If you have been struggling with the ketogenic diet and measuring your ketones but not seeing your ketones increase, we have the best ways to increase ketones quickly!
11 Ways to Increase Ketones Quickly
Do a fast to increase ketones
One trick that I learned when I need to restart a keto diet is to fast for 24 hours. I have found that a 24 hour fast with no carbs and just water and electrolytes and a little bit of MCT oil quickly increases my ketone levels and gets me back into ketosis.
But be sure to check with your doctor first before you attempt a fast.
Exercise Fasted
Another way to boost your ketones quickly is to workout or exercise while fasted. It doesn’t have to be high intensity exercise, it can be something as simple as a long walk in the morning before you have anything to eat.
Add MCT oil
MCT (medium-chain triglycerides) oil is another easy way to help increase your ketones quickly. You can add the MCT oil to your morning cup of coffee for a quick ketone boost.
Cut the carbs
If you’re still struggling with low ketone levels, one issue can be that you are still eating too many carbohydrates. Carbs can be sneaky and some foods are higher in carbohydrates than you would think. So track your meals with a meal tracker app like the KetoDiet app. These keto meal tracker apps can give you good nutrition information for the next couple of days. Try to keep your carbohydrate intake under 30 grams a day and you should see your ketone levels start to increase.
Cut the protein if your ketone levels are low
another tip is to slightly cut down on your protein intake. Some people are more sensitive to higher levels of protein on the keto diet. If you’re still having problems increasing your ketone levels and getting in the ketosis, cut back slightly on your protein intake and see if that helps increase your ketone levels.
Increase dietary fat intake
The ketogenic diet is a high-fat diet, however, some people just have difficulty wrapping their heads around that fact. They still try to limit their fat intake or they have a difficult time getting the proper percentage of fat in their diet. Try adding olive oil to vegetables and salads and adding MCT oil or grass-fed butter to your coffee to get those extra fat calories in to help increase your ketone levels.
Stop the alcohol
Alcohol can kick you out of ketosis and prevent you from boosting your ketone levels for two reasons. When your body has to metabolize alcohol, it prevents the body from metabolizing fat. Also, drinking alcohol can increase appetite, so you eat more, which can also lower your ketone levels and kick you out of ketosis.
A small study from Spain found that men on the ketogenic diet also had fewer alcohol cravings (although they didn’t see the same results in women.) 1
Stop fast food
This was a problem I ran when I first started on a ketogenic diet. I had to stop going to In-n-Out for their protein style “Double-Double.” Even though I thought I was getting the “keto” version with no bun, I still noticed that my ketone levels would drop whenever I would eat there. Once I stopped the fast food, my ketone levels shot up and I was able to stay in ketosis.
Stop dairy
Dairy like cheese also affects people differently on the ketogenic diet. Another issue that I noticed when I first start the ketogenic diet is that cheese would lower my ketone levels. I had to be careful about how much cheese I would eat. Once I limited my cheese and dairy intake, it was much easier for me to stay in nutritional ketosis.
Get good sleep
Sleep is probably the most important aspect of a healthy lifestyle. Sleep is the time when the body is in its restorative phase. Poor sleep has been implicated in many chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. If you don’t get a good night’s sleep, cortisol levels stay high. Higher levels of cortisol throughout the day can affect hunger and increase blood glucose and insulin levels. So try to improve the quality of your sleep if you are having problems increasing your ketones.
Decrease stress
Stress is another overlooked factor that can impact your ability to keep your ketone levels high. Just like poor sleep, increased stress levels can impact your cortisol levels. The increase in cortisol will increase glucose and insulin levels and make it difficult for your body to stay in ketosis.
Pick just one or two of these tips and try them out. See how these tips work for increasing your ketone levels and getting back in ketosis.
Leave a comment below if you have a good tip or trick that has worked for you to increase your ketone levels.