There is a great hype recently for the ketogenic diet with weight loss success stories and restoring good health state. The ketogenic diet is a high fat, moderate protein, and an extremely low carbohydrate diet. The net carb should not exceed 50 gm per day, this drastic cut in carbohydrate intakes forces the body to be in ketosis.
Ketosis is a process where the body uses fats instead of carbohydrates resulting in the formation of ketone bodies which later be used as fuel. Being in ketosis helps in burning body fats and keeps you less hungry. Besides weight loss, there are many health benefits to being in ketosis as it helps patients with metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, and diabetes type 2 and others in controlling their conditions. Also, there are proven clinical studies for the benefits of the keto diet to patients with epilepsy and seizures.
If you want to follow the keto diet, you must choose your food very carefully to keep your body in ketosis, and here is a list of food you can eat safely while on a keto diet.
Eggs
Eggs are extraordinarily rich food, you can have them any time of the day, you can eat them boiled, scrambled, sunny-side eggs, or any other dish you like. For the keto dieters, one large egg contains less than one gram of carbs and 5 grams of proteins, which make it very suitable for the keto diet. Eating eggs makes you full for a long time of the day. Even though the eggs are high in cholesterol, but recent studies show that it did not raise the bad cholesterol in humans.
Avocado
One of the keto-friendly fruits which are rich in healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals. Avocados are a rich source of potassium that makes it recommended for keto dieters as they need to increase their potassium intake. The net carb in one whole fruit is approximately 2 gm. Despite its all benefits, you should watch your intake as it is a calorie-dense food.
Meats and poultry
Meats and poultry are proteins rich in vitamins A, B, and essential minerals like potassium, selenium, and zinc. recent research claims that fatty meats improve cholesterol levels, LDL level and decrease your risk of developing a cardiac disease. But you should choose grass-fed animals and avoid processed meats as it retains its natural benefits and avoid health hazards of factory processed meats.
But you should be cautious as too much protein can be converted into glucose and get the body out of ketosis. For optimum results, protein intake for one day should be kept between 1.2 to 1.7 gm of protein per kg.
Salmon and fatty fish
Although salmon and other fatty fish like mackerel and sardines are rich in fatty acids, they are low in saturated fats and contain plenty of omega 3. Omega 3 is a healthy fatty acid with anti-inflammatory effects.
Salmon is rich in vitamin A, B, and vitamin D. and a lot of minerals like potassium, zinc, and selenium. Also canned salmon is rich in calcium. Fatty fish and salmon have many health benefits as it improves heart health. According to the American Heart Association, eating fatty fish twice per week has a good effect on the heart. For 85 gm of raw salmon, there is 5 gm of fats, 17 gm of proteins, and no carbs.
Shellfish
All shellfish contain a high number of vitamins and minerals like copper and zinc and like all seafood, shellfish contain a large amount of omega 3. But for a keto dieter, you must be cautious as some shellfish may contain higher carb than expected. For 100 gm serving of shellfish, mussels contain higher net carb (7 gm), while shrimps and crabs contain no carbs. Frequent fish intake maintains mental health and helps in the prevention of some diseases like Alzheimer’s.
Extra virgin olive oil
Extra virgin olive oil contains monounsaturated fatty acids and antioxidants which have tremendous benefits for the body and digestion.
It is better to use the cold-pressed and unrefined type to avoid the hazards of processed olive oil. It is best to eat with salads, cooking, and baking, and due to its low smoke point, it should be avoided in frying.
Coconut oil
Coconut oil is a keto-friendly oil. Besides boosting metabolism, having coconut oil in your food induce ketosis as it contains medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) which is rapidly absorbed and used instantly in generating energy. Can be used in frying due to its high smoke point.
Sesame oil
Keto-friendly, healthy oil that contains essential fatty acids with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, promoting the health of the heart, joints, and skin. It has a medium-high smoke point but using it with high heat still controversial.
Hazelnuts and walnuts oil
Rich in essential fatty acids and extracted from hazelnut and walnuts, respectively. Can be used with salads and keto snacks.
Butter
Everyone loves butter, do not you? but for a long time, there was a widespread belief that eating too much butter is causally linked to atherosclerosis and heart disease. Recently, many studies have proved no link between the consumption of butter and strokes or heart conditions, and even eating moderate amounts of butter especially raw butter, and avoiding artificial and processed fats supports a healthy cardiovascular system.
For keto dieters, eating butter on every meal is important to add fat, taste and to decrease hunger. Even you can add it to your coffee for a powerful start in the early morning. But be cautious when indulging with butter as it contains a lot of calories, every 100 gm of butter contains 717 calories.
Cheese
Cheese is a great invention of humans. Cheese is delicious, versatile and adds a lot of taste to any plate. With different cheese shapes and tastes making indulgence is a must. Luckily, cheese is mostly keto-friendly food due to its high content of fat, and low carb. Although cheese is high in saturated fat, scientists could not find any relation between eating cheese and developing cardiac problems. But this does not mean that every keto dieter can eat cheese, some individuals can have cheese with no problem, but for others, eating cheese causes gastrointestinal disturbances due to the lactose content of cheese which may be intolerable to some. So, if your weight stall, try to remove the cheese from your diet to accelerate your weight loss.
