So, you’ve recently discovered that following a ketogenic diet and avoiding carbs can increase your testosterone levels. And now, you’re preparing all the things you’ll need as you make the transition, meaning you’ll eventually begin your search for the best ketosis strips.
It’s true that getting started with the ketogenic diet isn’t merely about spending money on quality exogenous ketones. You have to be sure that what you’re doing is working – and that’s why we rounded up the best ketone test strips available online.
Best Ketosis Strips Comparison Table
Picture | Product | Brand |
|---|---|---|
 | Perfect Keto | |
 | Care Check | |
 | Bayer | |
 | SmackFat | |
 | So Nourished | |
 | Nurse Hatty | |
 | One Earth Health | |
 | Just Fitter | |
 | Start Smart | |
 | HK | |
 | HealthyWiser |
Using ketone urine strips is as easy as taking a urine sample in a clean container, holding the end of a strip in it, and waiting for a few seconds for it to change color.
A Quick Look at the Best Ketosis Strips
Perfect Keto is a brand that specializes in anything related to the ketogenic diet. Their ketone urine strips are actually certified for laboratory use and developed and tested by doctors.
Although not as well known as other brands, Care Check specializes in manufacturing medical tests. Their ketone test strips are the cheapest despite offering quick results.
Ketostix Reagent Strips is manufactured by Bayer, a 150 year old pharmaceutical company. Their product is made for in-vitro diagnostic purposes and stays good for up to six months.
SmackFat Ketone Strips is easy to use and provides quick readings. To guarantee their product’s quality, the weight loss company even offers lifetime warranty for all test strips.
So Nourished only sells two things, namely ketone strips and granular erythritol. Despite being a small company, it manages to offer good products – their ketone strips combine affordability and quick results.
Nurse Hatty’s ketone strips are good for 90 days (upon opening the package). They’re easy to use, and the color chart on the bottle has a bright tone for easier differentiation.
These ketosis strips by One Earth Health are professional grade, meaning doctors can attest that the product is of good quality. The strips undergo laboratory testing to ensure the accuracy of measurements.
These ketosis strips by Just Fitter are professional grade, meaning doctors can also attest that the product is of good quality. The strips undergo laboratory testing to ensure the accuracy of measurements.
These urine test strips provide reliability and speed, only requiring 40 seconds to provide an accurate reading. The product is FDA approved and designed for both diabetics and individuals following a ketogenic diet.
These ketone test strips might be ideal for those looking for something cheap yet has acceptable result consistency. Do note though, that the reactive chemical on the strips themselves is noticeably thin.
This product is professional grade and guaranteed to show accurate readings. Still, Healthy Wiser offers a 90-day money back guarantee and promises that its offering won’t expire for years.
Reviews of the Best Ketosis Strips
Perfect Keto’stest strip can indeed give quick and accurate readings. And, taking its price into account, the productis quite a competitive offering against other brands.
Unfortunately, it’s far from perfect, considering that the color chart it comes with is rather hard to read. Also, while the testing strip are accurate most of the time, they tend to be inaccurate if used by someone in deep ketosis.
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There’s no denying that this product is the cheapest on this list, and it’s definitely a popular choice among the budget conscious. You’re essentially getting two 125-strip bottles for the price of one.
As you’d expect though, the strips won’t win any awards for quality. Its accuracy isn’t at a high level and there are concerns regarding the consistency of results (at times changing drastically between readings).
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Bayer’s offering is qualified for diagnostic testing and checking of ketone level. However, its price is usually double of what the other brands cost, making it the most expensive option.
The ketosis strips are especially accurate when used by someone following alow-carb ketogenic diet. Despite being suited for medical use though, the product sometimes gives ambiguous results and requires repeat testing.
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When testing, all you need to know is whether your body is in ketosis – especially if you’re following a low-carb diet mainly to burn body fat. You don’t need to know the exact amount of ketone bodies in your blood.
What we love about SmackFat Ketosis Strips is how convenient it is to use. The strips are relatively longer, making it easier to avoid accidentally dipping your fingers into the sample.
You’ll see a change in color in under a minute, meaning you can check the chart without waiting too long. However, note that there are claims about the strips not lasting until the expiration date.
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So Nourished offers quick results at an acceptable price. To sweeten the deal (as well as to convince those in doubt), the company also has a full money back guarantee in place.
Well, when it comes to ease of use, the product is a bit disappointing. The colors on the chart and the ones that appear on the strips themselves can be hard to match at times.
