Tracking Blood Ketones: Behind The Scenes Data On The Ketogenic Diet
Tracking Blood Ketones: Behind the Scenes Data on the Ketogenic Diet I’ve tried a lot of diets. I first went vegetarian, then slow carb, then gluten-free, then Paleo. I even did a 28-day Chipotle diet, which is exactly as awesome as it sounds. Eventually I found the Ketogenic diet. For me, like for many people in our communities, this all started with a health concern. I was born with a heart condition. It never impacted my life, but it was there, lingering. When I was a junior in college, a few classmates and I were out enjoying late night pizza. Out of nowhere, one classmate suddenly jolted upright and fell off his stool. He died. I found out the next morning it was from a lingering heart condition, not too unlike my own. I started to think about my health a lot more after that. I read about nutrition and started exploring the confusing world of diets. As I learned more and as I became more involved in Quantified Self, I found myself wanting to quantify these diets. That’s what drew me to Keto. It’s the most measurable diet. Quick Summary of the Ketogenic Diet Keto is a high-fat, very-low-carb diet, usually with 70% of calories coming from fat. The idea is to switch your body from using glucose as its primary energy to breaking down fats into ketones for energy. You can measure the macros that you eat and you can measure the ketones in your urine, breath, and blood. In 2013, I did my first experiment with the ketogenic diet. In that experiment, I tracked everything I ate in MyFitnessPal and compared it to other data I was collecting. I found my energy increased, my sleep quality went up (according to my Zeo data), my cholesterol levels improved, and my food cravings went away. However, I also found that measuring everything I ate was a pain, I didn’t really kn Continue reading >>
Testing For Ketones
Testing for Ketones 3 Types of Ketones How to go about testing for Ketones? There are 3 types of ketone bodies. Acetone, Acetoacetate and Beta-Hydroxybutryate (BHB, though technically not really a ketone body) The body (the liver) converts long and medium chain fatty acids into BHB and Acetoacetate. BHB and Acetoacetate live in reversible equilibrium (they can transform back and forth). Acetoacetate can also be turned into acetone. After converted to acetone, it can not be converted back. Acetone is typically excreted through the urine or breath. If your body has been in ketosis for a while, you will see a reduction in acetoacetate. Muscles begin to use acetoacetate and turn it into Beta-Hydroxybutryate for fuel, so less is present in urine as you get more keto-adapted. This is the flaw of the urine test. It only tests for acetoacetate so it will go down as your body gets more efficient at using ketones for fuel. 3 Methods for Testing Ketones Urine strips only test acetoacetate. Ketonix only tests acetone in breath. Blood Strips test for Beta-Hydroxybutryate (BHB), what your body uses for fuel. 1. Urine Test Strips Pros: Cheap. Cons: Very inaccurate in testing level of ketosis. Our bodies excrete excess ketones in two ways. Through the urine or through the breath. When you are testing for ketones in urine you will typically see higher levels in early stages of a ketogenic diet because your body isn’t using ketones for fuel yet. After you are fully Keto-Adapted (2-4 weeks or so), you will see less and less ketones in your urine because your body in now using more ketones for fuel instead of excreting them through the urine or breath. The urine test strip is also very susceptible to changes based on your state of hydration. The more hydrated you are (and we should all b Continue reading >>
Measuring Ketosis: What Are Keto Sticks And Keto Strips?
