Everything You Need to Know About Going Keto

Providing a keto friendly ice cream option is important to us — that’s why keto is in our name! But if you’re new to the ketogenic diet, you might be wondering what has made the ketogenic diet so popular.

Keto Pint has worked to create one of the best low-carb ice cream brands. If you already follow a keto or low-carb diet, you can browse our flavors and order your favorites online today! Otherwise, learn more about the keto diet and where our passion for creating the best low-carb ice cream came from! 

What is a Ketogenic Diet? 

Before we get into the logistics behind going keto, you might be wondering what we mean when we say keto. Briefly, a ketogenic diet is a low-carb, high-fat, moderate-protein diet. The goals of this type of diet include to promote weight loss, increase your energy, and reduce different health factors — something we’ll delve into later in this article. In fact, this diet has been around for decades to help treat certain medical conditions. 

In general, the ketogenic formula is to have your diet consist of 70–75 percent fat, 20–25 percent protein, and 5–10 percent carbohydrates. 

Reducing Your Carbohydrate Intake

The primary focus of a keto diet is choosing foods with low carbohydrates. But what are carbohydrates? Carbohydrates are the starches, sugars, and fibers that are found in grains, fruits, vegetables, and milk products. 

While a keto diet focuses on limiting the amount of carbohydrates you eat, a certain balance of carbs is important for a healthy diet. That’s because there are three macronutrients that your body needs to function properly: carbohydrates, fats, and protein. But with a keto diet, you’re lowering the amount of carbs you intake while increasing the amount of fat. As you begin lowering your carbs, you’ll want to pay attention to the net carbohydrates, not the total amount of carbs. 

To calculate net carbs you take the total carbs minus the amount of dietary fiber and sugar alcohols (total carbs - dietary fiber - sugar alcohols = net carbs). That’s because carbs that are derived from diatary fiber and sugar alcohols have a minimal impact on your blood sugar levels.

Ketosis and High-Fat

While you’re lowering the amount of carbohydrates in your diet, you’re also looking for foods with higher fat. This combination is what puts your body into ketosis

But what is ketosis? Ketosis is a state where your body starts burning your fat to use it for energy. This is where the importance of swapping carbs for high-fat foods becomes important. But your body doesn’t run directly on fat. Instead, your body is fueled by something called ketones that are made by your liver. The fastest way to make this fuel for your body is with the glucose from carbohydrate foods. 

So when you’ve decreased the number of carbohydrates and glucose in your body, your liver has to look for an alternative source for this energy and will start producing ketones from your fat. This means that your body is burning through fat to supply itself with the energy it needs! 

While some diets will get your body to a temporary state of ketosis, the goal of a keto diet is to keep your body in that state — and burning fat. 

Where Should You Get Your Fat From? 

Now is the question of where you should get your fat from. You want to make sure you’re getting your intake of fat from healthy, whole foods like olive oil, pastured eggs, grass-fed meat, coconut oil, nuts, grass-fed butter, fatty fish, and nuts.

When you get your fat from processed or poor-quality meats, or other processed foods, you put yourself at risk for other adverse health effects. 

Health Benefits of Going Keto

There are many different health benefits of a keto diet that range from weight loss to improves your body’s overall health.