In the Ketogenic Diet, the carbohydrates from food are reduced to a minimum and replaced with healthy fats and proteins.
This puts your body into another metabolic state called ketosis, which primarily burns fat as a source of energy.

It is common to lose a large amount of weight in the first two weeks of the Ketogenic Diet - around 2 to 5kg on average.

A large part of this initial weight loss is water that was previously trapped in your body's carbohydrate stores.

After that, the average weight loss is around 0.5 to 1kg per week.

How fast you burn fat on keto also depends on other factors, such as whether you do intermittent fasting or exercise.

As a rule of thumb: about 20-30g usable carbohydrates per da

In ketosis, your body produces so-called ketone bodies, which can be detected in different ways.

The most accurate are blood tests, which can show you a fairly accurate amount of ketone bodies in your blood.

An alternative method to detect ketone bodies are so-called Ketostix, which can show you the ketone body percentage in your urine.

Low-carbohydrate vegetables, animal products such as meat, cheese and eggs, nuts and kernels, and healthy fats are all Ketogenic foods.

Meat & eggs - e.g. minced meat or steak
Fish & seafood - e.g. salmon or sardines
Dairy products with few carbohydrates - e.g. cheese or quark
Low-carbohydrate vegetables - e.g. avocados, broccoli or cauliflower
Berries & low-sugar fruit - e.g. strawberries or raspberries
Nuts, kernels & seeds - e.g. almonds or chia seeds
Healthy fats & oils - e.g. coconut oil or butter
Sauces & Dips - e.g. mustard or mayonnaise
Sugar-free drinks - e.g. water, tea or coffee

If you are following the Ketogenic Diet due to an existing illness (e.g. epilepsy or migraine), you should be aware that the therapeutic effect only lasts as long as you follow the diet.

If you have reached your desired weight with the Ketogenic Diet and want more flexibility in your diet, switching to a more relaxed low-carb diet can make sense.

No, the Ketogenic Diet is not dangerous for healthy people.

However, any major change in diet should be discussed with your family doctor.

Sugary and starchy foods are not part of a Ketogenic Diet.

These include, for example, potatoes, pasta, rice, bread, fruit juices, soft drinks and high-sugar fruit.

 The most common keto and low carb side effects are:

• The keto "flu"
• Digestive problems
• Muscle spasms
• Fatigue & listlessness
• The "keto breath"
• Reduced alcohol tolerance

On average, the keto flu lasts around 5-7 days, but no longer than 9-10 days.

However, the symptoms can go away sooner with simple home remedies.

The most common symptoms of the keto "flu" are:

• Headache
• Listlessness
• Fatigue and lack of energy
• Difficulty concentrating

No, with the keto or low carb flu you usually don't have a cold or a fever.

There are many low-carbohydrate vegetables that are great for low carb and keto.

The top 10 most common low carb vegetables are:

• Avocado
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• White cabbage
• Zucchini
• Spinach
• Paprika
• Mushrooms
• Asparagus
• Green beans

Most cheeses like Gouda, Parmesan, Mozzarella, Feta and Camembert are suitable for keto and low carb.

Only cream cheese has a little more carbohydrates and should therefore be consumed carefully on a Ketogenic Diet.

Low-sugar fruits can be consumed in moderation on a low carb diet and even a Ketogenic Diet.

The best low carb fruits are:

• Raspberries
• Coconut
• Strawberries
• Blackberries
• Blueberries
  

The Ketogenic Diet does not necessarily have to increase the cholesterol level and usually has little effect on the total cholesterol and LDL values.

In addition, an increase in cholesterol on the Ketogenic Diet is accompanied by other positive changes in fat balance, such as lowering triglycerides and  increasing HDL.

A low-carbohydrate diet can have a positive effect on your heart health and bring your fat metabolism back into balance, for example by lowering triglycerides and increasing HDL.

Before making a major change in diet, however, you should always consult a doctor.

