolism thru a careful diet; this diet must contain limited amounts of carbohydrates, sugars, and proteins, and should be comprised primarily of fats.

The ideal macro-nutrient ketogenic ratio is this:

60% of your calories should come from fats.

35% of your calories should come from proteins.

5% of your calories should come from fibrous carbohydrates.

This is your new food pyramid:



I know many people when first introduced to this "crazy and unhealthy fad diet" are deathly afraid to ingest too many fats. They usually inadvertently wind up on a high protein diet instead of a ketogenic diet. You must leave your fear of fats at the front-door because it is important not to over-exceed protein consumption as protein (and muscle) can easily be transformed into glucose via gluconeogenesis. It is important to eat mainly fats as your body cannot transform them into glucose - or at least it can't until you are under deep ketosis when it no longer matters.

Use the keto macro-nutrient calculators which are linked in post 6 to find out how many calories of each macro-nutrient you are allotted.

Use "the ultimate list of keto foods" contained in post 3 to find out exactly what foods you are allowed to eat.

3B. Saturated vs. Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids

A ketogenic diet which utilizes a majority (60%) of polyunsaturated fatty acids versus saturated fatty acids has been proven superior. A diet high in polyunsaturated fatty acids induces a deeper ketosis in which levels of beta-hydroxybutyrate are significantly higher, and insulin sensitivity is increased. Since beta-hydroxybutyrate levels increase when a majority of dietary fats are polyunsaturated, it stands to reason that fat lipolysis and beta oxidation activity increase as well; so, in other words, you will rid yourself of fat more quickly and easily if a majority of your fat percentage comes from things like seeds, nuts, oils, and fatty fish.

In order to enter ketosis more fully, the ideal ratio is 60/20/20 polyunsaturated/monounsaturated/saturated fatty acids. Be sure not to cut saturated fats out completely. They are good fats, and they fill many vital metabolic roles.

You can determine which keto-friendly foods contain polyunsaturated fats by checking "the ultimate ketogenic food list" in post 3; all of the foods that contain mostly polyunsaturated fats will be colored green and purple.

1. Differential Metabolic Effects of Saturated Versus Polyunsaturated Fats in Ketogenic Diets

3C. Sample Keto Meal Plan

Meal 1: Hemp seed, asparagus, and cheddar-cheese omelet with 2 slices bacon.

• 508 calories, 43.9 g fat (77%), 23.7 g protein (19%), 4.5 g carb (4%)
• 46% polyunsaturated, 27% monounsaturated, 27% saturated

Steps:

1. Fry 2 slices bacon in a pan. Remove bacon when cooked.
2. Add 1 tablespoon hemp oil to the pan and mix with the bacon drippings.
3. Combine 1 ounce chopped asparagus, 1/2 tbsp heavy cream, 2 eggs, 1 tbsp hemp seed into a bowl and stir.
4. Once the pan is nice and hot pour the contents of the bowl in.
5. Flip the omelet once and add 1/2 ounce chopped cheddar cheese. fold omelet.
6. Serve the omelet and bacon with the oil and grease poured on top.

Meal 2 Avocado and Sardine Spinach Salad with Ranch Dressing

• 547 calories, 47 g fat (77%), 25.5 g protein (19%), 5.5 g carb (4%)
• 51% polyunsaturated, 32% monounsaturated, 17% saturated

Steps:

1. Chop 1/4 large avocado, 1 ounce provolone cheese, 7 sardines, 1 cup lettuce, 1 cup raw spinach
2. Mix 2 tbsp ranch dressing with 1 tbsp grape seed oil
3. Combine ingredients in a bowl and serve with the dressing.

Meal 3 Ground-Beef Taco with sour Cream and Sesame Seeds

• 518 calories, 32 g fat (55%), 53 g protein (41%), 4.5 g carb (4%)
• 15% polyunsaturated, 37% monounsaturated, 48% saturated

1. Fry 1/2 pound 90% lean ground-beef until brown
2. Add a bit of water and 1 portion of taco seasoning. Mix and simmer
3. Add 1 ounce blended Mexican cheese (reduced fat) on top
4. Mix 1/2 tbsp sesame seeds with 1 ounce sour cream
5. Serve ground-beef with sour cream on the side.

