If you’ve decided to start, recommit to, or continue following the popular ketogenic diet this year, you likely have a couple of goals in mind: weight loss and potentially better health. While research is still teasing out whether the ketogenic diet holds any benefits and is safe to follow long term, many people are curious enough to give it a try.The controversial diet is notoriously low in carbohydrates, which can be a big adjustment. While there is no official definition of the ketogenic diet or rules about the specific proportion of macronutrients involved in it, popular keto resources recommend getting between 70 and 80 percent of your total daily calories from fat and between 10 and 20 percent from protein, with only between 5 and 10 percent coming from carbs, reports Harvard Health. For a 2,000-calorie diet, that means about 165 grams of fat, 40 grams of carbohydrates, and 75 grams of protein.It might be hard to imagine that a diet where up to 80 percent of the calories come from fat is even remotely healthy, but it’s not all butter and bacon.Getting and staying in ketosis (a state where your body burns fat for fuel rather than carbohydrates) doesn’t happen on a typical Western diet, so there is a learning curve involved in eating in a way that puts your body in ketosis. You can read some great books on keto that show you how to eat this way, and follow clever keto bloggers for recipe inspiration (keto bread is a thing), but nothing compares to the deep dive that these keto podcasts can provide.During your journey as a keto enthusiast, you’ll want practical information, such as exactly what to eat, how to get back on track, and the best products in specific categories (e.g., oils and proteins). But food is only part of your health, and the best podcasters go beyond that, tackling topics such as inflammation and its role in disease, good sleep, stress reduction, and learning about yourself and what holds you back from your health goals. They also attract some of the top keto celebrities. More than that, these hosts are engaging, knowledgeable, and make it feel like you are chatting with a friend.Still, keep in mind that not all keto influencers are medical professionals who are familiar with the possible health risks of dramatic diet changes (such as those required on keto). That’s why you’ll want to be sure this eating plan — or any major dietary change, for that matter — is best for your health goals and won’t cause issues with any preexisting medical conditions you have or medications you are taking. For those reasons, it’s important to discuss these issues with your healthcare team (including, ideally, a registered dietitian nutritionist) before making any changes to your diet, as well as to consult them with any concerns as they arise.The following six keto podcasts offer handy advice as you dive headfirst into keto.
