There is a lot of conflicting information about what foods are allowed on the ketogenic diet. Some say you can eat red fruits, some flours, some sweeteners, others say you should deduct fibre, but not in all cases. And finally, some products are sold as “keto” when they are in fact more reserved for “low carb”. It can quickly be overwhelming to know what you can and cannot eat to stay in ketosis.
When you’re not sure about a food and don’t know what to believe, there’s a simple technique to find out! You can measure this with your Go-Keto Blood Ketone & Glucose Meter!
We often measure our blood sugar and ketone levels in the morning, before breakfast. This is indeed the most interesting, because it is the most revealing about our metabolism and about ketosis. But using a blood glucose and ketone meter before and after a meal can be very informative too! And it will help you to know if you can – or cannot – eat certain foods without breaking the ketosis.
How to do it?
With solid food
Checking the effect of a food on your blood sugar is very simple. Let’s take the example of a keto bar that you’re not sure about, because the composition seems a bit limited to you.
1. Test your blood sugar 5 minutes before eating the food
2. Eat calmly, chew well
3. Try to stay calm for the next hour. No exercising, no activities that could disturb your blood sugar levels in any way |
4. Test your blood sugar 2 hours after the first bite
Read the result
If your blood sugar levels are back to normal, or close to it, that’s good.
Example: Your current blood sugar is 78mg/dl before the keto bar.
– Blood sugar level between 75 and 82-83 mg/dl after the keto bar: This is perfect. The variations are minimal and normal.
– Blood sugar level rises over 84-85mg/dl: This is a food that may cause your blood sugar to fluctuate. It’s best to eat less of this or with a little more fat.
– Blood sugar level is above 90ml/dl: This is a big increase. The intake does not work for you at this stage of your diet. You can try again later. These things can improve with time and the quality of your adaptation
With liquid food
For liquid food, the same procedure applies. However, this time you only need to wait for 30 minutes after having it to test your blood sugar.
IS THE RESULT DEFINITIVE?
No!
If the test result was not successful, it does not necessarily mean that you have to give up this food or drink forever.
In the adaptation phase, in the first weeks of the ketogenic diet, one is very sensitive, and the blood sugar reacts to everything. Later, when you are solidly keto-adapted, you gain flexibility and some foods become possible again without breaking the ketosis.
You can repeat the same routine, trying with a smaller amount and by adding a portion of fat (coconut oil, ghee, butter, cocoa butter). This small amount of fat will help slow the blood sugar spike. Or even buffer it completely, allowing you to stay in ketosis!
