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How to Measure Ketosis

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So at this point I’ve told you WHAT ketosis is, the health benefits of it and how to get into a ketogenic state of nutrition.

So now what? You’re probably wondering how in the world do I figure out IF I am actually in a state of KETOSIS. Well, I’m going to fill you in on that right now on how to measure ketosis. 

Let’s talk about the three types of ketone bodies that are found inside the body first:

  1.  Acetoacetate (AcAc)  this is the primary ketone in the urine
  2.  Beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) this is the primary ketone body in the blood
  3.  Acetone this it the primary ketone body in the breath

So we can measure through urine, blood and breath. So how in the world do you do this?

Well, traditionally the most used method for measuring ketones is urine. People use ketone test strips. This is by far the cheapest way to measure yet it is not very precise. Urine only measures one kind of ketone, acetoacetate, it fails to measure the most critical and predominantly utilized ketone in a healthy state of ketosis, beta-hydroxybutyrate. This would accurately be measured with a blood ketone meter.

What is ketosis

Measuring the ketones in your blood is a gives a more accurate reading than urine. There are 2 major blood ketone meters available on the market, Precision Xtra or the Nova Max Plus. since 78% of ketones present in the blood are beta-hydroxybutyrate, testing the blood is a great indicator of whether or not you are in a state of ketosis. This is a little bit pricier than the keto sticks but more accurate. Oh , and you’ll also have to prick your finger using this method. 

 

Last is breath ketone testing which is shown to be more reliable than measuring urine or blood. There is actually only one breath ketone monitor available out there for us. It’s called the Ketonix, it’s a bit more costly that the keto strips or the blood monitor BUT it can be used over and over a million and one times.

 

So with all of these self testing options which do you choose. Well, choosing the most accurate would obviously be the BEST option. However, if you cannot afford to do any of the above mentioned then you may want to check out this free website http://www.flexibleketogenic.com/  . You can even download it on your phone to help you keep track.

Whichever option you use be sure to follow the advice I have given you in my previous blogs about ketosis.

 

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Hey there, I'm Melanie. I help women DITCH THE DIET MENTALITY and reclaim their health through mindful eating, hormone balancing, stress management, and digestive healing.

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