Similarly, there is some confusion regarding food labels and fiber content. By law, fiber has
to be listed in the total carbohydrate grams part of the food label as well as being listed
separately. However, it should not be counted as a carbohydrate in terms of ketosis and a
ketogenic diet. Therefore, the total grams of fiber in a food should be subtracted from the total
grams of carbohydrate in order to determine how many grams of carbohydrate that food will
contribute to daily totals. If a food lists 20 grams of carbohydrates, but 7 grams of fiber, only 13
grams of carbohydrate should be counted towards the daily total.
Summary
A variety of nutritional substances may have an impact on ketosis including water,
alcohol, caffeine, citric acid and aspartame, and fiber. Water has an indirect effect on ketosis,
although large water intakes may dilute urinary ketone readings. In general, alcohol tends to
deepen ketosis, and may increase an individual’s susceptibility to becoming intoxicated. Despite
popular belief, caffeine does not raise insulin except indirectly, and should not negatively affect
ketosis. Citric acid and aspartame cause problems in some individuals and not others. Fiber has
no direct impact on ketosis, but confusion exists as to how fiber should be treated in terms of
carbohydrate intake. As humans lack the enzymes necessary to digest fiber, fiber should not be
counted as part of the daily carbohydrate intake.
Section 6: Setting up an SKD
Having discussed the details behind carbohydrate, protein, and fat content several diet
examples are presented here to demonstrate how the calculations are made.
General concepts
There are four steps to set up an optimal SKD.Step 1: Set calorie levels as discussed in chapter 8.
Step 2: Set protein levels as discussed in section 2 of this chapter. Protein should be set at 0.9
gram/lb for individuals who are exercising and 0.8 grams/lb for those who are not. If daily protein
intake is below 150 grams per day, it should be adjusted upwards for the first three weeks of the
diet. Protein contains 4 calories per gram.
Step 3: Set carbohydrate levels. This will generally be below 30 grams per day, especially during
the initial weeks of the diet. Carbohydrate contains 4 calories per gram.
Step 4: Set fat intake levels. Fat intake will represent the remainder of daily calories after
protein and carbohydrate are determined. Fat has 9 calories per gram.
Two sample diets are set up below.