There are many diets out there that all promise similar results. And whether you believe that you should just eat less and move more, that it’s calories in versus calories out, it’s still important to decide what are the foods that you’re going to be eating. We’re all different, and while some people thrive on high-carb low-fat diets, others struggle. Some people love salads, others would prefer a meaty dinner. If you’ve tried other diets before and found that they don’t suit you – keep might just be the one you need because it’s unlike any other diet out there. It’s high in fat, moderate in protein and low in carbs. Keep reading to find out more.
What Is Keto Diet
A keto diet is a low carb diet. The idea is to limit your carb consumption to under 50 grams a day and instead get most of your calories from fat and protein. The way this works is that in a few days, your body will run out of easy fuel like sugars in your blood that come from carbs and instead will dip into the reserves of fat and muscle that you have and use that for energy. That process is called ketosis and that’s where the name “keto” comes from.
Keto Diet For Beginners
Beginners might think that keto sounds very similar to the Atkins diet. But that’s not exactly the case. While Atkins is low carb but high protein diet, Keto is a high fat, moderate protein and low card diet. It’s also important to consult a doctor before you start a keto diet because it can be quite hard on the body, especially on your kidneys.
How To Start Keto Diet
To start the keto diet it’s important to first learn about what foods have the most amount of fat and the least amount of carbs. And you also have to shift your perspective on diets. This one is very different from other diets. While most diets recommend a lot of fruits and veggies – you will hardly be able to have any this diet, due to high carb and sugar content in those foods. You should also be ready to cook a lot because while there are lots of processes foods that are rich in fat, you don’t want to be eating processed foods all the time.
What To Eat On Keto Diet
When starting a keto diet you will have to say goodbye to sodas, sweets, cookies, chocolates, pizzas, fries and other high carb foods. However, you won’t be able to just have lots of chicken breast either cause that’s a high protein food. Most of your meals will consist of a small piece of protein with a generous helping of fat and some non-starchy low-calorie vegetables.
Keto Diet Foods
The idea is to eat enough fats and moderate proteins so fatty fish, steak, ham, eggs and cheese are good things to base your meals around. To add more fats into your diet you can also incorporate healthy oils like avocado and olive oil, butter, heavy cream, just fresh avocados and various nut butters. You do need some carbs, but they should mostly come from low carb veggies like spinach, arugula, celery, asparagus and tomatoes.
Keto Diet Snacks
Generally, a keto diet is quite filling so you won’t feel the need to snack as often. Most people just stick to three main meals and feel just fine. However, keto snacks are pretty easy. You can snack on nuts, those are full of fat when you want something fresh – celery or cucumber with cream cheese is your best friend. And you can also find many recipes of keto snack like peanut butter balls and other fat bombs on Pinterest.
Keto Diet Plan
Keto is generally considered to be a short term diet so it’s important to have a plan. Most people use it as a jump start to their lifestyle change. So decide how long you’re going to stay on the keto diet and what you’re going to do afterwards. For those who struggle to come up with a keto diet plan – there are many 7-day keto diet plans for beginners available online.
Your day of meals may look something like this:
Breakfast: scrambled eggs with tomatoes and bulletproof coffee
Lunch: avocado, bacon and goat cheese salad
Dinner: keto pizza
Keto Diet Side Effects
Apart from rapid weight loss, keto does have some side-effects. Since you’ll be decreasing the amount of veggies you eat you might experience some constipation at first. Bad breath might also be an issue. Most people will go through what is known as keto flu – you will feel weak, a bit nauseous and tired, and you might have a headache. This happens because your body is switching gears and starting to use fat for energy.