Meal 4 Salmon Fillet with Sunflower Butter and Broccoli

• 491 calories, 31 g fat (57%), 44 g protein (37%), 6 g carb (6%)
• 48% polyunsaturated, 33% monounsaturated, 19% saturated

1. Grill 1/2 fillet salmon until tender
2. Boil 1 cup broccoli until tender
3. Heat up 1 tbsp sunflower seed butter
4. Plate the salmon and broccoli and pour the sunflower seed butter and some lemon juice on top

Meal 5 Protein Shake with Water

• 102 calories, 2 g fat (18%), 18 g protein (70%), 3 g carb (12%)
• 25% polyunsaturated, 25% monounsaturated, 50% saturated

Daily Totals

• 2156 calories, 156 g fat (65%), 164 g protein (30%), 24 g carb (5%)
• 40% polyunsaturated, 32% monounsaturated, 28% saturated

3D. The Wonders of Fiber

Fiber cannot be digested by the human body, so it does not initiate the glycolytic pathway, and it has no effect whatsoever on insulin levels.

High-fiber foods are safe to eat on keto, and in fact you should eat lots of them.

Foods such as spinach, lettuce, broccoli, etc are great for a keto diet.

3E. How to Enter Ketosis Quickly, Easily, and Reliably

Here is a full-proof method to enter ketosis:

Day 1:

- Do not eat anything after 6 p.m.

Day 2:

- Wake up and perform HIIT or intense conditioning/weight training on an empty stomach

- Begin a strict ketogenic diet with 0-2% of calories attributed to carbohydrates

Day 3:

- Wake up and perform HIIT or intense conditioning/weight training on an empty stomach

- Begin a normal ketogenic diet with 5% of calories attributed to carbohydrates.

If not already, you will soon be in ketosis in a short matter of time.

3F. How to Know You're Under Ketosis

When the body is under a ketogenic metabolism, you will exhale gaseous acetone and excrete acetone thru the urine.

Acetone is said to have a "fruity" smell, so if your breath or urine smells somewhat like fruit then you're under ketosis. Many people also report a metallic taste in their mouths when under ketosis.

There are also ketostix available at any pharmacy with which to test yourself for ketosis.

3G. The Gloom of Induction

If this is your first time ever on a ketogenic metabolism, or if you haven't been under ketosis for a long time, then you will experience a period of induction in which your body adjusts itself to a ketogenic metabolism. The length of this induction varies, but can last anywhere from 10 to 30 days.

During this period, you will most likely experience headaches, brain fog, cramps, moodiness, and fatigue.

This is normal and temporary. After this induction period, your body will be fully adjusted to a ketogenic metabolism and your energy will suddenly be tripled.

It is important to stay under ketosis until your body is fully adjusted. Do not undergo any "carb-ups" until this induction is complete. You will know because all of your symptoms and sluggishness will disappear completely and you will suddenly feel fine.

3H. Cyclic Glycogen Refeeds

A glycogen refeed is simply the ingestion of carbohydrates for a set period of time with the main intention of replenishing the glycogen-muscle stores.

If you are unsure whether or not you should undergo a glycogen refeed, then you must ask yourself two questions:

Question 1:
Is your primary goal to increase muscle-mass, to decrease body-fat, or to simply maintain your current body composition and health?

Question 2:
Do you exercise and/or weight-train with high-intensity sometimes-often, low-moderate intensity sometimes-often, or do you not exercise at all?

If your answer to question 1 was that your goal is to increase muscle-mass and/or your answer to question 2 was that you exercise or train with high-intensity sometimes-often, then a glycogen refeed every week once you have become fat-adapted would benefit you greatly. Fat-adaption usually occurs after 2-3 weeks of maintained ketosis. Here is an in-depth article on everything you need to know about glycogen refeeding written by Lyle Mcdonald himself: Training on the Cyclical Ketogenic Diet

If your answer to question 2 was that you do not exercise or weight-train, then you should not employ a glycogen refeed.

If your answer to either question has not yet been addressed, then a glycogen refeed is unnecessary. If your main goal is to rid yourself of body-fat, then a glycogen refeed is counterproductive. If you exercise with low-moderate intensity sometimes-often, then a glycogen refeed is unnecessary though if you'd really like to refeed then a small refeed once every month should be more than sufficient.

Chronic ketogenesis, or the breakdown of fats begin primarily when blood-glucose and glycogen stores are low, and an induction into ketosis begins shortly after that in which acetyl CoA begins to catabolize into ketone bodies. During this induction or adaptation period which can last anywhere from 10-30 days, several major metabolic fluctuations take place. The first and most noticeable change is a sudden and extreme fatigue which is due of course to the total depletion of muscle glycogen stores. The second change that someone undergoing an induction into ketosis might notice is a change in mood and appetite; the mood and appetite regulating hormone Leptin undergoes a sharp decrease in activity during this adaptation period. The depletion of glycogen and decrease of Leptin activity both heavily contribute to the irritability, sluggishness, weakness, moodiness, and hunger that is often experienced during ketogenic adaptation.

