Keto Diet: What Do You Need to Eat?

keto diet

Introduction

 

If you are interested in the ketogenic diet or keto diet for short,  but you are not sure on what to include or eliminate from your diet, the whole process just became a lot easier in this article.

Herein, I share with you a quick yet detailed list of the foods recommended for a keto diet, as well as those that you must leave out.

 

Understanding the Keto Diet

 

The keto diet stresses on eating low carb foods while eliminating high carb foods from your diet. This has the impact of reducing the amount of glucose available for expenditure for energy. Therefore, the body responds by burning fat and releasing ketones for its energy needs. The efficacy of the keto diet lies with eating the low carb foods and avoiding high carb servings.

 

The keto diet achieves better results than related diets like paleo. Particularly, keto diet:

 

  • Keto diet is more specific regarding weight loss as it stresses on the unique intake of low carb and high-fat foods.
  • Keto doesn’t restrict the quantity of servings, but rather the nutritional content and carb amount.
  • Keto has recommended macronutrient intake limits to control weight loss (5% carbs, 20% protein, and 75% fat).
  • Keto diet manipulates metabolism to discourage the burning of carbs and promote the burning of fat. Other diets allow for uncontrolled carb intake.

 

The keto diet will target various aspects, among them the reason behind you gaining weight. Therefore, the keto diet resolves the underlying causes of weight gain including the empty calorie intake restriction and binge cycle, insulin resistance alongside high levels of blood sugar, and hormonal imbalance.

 

You don’t have to solely rely on extreme physical exercise, calorie count, portion size limitation, or lots of willpower even when the body has considerably low levels of energy. All you need is a keto diet with low carb intake which is a uniquely suited approach to weight loss.

 

The keto diet is effective as it introduces an alternative source of fuel for the body. The keto diet utilizes dietary fat for energy at the expense of glucose. This switch from burning of glucose to expending dietary fats places the body in a ketosis state.

 

So, Which Are the Recommended Keto Diet Foods?

 

  1. Protein

 

The most exceptional appeal of the keto diet lies with the fact that you get to feed on lots of foods which are satisfying and filling. Fatty animal protein is such food, but there is always the intriguing question regarding the right amount. This article will give you tips on how much protein you can eat in your diet.

 

It is essential to know which foods have the right quality and quantity of protein, and the appropriate portions to feed on to avoid kicking your body out of ketosis. Get it right, a keto diet is not a high-protein but a low-carb, moderate-protein, and high-fat diet.

 

The role of the keto diet is to starve your body of its carbohydrate deposits so that the body starts to burn fat for its energy needs. However, when there are no carbs, the body is forced to break down proteins for energy.

 

Cheese not only contains the right quality and quantity of protein but also has a nutritious and delicious touch. Even though there are numerous cheese types, they all are high-fat and low carb foods. As a result, the cheese will give you protein and is ideally suited for your keto diet.

 

A single ounce of cheese contains 20% of calcium RDI, 7 grams of protein, and 1 gram of carbs. Research has shown that such protein is necessary for preserving your muscle mass when your diet has a low carb portion (1).

 

  1. Eggs

 

How much do you love seeing eggs on the recommended keto food list? Well, eggs make one of the most versatile and the healthiest foods on earth.

 

A look at the nutritional content of an egg reveals that a single large egg has less than one gram carbs and below 6 grams of protein. As a result, eggs are an ideal selection for the keto diet.

 

Intake of eggs triggers the release of hormones which enhance the feeling of satiation. Equally, eggs have been associated with the production of hormones which help to promote blood sugar stability. As a result, eggs play a critical role in minimizing the intake of calories for a maximum of 24 hours (2).

 

It is no crime eating the entire. In fact, a majority of the egg’s nutrients are found in the yolk. Such nutrients include zeaxanthin and lutein antioxidants. There are many claims associating egg yolk with increased cholesterol in the body. However, these claims have been disputed by research, adding that indeed, eggs could minimize its consumer’s heart disease risk.

 

  1. Vegetables

 

We all love veggies not for their delicious taste but also for their nutritional value. Even though vegetables are a special element of a healthy keto diet, it is possible to be stuck with some diet decisions which could have deleterious effects in the end. What am I talking about? Some veggies lack the desired nutritional content but only contain high levels of sugar. Such veggies must be eliminated from your keto diet. As you settle for a vegetable, be keen to determine its carb content as vegetable carbs tend to add up and accumulate in the body quickly.

