Originally developed in the 1920s as a therapeutic diet for pediatric epilepsy, the ketogenic diet re-emerged in the late-1990s as novel way to lose weight.
It’s a little counter-intuitive in that it calls for high amounts of fat, just enough protein for health and low amounts of carbohydrates. It tricks the body into burning fats, rather than carbohydrates, for normal energy needs -- and more fat than is being consumed, so the body uses up stored fats as well.
Normally, the body converts carbohydrates into glucose for energy. But if a shortage of carbohydrates is sensed, the liver starts converting fat into usable fatty acids and ketone bodies. The process is called ketosis.
This classic ketogenic diet contains a 4:1 ratio of fat to combined protein and carbohydrate. This means bypassing high-carbohydrate foods such as sugar, breads, pasta, even some fruits and vegetables, while consuming more foods high in fat such as butter, cream and nuts.
“The foundation of the keto diet is fat, and up to 80% of your calories on this diet come from fat,” says John Gibb of HighKey. “Carbs are your body’s default source for energy, so when you cut back on them, your body turns to burning fat for energy and creates ketones. To create enough ketones to sustain your energy levels, you have to consume plenty of fat that your body can turn into fuel.”
But the type of fat does count. Most dietary fat is made of long-chain triglycerides (LCTs). However, medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) — made from fatty acids with shorter carbon chains than LCTs — are more ketogenic.
We asked a handful of processors, who are specializing in keto-friendly products, what fats and oils they use in their products and why. Coconut oil was a particular favorite, and many also used nuts and butter for both nutrition and their good fats.