How glycogen refeeds work is that after a set period of time, people spend 1-2 days consuming carbohydrates such as oats and bananas in order to refill their glycogen stores and reactivate leptin activity. Most of the sugars that you ingest during this time will be converted into glycogen since the stores are completely empty. Once this is done, you will regain your strength, mood, and perhaps your sanity.

Here is the Problem I have with this: if your goal is to rid yourself of body-fat, then setting up a wall of glycogen that you must knock down every week before you can once again begin utilizing fats as energy seems to be a bit... counterproductive. Ketosis is hugely muscle-sparing after-all as shown in section 1E, so entering a period of short-lived glycolysis just may allow gluconeogenesis in which muscle-mass is converted to glucose which would not occur on a significant scale under a fully-adapted ketogenic metabolism; not only this, but the inevitable insulin spikes from the sudden dumping of sugars into the blood-stream will surely recapture the free fatty acids that are roaming throughout the blood-stream back into adipose tissue.

If your worry is about the leptin levels, then you must remember that ketosis requires a period of induction until the body is adapted to a ketogenic metabolism. Once the body is fully adjusted to a ketogenic metabolism, all of the symptoms felt during induction such as moodiness suddenly disappear. This suggests that leptin levels readjust once the body has fully adjusted.

3I. Reentering Glycolysis Correctly

This is simple. If you would like to reenter a normal glycolytic metabolism then slowly begin incorporating more and more carbohydrates into your diet. As long as you do not over-exceed your B.M.R. then you should not have any fat gain whatsoever (though you may gain a bit of water-weight).

Slow and steady wins the race.

3J. The Ultimate List of Keto Foods

Green = The Absolute Best: No/Low Sugars, High Polyunsaturated Fats
Black = Very Good: No/Low Sugars, High Saturated Fats
Orange = Good: No/Low Sugars, Low-Moderate Fats
Purple = Acceptable: Moderate Sugars/Glycemic, High Polyunsaturated Fats
Grey = Barely Acceptable: Moderate Sugars/Glycemic, High Saturated Fats
Red = Unacceptable (use sparingly): Moderate Sugars/Glycemic, Low-Moderate Fats

(the foods are linked to nutritional data)

Cheeses

• American Cheese
• Blue Cheese
• Cheddar Cheese
• Cottage Cheese
• Cream Cheese
• Feta Cheese
• Gouda Cheese
• Mozzarella Cheese
• Provolone Cheese
• Ricotta Cheese
• Swiss Cheese

Dairy

• Almond Milk (unsweetened)
• Coconut Cream
• Coconut Milk (unsweetened)
• Egg
• Heavy Cream
• Ice Cream (unsweetened)
• Soy Milk (unsweetened)
• Whipped Cream (unsweetened)

Dressings

• Balsamic Vinegar
• Blue Cheese
• Creamy Caesar
• Ranch

Fats & Oils

• Almond Butter
• Almond Oil
• Butter
• Canola Oil
• Cocoa Butter
• Coconut Oil
• Fish Oil (cod liver)
• Flax Seed Oil
• Grape Seed Oil
• Hemp Seed Oil
• Mayonnaise
• Olive Oil
• Peanut Butter
• Safflower Oil
• Sesame Oil
• Soybean Oil
• Sunflower Oil
• Vegetable Oil

Fish

• Anchovies
• Flounder
• Herring
• Salmon
• Sardines
• Sole
• Trout
• Tuna
• Tuna (canned)

Flours/Meals/Powders

• Acorn Flour
• Almond Flour
• Almond Meal
• Cocoa Powder (unsweetened)
• Flax Seed Meal
• Protein Powder
• Psyllium Husk
• Sesame Seed Flour
• Splenda

Fowl

• Chicken Breast
• Chicken Legs
• Chicken Wings
• Duck
• Goose
• Quail
• Turkey, breast
• Turkey, ground
• Turkey, bacon

Fruits, low sugar/glycemic

• Avocado
• Blackberry
• Cranberry
• Lemon
• Lime
• Olive, black
• Raspberry
• Rhubarb