 

 

Leafy greens make a great option to add to your keto diet. Here, consider feeding on kale, radicchio, mustard, arugula, fennel, and spinach. Leafy green veggies are non-starchy and have a 0.5 to 5 net gram carbs in a serving of one cup. Cruciferous vegetables are also ideal for your keto diet. Such options as cauliflower, cabbage, and broccoli are recommended as they have between 3 and 6 carbs for every serving of a single cup.

 

Vegetables are rich in antioxidants which are vital in the protection against the deleterious effect on cells by free radicals (3).

 

A comprehensive guide to the role of vegetables in the process of ketosis and the recommended meal plans involving vegetables can be found on Stay Healthy Ways.

 

  1. Berries

 

Are you surprised at the inclusion of berries on this list? Well, we all know that fruits are not recommended for the keto diet, but berries are the only exception.

 

Why? It’s simple; berries are high in fiber but low in carbs. Indeed, blackberries and raspberries have the same amount of digestible carbs and fiber.

 

Is there any benefit of adding these tiny fruits to your keto diet? Yes, there is. Berries are rich in antioxidants which have been shown by research to prevent diseases and minimize inflammation (4).

 

For every 100 grams of berries, you expect to ingest the following carb quantities:

 

  • Raspberries – 6 grams’ net carbs
  • Blueberries – 12 grams’ net carbs
  • Blackberries – 5 grams’ net carbs

 

Foods to Exclude from a Keto Diet

 

It is interesting how your cravings disappear when your body finally gets into ketosis. However, in the initial stages, there are some foods you think you cannot give up.

 

Over time, you get to understand the foods you were craving for were merely carbohydrate. Therefore, remove the following foods from your keto diet to experience the amazing results associated with this diet.

 

5. Grains and Starch

 

Let’s be frank; eliminating bread from your diet is a big deal. It is the same way one runs down the street to catches a sandwich. However, these foods are made from grains. Grains are associated with various complications, among them gluten intolerance. But the primary reason we recommend the elimination of bread from

your diet is the high carb content in grains. By doing away with grains, you are potentially eliminating tons of carbs from your diet.

 

As a result, your body will not convert these carbs into glucose which is further converted into energy.

 

6. Foods rich in carbs to avoid due to their grain or starch

content include:

 

  • Flour
  • Potatoes
  • Oats
  • Rice
  • Pasta

 

7. Alcohol

 

Those who love alcohol can tell you that most diets tend to lock out the booze. The Keto diet might not be any different, but there is some hope for you if you cannot imagine parting with alcohol. The keto diet recommends that you only get concerned with the carb content of your drinks.

 

Therefore, liqueurs, beers, and ciders are to be avoided entirely.

 

However, most liquors happen to be considerably keto diet friendly as they are low in carbs or lack carbs completely. Enjoy these liquors as yours observe your keto diet.

 

  • Whiskey
  • Tequila
  • Rum
  • Gin
  • Vodka
  • Scotch
  • Brandy

 

8. Sugars

 

I bet you expected this. Sweetened foods are the hardest to avoid. However, there is hope for your; you might love fat bombs. They are rich in fat, but they are keto friendly. These are made using coconut butter or coconut oil which helps to alleviate inflammation.

 

However, if you have a huge craving for sugar, then you must eat fat bombs carefully to avoid getting into the vicious cycle.

 

9. These are the sugar-based foods to avoid

 

  • Sodas
  • Cookies
  • Fruit juices
  • Pastries
  • Ice cream

 

Now that you have understood what the keto diet is, and what are the foods you should eat, and those you should avoid, making the keto diet work for you cannot be any easier.

 

Which other foods do you know that could enhance the efficacy of a keto diet? Which foods would you recommend to be dropped completely? Let us know through your comments.

 

Author Bio:

 

Amelia Johnson is a writer/editor with an endless passion for bringing a lot of useful and trustworthy information to the community. She founded stayhealthyways.com, a blog dedicated to sharing quality articles related to health, nutrition, fitness, and beauty.

As a typical introvert, Amelia is a perfectionist in work. At times of leisure, she reads, listens to music, chats with some close friends and walks with her pet.

 

Email: amelia@stayhealthyways.com

Homepage: StayHealthyWays.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/shws_amelia

Google Plus: https://plus.google.com/u/1/113055338355512444586

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stayhealthyways/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/stayhealthyways/

 

 

3 Comments

  1. Kyla Jocson 06/14/2018
  2. Erin 03/30/2018
  3. John 03/18/2018
Men's Health Cures
Skip to content