Keto Macros

If you’re just beginning to look into the Ketogenic Diet, you might be wondering where to start. Macronutrients or “macros” are essentially the percentages of fats, proteins and carbs that you aiming to consume each day. Using a Macros Calculator helps identify these percentages to make following a Keto diet much easier.

What are Macronutrients?

Macronutrients or “macros” is the basic breakdown of the food we eat. There are macronutrients which are Protein, Fat, Carbohydrates, and then there are macronutrients which are the vitamins, minerals, amino acids, sugars and other things we get from our food. Understanding your macros is important for the Keto diet because you need to find the right balance of carbs, protein and fats to get into ketosis and stay in ketosis.

Why is Calculating Macros Important for the Keto Diet?

For example, if you don’t consume enough healthy fats, you might find yourself lacking energy. The Keto diet uses these healthy fats as fuel for energy, rather than carbohydrates that a standard diet uses.

To calculate your macros, there are several factors that are taken into consideration. Some of these factors include your age, current height and weight, weight loss goals and level of daily activity. Getting your macros calculated when you first switch to Keto will help you get off to a good start and avoid wasting time.

For a comprehensive, in depth Macros calculator, check out this Keto Diet Macros Calculator. It walks you through each step, thoroughly explaining everything along the way.

Healthy Fats for a Keto Diet

Healthy fats are also what help to keep us satiated, so we aren’t starving between meals. When you first start Keto you’ll want to consume a fair amount, until you get into ketosis. Once you are fat-adapted, you can consume a little less fats, as your body learns to use stored fats for energy and won’t rely so heavily on the fats you consume.

At that point, it will no longer be a target that you want to hit, like protein is, but rather used as a lever. Everyone is different, so you will begin to learn how much your body needs and that can differ from others. Healthy fats can be found not only in animal proteins, but also avocado, olive oil, nuts, seeds, coconut and shouldn’t include any seed oils.

If you aren’t quite sure how to incorporate them into your meals, be sure to check out this article on How to Add More Healthy Fats to Your Diet. There are some creative and tasty ways to make sure you are getting enough fat.

Essential Proteins for Keto Diet

Proteins are essential for building and maintaining muscle, so you will always want to hit that macro. Proteins for the Keto diet are mostly found in meats like beef, chicken and pork, fish and seafood. We have been misled for years, always being told that we have to only consume lean meats, but that’s actually not true at all. The great thing is just about any and every animal protein is fair game! So you can enjoy bacon, sausage, ribs, chicken wings and so much more without the guilt or worrying about putting on weight.

What is a Keto Carnivore Diet?

Some will take this diet a step further and follow a Keto Carnivore Diet, where animal fats are the entire diet and carbs from fruits and vegetables are restricted. The Carnivore Diet has become quite popular and some claim to do very well on it. This is of course, a personal choice that you must make on your own. Personally, I am not in favor of any diet that completely cuts out all fruits and vegetables because I feel my body needs the vitamins and nutrients from them.

What Carbs Can You Eat On Keto?

Carbs and fiber are mostly consumed through vegetables and fruits. When you eat fruit and vegetables you are getting essential nutrition that can often only be found in them. The fresher they are, the healthier they are for you. Frozen works well too, especially for off-season produce, as they are typically picked at the peak of their freshness and frozen to preserve the nutrition and flavor. Personally I try to avoid most canned vegetables if possible, with the exception of tomatoes.

What Foods Are Ok To Eat on a Keto Diet?

Keto is one of the easiest diets to follow because we get to enjoy real whole foods that are so many options. Eating things like butter, cream and cheese, that we’ve always been told is unhealthy make great options for a Keto diet. For a list of Keto friendly foods, check out this article that even has a printable one-page Keto Diet Foods List.