5 Ways To Measure Your Ketones
5 Ways to Measure Your Ketones A ketogenic diet is a very low carbohydrate, moderate protein and high fat based nutrition plan. A ketogenic diet trains the individual’s metabolism to run off of fatty acids or ketone bodies. This is called fat adapted, when the body has adapted to run off of fatty acids/ketones at rest. Research has demonstrated that this nutrition plan improves insulin sensitivity and reduces inflammation throughout the body. This leads to greater fat metabolism and muscle development as well as a reduced risk of chronic disease. (1, 2). I get asked all the time how to measure the state of ketosis. There are several major ways and we will discuss those in this article. Measuring Your Ketones There are three types of ketone bodies: Acetone, Acetoacetate and Beta-Hydroxybutryate (BHB). Each of these three can be tested as acetone is a ketone released through the breath, acetoacetate is a ketone released through urine and BHB is (although not technically a ketone it acts like a ketone) in the blood stream and used by the cells for energy. 1. Blood Ketone Meter This measures BHB and is considered to be the most accurate way to measure ketone bodies. These have the ability to determine the ketone level in your blood precisely but they are also pricey and invasive. Personally, I freak out every time I have to prick my finger!! The Precision Xtra blood glucose and ketone meter is a good buy at $28-$30. The expensive part is the ketone test strips here which can cost $4 each. If you are looking at testing yourself every day it is going to cost you $120 a month and the $30 meter. Here is a starter kit you can get on Amazon Most people will enter into a light nutritional ketosis (between 0.5-1.0 mmol/L on the meter) within two or three days. It typically takes 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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Ketogenic Diet Improves Insulin Sensitivity And Numerous Aging Markers
A physician conducted a decade-long experiment on the health effects of a ketogenic diet, using himself as the laboratory rat; he experienced improvement in insulin sensitivity, body fat, lipids, blood sugar, and other markers A ketogenic diet requires carbohydrate and protein restriction, with 50 to 80 percent of calories coming from fats; this forces your body to shift toward using ketones as its primary fuel source, instead of glucose Although your brain is more dependent on glucose than your heart, your liver can produce a ketone-like compound that your brain can efficiently use for energy Scientists extended the lifespan of mice by 20 percent by suppressing the activity of just one gene that helps control metabolism and energy balance; this is further evidence that longevity is tied to insulin signaling The best way to jumpstart your fat-burning/ketone-producing engine is by drastically reducing your consumption of sugar and grains, fasting intermittently, and maintaining a consistent exercise routine By Dr. Mercola We are just beginning to understand the biological intricacies of aging. A growing body of research is challenging the belief that aging is beyond your control, prompting scientists to begin thinking about ways we can slow our aging clocks to a slow crawl. Although this is a relatively new branch of science, there are some factors that appear to be key in controlling how quickly you age. One major factor seems to be insulin signaling and the metabolic "engines" you have running day to day, which are largely controlled by the foods you eat. In the first featured video, Dr. Peter Attia discusses how a ketogenic diet can optimize your metabolism. But before I discuss the specifics of this, I want to tell you about a remarkable mouse study, presented in the Continue reading >>
Optimal Ketone And Blood Sugar Levels For Ketosis
A low carb helps reduce blood sugars and insulin levels and helps with the management of many of the diseases of modern civilisation (e.g. diabetes, heart disease, stroke, cancer, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s). We become insulin resistant when our body fat can’t store any more energy. Excess energy is then stored in the liver, pancreas, heart, brain and other organs that are more insulin sensitive. We also see increased levels of energy in our blood in the form of glucose, fat and elevated ketone. Endogenous ketosis occurs when we eat less food than we need. Our insulin and blood sugar levels decrease and ketones rise to supply the energy we need. Exogenous ketosis occurs when we eat lots fat and/or take exogenous ketones. Blood ketones rise, but our insulin levels will also rise because we have an excess of energy coming from our diet. Most of the good things associated with ketosis occur due to endogenous ketosis. Most people following a ketogenic diet over the long term have ketone values lower than what some people consider to be “optimal ketosis”. If your goal is blood sugar control, longevity or weight loss then endogenous ketosis with lower blood sugars and lower ketones is likely a better place to be than chasing higher blood ketones. I have seen a lot of interest and confusion recently from people following a ketogenic about ideal ketone and blood sugar levels. In an effort to try to clear this up, this article reviews blood ketone (BHB), breath ketone (acetone) and blood sugar data from a large number of people who are following a low carb or ketogenic diet to understand what “normal” and “optimal” look like. Many people initiate a low carb diet to manage their blood glucose levels, insulin resistance or diabetes. As shown in the chart below, Continue reading >>
