The huge following of the Ketogenic Diet has attracted numerous innovations in the low carb industry. One such breakthrough is brought by the people at Keyto – a device that reveals your level of ketosis with a single blow! 

Intro to Keto Diet

A keto diet is very high fat and low carb diet with medium amounts of protein intake. It requires heavily limiting your carb intake to less than 30g per day. This restriction in carbs puts your body into a state called ketosis, where you start burning fat instead of glucose (primary fuel).

People are attracted to Keto as it has shown quite promising results in a short span of time. Another major advantage of this diet is that you don’t have to starve yourself and strictly monitor each meal. Instead, you simply have to break down your food in a predefined manner: 70% fats, 25% protein & 5% carbs.

Other than promising quick weight loss, ketogenic diets are also prescribed to people with type 2 diabetes, prediabetes, and metabolic syndrome. One study found that the keto diet can improve insulin sensitivity by as much as 75%.

People following the diet have reported a host of advantages other than just weight loss. The heavy amount of fats in your food helps lower your appetite and suppress cravings for junk food. You experience lowered blood sugar and insulin levels. Many users also experience enhanced mental clarity and a rise in their energy levels.

Here is a list of Keto-Friendly Foods:

1. Low carb vegetables like asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts
2. Fruits with low GI such as limes, coconut, berries
3. Low Carb meats like bacon, beef, lamb, pork
4. A lot of seafood options like salmon, shrimp, crab, lobster
5. Nuts & seeds including flaxseeds, chia seeds, brazil nuts, pecan
6. Only high-fat dairy and oils 
7. Sugar-free beverages such as green tea, black coffee, unsweetened soy milk

Any other high carb food is not suitable for the keto diet. You have to check each food’s label before deciding whether it’s a keto-friendly product. Foods strictly prohibited on the keto diet are grains, sugary fruits, starchy veggies, legumes, unhealthy fats, most beverages, and processed foods.

How KEYTO Works

Keyto is an ecosystem including an app and a physical breath analyzer device that tells you how effectively your keto diet is working.

People following the keto diet want to know whether their efforts are giving fruits to them, and hence the need to monitor ketosis arises. Monitoring your ketone levels give you confidence and surety that you are following the right diet.

If you are quickly shedding pounds on the scale, all is well and good! But if you are just starting out or hit an unexpected plateau, it gets difficult to ascertain what’s working and what’s not. 

This is the reason why so many people choose to test the level of ketones in their bodies.  Urine strips and blood test meters are two of the most common ways people have been using to monitor ketosis. However, things are quickly changing with the emergence of breath analyzers like Keyto, but there’s a slight catch!

Keyto does not directly measure your ketone levels, but it checks your breath for a chemical called acetone. If you have ever been on a keto diet, you could definitely relate to the keto breath! It is one of the unpleasant side effects of the low carb diet caused by acetone in your breath. Ketosis produces acetone as a byproduct, which is then released out through your breath. 

Keyto works on a simple principle: The amount of acetone in your breath is directly proportional to your ketosis level. Keyto device syncs with an app to display your approximate level of ketosis at the moment.

Here’s how the ratings work:

• A level of 1 – 3 means you are yet to achieve ketosis and currently burning glucose for energy. 
• Rating of 4 means you’ve begun burning fat for energy needs
• A rating of 5 and above means you are well into ketosis and your diet is working like a charm!

The acetone test might not be as precise as a blood test, but it’s much more convenient and does the job pretty well. You can use it multiple times throughout the day without having to prick your fingers or make visits to the washroom for urine tests.

What Keyto Offers

The Keyto breath analyzer looks exactly like a vape pen in your hand. As you begin your Keto journey, you should analyze your breath three times per day. The rating will improve from 1-2 to 7-8 as you go deeper into ketosis. 

Since your device will always be in sync with the mobile app, you’ll be getting food recommendations based on your Keyto score. It will show you a list of foods to eat and foods to strictly avoid, along with recipes and diet menus.

Using the Keto analyzer is quite simple and there is no rocket science involved! First of all, you need to pair the analyzer with your smartphone app via Bluetooth, which is a one-time process. 

After the installation, here are the steps to be followed every time you want to test:

1. Open the Keyto app and tap to create a new reading.
2. Turn on the breath analyzer by simply pressing the button.
3. The device then calibrates itself which can take up to 3 minutes.
4. Give a deep exhale into the Keyto pen.
5. It will now show you the result within 5 seconds.

The Keyto device is priced at $99 and a single AAA battery can give you more than 600 tests. The device comes with a user guide, four mouthpieces, one battery, and a protective cover.

Just like any product in the market, this one too has a few shortcomings. Sometimes you can get a really low Keyto score when the device isn’t fully calibrated or if you haven’t blown properly into the pen.

Why Measure Ketosis?

Whether you are on a low carb or practicing intermittent fasting for weight loss, staying in ketosis is the ultimate goal. Putting off carbs day after day isn’t easy, and sometimes it can be quite overwhelming. On top of that, if you aren’t analyzing your results, you might be simply wasting all your time and efforts! That is why it is extremely important to test your progress along the way.

You may be strictly following the diet chart without having a single gram of extra carbs. But there are other factors in your lifestyle that contribute to successful ketosis. For example, the release of cortisol into the body on a stressful day can be detrimental to your diet. Excessive cortisol raises blood sugar and lowers insulin sensitivity which ultimately shuts down ketone production.

Regular monitoring of ketosis can help you troubleshoot your diet and guide you in the right direction. Are you eating the right amount of carbs? How well are you managing your stress levels? Are you getting a good night’s sleep? Did your cheat day kick you out of keto? You can get answers to all these questions by testing your keto level.

Other Ways of Measuring Ketosis

So far we have seen how Keyto analyses your breath and reveals how well you are into ketosis. However, there are two other methods of testing ketosis that directly check your blood ketone levels.

Blood Ketone Meters:

The most accurate method of testing ketones is using blood ketone meters that verify your levels of β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB). 

Beta-hydroxybutyrate is a highly active ketone body that is synthesized in your liver. It is one of the most important ketones found in your bloodstream and directly reflects your levels of ketosis.

A blood ketone test can be accurately conducted at the convenience of your home with a simple ketone meter. If you want to the point details in your readings (in case of medical issues), nothing beats the accuracy of a blood test.

Urine Test Strips:

Urine testing is the most common and the cheapest way to measure ketosis. These testing strips are available at most drug stores and supermarkets. The major difference here, as compared to other methods, is that urine tests can only give you a wide range and not an exact number.

You simply have to dip the test strip into a urine sample. The strip will change in color and you just have to compare it with the colors on the package to determine your Keto level. The darker the color, the deeper is your ketosis.

Now that you have seen all methods of keto testing, here’s how Keyto stands above the rest of them:

• No recurring cost. Other than a AAA battery, you don’t have to worry about additional costs like buying testing strips or lancets for the meter. The accompanying app is also free of cost.
• Non-invasive. No need to mess with your blood or dealing with urine samples! Your keto results are just a blow away.
• Convenience. You can test it as many times a day without any “cooling” period. (except some small calibration time)

Conclusion

Keyto isn’t as precise as a blood test but does the job pretty well in a convenient manner. It’s a handy tool to check whether your diet is working the way you want. You can also find out how different foods are interfering with your level of ketosis.

The conventional ketone strips cost you money with each additional test. On the other hand, Keyto will analyze your breath as many times as you want, without any additional cost.