The Best Exogenous Ketone Supplements! How to Use Ketones and Where to Get Them!

Maybe you've heard about ketones because of their popularity from Shark Tank / Dragon's Den; or maybe you're just a keto nerd like me who heard that you can put your body into ketosis within minutes by simply consuming a ketone power or a keto pill...but either way, if you don't know about these things, Exogenous Ketone Salts are ketone powders consisting of the primary ketone body: Bhb (Beta-Hydroxy-butyrate), attached to minerals in order to bring their Ph down so they can be immediately consumed and then used by the body! "Exogenous", simply means that the source comes from outside of your body, opposed to "Endogenous" refers to anything your body makes and then uses... 
Supplementing with Exogenous Ketones has several benefits but it essentially puts your body into a state of ketosis until your body uses those ketones up! After that point your body can enter a heightened state of endogenous ketone production if you are fasting or currently eating ketogenically, but for many people, snapping into ketosis regardless of food choice is a LITERAL CHEAT CODE for hacking your metabolism....
Some benefits include: 

- reduced appetite

-increased mental acuity and focus

- increased insulin sensitivity

- increased mitochondrial function (remember those "powerhouses of your cells" from grade 9 science? yea they are the most fundamental part of your existence...)

- increased workout performance

- heightened fat loss indirectly through lowering insulin temporarily, reducing appetite, and deepening the ketogenic / fat burning state

- And most of all: the ability to hop into ketosis no matter what you eat....

Now, these products sound too good to be true, but if you have ever tried keto, you know that you simply aren't a slave to your hunger anymore, have more energy, and can go through the day with a LOT more fluidity ( I practice what I preach as I write this at 3AM after working all day LOL); so it isn't that big of a stretch to believe that eating ketones makes your body feel the same.. The only caveat is that your body didn't create those ketones and you will have to fast afterward or continue eating in a caloric deficit in order to continue making ketones within your body after you run through them. So, you can't just drink ketones and eat 10 000 calories every day, but you won't even want to eat that many calories when you take ketones since they are one of the only supplements which can influence your hunger hormones positively! 
Understanding what these products feel like is often difficult for those who have never done a ketogenic diet, but ironically, the people who have never even done keto can benefit from these even more since this puts you in ketosis without any of the work! Many people I coach, have even used these to jump back into ketosis after a cheat day, or used them to destroy their appetite completely when in the tightest calorie deficits... hell, I've even used them (and another product called a Ketone Ester) during multiple day fasts! These things are THAT powerful...

So which ones are worth trying???
Well, I've tried pretty much every one of them on the market during my 8 years of keto dieting, and my absolute favourite ones are the ones listed below...
I recommend Athletic Alliance - Start Bhb, and SD Pharmaceuticals Ketones; and I have links listed below because I truly believe in these companies (you may have even seen the Athletic Alliance Cardboard Supplement Stand I have in the background of many of my videos because I convinced one of the big guns from the company to give me one to keep all my supplements on LOL).
At the end of the day here's my quick review of these products and what you should look for in general out of a ketone salt....

Athletic Alliance - Start Bhb
I personally love what this brand stands for; they source everything from luxury quality ingredients and they use natural sweeteners which are completely devoid of artificial dyes (chemically similar to estrogen...which is a problem for men AND women), fillers, or any endocrine disruptors. Basically this is as clean as it gets and everybody behind this Canadian Company knows the science behind what they're putting out. A 12 gram scoop will put you in FULL-Blown ketosis, this is called a saturation dose and it definitely is powerful, but for many people you can get by with even a half scoop or less and still find benefit. I recommend starting small if you've never used ketones before as the MCT in this powder can upset your stomach unless you're a regular consumer of coconut oil...
I often use a half scoop at night time as an alternative to coffee so that I can get some extra cognition without a sleepless night. Use a half scoop or less on your first few days, and afterwards, you can bring out the big guns and use the full 12 grams once you know your stomach has gotten used to MCT's (should only take a couple uses before your stomach gets a tolerance). I recommend their variant that doesn't contain caffiene : Peach Smoothie; the taste is smooooooth and fully stevia sweetened! They have other flavours but they may contain caffeine or a hint of Splenda, so if you want more flexibility, I recommend the Peach flavour!

This link is the only place you can find this product online; its available in some Canadian retailers, but this is the only spot to get them online...
athletic-alliance-startbhb-keto

SD Pharmaceuticals Ketones
Although not my favourite ketone product, SD is another brand which prioritizes quality, and as their name implies, they sell "pharmaceutical grade" supplements. These guys use D-Bhb which is known as non-racemic and it refers to which way the enantiomer faces (chemistry jargon for which is the molecule's dominant hand if you will; every coin has two sides). This is generally something many will gloss over, but its an important indicator of quality. Although all ketone products don't taste the best, these two brands remove the issue of taste altogether, however if you aren't a fan of Splenda, opt for SD's unflavoured variant or Athletic Alliances Peach Flavour; its their 100% stevia flavoured option if thats something you prioritize. As far as Ketones available on Amazon, these guys are undoubtedtly the best, and I recommend you try them out if you're looking for a good option that will be shipped to your house as fast as you can say "Amazon Prime"!
Lastly, SD also adds in vitamin B6 & B12, which are key for transporting oxygen and the methylation and salvation processes of your body (how it produces its greatest Anti-Oxidant; Glutathione). They also use the Methyl Form of B12; MethylCobalamin; opposed to CyanoCobalamin which is often found in cheap energy drinks and much more taxing on the liver since it is literally B12 attached to a Cyanide molecule (not harmful to the body because your liver removes it; but still inferior to the Methyl form of B12). So basically since Ketones are such a potent fuel for your Mitochondria, and your mitochondria love oxygen; you'll notice even more energy benefits.

At the end of the day, as far as Ketone Salts go, these are your best bets. I will be adding one more into this list soon but Athletic Alliance and SD Pharmaceuticals are two brands I believe in whole heartedly as far as these products go. 
The only step up from here is "Ketone Esters", which are far more expensive (around $20 a serving!) and not yet available in retailers since they pose too much risk if overdone and brands are working on making them more affordable.... but more on those in another post soon! ;)

Some closing notes about these and all ketone salts; these are Ketones attached to salt; Ketone Esters get around this but aren't available as easily and affordably.
But you may not know that supplementing with any electrolyte supplement requires VERY CAREFUL setup of minerals... if you supplement with too much sodium you will deplete your potassium, if you supplement with too much magnesium you will deplete your calcium and so on... So the ratios of electrolytes in here are complicated but part of the reason I picked these products is because even the little nuances of these specific products is balanced in a way so that you run virtually NO RISK of depleting minerals since these brands know exactly what they're doing. You will find perfect ratios of electrolytes in these supplements and I recommend you try one of these two to ensure a great experience. Besides this always remember that if you are eating ketogenically you DO NOT have to take these every day! These are meant to be boosts to ketosis and you can use them strategically! One tub may end up lasting you a very long time since you won't have to use them every day and even if you do, a full dose IS NOT required. It will take some tinkering, but ketones are such an underrated product that nobody talks about how long they actually end up lasting you!

Check these products out and never hesitate to comment on my videos about your experiences or DM me on Instagram @AnthonyRomano7 to let me know your thoughts! I'd love to hear them!

Cheers!

-Antonio (Anthony) Romano