Fruits, moderate sugar/glycemic

• Apple
• Strawberry
• Watermelon

Meats

• Beef, ground
• Beef, ribs
• Beef, sausage
• Beef, steak
• Lamb, chops
• Pepperoni, pork/beef
• Pork, bacon
• Pork, chops
• Pork, ham
• Pork, sausage
• Veal
• Venison, steak

Nuts/Legumes

• Almonds
• Cashews
• Coconut
• Hazelnuts
• Macadamias
• Peanuts
• Pecans
• Pistachios
• Walnuts

Seeds

• Chia Seeds
• Flax Seeds
• Hemp Seeds
• Pumpkin Seeds
• Safflower Seeds
• Sesame Seeds
• Sunflower Seeds

Shell Fish

• Clams
• Crabmeat
• Lobster
• Mussels
• Oysters
• Shrimp
• Squid

Vegetables, low sugar/glycemic

• Arugula
• Asparagus
• Bok Choy
• Broccoli
• Broccoli Rabe
• Cabbage
• Cauliflower
• Celery
• Chard
• Chicory Greens
• Cucumber
• Eggplant
• Endive
• Fennel
• Garlic
• Green Bean
• Jalapeno
• Lettuce, Green Leaf
• Lettuce, Romaine
• Parsley
• Radish
• Spinach
• Soy Bean
• Zucchini

Vegetables, moderate sugar/glycemic

• Artichoke
• Brussel Sprouts
• Carrots
• Celeriac
• Kale
• Kohlrabi
• Mushrooms
• Okra
• Onion
• Pepper, sweet, green
• Pepper, sweet, red
• Pepper, hot, red
• Pepper, sweet, yellow
• Pumpkin
• Snow Pea
• Spaghetti Squash
• Tomato
• Turnips

4A. The Cook's Thesaurus

http://www.foodsubs.com/
Enter in any specific food or food type and this website will give you back "synonyms" or substitutes of that food/food type. This might be very helpful when devising your own recipes.


4B. Restaurant Nutrition Facts

http://www.dietfacts.com/fastfood.asp
Nutrition data on all major restaurants and fast-food chains.


4C. Keto Macro-nutrient Calculator

http://www.phlaunt.com/lowcarb/DietMakeupCalc.php
Easily figure your B.M.R., daily caloric allotment, and calorie breakdown in terms of the ketogenic diet.

Alternatively, you can use Man2kx's calculator download which can be found at CKD Calculator for Dummies, by Man2kx


4D. Keto Goods Online

http://www.allbulkfoods.com
http://www.bulkfoods.com/
http://www.nuttyguys.com/
These sites are great for buying nuts, seeds, flours, and oils in bulk.

http://www6.netrition.com/
This is probably the best site for any type of keto snack or food. It has loads of keto-friendly pasta, breads, chips, cookies, flours, etc etc.

http://www.missbobbies.com/
I haven't actually bought anything from this site so I can't vouch for the validity of it, but it has a nice database of various keto foods and companies.

http://julianbakery.com/
Pepperidge Farm's Carb Style Bread
Great sites for keto-friendly bread.

www.dreamfieldsfoods.com/
Tasty keto-friendly pasta.

http://www.tovaindustries.com/carbalose/page1.html
http://www.carbsmart.com/
http://www.penzeys.com/
http://www.sweetzfree.com/
These sites are great for keto-friendly sweets, sugars, syrups, powders, and baking goods.

4E. Recipes Galore

http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/recipes.html
One of the best keto recipe sites out there. It is very organized and she rates each recipe honestly.

http://www.lowcarbcafe.com/
Loads of recipes.

Dyan's Low Carb Recipes
Very good organization and recipes.

http://lowcarbeating.com/low-carb-c...w-carb-recipes/
Keto recipes.


4F. Further Information

http://www.controlcarb.com/
Great information.

http://www.sugarfreesheila.com/index.html
Great site with good information. Her printout grocery list is great.

http://www.fathead-movie.com/
http://www.hulu.com/fat-head
This is a documentary about the ketogenic diet and fats. I haven't watched it, but I've heard good things.

http://www.whatislife.com/reader2/M...fattyacids.html
Goes into greater detail than I did about fat metabolism.

Arguments in Favor of Ketogenic Diet
Awesome article on ketosis.

5A. What is the ketogenic diet in simple terms?

A ketogenic diet can be thought of as training your body to only use fats as energy. When your body is trained only to use fats, then when there is no dietary fat floating in your blood-stream your body will take body-fat and use that as energy.

5B. Is the ketogenic diet unhealthy?