Ketosis is a metabolic state where the liver breaks down fat to produce ketones. Ketones, on a ketogenic diet, are the primary fuel source for the body. If you’re new to the ketogenic diet and you still have questions, consider reading our Comprehensive Beginner’s Guide to Keto > There are three main ways to measure the ketones in your body, all of which have their advantages and disadvantages. The most common ways to measure are: Blood Ketone Meter. Very accurate but the strips are extremely expensive. Breath Ketone Meters. More accurate than the urine strips, but can sometimes vary in accuracy. Cheaper than blood strips in the long-run. Urine Stricks. This will answer the question “Am I in ketosis?” but will not provide an accurate measure of blood ketones. Scroll down to read a more in-depth analysis of each, and what we recommend for you. Measuring Ketones with Urine Sticks Urine sticks will always be the cheapest and easiest way to measure ketosis. For beginners, this should cover everything you need – there is no point in getting more complex blood strips so early on when you are still trying to understand the nuances of a ketogenic diet. Ultimately, keto sticks are very easy to use – you hold the sticks in your urine stream for a few seconds, and within 10-15 seconds you should notice a color change in the strip (if you are in ketosis). The color of the stick typically is measured in red: light pink being low in ketone production and dark purple being high in ketone production. While keto sticks can be ideal for a general answer to the question “Am I in ketosis?”, they aren’t precise with their accuracy. They measure the acetoacetate in your urine, which is an unused ketone by the body. As you get deeper into ketosis and your body adapts, your b Continue reading >>
The Best Way To Monitor Ketone Levels
Awareness and appreciation of the “low-carb high-fat” ketogenic diet has been steadily growing over the last few years. Along with that, you hear the words ketosis and ketones used more commonly. That’s excellent, but many people don’t really know what it all actually means. ..What are ketones? And what does your body do with them? What are the proper levels of ketones you should have to be in ketosis? With so many people talking about the diet/lifestyle, it’s understandable that there is more misinformation as a result. So, let’s clear it all up in this post. First we’ll review the details of ketones – what they are, how they’re formed, etc. – and then we’ll talk about how to monitor them. Let’s dive in! Contents: First Off, What Exactly Are Ketones? Ketones, or ketone bodies, are byproducts created by the body in the process of breaking down (metabolizing) fat for energy, when carbohydrate levels in the body are low. It works like this… The body prefers to use glucose (from carbs) as its source of fuel. But when there isn’t a sufficient level of glucose, and glycogen levels are depleted, blood sugar and insulin levels are reduced, as the body looks for an alternative source of fuel: fat. This process can occur during fasting, starvation, extended periods of exercise, or in the case we’re referring to in this post and on this site: while adhering to a low-carb, high-fat, ketogenic diet. …When the body switches to metabolizing fats for energy – a process called beta-oxidation – instead of glucose, ketones are created as a fuel source for the body and the brain. It is this process which is referred to as ketosis or ketogenesis…Or, as some people like to say, switching from being a “sugar burner” to a “fat burner”. If you’re Continue reading >>
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Abbott Precision Xtra Blood Glucose Meter Review
One of the biggest benefits of the Precision Xtra Blood Glucose Meter is the versatility that if offers those with diabetes. It is one of a select few meters that give you the ability to test both your blood sugar level and your blood ketone levels. This type of meter is extremely helpful especially for parents who have younger children with type 1 diabetes. Let’s take a look more in detail on the pros and cons of the Precision Xtra and what I really think about it overall. Pros Testing Blood Ketones: This is the one meter we always keep close to test for blood ketones. This comes in handy when the kids are sick or experiencing a high blood sugar in the middle of the night. It can be rather difficult to get a kiddo with a high blood sugar to get up and want to go test ketones by urinating on the ketodiastix. Instead you can easily test their ketones with one poke while testing their blood sugar levels. While urine strips still work great for the mornings or other times you experience high blood sugar levels, if you want to get a more accurate picture on if ketones are present, the blood ketones are the way to go. I suggest reading these articles: If you are not familiar with using a blood ketone meter, you may be confused when you first see your results, as they are different than blood sugar readings. When using the Precision Xtra Meter you can expect the following: Results Below 0.6 This is considered to be a normal range for blood ketone levels. I’ve found however, that when they hit 0.3 this is when you should pay close attention to ketones developing. 6 to 1.5 When you see numbers in this range, ketones are currently present. This is when you should make sure you are properly treating for ketones so that they do not develop into a problem later on. Contacting a Continue reading >>
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Ketone Testing
Tweet Ketone testing is a key part of type 1 diabetes management as it helps to prevent a dangerous short term complication, ketoacidosis, from occurring. If you have type 1 diabetes, it is recommended that you have ketone testing supplies on your prescription. Ketone testing may also be useful in people with other types of diabetes that are dependent upon insulin. Why test for ketones? Ketones are produced by the body as an alternative source of energy to sugar. The body produces ketones by breaking down fats, this process is known as ketosis. Ketones may be produced as part of weight loss, however, it’s important for people with diabetes on insulin to note that ketones can be produced when the body has insufficient insulin. When the body has too little insulin, it means that cells of the body cannot take in enough sugar from the blood. To compensate for this, the body will start to break down fat to provide ketones. However, if a high level of ketones is produced, this can cause the blood to become acidic which can lead to illness and even potential danger to organs if not treated in time. This state is referred to as diabetic ketoacidosis. Where can I get ketone testing kits and sensors? The most accurate way of testing for ketones is to use a meter that measures blood ketone levels. The following blood glucose meters are able to test blood ketone levels in addition to blood glucose levels: Abbott - FreeStyle Optium Neo Menarini - GlucoMen LX Plus If you take insulin, you should be able to get these prescribed by your GP. You can also test urine for ketone levels, however, urine ketone testing is not as accurate as blood ketone testing as the levels of ketones in the urine will usually only reflect a level of up to a few hours previously. When to test for ketones? Continue reading >>
Maybe It’s Time To Check Your Ketone Level?
