Recipes to get your Ketosis Groove on for the holidays

A few easy-to-make low carb or Keto friendly dishes that help turn your body into a fat-burning machine over the holidays

Everyone knows eating a low carb diet is a proven method to lose weight. But what is less well understood are the benefits of a Ketogenic Diet (Keto), the most aggressive form of low carb eating.

More on Ketones:

A well planned Ketogenic diet is not the same as just cutting carbs to as little as possible. To get into a state of “ketosis,” most people will have to moderate their protein intake as well.

This works for weight loss because it creates Ketones, which are an alternative fuel for the body that are used when blood sugar (glucose) is in short supply.

A well planned Ketogenic diet is not the same as just cutting carbs to as little as possible. To get into a state of “ketosis,” most people will have to moderate their protein intake as well.

To kick-start Ketones production, you need to eat very few carbs (less than 20 grams daily) and only moderate amounts of protein (excess protein can also be converted to blood sugar).

Ketones are produced in the liver, from fat. They are then used as fuel throughout the body, including the brain.

The final piece of a Ketogenic diet that is “unique” is that the dietary intake of fat increases.

Increased fat intake is the most difficult aspect of the ketogenic diet. It feels counterintuitive, especially because for the last 40-50 years dietary fat was the enemy.

Here is an easy chart comparing the benefits of a Low Carb diet (in varying intensities) versus Keto Diet.

Technically LC

<130 grams per day. Any diet with less than 130 grams of CHO daily is considered “low in carb”. Most people with CHO intolerance will feel better and may lose weight, some may not although they may be able to reduce their metabolic risk factors.

Liberal LCHF
~50-100 grams per day. Most active people can lose weight at this level, CHO intolerant people will lose a little weight or maintain their weight here but will likely reduce their metabolic risk factors.

Moderate LCHF
~20-50 grams per day. The goal is to decrease CHO intake to allow fat burning, most people will go in and out of ketosis. Usually, this is where people get the best weight loss and blood glucose stabilization and will lead to reduction of metabolic risk factors.

Strict LCHF Ketogenic Diet
<20 gram carbs per day. The most aggressive form of a LCD. The goal is to get into ketosis and stay there, ketogenic diet is the most aggressive form of low carb. Keto was first utilized as a treatment for epilepsy for those that did not respond to medications and to treat Type I Diabetes before the invention of insulin.

In summary, your medical bariatrician can help determine the levels of macronutrient that should be consumed to get into ketosis and stay there. Our team has compiled some festive ketogenic friendly recipes to get you through the holiday season feeling full, satisfied and at a healthy weight.