No. The ketogenic diet is actually so extraordinarily conducive to real human health that it quickly and readily reverses the diseases and malformities that a diet high in grains/sugars and low in fats will inevitably bring about. The idea that fat is bad for you is a complete and utter myth that never had any scientific backing whatsoever, and it is frankly a laughable notion considering how prevalent and important fats and cholesterol are in our bodies. Most vital hormones and steroids stem from cholesterol. Every single one of your cells are covered with and contain lipid membranes that are incredibly important to the functionality of the cells. Do not fear for your health when entering a ketogenic diet, because not only will you quickly rid yourself of body-fat, but you will experience numerous health benefits.

5C. Is the ketogenic diet unnatural?

No. The ketogenic diet is far more natural for human beings than a diet high in grains and refined sugars. The current diet based on grains and sugars is completely foreign to the human body, and is responsible for most of the diseases and ailments that we face today (diabetes, heart disease, depression, ADD, obesity, alzheimer's, cancers, etc etc etc).



Taken from Arguments in Favor of the Ketogenic Diet

5D. How can you lose fat if you eat fat?

Eating fat is actually the most effective way of losing body-fat. Basically you are training your body to only use fat as energy, so when there are no dietary fats floating around in your blood-stream your body will take out some of your body-fat stores and convert that into energy.

5E. Is it best to bulk on keto or on a normal diet?

I can personally not come up with a reason why anyone would want to revert back to a glycolytic metabolism in order to gain muscle besides that it might be easier to consume a calorie surplus since fats are very filling. If you like the idea of ridding yourself of excess fat while you gain muscle then probably keto is right for you. Ketosis has also been shown to increase testosterone levels which would of course be conducive to a muscle-building regimine. The ultimate decision is up to you though, because as far as I know a glycolytic metabolism is actually perfectly capable of building muscle-mass just as well as a ketogenic metabolism does, so it doesn't really matter.

5F. Are ketostix reliable?

Ketostix detect the presence of acetone in the urine. Acetone is a volatile compound with a very low boiling point, so it is readily exhaled from the body as gas and thru the urinary tract. It is possible to be in a low level of ketosis in which acetoacetate primarily synthesizes beta-hydroxybutyrate, and does not fall to forming acetone. Alternatively, it is possible to use up all of the blood-ketones thru extreme exercise so that there is no excess acetone to escape into the urinary tract.

Ketostix are a very good detector of ketosis, but just because your urinalysis doesn't register the presence of acetone doesn't necessarily mean that you aren't actually in ketosis.

5G. Please leave any further questions in the thread itself. Thanks for reading.

well, that's it. i've posted my entire guide in the thread, though the food list for example is more complete in the link i posted in the first post. i couldn't be arsed to update like 30 new links haha. sorry.

but go ahead, if you have any questions i'll do my best to answer.

thanks again for reading.

(oh and to the mods: if there's a more appropriate subforum for this thread that i missed, please forward this to that subforum, thanks.)

Fantastic info! Too much to absorb in one sitting so I'll be back a few times to explore the links. Thanks for all your effort on this!

1F. Ketosis Preserves Lean-Body Mass

I agree but not for the reasons you outlined. Here's how I believe ketosis preserves lean tissue instead:

http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/...eans-our-cells/

So according to that paper, the sparing of lean tissue has nothing to do with competing processes, rather it's about the effect of ketones on protein recycling (CMA).

That's a lot of work. Well done. And welcome to the forum.

yw. i hope it helps out somewhat



oh very cool paper. i will have to check that one out. but just because this is true doesn't mean that the preservation of muscle-mass isn't also due to the non-usage of it.

Well, if you recycle junk protein preferentially in ketosis, then you aren't using up muscle mass for fuel. So you could still say ketosis spares muscle mass because it doesn't use it up.

oh i see. i guess i didn't understand at first. your link doesn't work anymore so i can't see the study for myself, but thanks for the info; it actually is very interesting. when i get some free time i'll search for the paper that your source quotes and check it out. thanks.

so do you guys (and girls) specifically try to get into ketosis here, or what? was this the right subforum to post this in?

Try this link instead:
http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/...eans-our-cells/

The link stopped working when you quoted it for some reason.

About ketosis, I think everybody here understands ketosis, at least for fat loss. So I guess we're all trying to get there and stay there. The idea is that ketosis is where fat loss is fastest.

ah i guess my thread is kinda useless then haha. oh well maybe somebody will find some use in it.

and thanks for the link. bookmarked it for later reading.