I can’t get my ketones high enough – what should I do?

Here are five things you need to know when increasing your ketone levels.

• It takes time – If you just started on keto, you will need to give it some time before you fully switch over to ketosis. Your mitochondria do not fully adapt to ketosis right away. It can take around one month to become fully keto-adapted.

• Use the right test – Testing your ketones can be a great way to figure out where you are in your keto-adaptation. First, you can use urine ketone tests. However, as your body adapts to ketosis, it will naturally become more efficient at burning ketones, leaving you with little to no ketones in your urine. At this point, you want to use a blood ketone test.

• Keep your protein intake in check – Having more than 8 oz of protein per meal may spike your insulin levels high enough to slow down ketosis. Make sure you increase your fat-to- protein ratio and have around 3 to 6 oz of protein per meal. Sausage, olives, olive oil, fatty fish, fatty cheese, pecans, macadamia nuts, butter, cod liver oil, stew and sardines are great foods for increasing your fat-to-protein ratio.

• Stress – High stress levels can have effects similar to sugar. Stress can trigger cortisol and lower your ketones.

• Lack of sleep – Not getting enough high-quality sleep can throw off your blood sugar levels and limit your ability to get into ketosis.