The keto diet can help you shed extra weight by shifting your metabolism to use stored fat for energy production, and potentially lower triglycerides and high blood pressure levels as well.
With detailed explanations and illustrations, the healthy keto plan makes following a keto-friendly diet easier. With access to world-class health tips and weight loss insights, achieve your weight loss goals sooner!
Nuts and seeds
Nuts and seeds are an integral component of a keto diet, providing protein, fats, vitamins minerals and antioxidants in abundance. Not all nuts and seeds have equal carb content – some may be higher than others.
So it is imperative to read food labels carefully and pay attention to net carbs – total carbohydrates minus fiber. Net carbs provide a reliable indicator of how a food will affect your blood sugar levels, with most nuts and seeds generally fitting the ketogenic diet; however some might contain too many carbs and prevent ketosis from taking effect.
Walnuts are an integral component of the keto diet, offering heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids as well as vitamins E, selenium, and copper. Furthermore, walnuts are one of the few plant foods containing leucine which helps build muscles.
Pistachios make an excellent snack option, boasting fiber, potassium, phosphorus, copper and manganese as well as being an abundant source of vitamin B6, an essential nutrient for controlling blood sugar and transporting red blood cells.
Hemp seeds are an excellent source of gamma-linolenic acid, an anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acid known to provide anti-inflammatory benefits, along with providing protein, fiber and calcium. Furthermore, flax seeds provide another low-carb option, abundant with protein fiber ALA omega-3s as well as plant compounds called lignans that can help prevent chronic diseases.
Nuts make an excellent snack option and also can be used as ingredients in recipes and salads, though be mindful when eating nuts as it is easy to overindulge in them! Just be wary when choosing nuts as snack items because overeating may occur when it comes to nuts.
Olive oil
Olive oil, particularly extra virgin (EV) olive oil, is an indispensable asset when following the ketogenic diet. It provides essential monounsaturated fats needed for heart-healthy monounsaturates such as omega 3s. Furthermore, its antioxidant content helps combat chronic illnesses like cardiovascular disease and certain cancers; and research suggests EV olive oil may even lower inflammation markers like C-reactive protein in your body.
Simply stated, keto diet offers one of the best dietary solutions to promote overall health and weight loss while supporting overall wellbeing.
Research indicates that including coconut in meals has been shown to promote satiety by raising levels of serotonin in the brain, keeping people feeling full and satisfied for longer. Furthermore, coconut has also been proven to enhance nutrient absorption, particularly calcium absorption which has been shown to lower risk for osteoporosis.
The ketogenic diet has become increasingly popular as a tool for weight loss and healthier living, but there can be misconceptions surrounding it that can impede results. Therefore, working with a registered dietitian will ensure you meet all of your nutritional requirements during this diet plan.
The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, low-carbohydrate eating plan composed of approximately 71% fat, 22% protein and 5-9% carbohydrates. Cyclical or targeted ketogenic diets may vary these ratios slightly while still maintaining high-fat intake and limited carb intakes.
Coconut oil
Coconut oil is a staple of the keto diet. Packed with healthy saturated fats that may raise HDL “good” cholesterol while simultaneously decreasing LDL “bad” cholesterol, MCTs help increase keton production and metabolic rate, so according to Cleveland Clinic you should consume it moderately while paying attention to portion sizes.
Coconut oil’s shorter fatty acids make it easier for your body to digest, providing energy more quickly for brain functions, keeping you feeling satisfied, and aiding digestion. This benefits brain functioning while improving satiation levels and digestive issues.
Studies suggest that coconut oil’s medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs) can boost your immune system by killing off harmful bacteria and helping prevent infections and speed wound healing. Furthermore, coconut oil benefits digestive health by relieving symptoms associated with ulcerative colitis and improving gallbladder health.
Oil of Oregano also boasts antimicrobial properties that can improve both skin and hair health, so try massaging a tablespoon of this oil onto your skin or using it as a carrier oil when making homemade beauty products. Oil pulling can also help pull toxins out of the digestive system, remove plaque from teeth, and freshen breath – all at once! Simply swirl one tablespoon of the oil around in your mouth for 10 minutes at least and voila – you have yourself an oil pulling session. This practice has many health benefits: pulling toxins from GI tract, eliminating bacteria/white plaque build-up from teeth and freshening breath! Coconut oil has many health benefits for teeth and gums, including helping prevent periodontal disease. MCTs found in coconut oil act as natural antibiotics by breaking down harmful lipid coatings on harmful bacteria to kill them off. For these reasons, it makes an ideal ingredient in natural homemade cleaners like mouthwash or toothpaste.
Berries
Strawberry’s suitability for keto diets depends largely on an individual’s carb limits. One cup of strawberries typically has moderate net carbohydrates, making them suitable to consume. To maintain proper ketosis state and prevent sudden spikes in blood sugar causing fatigue, headache and irritability symptoms as a result, it is wise to limit consumption of high-carb foods like strawberries.
Strawberries are an excellent source of vitamin C, helping strengthen the immune system. Furthermore, they’re low in sodium and packed full of potassium – two nutrients which have been shown to lower blood pressure – making strawberries an excellent source of both fiber and antioxidants.
Raspberries and blackberries are perfect additions to a keto diet, as they’re low in net carbs and can easily fit into one’s daily allowance of carbohydrates. But be cautious with other fruits like mangoes as these contain higher net carb counts and should only be eaten occasionally.
Passion fruit is another delicious keto-friendly fruit option, featuring high fiber levels and antioxidant benefits similar to strawberries. Just remember not to consume more than one passion fruit per day as exceeding this amount can increase carb consumption, disrupting ketosis.
Vegetables
Though keto diets typically promote higher intakes of fat, it’s also essential to incorporate nonstarchy vegetables. Nonstarchy vegetables contain minimal calories, carbohydrates, sodium and key vitamins and minerals but offer rich sources of fiber and key vitamins and minerals like broccoli, cauliflower, green beans and peppers – try eating them raw or cooked and topping with olive oil drizzle or some nuts as garnish.
Avoid starchy vegetables to prevent your glucose from rising; corn, potatoes and sweet potatoes should all be limited in their consumption. As an alternative to pasta dishes like cauliflower rice or zucchini noodles for low-carb diets. Try adding these alternative as side dishes when serving grilled meat or poultry dishes.
Leafy greens like spinach and kale are abundant sources of iron, vitamins A, C and K as well as antiviral and antibacterial compounds that are essential to fighting inflammation, maintaining bone health, supporting normal blood clotting patterns, fighting inflammation associated with arthritis as well as offering other health benefits such as antiviral and antibacterial properties.
Other cruciferous veggies to include in your diet include cabbage, bok choy and rapini. Cabbage contains lots of vitamin C which is known to boost immunity and eyesight while bok choy (also called pak choi or pok choi) boasts vitamin K which promotes bone health. Rapini is another leafy cruciferous veggie rich in Vitamin K for bone support while Rapini boasts peppery leaves and stems similar to broccoli rabe found at most grocery stores – making an excellent addition.
Some dairy products can fit nicely into a keto diet, including milk, yogurt and kefir. Just be wary about adding too many dairy products as they can contain high levels of sugar and saturated fats; when choosing dairy foods as part of your meal plan, opt for plain varieties rather than fruit-flavored varieties with more added sugar than actual berries.