The Complete Keto Meal Prep Guide: Includes Mastering the Keto Meal Prep & The Science of the Keto Diet for Beginners

The keto diet is simply one way to induce ketosis. Ketosis is a natural state that our bodies get into when food supplies are low, and its the bodys way of preserving life while still giving humans the energy needed to seek out more food. The body turns to using fat for energy as opposed to the glucose that is found in much of our food, carbohydrates.

When we arent eating high-carbohydrate foods like breads and sugary food, the body has to find a different way to get energy. When this happens, it turns to dietary fat (i.e., butter, oil, and nuts) for energy. The burning of these fats produces something called ketone bodies. In order to be in ketosis, the blood has to have a certain amount of ketone bodies in it.

Like most processes in the human body, ketosis itself is a very complicated process. At a basic level, it occurs when our liver turns the fat we eat into their building blocks: fatty acid and glycerol. The process of breaking down these fats is known as beta-oxidation. Once the fats are broken down, there are three different ketone bodies that are created. These bodies are acetoacetate, acetone, and beta-hydroxybutyrate. The body then uses these for energy.

There are ways to tell if youre in ketosis or not. These indications give you a strong idea of whether or not you are. Heres how you can tell:

1. Youll have bad breath
   Bad breath is a common report of people who follow the ketogenic diet as well as other similar low-carb diets. The smell is kind of fruity and is caused by the ketone acetone. This isnt a particularly glamorous side of keto, but its easy to remedy and goes away over time. However, if you notice that your breath has recently changed after starting the keto diet, youre probably in ketosis.
   
2. Youll lose weight
   This ones obvious, but if youre following the keto diet properly, youre going to start losing weight pretty quickly. Some people lose drastic amounts of weight in the first week alone from excess water and stored carbs in the body. After the first week, however, if you continue losing weight at a consistent rate, youre probably in ketosis.
   
3. Take a blood test
   If youre ever curious or in doubt about whether youre in ketosis, you can always get a blood test taken to determine the level of ketones in your blood.
   
4. Take a breath or urine test
   While breath tests and urine tests are inconsistent and sometimes inaccurate, they can give you a decent idea of if youre in ketosis or not. However, given their inconsistencies, dont take their results as a concrete answer.
   
5. Youll have less of an appetite
   One of the biggest symptoms of the keto diet is a lessened appetite. Nobody really knows why this happens, but a reduced appetite or total lack of hunger is a trademark symptom of being in ketosis.