With around 4.8g of usable carbohydrates, carrots are basically suitable for the low carb diet and Keto Diet.

Because of their carbohydrate content, you shouldn't eat too much of them at once.

Starchy vegetables such as corn, potatoes and peas are particularly high in carbohydrates.

Leafy green vegetables like spinach, Chinese cabbage, and kale are relatively low in carbohydrates.

Other low-carb vegetables include mushrooms, cauliflower, and broccoli.

The most popular types of fruit with the fewest carbohydrates and the lowest sugar content are:

• Raspberries (4.8g / 100g)
• Coconut (4.8g / 100g)
• Blackberries (4.9g / 100g)
• Strawberries (5.5g / 100g)
• Blueberries (7.4g / 100g)
  

With around 15.6g of usable carbohydrates per 100g, grapes are not suitable for a low carb or Keto Diet.

With more than 20g of usable carbohydrates per 100g, bananas are not suitable for a low carb or Keto Diet.

With just under 11.4 g of usable carbohydrates per 100 g, apples contain a little more carbohydrates, but in small quantities they can definitely find their place in a keto or low carb diet.

The fruits with the most carbohydrates and the highest sugar content are:

• Bananas (21.4g / 100g)
• Lychee (17g / 100g)
• Pomegranate (16.7g / 100g)
• Grapes (15.6g / 100g)
• Cherries (13.3g / 100g)
  

Usable carbohydrates are the carbohydrates that your body can actually digest and, consequently, increase blood sugar and insulin levels.

Non-digestible carbohydrates, for example fiber and the sugar alcohol erythritol, are considered non-usable carbohydrates.

In order to calculate the usable carbohydrates, one has to subtract the indigestible fiber and sugar alcohols from the total carbohydrates.

Yes, usable carbohydrates and “net carbs” are the same thing. "Net carbs" is the English term for usable carbohydrates.

To stay in ketosis, the body's state of burning fat, a maximum of 20-25g of usable carbohydrates should be consumed per day.

Animal products such as meat, fish and eggs have a very high nutrient density and are therefore quite healthy.

Some nutrients can even be found exclusively in animal products or can be used by the human body much better from animal products.

Red meat, i.e. the meat of cattle, pigs, sheep and game, is usually much more nutritious than poultry meat.

Higher fat parts of the animal also contain more nutrients than low-fat parts.

However, organs such as the liver and heart contain the most nutrients by far and are therefore very healthy.

Erythritol is a naturally occurring sugar alcohol and can be used as a healthy and safe sugar substitute.

Erythritol occurs naturally in some fruits and vegetables.

For sale, however, erythritol is usually created by fermenting grape sugar with certain yeasts

Erythritol can have health benefits, for example it can protect against tooth decay and act as an antioxidant.

In contrast to other sugar alcohols, erythritol has hardly any side effects.

Only with very large amounts (50g + Erythritol at once) can slight side effects such as bowel noises and nausea occur.

About 90% of erythritol is excreted unchanged from the body and therefore has only a limited effect on our body.

However, there is evidence that erythritol can even have positive effects on our body in the meantime, for example it acts as an antioxidant in our bloodstream and can protect against tooth decay.

Erythritol can often be used in a similar way to ordinary table sugar.

Erythritol is also well suited for baking.

However, one should keep in mind that erythritol has only 70% of the sweetness of sugar and the quantities must be adjusted accordingly.

Any diet can lead to muscle loss. However, due to the high protein content in the Ketogenic Diet, this is minimized and additional muscles can be built through strength training.

This can be a little more difficult than a normal high-carb diet.

No. However, it should be avoided during the first two to three months, after which it can even be beneficial to consume more calories and more carbohydrates every now and then.

This keeps the metabolism busy. After that, however, the Ketogenic Diet should be strictly adhered to again.

The Ketogenic Diet should include enough protein, but not too much either. This can drive up insulin levels and shut down ketone body production.

About 35 percent of the energy requirement should be covered by proteins.