Achieving ketosis is not required for most people to succeed on the Wheat Belly lifestyle. However, this can be an important issue to know about. Achieving ketosis is not just a means of accelerating weight loss, but also of enhancing mental and physical performance. You’ll experience this yourself, with heightened mental clarity, energy, and endurance in a ketogenic state. The grain-free lifestyle eliminates junk carbohydrates from the diet. – Tweet this. Some individuals find their weight loss efforts seem to plateau after some time on this diet. The occasional person will need to go the full low-carb mile and require a ketogenic state to achieve weight loss. To achieve a ketogenic state, virtually all carbohydrates will have to be eliminated in order to metabolize fats. An effective ketogenic diet is composed of near-zero (less than 20g net carbohydrates per day) intake of carbohydrates. This is combined with a higher than usual fat intake to quell hunger and divert the metabolism toward mobilization of body fat. You can detect ketosis by the fruity odor on the breath. – Tweet this. This being said, there are more accurate ways to confirm a ketogenic state. Urine can be tested using a dipstick for ketones, such as Ketostix. However, these can only detect ketones in the higher range, as are experienced by type 1 diabetics during diabetic ketoacidosis, a life-threatening state. Urine monitoring is therefore less sensitive for identifying the subtler levels of ketosis experienced physiologically, which makes urine testing inadequate for weight-loss purposes. The most assured and precise method to assess blood levels of ketones is with a finger stick, just like checking blood sugar. The only difference is in the timing. Unlike the after-meal checks for blood sugar, Continue reading >>
Why I Stopped Testing My Ketones On A Ketogenic Diet
On measuring Ketones. Like many people, when I first started a Ketogenic diet in early 2014 I bought the Ketostix and just couldn’t wait to see the color change. And change it did! It was neat, and it provided motivation for me to continue. Eventually, I got a blood meter, a breath meter and spent lots of time (and money) testing ketones. Between a Ketonix Breath Ketone Analyzer, as well as dozens of blood ketone test strips, I’ve probably spent well over $500 testing ketones. The main thing I learned from my extensive ketone testing regimen is that the results vary widely and there’s little application to my goals. Eventually, I stopped testing and here are several reasons why: 1. Burning fatty acids from fat is the main benefit of a ketogenic diet On a ketogenic diet, some of the brain’s energetic demand is fueled by ketones, but the heart, muscles, etc. are fueled by fatty acids. Most of the energy we utilize both at rest and at sub-maximal exertion on a ketogenic diet is fatty acid, not ketones. Quoting Dr. Ron Rosedale on chasing ketones at the Keto Summit: “I don’t want people to have the mindset that it’s the ketones that are the benefit of the diet. They are a beneficial side effect, but the main benefit is that you are burning fatty acids from fat. The more fatty acids from fat you are burning, the less glucose you need to burn. And that’s really where you are getting the benefit…So ketones are great but the term ketogenic diet indicating that the diet is so good because you are generating all these ketones is a misinterpretation of the benefit. The main benefit is that you are burning fatty acids, and as a side effect of burning fatty acids you are producing ketones that your body can burn too!” 2. Urine Ketones aka “peetones” are ridic Continue reading >>
Nk N=1 Addendum: Hourly Weight, Blood Glucose And Blood Ketone Testing
I’m coming up on the 9-month update of my n=1 experiment testing the concept of “nutritional ketosis” (NK) this next week, but I decided to do something over the past week as an addendum to the regular testing I’ve been doing. If you’ve been following my progress on this NK journey since I started it in May 2012 (if you missed any of my monthly updates, check out Day 1-30, Day 31-60, Day 61-90, Day 91-120, Day 121-150, Day 151-180, Day 181-210 and Day 211-240), I’ve been testing my blood glucose and blood ketone levels in the morning and at night as well as my weight first thing when I wake up. But just out of curiosity I wanted to up my game a bit and test every hour on the waking hour for one week examining my weight, blood sugar and blood ketone levels. I’ve noticed during my experiment that my ketone levels tend to be lower in the morning and higher at night, but I didn’t know what was happening in the hours throughout the day and wanted to know. Plus, I’ve been wondering what was going on with my blood sugar after meals and exercise. And just for fun (because the fluctuations that happen throughout the day are pretty much irrelevant), I tested my body weight fully clothed every hour as well. My poor fingers took a pummeling with about 20 finger pricks a day on average (sometimes the lancet didn’t go deep enough to produce enough blood with just one finger prick), but this information was totally worth the temporary pain. Let’s take a look at what happened along with a few observations: DAY 1 – SATURDAY, JANUARY 26, 2013 Fun first day of testing. My blood sugar ranged from 70-94 (AWESOME!) with the greatest rise predictably after eating. Even still, the increase in blood glucose wasn’t that pronounced (predictable considering I’m eating v Continue reading >>
What Are The Optimal Ketone Levels For A Ketogenic Diet?
