Keeping keto over the winter months is no easy task. With tempting sweet treats like cookies, pies, and cakes and savory favorites like mashed potatoes and stuffing being staples at family get-togethers or office potlucks, you may feel uncertainty about livin’ la keto loca this time of year. But fret not. Here are six keto-friendly soup recipes designed with a desirable keto macronutrient ratio of 7:2:1 (fat: protein: carbohydrate) in mind to keep you on track with your keto goals and keep you warm in the upcoming months.  1. Creamy Coconut Chicken Soup (non-dairy-friendly) Serves: 6 Pr ..read more

In some circles “carbs” has become a dirty word, something to be avoided at all costs. Carbs, or carbohydrates, are macronutrients that provide 4 calories per gram and have long been a part of the human diet.1,2,3 However, following certain emerging dietary trends, such as keto and Paleo, requires removing a majority of carbohydrates from the diet. Whether you “love ’em”or “leave ’em,” it is important to understand how these macronutrients are listed on food labels in order to make the choices that best fit into your own lifestyle. What are net carbs? Not all carbs are processed in the ..read more

By Robert Silverman, DC, DACBN, DCBCN, MS, CCN, CNS, CSCS, CIISN, CKTP, CES, HKC, FAKTR The keto diet is based on the idea that eating a fixed macronutrient breakdown of mostly healthy fats, high-quality protein in moderation, and restricted carbohydrates (less than 50 grams per day) provides your body with the fuel you need to lose body fat without hunger, weakness, and fatigue.1 The reduction in carb intake puts your body into a metabolic state called nutritional ketosis.2 Thanks to the diet’s many benefits, its popularity has grown. That growth has spurned new variations, such as the ..read more

Whether the ketogenic diet is suitable or not for females has stirred up some controversy. Women are in a constant balancing act with nature; as far as biology is concerned, one of the primary functions of the female body lies in its ability to reproduce and to support another life. The female reproductive process is very energy-intensive and often makes women particularly sensitive to any sudden dietary or lifestyle changes.1 The ketogenic diet could potentially fall under either, or both, of these categories and therefore warrants some discussion. If we take a look into our evolutionary ..read more

By Milene Brownlow, PhD Also referred to as “gum arabic,” gum acacia is a water-soluble nondigestible carbohydrate derived from the sap of the Acacia Senegal tree, a plant native to parts of Africa, Pakistan, and India. The harvested gum is dried and crushed into a fine powder, rich in complex polysaccharides (carbohydrate with several sugar molecules bound together), highly soluble in water, and primarily indigestible to both humans and animals. Consequently, the ingested acacia is not broken down in the small intestine but fermented by the resident microorganisms in the colon.1 We all know ..read more

There is a big difference between eating a low-carb diet and switching to a ketogenic diet. When it’s time to add fat to the diet, one smart way to do so is by adding medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs). MCTs are fat molecules that contain a glycerol backbone attached to three medium-chain fatty acids, but they’re digested differently from other dietary fats.1  Ready to add some MCTs into your ketogenic diet? Here are a few convenient ways to do so: Coffee & alternative hot beverages:Hot beverages, such as coffee and tea, are a fantastic way to consume MCTs. This is usually done by bl ..read more

So you’ve been on a ketogenic diet for a while now, probably long enough to notice some amazing changes in your body, but now your progress has stalled. Weight management often seems simple and effortless in the beginning stages of a ketogenic diet, but it’s not uncommon to reach a plateau. While this can be frustrating, it is certainly something you can overcome! Don’t mistake water loss for fat loss The primary reason you see dramatic weight loss when you initially adopt a ketogenic diet, and specifically restrict carbohydrate intake, is due to elimination of water weight.1 When you re ..read more

The ketogenic diet focuses on achieving a state of ketosis. This means the body shifts from using carbohydrates as a source of energy to using fats instead.1 How does this process work? Can you still go keto if you’re on a budget? This article will explore answers to these questions and offer six frugal tips for keto dieters. What does the keto diet look like? The ketogenic diet features a specific breakdown of macronutrients.1 Followers of the ketogenic diet increase their fat intake and restrict their carbohydrate intake, all while consuming a healthy amount of protein.1 Ty ..read more

Before diving into the what, the how, and the why on MCTs, let’s cover some background for better understanding. Ketosis is a natural metabolic state of the body defined by increases in the primary ketone body, beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), to levels above 0.5 mmol/L. At these raised levels, the body transitions away from using glucose for fuel and toward using ketones and free fatty acids for energy. Entering a state of ketosis can be achieved by fasting, calorie restriction, and/or consuming a ketogenic diet.1 BHB can also be elevated temporarily through supplementation by exogenous ketones1—w ..read more

Many factors influence why we sometimes forget where we put our keys or occasionally lose focus, and brain energy metabolism is one of them. Despite only accounting for ~2% of our total body weight, the brain uses nearly one-quarter of our daily energy requirements.1 That is a lot of energy utilization for such a small organ, but it goes to show just how metabolically active our brain is. While glucose is the brain’s primary fuel source, it has been routinely demonstrated that ketones can largely replace glucose and may offer many additional benefits by doing so. Ketone bodies are a byprod ..read more