Embarking on a Keto diet is certainly not easy. Psychologically, it means giving up on a lot of the foods that you used to eat, from candy bars to staples such as pasta and rice. In addition, if your family is not joining you in the diet, there then is an element of social isolation as eating is very often a social event.

Physiologically, your body also has to adapt from relying on carbohydrates for energy, to burning fats or ketones for energy. These changes can be quite massive and have side effects ranging from Keto headaches to Keto rashes.

The psychological urge or craving for certain foods that are not compliant to the Keto diet is very strong. So strong that even celebrities like Halle Barry who have adopted the Keto diet, have suggested it is OK to have a Ketogenic Cheat Day occasionally….to break the monotony of a Keto diet …  simply to give in, eat something you miss, or more innocently, to join friends and family on a non-keto meal. The suggestion goes that it is OK to have a Ketogenic Cheat Day, and at the same time, that it is important to hop back into the Keto diet, immediately after, or as soon as possible. That being said, what are the effects of a Ketogenic Cheat day and are there ways to do better if “cheating”?

Can a Ketogenic Cheat Day throw me out of Ketosis?

The answer to the above question is unfortunately a resounding yes. There really is no way to get around this and even a simple bite of carbohydrates that goes above your daily net carbs, will push you out of Ketosis. Getting back into ketosis can take anywhere from 1-3 days as it depends on the individual and their body metabolism. In addition, getting back into ketosis may result in dreaded Keto-flus symptoms again.

A Ketogenic Cheat Day is not OK – According to recent medical research

Research in 2019 into the effects of a Ketogenic Cheat Day on 9 healthy male subjects on a Keto diet, showed that even consuming a simple glucose drink (one 75-gram dose of glucose — the equivalent a large bottle of soda or a plate of fries) while on a Keto diet resulted in cellular damage to the blood vessels of the subject. The health conditions of the study subjects were compared to people with poor cardiovascular health which suggests that a Ketogenic Cheat Day – or a sudden spike in glucose intake – can have adverse effects on health – while on a Keto diet.

Ketogenic Cheat Day – Smart cheating Cheat sheet

If you really feel you have to cheat, these are a few ways you can do it smartly, or at least avoid the worst effects from a Ketogenic Cheat Day:

Choose what you cheat with – Know your foods and cheat with options that are lower carbs, eg. Between a layer cake and a mousse, the mousse has higher fat content and lower carbs, go for that instead.

Cheat with smaller portions – cheat with just a bite rather than finish the whole thing, share a friend’s dessert or just order without finishing the whole thing… better to keep your diet (more on track) rather than worrying about wastage.

Cheat after you have had a meal – you will feel fuller and cheat less, also if you have just eaten a healthier protein and fat rich meal, your body will tend to absorb less of the glucose produced … or absorption is at least slowed down.

Cheat with foods that have less sugar –  Choose to cheat with foods that have less sugar, perhaps go for a dark chocolate that is more bitter and has sugar for example than something like regular store bought milk chocolate.

Cheat with added fat – By adding cream to peaches, butter to bread etc, you are introducing fat content to your cheat meal. This will leave you more satiated and your body will absorb the bad carbs more slowly as the fat needs to be absorbed too.

The Bottom Line!

Cheating is certainly never ideal in any diet, as you are putting your body in the line – having to deal with changed physiological processes which may have harmful effects. That being said, if it has to be done – and there will be consequences – There are better and worse ways of doing it as we have highlighted in this article.

Ketosis is a state of metabolism in one’s body, where your body transitions from burning glucose or carbohydrates to burning fats or ketones in order to derive energy for bodily functions. It is a “holy grail” state that many who have adopted the currently fashionable Keto diet, hope to achieve in order to achieve weight and fat loss when their bodies start to rely on … and burn fats rather than glucose for energy.

How long to get into get into ketosis? – It really depends on the person’s physiology and condition, at the time of entering into the Keto diet. Some people may achieve Ketosis within 24hrs, some may take up to 2 weeks. 

That being said 2-4 days is usually an average time length for most people to achieve ketosis. However, factors like whether the person has been exercising, their inherent fat metabolism rate etc, will influence the speed of achieving Ketosis as we shall detail in the following content.

Measuring Ketosis

It is important to have an accurate measure of Ketones in the body to find out if Ketosis has been achieved. Determining if one has achieved Ketosis is typically done, through several methods.

Blood Test – This is the most accurate measure, though possibly the most inconvenient and uncomfortable as it involves a pin prick to draw blood. A blood ketone meter with an accompanying measurement strip is then used to measure the blood ketone level. Given that the blood ketone meter strips are more expensive than say urine measurement strips, this is also the most expensive method for measuring ketone levels in your body, not to mention painful and inconvenient.