If you’ve just started a ketogenic diet, then you’ll know that it can be really tough to figure out if you’re doing keto right. Am I eating too many carbs? Too much protein? Should I still be feeling tired? When is the fat burning supposed to start? It’s confusing, and one of the most confusing aspects is what your optimal ketone levels are supposed to be. Unlike most other diets, the ketogenic diet is designed to put your body into a state of ketosis in order to get your body to start burning ketones instead of the glucose that it usually burns when you eat a high carb standard American diet (SAD). But to know whether you’re in ketosis and whether your body has enough ketones circulating for you to use as energy instead of glucose, you have to measure your actual ketone levels and then determine whether they’re high enough for you to be reaping the benefits of the ketogenic diet. If you’ve tried searching for this information already, then you’ll know that there’s some controversy depending on which expert you follow. So in this article, we’ll tell you exactly what the different experts are suggesting are the optimal ketone levels as well as give you recommendations for what ketone levels you should be aiming for depending on your goals with a ketogenic diet. A Few Quick Notes Before We Start… If you’re looking for signs other than testing your actual body ketone levels as to whether you’re in ketosis or not, then please check out this article instead that provides you with signs you’re in ketosis. If you’re a type 1 diabetic, then this article is not for you and the optimal ketone levels suggested below are not applicable to you. Please check out the tons of other ketone level articles on the web to ensure your ketone levels do not reach Continue reading >>
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Blood Ketone Meter
Living a ketogenic lifestyle is one of the best decisions a person could make. This lifestyle allows the body to burn It's own stored fat which is stored in the body muscles as glycogen to produce energy as opposed to using glucose/sugar . It not only improves your health but also helps you lose the unwanted extra pounds. It can be very difficult to estimate the amount of ketones in the blood by keeping track of the low carbohydrates foods you take. Ketones can be measured using different methods. One can either use a urine test where you use urine sticks that turn a range of different colors once ketones are present. The other method is the use of blood strips and a blood ketone meter that is used to measure the ketone levels. A blood ketone meter is a device that is used to measure the amount of Ketones in the blood and it works the same way as a glucose meter.The latter is accurate and can help you to keep track of your ketone levels and also monitor the type food you take if you are leading a ketogenic lifestyle.That is why it is highly advisable to use a blood Ketone meter to be able to measure the ketone levels in your blood. A blood ketone meter is a small electronic device that simply tests the amount of Ketones in one's blood and the direct readings can be easily read on a digital display. It also gives accurate and quantitative assessments that are reliable to keep check of ones ketone levels. The blood ketone meter can be easily used at home since it is very simple to use. All you need to know is the acceptable ketone levels in a healthy person. There are various quantities that either indicate low or high presence of ketones in the blood. High ketone levels are indicated by a measurement above 3.0 mmol/L of ketones ,1-6 to 2.9 mmol/L for optimal ketone level Continue reading >>
Monitoring For Compliance With A Ketogenic Diet: What Is The Best Time Of Day To Test For Urinary Ketosis?
