If you think that you can just eat an unlimited amount of fatty foods when on keto, then think again! Although you need to consume roughly 60% of your daily calories from fat, you can’t just gorge on unhealthy snacks and delicious junk food. It’s much more complicated than that.
At A Glance
If you’re new and are wondering about how to start а keto diet, it’s important to know the basics. So how does keto work?
The ketogenic diet causes your body to burn fat more efficiently than carbohydrates. It is all about tapping into the natural metabolic state known as ketosis, whereby your body will turn towards fat reserves of energy than glycogen and carbohydrates. The best keto diet results come from restricting the number of carbohydrates and relying on fat for the bulk of your diet.
Carbohydrates
When you’re consuming а standard 2000-cal-a-day diet, try to eat less than 40 g of carbs. How many carbs on keto you want to eat depends on how active you are, but this is a general number to go for. As you limit your glucose intake, your body will convert fat into ketones – these will be released into the bloodstream and used by cells for energy.
We would highly recommend getting your carbohydrates from fruits and vegetables, which are high in fiber and rich in water. This will keep you hydrated, and your digestive system will be able to receive the nutrients it deserves.
If you’re unsure about what kind of products to eat, try to go for anything that is grown above the ground such as peppers, leafy greens, and stalk-shaped veg. Avoid any root vegetables such as potatoes or carrots because they are high in starch.
There are great examples of carbohydrate keto foods:
- Eggplant
- Tomato
- Asparagus
- Cauliflower
- Property
- Spanish
- Green beans
- Zucchini
- Celery
- Kale
- Bell peppers
And don’t forget about the fruit too! Try to consume low-sugar fruits that are nutrient-dense and low in calories, such as strawberries, blueberries, and most other berries in general.
Protein
Don’t push your body past 70 g of protein a day, or roughly 15% of your total caloric intake. The nutritionists working at the best keto supplements say that too little means you won’t be full enough, whereas too much will mean that you can put excessive stress on your kidneys.
Here is a list of great sources to add to your keto food list:
- Dark meat such as chicken
- Venison
- Turkey
- Salmon
- Beef
- Sardines
- Tuna
- Cork
- Shrimp
- Eggs
- Lamb
- Natural cheese such as cottage cheese or ricotta
- Greek yogurt
It is important to avoid any low-fat dairy products because these will typically contain a lot of calories and unwanted chemicals. Don’t go for junk food because it will be about your body, even if it contains adequate protein. You are what you eat!
Fat
Most of your intake will come from fat, around 70% of your calories. It is important to go for fat, and you don’t need to pay too much attention to cholesterol content or calories.
Instead, focus on consuming good unsaturated fats, which you can find in food such as flaxseed, nuts, chia seeds, and olive oil. You will want to avoid saturated fats, hydrogenized oils, and trans fats at all costs – these are simply not good for your body and can promote cancer growth!
Here are some great sources of fiber you want to consume:
- Olive oil
- Avocado
- Chia seeds
- Flaxseeds
- Sesame seeds
- Coconuts
- Fatty meat
- Seed based keto diet snacks
- Whipped cream
- Nut butter
What Not to Put On a Keto Food List
By now, you should have more than understanding what you can eat on a keto diet and what you can’t. To make it easy for you, we would thoroughly recommend not consuming any the following ingredients:
- Beans
- Lentils
- Peas
- Peanuts
- Any grains such as pasta, rice, and oatmeal
- Low-fat products
- Sugars
- Sugary carbonated drinks
- Traditional unhealthy snack food such as pretzels and potato chips
- Starchy vegetables
- The majority of alcohol, including wine and sweetened cocktails
Wrap Up
That’s about it from us, but we hope that you have all the information you need to start this diet and change your life for the better. Stick it out, and you’ll definitely notice all of the benefits, from weight loss to more energy. All the best!
Have you had any luck with low-carb diets? Tell us about your experiences in the comments section below.