6 Foods to Eat on a Keto Diet (incl. Keto-friendly Recipes)
A ketogenic diet involves drastically reducing your carbohydrate intake and replacing it with fat. This forces your body to depend on fats for its primary source of energy rather than glucose.
Ketosis is a metabolic state that programs your body to become incredibly efficient at burning fat for fuel. It transforms fat into ketones in the liver, which offers energy to the brain. Ketones are small fuel molecules produced by the body as a result of the process.
The whole point of going keto is to reach ketosis. A keto macro calculator will help you to get there. This will help you track the exact amount of carbs, fat, and protein you need to hit your desired weight.
The keto diet is restrictive; however, if you hack the system correctly, you can still create a wealth of delicious meals. All you need to know are the kinds of foods the diet allows:
1. Meat
You can eat different varieties of meat ranging from poultry to pork, lamb and beef. Choose unprocessed meats as they are healthier and if available and the budget permits, buy organic meat.
Keep in mind, though, that keto is a diet high in fat and moderate in protein. As meat is generally high in protein, you don’t need large piles of it.
Excess protein can potentially be converted into glucose. This could hinder some people getting into ketosis, especially when they’re new to the diet or have high levels of insulin resistance.
Check out the following keto friendly meat recipes:
2. Seafood
Seafood is an excellent option for the keto diet, particularly fatty fishes like salmon.
If you are concerned about mercury or other toxins found is seafood, choose fish that are lower in the food chain such as sardines, mackerel, and herring.
Check out our sardines tartar for an excellent addition to your usual keto meals.
Shellfish are very keto-friendly. Crab, clams, oysters, lobster, and mussels are excellent choices for a keto meal. Check out the seafood recipes below for delicious keto meals:
3. Low-carb Vegetables
Many people end up eating more vegetables than usual during their keto diet. This is because the pasta, rice, potatoes, and other starchy foods they normally eat are replaced with veggies. Remember to go for non-starchy vegetables with less than 8 g of net carbs per cup.
Non-starchy vegetables such as artichokes, asparagus, carrots, celery, and eggplant are low in calories and carbs and are rich in nutrients — vitamin C and several minerals.
Vegetables, fresh or frozen, are a tasty way to consume healthy food. Some even view vegetables as a fat-conveying system. Also, these provide more variety, flavor, and color to your keto meals.
Check out the keto-friendly vegetable recipes below:
4. Cheese
Hooray, cheese lovers! There are plenty of types of cheese you can add to your keto diet.
Most cheese varieties are sparse in carbs and high in fat, which makes them an excellent choice. Some keto-friendly cheeses include cottage cheese, cream cheese, feta, goat’s cheese, mozzarella, parmesan, and the like.
If you’re vegan, we’ve got you covered with a selection of the best vegan cheese brands.
5. Eggs
Eggs are rich in antioxidants, B vitamins, minerals, and protein. Two eggs contain zero carbohydrates and 12 grams of protein.
Moreover, eggs activate hormones that increase the feeling of fullness and stabilize blood sugar levels. They also contain antioxidants, such as lutein and zeaxanthin, which aid eye health.
As in the case of meat, make sure to eat eggs in moderation as they are fully-loaded with proteins.
As for recipes, beef tartare with egg yolk is a super delicious and keto-friendly meal.
6. Nuts, Seeds, and Healthy Oils
Nuts and seeds contain fiber, healthy polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, and protein. They are also low in net carbs.
Olive oil and coconut oil are recommended in the keto diet. Olive oil is high in oleic acid, which is linked to a decreased risk of heart disease.
Coconut oil is high in saturated fats; nonetheless, it holds medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), which can promote ketone production. The MCTs may boost the metabolic rate and speed up weight loss.
Always be sure to monitor your intake of any type of healthy fat.
Final Thoughts
Although the keto diet is restrictive, you can still incorporate a variety of nutritious, tasty, and versatile foods that will encourage you to keep within your daily carb range.
The keto diet has been proven to have health-related perks, though there are risks too. Studies have claimed that its benefits include weight loss and increased performance. Remember that to achieve all these benefits, you should consume only keto-friendly food on a regular basis.
