Keto Diet Fundamentals and Core Concepts 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which variation of the ketogenic diet involves consuming more carbohydrates on specific high-intensity training days?
- Standard Ketogenic Diet (SKD)
- Cyclical Ketogenic Diet (CKD) (Correct answer)
- Very Low Calorie Ketogenic Diet (VLCKD)
- Mediterranean Keto
Correct answer: Cyclical Ketogenic Diet (CKD)
The Cyclical Ketogenic Diet (CKD) alternates between periods of strict ketosis and planned higher-carbohydrate refeeding days to support intense athletic performance.
Question 2: What is the Targeted Ketogenic Diet (TKD) strategy?
- Eating keto only on weekdays
- Consuming a small amount of fast-digesting carbs immediately before or after workouts (Correct answer)
- Targeting certain food groups for elimination
- Eating only within a 6-hour window
Correct answer: Consuming a small amount of fast-digesting carbs immediately before or after workouts
The Targeted Ketogenic Diet (TKD) involves consuming 20-50g of fast-digesting carbohydrates around workout sessions to fuel performance without fully disrupting ketosis long-term.
Question 3: Which organ stores glycogen that is primarily used to maintain blood glucose between meals and is depleted during the early transition to keto?
- Muscle only
- Liver (Correct answer)
- Adipose tissue
- Pancreas
Correct answer: Liver
The liver stores glycogen that is released into the bloodstream to maintain blood glucose levels; this hepatic glycogen is the first to be depleted when carbohydrate intake is restricted.
Question 4: What breath smell is commonly reported by people entering ketosis, and what causes it?
- Sweet fruity smell, caused by elevated acetone (a ketone body) being exhaled (Correct answer)
- Sulfur smell, caused by protein breakdown
- Metallic smell, caused by iron in red blood cells
- No change in breath odor during ketosis
Correct answer: Sweet fruity smell, caused by elevated acetone (a ketone body) being exhaled
Many people entering ketosis report a fruity or acetone-like breath odor caused by acetone, a volatile ketone body that is exhaled through the lungs.
Question 5: In the context of a ketogenic diet, what does 'exogenous ketones' refer to?
- Ketones naturally produced by the liver
- Ketones consumed as a supplement (e.g., BHB salts or esters) (Correct answer)
- Ketones found in food naturally
- Ketones measured in the urine
Correct answer: Ketones consumed as a supplement (e.g., BHB salts or esters)
Exogenous ketones are ketone supplements (typically BHB salts or ketone esters) consumed externally to raise blood ketone levels, as opposed to endogenous ketones produced by the body.
Question 6: Which of the following best describes why the ketogenic diet was originally developed in the 1920s?
- To treat obesity in adults
- To mimic fasting's anticonvulsant effects for epilepsy treatment (Correct answer)
- To enhance athletic endurance
- To manage type 2 diabetes
Correct answer: To mimic fasting's anticonvulsant effects for epilepsy treatment
The ketogenic diet was developed in the early 1920s by Dr. Russell Wilder at the Mayo Clinic as a dietary treatment for epilepsy, mimicking the seizure-reducing effects of therapeutic fasting.
Question 7: What is the key difference between 'dirty keto' and 'clean keto'?
- Dirty keto allows more carbs; clean keto does not
- Dirty keto focuses only on hitting macros regardless of food quality; clean keto emphasizes whole, nutrient-dense foods (Correct answer)
- Dirty keto includes intermittent fasting; clean keto does not
- They are the same approach with different names
Correct answer: Dirty keto focuses only on hitting macros regardless of food quality; clean keto emphasizes whole, nutrient-dense foods
Dirty keto meets macronutrient targets using any foods (including processed, fast food) while clean keto emphasizes whole, minimally processed foods within the same macro framework.
Keto Diet Fundamentals and Core Concepts 5
Which variation of the ketogenic diet involves consuming more carbohydrates on specific high-intensity training days?