What Is A Glucose Ketone Index And Why You Should Care
Having high levels of ketones doesn’t mean you’re automatically getting all of the benefits. Luckily, research shows us that there’s an easy way to know if you’re in prime therapeutic mode so you can be confident you’re getting the best results. Ketosis can already be complicated if you don’t test and figure out what kicks you out. Once you start getting serious about ketosis and tracking ketone levels, you can usually step things up a notch with a simple calculation. You can become more specific with what works for you as an individual. How you do that is by calculating your glucose ketone index. The Glucose Ketone Index, or the GKI, is a ratio that researcher Dr. Thomas Seyfried has been using in his studies relating to both fasting and the ketogenic diet. There’s nothing fancy to this index, it is just a ratio of blood glucose levels to blood ketone levels. Having high level of ketones are great and all, but if you also have a super high level of blood glucose, you’re really just spinning your wheels and not getting any benefits of ketosis. And the real key here is to make sure that the ratio between glucose and ketone levels is as low as possible. If you’ve been following along, you’ll note I was pretty big on this glucose ketone index on my recent my four day fast and it actually dictated the time spent in the fast. But why did I care about this ratio, and why should you care? Why Should You Care? Dr. Seyfried does a lot of his research in the realm of cancer treatment and has noticed increasingly impressive therapeutic outcomes with the lower the glucose ketone index ratio gets. Dr. Seyfried claims that a GKI of lower than 1.0 is prime therapy for patients with cancer, and he has plenty of data to back this up. The graph above shows how tumor g Continue reading >>
What Is “nutritional Ketosis”?
IN A NUTSHELL: Nutritional ketosis is a state of health in which your body is efficiently burning fat as its primary fuel source instead of glucose. When undergoing a ketogenic diet you are essentially converting yourself from a “sugar burner” to a “fat burner”. This is accomplished by reducing your consumption of carbohydrates, increasing your intake of fat, and consuming only an adequate amount of protein to meet your body’s needs. The term nutritional ketosis is claimed to have been coined by Dr. Stephen Phinney & Jeff Volek, two of the leading experts and researchers in the field of low carbohydrate dieting (Check out this informative video to hear a talk from Dr. Phinney). Ketosis is achieved by following a “ketogenic diet” which is high in fat, very low in carbohydrates, and adequate in protein (Please Note: It is “adequate” in protein, NOT “high” in protein. More on this later). By consuming more lipids you are enhancing your body’s fat burning function by up-regulating the enzymes and other “metabolic machinery” needed to burn fat more efficiently, therefore making it easier for your body to tap into stored adipose tissue as an energy source (i.e. you turn yourself into a fat-burning machine!). But don’t we NEED carbohydrates? While it’s true that our red blood cells and a small percentage of brain cells and kidney cells are exclusively glucose dependent, the body can actually GENERATE carbohydrates in a process called gluconeogenesis in which certain non-carbohydrate substrates like proteins (amino acids) and certain constituents of fatty acids (glycerol) can be converted into glucose. The quantities of glucose produced by the body are sufficient to meet the needs of these particular cells and also help to balance the body’s bl Continue reading >>
- Reversing Type 2 Diabetes with Nutritional Ketosis
- A Novel Intervention Including Individualized Nutritional Recommendations Reduces Hemoglobin A1c Level, Medication Use, and Weight in Type 2 Diabetes
- A Novel Intervention Including Individualized Nutritional Recommendations Reduces Hemoglobin A1c Level, Medication Use, and Weight in Type 2 Diabetes
Going Keto Pt. 2: Preparing For Ketosis
Sponsored Content Last month we covered the wide range of fascinating benefits one can expect to see while on a ketogenic diet. The same dietary regimen that can fight all sorts of diseases and metabolic ailments can increase satiety while keeping you so unbelievably cut that people will be offering you band-aids all day. These enticing benefits could have you chomping at the bit to start right here and now, but before taking one bite be sure you're fully prepared if you hope to reap peak results from going keto. #1: IDENTIFY YOUR GOALS It's critical that you've written down clear, measurable goals before embarking on this new lifestyle (trust us, it’s more than just a diet). Depending on whether you're looking to build muscle, stay shredded, improve blood markers, or starve (and potentially prevent) cancer, the type of keto diet you follow will reflect that significantly. A ketogenic diet is technically any diet that causes the body to produce ketone bodies, so watch your macros closely, but get creative when you can. Keto diets will vary from one person’s goals to another… not unlike the wide range of meal plans you'll find in the IIFYM crowd. If you didn’t read Going Keto Pt. 1, go back and read that HERE. A few key things to remember before going forward: for those of you doing keto, it's best to err on the side of higher protein. Excess protein increases the likelihood of ‘gluconeogenesis’ though, which is when the body converts protein into glucose. If this happens, your body won't produce as many ketone bodies (if at all). On the flip side, a 4:1 ketogenic diet is not one you want to remain on indefinitely, either, due to such low protein intake. Commit to a higher fat ratio for a relatively short period of time (one month is great) to maximize endoge Continue reading >>