Not all cheeses are equal, generally, hard cheese may be better to consume on a keto diet more than soft cheese due to the high content of lactose in the latter, as in cottage and ricotta cheese.
Vegetables
Vegetables are important for your health and in keto it the source of multiple vitamins, minerals, and a source of fibers instead of fruits. Vegetables unlike meat and dairy products contain relatively more carbs. so, you should watch your carb intake carefully to keep your body in ketosis.
To eat vegetables freely in keto you must target vegetables with net carb below 5-gram per 100 gram like zucchini, spinach, lettuce, cucumber, and kale. You can eat as much as you wish from these vegetables. With higher net carb vegetables like pepper, you should watch your intake as you can exceed your carb limit easily.
The root vegetables should be avoided in the keto diet due to its high net carbs like potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, and onions. Greens are usually preferred as you can fill up your plate without exceeding your carb limit, also cruciferous vegetables like cauliflowers can be used as a replacement for other higher carb meals like rice.
Nuts and seeds
Nuts in the keto diet could be a good snack or interesting meal addition. You can have them raw or roasted, salted or not, and you can add butter or cheese or anything you want. Nuts are keto-friendly and were found that adding nuts and seeds to your meals can fight cardiac problems, depression, and even some types of cancer. Their high content of fiber works to decrease hunger and keep you full for longer. Nuts must be consumed in moderation as it contains a lot of fats and calories which could sabotage your efforts if you want to lose weight.
From a keto perspective, some nuts are preferred than others, here with some details in preferred nuts and seeds in the keto diet.
- Pecans are high fat, low carb nut, which makes it suitable for the keto diet. In every 28 gm of pecans, it contains 1 gm net carb, 3 gm protein, and 20 gm fat. Pecans are a rich source of magnesium and copper, so eating pecans has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects on your body.
- Macadamia nuts are typical keto nuts with high-fat content, every 28 gm of macadamia contains 2 gm protein, 2 gm carbs, and 21 gm of fats. Due to its content of selenium, fibers, and antioxidants, macadamia may improve cholesterol levels and work as cardioprotective.
- Brazil nuts originated from the Amazon rainforest, one of the best nuts to eat in keto due to its high-fat content. Every 28 gm of brazil nuts contain 4 gm protein, 19 gm fat, and 1gm carbs. It is rich in minerals like magnesium, phosphorus, and selenium. Brazil nuts are the richest nuts with selenium with 96 mcg per nut.
- Chia seeds are rich with healthy fibers and fats like omega 3. For 28 gm it contains 5 gm protein, 9 gm fat, and 2gm carbs. Omega 3 fats are a great source of essential fatty acids with great anti-inflammatory effects. It plays an important role in losing weight, one recent study found that regular consumption of chia seeds helps in reducing waist circumference.
- Flaxseed this middle eastern origin small seeds are well known for hundreds of years. That is because of its benefits to the heart as it contains omega 3 fats. Also, its high content of fibers can improve the digestive system. It is better to be blended and added to salads, smoothies, and incorporated in different recipes. Each tablespoon contains 2 gm protein, 4 gm fats, and 3 gm of carbs and most of these carbs are fibers that make flaxseed are exceptionally low in carbs and help in control blood glucose level, cholesterol level, and bowel movement.
Fruits
Fruits are full of carbs, that makes it not the optimum choice in a keto diet, but there are some exceptions
- Raspberries and blackberries are delicious, colorful, and nice to have it alone or with some yogurt or heavy cream as a snack. But should be eaten in moderation and from time to time. 60 gram of raspberries contains 3 gm of carbs, while 70 gm of blackberries contains 4 gm of carbs.
- Strawberries you can have them occasionally,100 gm of strawberries contains 6 gm of carbs.
- Plums, kiwi, cherries, and blueberries with a higher content of carbs, you can have them but with more caution
Greek yogurt
Greek yogurt is a great source of protein, 150 grams of Greek yogurt contains 11 gram of proteins, and 5 grams of carbs. You can add berries or nuts to it and eat it as a snack that will decrease your appetite and keep you full for a longer time.
Dark chocolate and cocoa
Chocolate is heavenly delicious, and if you can eat the bitter and darker you can indulge with it in your keto lifestyle. Strict yourself in chocolate with a higher content of cocoa, 75%, or more. Chocolate and cocoa can boost a good mood and make you feel satisfied.
Bone broth
Bone broth is easy to make, just put bone and water and let it simmer for 10 to 12 hours. Bone broth is carb-free, make it keto heaven. It is unbelievably delicious, tasty, and healthy too. It is rich in gelatin and collagen which are helpful to your body, joints, and skin too.
It is rich in glycine which is an essential amino acid. help in the control of blood sugar level and helps in the formation of myoglobin and hemoglobin and helps in gastric ulcer healing.
Finally, the ketogenic diet is one of the successful options to lose weight, and to control insulin resistance and diabetes type 2 and even reverse it. Although big groups of foods are eliminated, there is a wide variety of food to have until you reach your goal.