Go to: Methods The KetoPerformance study with its before-and-after comparison design was registered at germanctr.de as DRKS00009605 and took place from February to June 2016. Exclusion criteria included underweight, obesity, kidney stones, pregnancy, diabetes mellitus and any fatty acid-metabolism disorders. The study protocol was approved by the Ethics Commission of the Albert-Ludwig University Freiburg (494/14) and all subjects signed a written consent form. Twelve of the 42 subjects from the KetoPerformance study could be recruited for the present substudy. Experimental design and dietary intervention The experimental intervention consisted of a KD without caloric restriction lasting 6 weeks with a previous preparation period including detailed instructions during teaching classes and individual counselling by a dietitian. The subjects were free to follow a KD according to their personal preferences but were advised to reach a ratio by weight of approximately 1.8:1 fat to carbohydrate and protein combined, yielding a diet with 80, 15, and 5 % of total energy intake from fat, protein and carbohydrate, respectively. During the KD intervention's sixth week, our substudy subjects were instructed to measure urine and blood ketone concentrations at regular intervals in as close proximity as possible during a 24-h period from 07:00 to 07:00 in the morning. During the day (07:00 till 22:00) blood and urinary ketones were measured every full hour and every three hours, respectively. During the night, blood and urinary ketones were measured once at 03:00. In total blood and urine and ketones were measured 18 and 8 times, respectively, and were recorded in a table sheet. Subjects were asked to drink 400 ml of water every 3 h during the day to ensure sufficient urination and to Continue reading >>
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Ketone Testing: What You Need To Know
What are ketones? Ketones are produced when the body burns fat for energy or fuel. They are also produced when you lose weight or if there is not enough insulin to help your body use sugar for energy. Without enough insulin, glucose builds up in the blood. Since the body is unable to use glucose for energy, it breaks down fat instead. When this occurs, ketones form in the blood and spill into the urine. These ketones can make you very sick. How can I test for ketones? You can test to see if your body is making any ketones by doing a simple urine test. There are several products available for ketone testing and they can be purchased, without a prescription, at your pharmacy. The test result can be negative, or show small, moderate, or large quantities of ketones. When should I test for ketones? Anytime your blood glucose is over 250 mg/dl for two tests in a row. When you are ill. Often illness, infections, or injuries will cause sudden high blood glucose and this is an especially important time to check for ketones. When you are planning to exercise and the blood glucose is over 250 mg/dl. If you are pregnant, you should test for ketones each morning before breakfast and any time the blood glucose is over 250 mg/dl. If ketones are positive, what does this mean? There are situations when you might have ketones without the blood glucose being too high. Positive ketones are not a problem when blood glucose levels are within range and you are trying to lose weight. It is a problem if blood glucose levels are high and left untreated. Untreated high blood glucose with positive ketones can lead to a life-threatening condition called diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). What should I do if the ketone test is positive? Call your diabetes educator or physician, as you may need additional Continue reading >>
Urine Tests For Diabetes: Glucose Levels And Ketones
The human body primarily runs on glucose. When your body is low on glucose, or if you have diabetes and don’t have enough insulin to help your cells absorb the glucose, your body starts breaking down fats for energy. Ketones (chemically known as ketone bodies) are byproducts of the breakdown of fatty acids. The breakdown of fat for fuel and the creation of ketones is a normal process for everyone. In a person without diabetes, insulin, glucagon, and other hormones prevent ketone levels in the blood from getting too high. However, people with diabetes are at risk for ketone buildup in their blood. If left untreated, people with type 1 diabetes are at risk for developing a condition called diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). While rare, it’s possible for people with type 2 diabetes to experience DKA in certain circumstances as well. If you have diabetes, you need to be especially aware of the symptoms that having too many ketones in your body can cause. These include: If you don’t get treatment, the symptoms can progress to: a fruity breath odor stomach pain trouble breathing You should always seek immediate medical attention if your ketone levels are high. Testing your blood or urine to measure your ketone levels can all be done at home. At-home testing kits are available for both types of tests, although urine testing continues to be more common. Urine tests are available without a prescription at most drugstores, or you can buy them online. You should test your urine or blood for ketones when any of the following occurs: Your blood sugar is higher than 240 mg/dL. You feel sick or nauseated, regardless of your blood sugar reading. To perform a urine test, you urinate into a clean container and dip the test strip into the urine. For a child who isn’t potty-trained, a pa Continue reading >>
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3 Best Ways To Measure Ketones For Your Ketogenic Diet (review & Buyers Guide)
How do you get accurate readings of ketones? Which methods actually work? These are common questions I going to help you with in this article. Anyone interested in using the latest nutritional research to improve their health has likely heard of a ketogenic diet. Ketogenic diets are a simple way to get your metabolism to prioritize the consumption of fatty acids, also known as ketones, when at rest or exercising. While there is a wide body of research that confirms the benefits of this type of nutritional plan, for the average user at home – one big question remains. How can you measure ketone levels to ensure your body is reaching a perfect state of ketosis? Without an accurate method of ketosis measurement, you will never achieve an optimized LCHF or ketogenic diet. However, it has not always been easy to measure your level of ketosis at home. At least this concern is now a thing of the past, because there are many ways to measure ketone levels easily and accurately in the comfort of your own home. Find out the very best method to test your level of nutritional ketosis that strikes the perfect balance of ease, price and quality. Before getting too deep into the different methods for measuring ketosis, it is important to first look at exactly why measuring them is so important and to clarify some of the more complex scientific terms. Ketone Testing Terminology If you have decided to try a ketogenic diet to achieve nutritional ketosis, then finding an accurate way to measure your ketone levels is important. You need to be able to maintain yourself in the optimal zone where fat is used as energy rather than glucose. Too little ketone and you will not see any positive effects. But higher levels give no real benefit and could indicate a serious problem with your diet. Li Continue reading >>
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