Video: What Eating “high-fat” Or “keto” Does To Your Blood Sugar
What happens to your blood sugar when you eat fat? The steps you need to stabilize your blood sugar and increase your fat-burning hormones (by following a Fat Fueled, keto eating style). Up until I found keto (high-fat, low-carb living) I was in the “eat every 2-3 hours in order to control blood sugar” camp. What I didn’t know, was that the constant eating; generally of carbohydrates, was exactly what was causing my blood sugar irregularities – constant “hangry” feelings, hypoglycemia, insulin resistance, and more. After a couple of weeks of eating Fat Fueled, keto, I no longer struggled with hypoglycemia. It was as if my sugar lows just… disappeared. And I’m not the only one that’s experienced massive changes to blood sugar shortly after shifting to a Fat Fueled, keto life. I invited Dietitian Cassie on the show today to help explain exactly what happens to our blood sugar when we eat fat – the ins and outs of insulin resistance, actions that affect blood sugar, how to use carb-ups to heal insulin resistance and much more. Today’s keto video encourages us to use dietary fat as our ally, to rely on it to support balanced blood sugar, thriving hormones and a healthy body. For video transcription, scroll down. Highlights… What foods affect blood sugar How dietary fat affects your blood sugar If combining carbohydrates and fat is a good thing How fat cells are created How to get into fat-burning mode Signs and symptoms of insulin resistance and insulin sensitivity How cortisol (and a poor sleep) affects your blood sugar How carb cycling and carb refeeding can help bust through insulin resistance How to heal yourself from insulin resistance Resources… Watch the video: When to know it’s time to carb-up (and how to do it) Step-by-step guide on goin Continue reading >>
Tracking The Glucose Ketone Index
In this post we will examine the “glucose ketone index” as a biomarker for tracking metabolic health. We will also explore some of the primary use cases for tracking the glucose ketone index including cancer treatment, weight loss, metabolic disease management and athletic performance. Lastly, we will demonstrate how you can use Heads Up Health to track the glucose ketone index along with all of your other important health data. If you want to skip ahead, click the button below to create an account with Heads Up and start tracking the glucose-ketone index alongside all of your other health metrics. Or, read on for more information on tracking the glucose ketone index. What is the Glucose Ketone Index? The glucose ketone index is simply a way to measure the relationship between your ketone levels and your glucose levels at any moment in time. It is measured by dividing your blood glucose level (mmol/L) by your blood ketone level (mmol/L). The result is a single number we can use an indicator of one’s metabolic state. The index has its roots in brain cancer treatment, where researchers using metabolic therapy found best results when glucose and ketones maintained a very precise relationship in the patient [1]. Since there are many aspects of daily life (stress, exercise, nutrition etc.) that can upset glucose or ketone levels in the body, thereby throwing off the optimal glucose-ketone ratio, the index was developed to ensure both metrics (glucose and ketones) are maintaining the ideal ratio for optimal treatment outcomes. Example: If my fasting blood sugar first thing in the morning is 4.6 mmol/L (82 mg/dL) and my ketone reading is 0.8 mmol/L, I would record a glucose ketone index of 5.75 (4.6 / 0.8). Despite its roots in cancer treatment, the index can also be ver Continue reading >>
50 Days To Nutritional Ketosis
blog for the honour of featuring thisas a guest post.] I began practicing Nutritional Ketosis (NK) 50 days ago. It has been an enlightening experience. My goal was to get my blood ketones up to between 1.5 and 3 mmol/L. I wanted to be fueled by fat as opposed to just eating low carb. In these 50 days, there were mistakes and challenges but by the last day, my health and body composition had improved immensely. When I saw last summer that Dr.Eenfeldt had a toy for measuring blood ketones I knew I had to have one. I was also watching how Jimmy Moore was having great success from “testing blood ketones as a means for attaining the proper level of nutritional ketosis”. After a year and a half of eating low carb, and getting my weight down from 184lbs to 154lbs, I loved the idea of having a tangible measurement of how “fat adapted” I was. I also saw this as a way to address my frustration with long stalls in my weight loss. The first time I measured my blood ketones it was