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This product offers both convenience and accuracy. What’s most impressive about this one though, is its cost-effectiveness – it contains the most strips in its price range.
But, if this isn’t your first brand of ketosis strips, it might take a little getting used to as the color chart is a bit different. Nonetheless, the strips are accurate even for those following a keto diet for several months already.
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These test strips undergo laboratory testing to ensure product quality, as well as to meet the required safety and performance standards set by the FDA.
The product is average in terms of speed, requiring 40 seconds to show an accurate reading. Also, its shelf life is rather short, being at just 90 days (once opened).
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JustFitter’s offering is among the fastest, being capable of showing results within 15 seconds. Also, it comes with an impressive lifetime money back guarantee.
Unfortunately, the strips can be somewhat inconsistent and false negatives can be an issue. With its affordable price tag though, the product still seems like a good choice.
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Being medical grade, this product shines in accuracy. However,it isn’t thatcompetitive in terms of speed, given that it needs 40 seconds to show an accurate result.
Start Smart’s offering is often recommended by doctors, which isn’t surprising at all since it’s quite reliable. But, matching a strip’s color with those on the chart isn’t always hassle-free.
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This one’s among the cheaper options. Unfortunately though, the low price comes with noticeable downsides in terms of result accuracy and overall quality.
As for accuracy, well, the product requires waiting for 30 to 60 seconds before checking the chart.The color changes that can occur during that time frame could lead to confusion and inaccurate comparisons.
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What makes this product stand out is its price, which becomes even more impressive once you consider the number of strips you get per bottle. Despite that, it comes with a 90-day money back guarantee.
Healthy Wiser’s ketone strip gives mostly accurate readings. Unfortunately though, accuracy suffers when the product is used by those who’ve already been following the ketogenic diet for several months.
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Interestingly, both blood test kits and urinalysis test strips showed the same results for all test subjects according to a study.
The Advantages of Ketosis Strips
Following a ketogenic diet, taking keto supplements, and entering the state of ketosis has a long list of health benefits besides helping you lose weight.
All About Convenience
Using ketone urine strips is as easy as taking a urine sample in a clean container, holding the end of a strip in it, and waiting for a few seconds for it to change color. Afterwards, you can easily compare the color of the end of the strip with the chart typically found on the packaging.
Yes, a ketone breath analyzer is a more convenient way of determining if you’re in ketosis. But, research suggests that the amount of ketone body in one’s breath isn’t consistent even in the early stages of nutritional ketosis – in a study, only 9 out of 11 test subjects tested positive.
On the Matter of Price
The price of ketone strips range from 8 to 10 USD for a pack of 50 strips. With the recommended testing frequency of once per day, the test strips would only cost you 20 cents per day.
Compare this to ketone breath meters and ketone blood test kits; you are not investing a significant amount of money right off the bat. To illustrate, a breath meter would cost around 200 to 300 USD, while a blood test kit would be 100 to 150 USD (might include a set of blood ketone test strip).
Precision Xtra, which is a blood ketone meter, typically sells for around a hundred dollars. The kit only contains ten strips for checking ketone production.
Also, while capable of testing blood glucose, the kit doesn’t contain strips for that purpose. This means those following a low-carbohydrate diet despite having diabetes or insulin problems will have to spend more.
Confirmed Accuracy
In a study, 12 individuals following a low-carb diet was observed. The subjects were tested for ketosis through their blood and urine.
There were no instances wherein the readings from the blood and urine testing contradicted each other.
Although there’s criticism that ketosis strips are inaccurate in later stages of ketosis, research shows that consistent readings can be achieved. It’s safe to say that in most cases, using strips is more than enough.
Offers What You Need
When testing, all you need to know is whether your body is in ketosis – especially if you’re following a low-carb diet mainly to burn body fat. You don’t need to know the exact amount of ketone bodies in your blood.
Ketosis strips suffice for this purpose, being something recommended by both researchers and medical practitioners for measuring acetoacetate.
The Verdict
All things considered, our recommendation goes to SmackFat Ketone Strips.
With the product being quite versatile, you don’t have to purchase another brand if you decide to go Atkins or paleo. In addition to that, it shows consistent and accurate readings on urine samples.
And, if your purchase goes bad before the expiration date, you can easily take advantage of the lifetime warranty. So, with SmackFat, you’re essentially making a risk-free purchase.
It’s true that you can’t go wrong regardless of which product you pick – the strips serve a fairly straightforward purpose after all. Still, if you’re looking around for the best ketosis strips, you should really consider SmackFat.
Image credits: Amazon.com
