Is there still a benefit if I only test my blood glucose but not my blood ketone level? Budget-wise BG is a lot more affordable. Is there a number to look for that would tell me I’m likely in ketosis?
BG vs Ketones
Marty_Kendall
(Marty Kendall)
#2
glucose is typically a more useful metric than ketones. ketone are interesting, but if I had to chose one metric to guide it would be glucose. check out this for more info. https://optimisingnutrition.com/2017/01/15/how-optimize-your-diet-for-your-insulin-resistance/
richard
(Richard Morris)
#3
If you keep carbs out of your diet, the glucose in your blood is made by your liver on demand and should hover right around 5 mmol/l most of the time. If you are making glucose you will be making ketones. So glucose going above 6 mmol/l probably indicates you have been knocked out of ketosis by some sugar or starch sneaking into your diet.
You can use your meter to test your reaction to certain foods. If a particular artificial sweetener sends you on a glucose excursion you’ll know to avoid that one.
Mrs_Elliston
(Athena Elliston)
#4
Thank you, this is so helpful! Is there another unit that is used to measure BG? I often read about people getting numbers in the 80s. Or am I confusing this with something else?
BillJay
#6
The units are different. @richard is referring to mmol/L and the 80’s you refer to are mg/dL.
http://www.joslin.org/info/conversion_table_for_blood_glucose_monitoring.html
Clare
#7
There is a handy app in the Google play store called Sugar Test Converter.
Very useful to use when engaging in an international conversation.
Morgan_Rose
(Morgan Rose)
#8
So I just recently got a meter and tested my glucose and it was a 95mg/dl? In what range do I want to stay within to know i am in ketosis? ((I am not a diabetic)) thank u
Mrs_Elliston
(Athena Elliston)
#9
Good question! I am curious as well. Hopefully some experienced Ketonians will chime in. I still haven’t gotten a BG monitor. I am still debating whether it is necessary for me as, like you, I am not diabetic. I doing the ketogenic diet to lose a few pounds, stay at optimal health and also prevent any health issues down the line.
BillJay
#10
Using blood glucose (BG) alone is not sufficient for indicating blood ketones (BK) unless someone has already tested themselves extensively and correlated their BG with BK over time in order to see their personal trends.
As a very general rule, as blood glucose (BG) goes up, blood ketones (BK) go down, and it’s extremely important to know if that BG was fasting or post-prandial (after eating), but even then there are very notable exceptions such as HOMA-IR which explains why BG can be higher.
A fasting BG of 95 mg/dL would be considered high and unlikely to be in ketosis with exceptions notes above, but the same reading taken 1-2 hours after a meal would be good and not likely to affect ketosis.
Morgan_Rose
(Morgan Rose)
#12
Thank you so much! I think I’m gonna invest in a meter to read keotones - peace of mind! 
carolT
#13
I’ve seen significant blood ketones with glucose over 90. I suspect everyone has a different threshold and that has a lot to do with insulin levels, since the ratio of glucose to insulin is an indicator of your insulin level at that moment of the readings.
Also, morning glucose can be elevated without a corresponding decrease in ketones because it’s created by your liver rather than from ingestion. The liver converts fat to both glucose and ketones at the same time.
Bartdorman
(Bart)
#14
I have had significant ketones and glucose levels in the upper 90’s as well. From what I understand it is super hard if not impossible to determine ketones levels based on glucose levels. If you want to know ketone levels you just have to test for them.
Mrs_Elliston
(Athena Elliston)
#15
If I am testing my reaction to a certain food, how long after I have eaten that food should I test? I was kinda wimpy about testing for some reason and just did for the first time this morning. The BG meter read 5.22 mmol/L, so I’m thinking that’s decent?