heart breaking to see it was only 0.1. I could not believe that I, a person who read all the books, listened to all the podcasts and who was eating very low carb and high fat, was not producing ketones. I started tracking my food on My Fitness Pal (MFP). This was the first time I had measured the macronutrient composition of my diet. Lowering carbs and protein while increasing dietary fat would be key to achieving NK. First I tracked what I ate after it was eaten, only to regret the 1/3 of a cup of tomato sauce or the one single bite of sweet potato (each having about 11 carbs). Before starting this experiment I believed I have been eating less than 100g or less of carbs a day – boy I must have been way off. Then I began tracking the food before I ate it, to plan my intake more precisely. MPF is Continue reading >>
- Reversing Type 2 Diabetes with Nutritional Ketosis
- A Novel Intervention Including Individualized Nutritional Recommendations Reduces Hemoglobin A1c Level, Medication Use, and Weight in Type 2 Diabetes
- A Novel Intervention Including Individualized Nutritional Recommendations Reduces Hemoglobin A1c Level, Medication Use, and Weight in Type 2 Diabetes
Jimmy Moore’s N=1 Experiments: Nutritional Ketosis Day 1-30
Before I went on the 2012 Low-Carb Cruise last month, I started reading a book that my low-carb research friends Dr. Jeff Volek and Dr. Steve Phinney had written as a follow-up to their fantastic 2011 release The Art And Science of Low Carbohydrate Living (listen to my interview with Dr. Phinney about this book in Episode 479 of “The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show”). The sequel is called The Art And Science Of Low Carbohydrate Performance and was written specifically to share the latest science behind ketogenic diets for athletes who are keenly interested in optimizing their exercise performance with fat and ketones serving as their body’s primary fuel source once they reach what Dr. Phinney refers to as “keto-adaptation.” But the information these low-carb stalwarts provide in this handy dandy little book goes much deeper than that as you will read about in this blog post. Most low-carbers have traditionally been using urine ketone sticks under the brand name Ketostix to measure their level of ketones being produced by color (from pink to dark purple) as a result of their low-carb diet. But as I previously shared in this YouTube video, this can be a frustratingly inaccurate way of measuring whether you are producing enough ketones in your blood to see the kind of results you are hoping for on your low-carb lifestyle change. But thanks to the cutting-edge information provided by Volek and Phinney in The Art And Science Of Low Carbohydrate Performance, we now have a new and better way to measure the actual ketones that are in your blood which determines whether you have become keto-adapted and burning fat and ketones for fuel. They refer to getting into this state as “nutritional ketosis” to obviously distinguish it from ketoacidosis which is only an issue Continue reading >>
Blood Sugar Levels In Ketosis: Part Ii
Welcome to Keto Sister. Last week’s post explained what happens to blood glucose levels as a result of eating a ketogenic diet. In sum, blood glucose (also known as blood sugar) decreases and is replaced in large part by a new fuel source, ketone bodies. Humans are always being fueled by two energy substrates: glucose and fatty acids. A person who eats a high carbohydrate diet burns more glucose as fuel, and a person who eats a high fat diet burns more fat as fuel. However, there is never a time at which a person stops burning one or the other. The implication for someone eating a low carb diet is that the body never replaces all glucose utilization with ketone bodies. Instead, the body reduces its glucose needs to the bare minimum and then it makes any needed glucose not taken in through the diet through gluconeogenesis. This is the normal, healthy process of fueling the body in the absence of dietary glucose. Elevated Blood Glucose There are many benefits of ketogenic nutrition when a ketogenic diet is implemented correctly. One of the benefits of eating low carb is blood glucose control, and this can be a big benefit to those who struggle with type 2 diabetes and obesity. As I mentioned last week, ideal blood glucose levels are between 81 and 109 milligrams per deciliter (see this post for details). However, it is a common occurrence for those following a very low carb diet to have elevated blood glucose levels. I mentioned the first two causes last week, but there is a third that is rarely discussed by those in the low carb arena. Admittedly, these concepts are not well understood by most people. Nevertheless, here is what we know about elevated blood sugar levels in ketosis: Physiological Insulin Resistance (PhIR). Eating a low carb diet in and of itself can indu Continue reading >>
Nutritional Ketosis, Part I – The State Of Being A Superman
