The Keto Diet
I recently paid a visit to the Keto Kitchen in Santa Gertrudis in Ibiza, whilst on a retreat and doing some research for my website.
The menu was good, interesting and quite varied, and I was fascinated to see the premise behind yet another “fad” diet or set of rules which promised to make me healthy and skinny at the same time.
The high-fat, low-carb keto diet is quickly becoming super popular. That’s because people are being told that they are able to eat high-fat foods which they once put on the ‘naughty list’ and began losing weight rather quickly. When you’re seeing fast weight loss results, it’s hard to disagree, but you need to be careful as there are things that you don’t see – such as higher cholesterol and symptoms you might not see until later on. Here are some tips to help ensure you’re following it correctly and eating balanced meals.
Things to look out for to help you with this approach:-
Eat Healthy Fats
On keto, you’ll be adding more fat to every meal and snack. That should be done in the form of better-for-you fats, like grass-fed butter, ghee, avocados, coconut oil, and fatty fish like salmon. If you choose to eat nut butter, look for low or no-sugar and natural versions. Avoid highly processed vegetable and seed oils.
Track Your Carbs
It’s important to write down or use an app to track how many carbs you’re consuming daily so you can keep it to within five percent of your daily caloric input. For many people, that’s about 20 to 40 grams of carbs daily. You could easily go over that number with a slice of bread and a piece of fruit. Maybe use a health app to track your macronutrients. You might want to try some keto meal delivery services for recipe ideas while you’re getting started.
Add More Produce
Some people think that Keto is all about eating bacon, eggs, meats, and full-fat cheese throughout the day. Whilst you can enjoy those foods as part of your Keto meal plan, you should be adding non-starchy vegetables such as Spinach, Broccoli and low-carb fruits, such as Berries, to meals and snacks. It’s never usually a bad thing to eat loads of leafy greens, tomatoes, and avocados. Have broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, asparagus and spinach as side dishes. You can have avocados, berries, olives, lemons, and coconuts as low-carb fruit options but keep an eye on the portion sizes when you’re trying to get into the Keto diet.
Reduce Your Processed Food Intake
If you’re just starting out on Keto, keep it simple and avoid processed and packaged foods in the beginning, just while you’re getting used to it. This is a good rule of thumb for any diet and can result in health benefits like improving heart health, reducing risks of some cancers and diabetes, as well as having more energy and healthier skin.
Take Your Vitamins
Mum’s been telling you this for years, but taking a daily multivitamin and adding other supplements to your regime, can help to ensure you’re getting important nutrients you need. Some supplements which contain potassium and magnesium can help you make it through some of the Keto’s side effects, like fatigue, headaches and flu-like symptoms.
Get Enough Fibre
When you cut out whole grains, you’ll be missing a lot of natural fibre from your diet. That’s one of the reasons why it’s so important to add a lot of fibre-rich vegetables to your diet to keep things moving and regular. Keep cruciferous, high-fibre vegetables in your diet, such as broccoli and cauliflower (wherever possible I recommend you buy Green Broccoli), as well as fruits like Avocados. Drink a lot of water to help keep your digestion moving.
Stop The Starvation Mindset
There are quite a few foods you are asked to give up whilst following the Keto diet. But some of the positives of this are that you can eat larger portions of fattier foods which you may have cut out whilst on other diets. For example, you can have a fillet steak. You can add butter or oil to your vegetables. (In fact, most nutritionists will tell you that you should add fat to your vegetables so that your cells absorb the vitamins). You can enjoy full-fat cheese or eggs and bacon for breakfast. Focus on eating balanced meals and stop when you feel full. You’ll probably find that you’re satisfied longer than you were when eating lower-fat or non-fat meals.
Avoid Fried Foods
You probably adhered to this diet rule on other weight loss plans, but the reason you’ll avoid these on Keto is because of the carbs from the breading. Have your animal and vegetarian proteins sautéed in high-quality oil, baked or grilled.
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