5 Things You Need to Know Before You Start Keto
Larder Admin
So you've heard about keto. Maybe a friend lost 15 kilos on it. Maybe your doctor mentioned metabolic health. Maybe you've just had enough of feeling tired, foggy, and hungry all the time and you watched that IG influencer. Whatever brought you here — welcome.
Keto is one of the most well-researched dietary interventions of the past two decades. But it's also one of the most misunderstood. Before you throw out your rice and buy a block of butter, here are five things worth knowing.
1. KETO IS A METABOLIC SHIFT, NOT JUST A DIET
Most diets ask you to eat less. Keto asks your body to run on a different fuel entirely. When you restrict carbohydrates to roughly 20–30g per day, your liver begins producing ketone bodies from fat — dietary AND stored fat, and your brain, heart, and muscles learn to use those ketones as a primary energy source instead of glucose.
This metabolic shift — called ketosis — takes between five and fifteen days to establish. Once you're there, research published in Nutrients (MDPI, 2021) shows it can significantly improve weight loss, blood sugar control, triglyceride levels, and insulin sensitivity. A 2024 study in PMC found that participants on a ketogenic diet lost significant body fat without losing muscle mass, and reported improved quality of life and LESS hunger.
This is not a calorie restriction diet. It is a metabolic recalibration. In fact if you’re here trying to heal (or lose weight), then we’re going to encourage you to EAT more not less — more fat that is!
2. THE FIRST WEEK IS THE HARDEST — AND IT'S COMPLETELY NORMAL
Around days two to five, many people experience what's known as the "keto flu" — fatigue, headaches, brain fog, muscle cramps, and irritability. This is your body withdrawing from glucose and adjusting to ketones. It is temporary, but it really sucks!
The main causes are electrolyte loss or imbalance (your kidneys excrete sodium more rapidly on a low-carb diet, taking potassium and magnesium with it) and dehydration. The fix is simple: increase salt, supplement magnesium, drink more water, and eat enough calories in the form of animal fat. Don't white-knuckle your way through carb withdrawal on low calories — that's the fastest route to quitting.
Here is the best advice I ever got and followed while starting:
- cook at home only, no eating out
- limit your diet to animal based or known low-carb sources,
- eat when you’re hungry,
- stop when you're full,
- eat more fat if you're hungry/ hangry,
- eat more salt if you don't feel well,
- sleep a lot
Most people feel noticeably better by week two. Many report more energy, reduced hunger, and improved mental clarity within two to three weeks.
3. FAT IS NOT THE ENEMY — IT'S THE FUEL
This is the hardest psychological shift for most people. We have spent decades being told that fat — especially saturated fat — causes heart disease. The evidence for this claim is far weaker than the guidelines suggest, and a growing body of research is challenging it.
On keto, fat is not a guilty indulgence. It is your primary energy source. Eating enough fat is what makes keto sustainable. People who try to do low-carb AND low-fat end up hungry, miserable, and back on the dosas within a week.
Eat butter. Eat tallow. Eat fatty cuts of meat. Eat full-fat dairy if you tolerate it, like cream. Eat eggs. Eat bacon. These are not cheat foods — they are the diet.
4. QUALITY MATTERS AS MUCH AS MACROS
Hitting your macros (typically 70–80% fat, 15–25% protein, and less than 5% carbs of your daily calories) on a keto diet can technically be done with processed cheese, frozen sausages, seed oil mayonnaise and diet soda. But if you want the full benefits — reduced inflammation, stable energy, improved metabolic markers — food quality matters.
Prioritise:
- Grass-fed Tallow over seed oils
- Pasture-raised eggs over industrial eggs
- Fatty cuts of red meat from quality sources over highly processed packaged meats — Bone broth for electrolytes, collagen, and gut support
-
Whole food carbs (leafy greens, fermented vegetables), and real butter over keto "treats"
The keto food industry is full of products that are technically low-carb but loaded with inflammatory oils, artificial sweeteners, and fillers. Read labels. Better yet, make your own — or buy from people who do (like us!).
5. IT'S NOT ALL OR NOTHING
Strict ketosis (accomplished by going full carnivore and eating zero plants) is powerful, but it is not the only goal. Many people find enormous benefit from simply reducing carbohydrates significantly — even if they're not in full ketosis every day. Reducing sugar, removing seed oils, eating more protein and fat, and focusing on whole foods will improve most people's health regardless of whether they ever measure a ketone.
That said, if you're dealing with metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, significant weight to lose, or neurological conditions, the research suggests that strict ketosis — maintained consistently — offers the most significant therapeutic benefit.
Start where you are. Cut the obvious carbs first. Then start tracking your macros so you can see what you’re actually getting in a given day.
Give ketosis 30 days to work magic your body before you judge the results.
REFERENCES
- The Potential Health Benefits of the Ketogenic Diet: A Narrative Review. Nutrients, MDPI, 2021. Batch JT, et al. PMID: 34068325. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8153354/
- The impact of a ketogenic diet on weight loss, metabolism, body composition and quality of life. PMC, 2024. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11612819/
- Metabolic Effects of Ketogenic Diets: Exploring Whole-Body Metabolism in Connection with Adipose Tissue. PMC, 2024. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11241756/
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The impact of ketogenic diet on metabolic and non-metabolic diseases. PMC, 2024. PMID: 38463198.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10916642/
FROM THE LARDER: YOUR KETO STARTER PANTRY
Everything here is small-batch, made in Bengaluru, and built for the way people actually eat on keto - on the go.
🧈 Snacking Butters (60g bars)
Your keto snack problem, solved. 400+ kcal per bar, zero sugar, zero seed oils. Available in 6 flavours — from Scandinavian Cranberry & Cinnamon to Sicilian Anchovy & Garlic. Keep several in your freezer for when hunger hits between meals.
→ Shop All Snacking Butters
🥩 Beef Tallow (200ml)
The cleanest cooking fat you can buy. 100% grass-fed, rendered slowly, zero additives. Replace your cooking oil with this and you've already made one of the most important changes of your keto journey.
→ Shop Beef Tallow
🍕 Carnivore Pizza Crust (200g, frozen)
1g net carbs per crust. Made from chicken, eggs, and mozzarella — no almond flour, no seed oils, no fillers. Bake at 220°C for 8 minutes. Top as you like. This is what keto convenience food should look like.
→ Shop Carnivore Pizza Crust
🥬 Pink Kraut (175g)
Fermented purple and green cabbage with pink salt. Live cultures, Vitamin C, Vitamin K1. A tablespoon with your meal supports gut health without loading up on fibre and makes the heme iron more absorbable. The keto side dish you didn't know you needed.
→ Shop Pink Kraut
🍋 Lemon Aioli (190ml)
Zero carbs. Made with olive oil and eggs. Incredible on meat, eggs, and the Carnivore Pizza Crust. The condiment your keto meals have been waiting for.
→ Shop Lemon Aioli
