Keto Diet and Keto Recipes

The keto diet is very popular right now. It seems like everyone, including their dog, is on a keto diet.

But what is a keto diet, and can it really help you lose weight? Read on to find out more!

What is Keto Diet?

The keto diet is an ultra low carb diet that is high in fat and that contains a moderate amount of protein. It usually consists of 75 percent fat, 20 percent protein, and 5 percent carbs.

The keto diet works in the following way: Our bodies typically use carbs as the primary energy source. However, after 3 to 4 days of drastically reducing your carb intake, your body needs to find an alternative energy source. This alternative energy source is ketone bodies.

When your body breaks down its fat stores, ketone bodies are formed. As a result, your body gets energy, and you lose weight in the process.

Besides breaking down your fat stores, there are also other ways in which a keto diet helps you lose weight. When you eat protein, this helps you feel full, helping you eat less.

Consuming protein also increases your metabolism, helping you lose weight. Besides, ketone bodies also lower your appetite, helping you eat less.

Research also suggests that ketone bodies suppress your appetite, thus making you eat less.

How to Start Keto Diet?

Like any other diet, you will want to figure out how many calories you need to eat each day to lose weight. The quantity of calories you need to lose weight depends on several factors.

These include your age, height, weight, gender, and activity level.

On average, if you are a moderately active woman between the ages of 26 to 50, you will need to consume about 1500 calories per day to lose 1 pound per week.

If you are a moderately active man between 26 and 50, you will need to consume 2100 calories per day to lose 1 pound per week.

Once you have calculated how many calories you need to consume each day to lose weight, you need to figure out how many carbs, fats, and protein you need to eat.

For instance, on the keto diet, 5% of your caloric needs should come from carbs. If your daily caloric requirements are 1500 calories, then 5% of that will be carbs.

So, 5% of 1500 calories is 75 calories from carbs. For every gram of carbohydrate, your body is supplied with 4 calories.

Therefore, to figure out how many grams of carbohydrate to consume, you divide the number of calories from carbs by 4 calories. In our example, the number of carbs would be 18.75 grams of carbs.

When starting a keto diet, you may experience some initial side effects. These side effects, referred to as the keto flu, occur 2 to 3 days after starting a keto diet and disappearing within 2 weeks.

These symptoms include headaches, tiredness, nausea, dizziness, brain fog, low energy, and digestive discomfort.

Taking mineral supplements may help combat these symptoms.

How Long Should I Do Keto?

You want to do a keto diet for a minimum of 2 to 3 weeks and a maximum of 2 years. That’s because experts don’t know a ketogenic diet can affect you in the long-term.

When you decide to go back on a regular standard diet, it is best to gradually transition. If you transition too fast, you’re more prone to binge or gain the weight back quickly.

What Can You Eat on a Keto Diet?

On a keto diet, you want to eat:

Meat

The fattier the cuts, the better. For instance, choose a dish that contains chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts like my Keto Teriyaki Chicken. It’s a great low carb alternative for when you’re craving Chinese takeout.

If you can, choose grass-fed beef. This is because grass-fed beef contains more inflammation-fighting omega-3s than standard meat.

Be cautious when selecting processed meats such as cold cuts and sausages because they may have added carbs.

Fish and Seafood

The fattier the fish, the better. Fatty fishes include salmon, tuna, and trout.

Since mercury consumption can be a problem, smaller fatty fish like herring, mackerel, and sardines are a great option.

Eggs

When possible, choose free-range eggs. That’s because free-range eggs contain more omega-3s, Vitamin A and E than conventional eggs.

Eggs are a great breakfast option on a keto diet. You can eat them boiled, scrambled, fried, or even make egg cups like my Bacon Egg Cups.

They’re cheesy, creamy, and full of flavor. They’re also really portable, which makes them the perfect grab-and-go breakfast.

Nuts and Seeds

This includes chia seeds, walnuts, peanuts, and almonds. If you love peanuts, you’ll definitely love my Peanut Butter Balls. They’re sweet, chewy, and moist…perfect for popping in your mouth.

High-Fat Dairy

This includes butter, heavy cream, and cheeses that are high in fat. When choosing cheese, avoid packaged shredded cheese. That’s because it contains starch to prevent the cheese from clumping together.

Craving potato chips? These Keto Cheese Chips With Jalapeno are sure to satisfy your cravings. They’re crispy, crunchy, cheesy, and have a nice heat.

They are also really low in carbs. One serving contains only 0.6 grams of net carbs. So, you can eat as many as you want.

Berries

These include strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries.

Healthy Oils

These include coconut oil, avocado oil, and extra virgin olive oil.

Low Carb Vegetables

These include non-root vegetables such as broccoli, kale, tomatoes, cauliflower, and bell peppers.

One low carb vegetable that is incredibly versatile is cauliflower. You can use it to make cauliflower mash, cauliflower rice, or even make pancakes like these Cheesy Cauliflower Pancakes.

They are cheesy, crispy, and best of all, contain less than 3 grams of net carbs per serving.