Breath Test – There are breath meters in the market that can test the level of Ketones in the body – which studies have shown are fairly accurate, that simply measures the Ketone levels in one’s breath. Depending on the equipment chosen, these can range from affordable to expensive

Urine Test – These come in strips that change color when in contact with urine – after which you can estimate the level of ketones in your urine from a standard color chart table. They are fast and convenient if you do not mind having to handle body fluids, though they do not offer the numerical accuracy of a metered option with the breath and blood test options.

Why do some people take longer to achieve Ketosis

The following are some of the reasons why some people take longer to achieve Ketosis compared to others:

• Unknown Carbs – they may be unwittingly taking in more carbs then they are aware of – ie through using many mass produced ingredients in their meal preparation.
• Not eating enough fats – There needs to be an adequate proportion of fats in the diet to achieve Ketosis. The target should be to achieve at least 70% fats, 20% proteins and maximum 10% carbs in the calories consumed daily.
• Lack of exercise – it has been shown that exercise tends to lead to achieving ketosis faster due to the depletion of carbohydrate stores in the body.
• Too much protein in diet – A surplus of proteins can lead to gluconeogenesis — where proteins or amino acids are converted into sugars and inhibit ketone production

How long to achieve Ketosis – Cheat sheet to achieve it faster

• Track your carbs – knowing how many carbs you are taking in, will assist in you in not underestimating the amount of carbs you take in. The target for someone who wants to acheiev Ketosis quickly is around 20-50g of carbs per day.
• Beware of hidden carbs – as mentioned before we may not know much about the food products we consume, be careful of things like store bough sauces, and dressings for example.
• Cook your own meals and avoid eating out – You are less in control of what you are eat when you patronize restaurants and it is harder to track your carbs
• Increase your intake of high quality fats – 70% of your calorie intake should be from fats as mentioned before
• Try short term fat fasts – Egg fasts are a good way to get into Ketosis faster – as eggs are high in fats and low in carbs
• Intermittent fasts – By doing this, your body has to find an alternate energy source and will shift from carbs to fats as a fuel source
• Supplement with MCTs (Medium Chain Tri-glycerides) – These supplements are absorbed rather easily into the body and can be converted quickly into ketones.
• Exercise more – exercise depletes the body’s glycogen stores, encouraging the liver to produce more ketones
• Track Track …. And Track – you should be tracking your Ketone levels carefully to know where you are in terms of your Keto diet and thus you will know how to adjust your diet accordingly.

Bottom line – How long to achieve Ketosis

In summary, most people who embark on a Keto diet should on average achieve Ketosis between 2-4 days. That being said, there are many factors affecting the speed at which one achieves this and as highlighted above many ways which you can help yourself to achieve Ketosis faster.

The question “is cheese ketogenic” is equivalent to asking whether the pope is Catholic. Cheese, being very low in carbs, moderately high in proteins and high in fat, is literally one of the perfect Ketogenic foods around, in the same vein as avocados for example. Studies have shown that while Cheese is high in saturated fat, there is little evidence that it increases the risk of heart disease and in fact has some preventative qualities against heart problems. In addition, cheese contains conjugated linoleic acid, believed to aid fat loss as well as improve body composition.

However, there are cheese and then there are cheeses, some cheeses are better for those on a Keto diet than others as you’ll see below:

5 Good Cheeses for the Keto diet

Goat Cheese –  As goat’s milk has lower levels of lactose as compared to cow’s milk, it is better for digestion. In addition, goats cheese is also comparatively very low carbs vs the amount of calories and fats, so it is a good way to manage your Macros

Blue Cheese – As one of the smellier or pungent cheeses around, such cheeses actually give more flavor.

Cream Cheese – This is great for a fat load up, one tablespoon (51 calories) has 0.8 g of carbs, less than 1 g of protein, but 5 grams of fat!

Parmesan Cheese – The go to cheese for a flavor packed salad, it is salty, nutty and adds great depth to salads if you have a problem eating them

Dehydrated Cheese Crisps – Great for having cheese on the go, yet with all the benefits of cheese

5 Cheeses to avoid for the Keto Diet

Canned or Sprayed Cheese – in terms of Macros these seem fine. That being said, the problem with such products is that they are full of fillers and stabilizers, artificial gunk that you do not need on a Keto diet

“American Cheese” – Like canned/sprayed cheese, this is highly processed and proportionally contains a lot of carbs vs the amount of proteins and fats.

Yellow Cheddar – Not recommended due to the added annatto dyes added. Additionally, this is a relatively mild cheese and you may need to have more to get satiated – as compared to more pungent blue cheese for example.

Ricotta Cheese – This is higher in carbs than other cheeses.

Cottage Cheese – As with Ricotta, cottage cheese is also comparatively high in carbs as compared to its fat content, though its high in proteins.