Have you ever wondered what color circles say in our recipes? In this guide, we explain what criteria we use to create this distribution. In addition, we examine the different levels of carbohydrate moderation we use different grams to describe the three types of low-carbs on keto diets.
How many carbohydrates does a low-carb diet have? It depends on what you want to achieve and who you are.
A low carbohydrate diet is defined as a low carbs diet of fewer than 130 grams per day on keto. In general, fewer carbohydrates seem to be just as effective in losing more weight without hunger, or in eliminating type 2 diabetes. However, the more you limit the carbohydrates in your diet, the harder or harder it will be.
At Diet Doctor, we recommend three levels of low-carbohydrate food, with a maximum of 100 grams of carbohydrates per day at the maximum independent level.
Here are three examples of what a low-carb diet looks like, depending on how many carbohydrates you eat each day (yellow is a delicious herb butter).
Our Praise
Although carbohydrates are a key factor in defining a low-carb diet, the other two macronutrients – protein and fat – also need to be considered. Here’s how we categorize it:
Carbohydrates
At Diet Doctor we describe the different amounts of carbohydrates in the diet as follows:
- Ketogenic low carb: less than 20 grams of carbohydrates per day. It is a ketogenic food or “keto” as it is known in English.
- Moderately low carbohydrates 20-50 grams per day. Recipes at this level contain between 4-10% energy from carbohydrates in our recipes.
- Low carb freely 50-100 grams a day. 50-100 grams a day. At this level, recipes contain between 10-20% energy from carbohydrates.
For comparison, a typical Western diet can easily contain 250 grams or more of carbohydrates a day, most of which have unhealthy refined carbohydrates, including sugar.
Protein
A moderate or liberal low-carb diet is often more generous in protein than a keto diet. A keto diet is moderate in protein.
And that’s the main reason why, when you compare our recipes, you may notice that there are some high carbohydrates that are marked as ketogenic (in green), while there are some that are low in carbohydrates per serving. Despite being served, they are marked. As low carb (yellow or orange). This is due to the ratio of carbohydrates to proteins.
A Keto diet of less than 20 to 50 grams of carbs often leads to nutritional ketosis.
Ketogenic-level recipes contain up to 4% energy from carbohydrates and also maintain moderate protein levels. The 4% energy limit means that if you choose our Cato recipes, you will consume a maximum of 20 grams of carbohydrates on a 2,000-calorie diet.
In most cases, you will eat even fewer carbohydrates, as some of the keto recipes you use are likely to be significantly lower than the maximum amount of pure carbohydrates.
Our cat’s recipes also regulate their protein intake. Our principle is that for Cato recipes with 4% energy from carbohydrates, we accept a maximum of 30% energy from protein. For lower carbohydrate levels we accept slightly more protein:
- 4% carbohydrate = maximum 30% protein
- 3% carbohydrate = maximum 32% protein
- 2% carbohydrate = maximum 34% protein
- 1% carbohydrate = maximum 36% protein
- 0% carbohydrate = maximum 38% protein
If a prescription contains too much protein to be classified as low-carb keto, we can classify it as moderate.
Fat
On a low-carb or ketogenic diet, fat is the main source of energy, so it is important to choose healthy types of fat and eat the right amount. However, the right amount is something you have to manage yourself. We have a guide where we explain this in detail: How much fat should you eat if you follow a low-carb or keto diet?
Fiber
The above figures refer to digestible carbohydrates, not fiber. The latter can take out of your carbohydrate count, for example, you can eat all-natural fiber from vegetables.
Another term used for digested carbohydrates after fiber reduction is “pure carbohydrates”.
However, don’t be fooled by “net carb” labels on processed foods like chocolate bars. This is usually a way to deceive you, and these products often contain high levels of sugar and alcohol, which can have a negative effect on your weight and blood sugar. If in doubt, we recommend not eating anything with the words “net carbs” printed on it.
Conclusion
The ketogenic diet is sometimes known as the “keto diet”. It is a low-carb, high-fat diet that has been utilized for centuries to treat particular medical disorders. The ketogenic diet was frequently used to manage diabetes in the 19th century. Keeping your carbohydrate intake low forces your body to switch from using glucose from carbohydrates as its main energy source to utilizing fat.
Since fat is a molecule with a lot of energy, some of that energy gets transformed into ketones. Most of the cells in your body can use ketones instead of glucose for energy. On the ketogenic diet, everyone restricts carbohydrates to slightly varying degrees. While some people can consume more and still stay in ketosis, others might require a more limited diet. Some people may easily enter and maintain a state of ketosis on 50 grams of total carbs daily on keto, others must maintain a level of about 20 grams.
The majority of ketogenic diet recommendations advise sticking to 15 to 30 grams of net carbs per day, or 5 to 10% of total calories.
Frequently Asked Questions
In order to maintain ketosis, a person should take in up to 50 grams of carbs per day, according to a 2018 assessment of various types of the ketogenic diet. On a ketogenic diet, women should take in 40 to 50 grams of protein daily, whereas men should take in 50 to 60 grams.
Due to a variety of factors, including a lack of self-control, unmindful eating, a lack of calculation, etc. The majority of keto dieters do end up gaining weight after finishing the diet. The issue is not with the diet or any patterns that are used; rather, it is with a lack of knowledge of what should make keto successful.
You are going to weigh your body after 2 to 3 days, but it is not necessarily important. The best time to weigh yourself is after one or two weeks. Your body weight will fluctuate not just on a daily basis but on an hourly basis.