If you regularly follow articles on health and nutrition, you have undoubtedly heard about ketosis. In the last several years, the interest around ketogenic diets has been rising constantly, with more and more studies done and data available to critically assess their effectiveness. When people hear the word “diet”, the first objective they associate it with is losing weight. But ketogenic diets are more than just methods of weight-control. They have profound therapeutic effects on certain medical conditions and, generally, represent an evolutionary advantage that has allowed our species to survive and thrive. Unfortunately, with typical dietary choices of today – driven largely by clever marketing messages and hidden agendas of large food corporations trying to convince you that eating their stuff is the best thing you can do and you should really ignore any potential health implications – ketosis has become a forgotten skill. Which, in the era of overwhelming proliferation of metabolic disorders and other debilitating diseases, puts those who do not consider following at least some form of a ketogenic diet at higher risk. This article is an attempt to change the current state of affairs. Ketosis is a vitally important metabolic state – and knowing when and how to use it is something that you definitely want to do if you care about your physical and cognitive performance. So, let’s take a closer look at what ketosis is and why you might be interested in it. Your body constantly requires energy. Every single little process in every cell needs fuel– even when you seem to be doing absolutely nothing. You need energy not only to move your body by contracting your muscles, but also for cell division, maintaining heartbeat, digestion and, most importantly – b Continue reading >>
- Reversing Type 2 Diabetes with Nutritional Ketosis
- A Novel Intervention Including Individualized Nutritional Recommendations Reduces Hemoglobin A1c Level, Medication Use, and Weight in Type 2 Diabetes
- A Novel Intervention Including Individualized Nutritional Recommendations Reduces Hemoglobin A1c Level, Medication Use, and Weight in Type 2 Diabetes
How To Easily Track Your Glucose Ketone Index (gki) On Your Ketogenic Diet
Tracking ketone levels is a large part of success on the ketogenic diet. It helps you know how far you are into ketosis and where we might need to make changes. But did you know that there’s an even better way to step it up a notch? The glucose ketone index is a simple calculation that allows you to find out how ketosis works best for you individually. Without it, you could be in full, high-level ketosis yet still not getting the full benefits. In this post, we’ll be looking at how to easily track your glucose ketone index for different aspects of health along with your ketogenic diet. Basics of the Glucose Ketone Index Here’s what you need to know about the glucose ketone index (GKI): Researchers have used the index in studies on the ketogenic diet, fasting, and more. Additionally, it has been used for tracking changes and progress regarding weight loss, athletic performance, management of metabolic diseases like type 2 diabetes, and even cancer treatment. Now that we’ve covered the basics of what the GKI does, let’s talk about how you can use tracking it to your advantage. Tracking Your Glucose Ketone Index What’s so special about the glucose ketone index is that it lets you track both glucose and ketones at the same time, taking into account how they work together. It’s a way to know your optimal state for addressing all sorts of health conditions. Tracking this number benefits you over simply measuring ketone levels. That’s because even if you’re deeply in ketosis, you could still have high blood glucose levels that throw things off and affect your health. Essentially, it gives you a more full picture of your metabolic health. The numbers you can expect to target depend on your intentions for being in ketosis. Is your goal weight loss, better overa Continue reading >>
Actions That Increase And Decrease Ketones
In this article, i compiled a list of things that increased and decreased my blood ketone level (beta-hydroxybutyrate). What we’re after is a strong ketone level (between 0.5-3.0mmol/l) paired with low blood glucose (3.0-3.5mmol/l). When these numbers have been obtained, it’s likely a sign that blood sugar is regulated, insulin isn’t pumping through the blood as crazily as in most people, and the walls of our fat cells are wide open, ready for lipolysis to work its magic. If you’re finding that your journey to nutritional ketosis hasn’t been as “easy” as what you’ve read in my blog, this is a great article to getting some insight on what could be happening. You’re likely missing something; a small something, that’s limiting your body’s ability to switch into ketosis. If this is you, take a read through this list to see if there are glaring issues with your current approach. I have made; and continue to make, slip ups that affect my ketone levels. The great thing about it all is that the further I’ve gone, the more forgiving my body is. It is quite astounding how adapted my body has become. It WANTS to be in nutritional ketosis and will bounce back quite effortlessly. Find out more on Top Ketogenic Diet Ebook with Online Diet Generator Tool. To download the ebook please Click Here. MCT Oil Medium-chain-triglycerides the rocket fuel for nutritional ketosis. Starting my day with 1-2 tablespoons of this stuff blended with my coffee boosts my ketone level to soaring heights. Quick Tip: Because MCT oil is used directly as fuel; especially for the brain, it’s best to start off slow with 1 teaspoon and work your way up. Too fast, and you may experience digestive upset. Balancing Intake I’ve learned that my body responds best when I consume 1-2 meals Continue reading >>
