If you are looking for a good diet to lose weight, you may have heard of the keto diet, aka the ketogenic diet. Actually, the keto diet is popular all over the world as an effective diet for weight loss and overall wellbeing that includes mcts. According to many research studies, this low-carb diet can boost fat loss and improve many conditions like cognitive decline and type 2 diabetes. In this article, we are going to explain what you can eat and avoid on this diet. This will help you prepare the right meal plan to get started. Basics of the Ketogenic Diet As a general rule, the ketogenic diet is low in carbohydrates, moderate in protein and high in fat. This diet requires you to reduce your carb intake to less than 50 grams per day. However, there are other versions of this diet that come with stricter restrictions. Instead of carbs, you need to consume fat-rich foods. Ideally, around 75% of your calories should come from fats. In the same way, 20% of your energy should come from proteins and 5% from carbohydrates. What you need to do is rely on fats instead of carbs to produce energy. This process is known as ketosis. In the ketosis mode, your body makes use of ketones as an alternative source of fuel. Although people usually avoid fat due to its caloric content, many research studies prove that the keto diet can help promote weight loss better than a low-fat diet. Aside from this, the keto diet can help you curb your appetite and increase satiety. And this helps to lose weight. Ketogenic Diet Plan At first, adopting the keto diet may seem overwhelming. However, there is nothing like that about this diet. All you need to do is reduce your carb intake and increase your fat and protein intake. Carb intake must be restricted to get into the ketosis state and stay there. Although most dieters can get into the ketosis state by consuming fewer than 20 grams of carbohydrates per day, many can achieve success consuming a lot more carbohydrates. As a general rule, it is easier to stay in ketosis if you reduce your carbohydrate intake. Therefore, it's better to stick to keto-friendly foods and stay away from items that contain a lot of carbs. This is the best way of losing those extra pounds on a keto diet. Keto-Friendly Foods On a keto diet, your meals and snacks should consist of the foods given below: Eggs: Organic whole eggs are an ideal choice. Fatty fish: mackerel, herring, and salmon Poultry: Turkey and chicken Condiments: fresh herbs, lemon juice, vinegar, pepper, salt, and spices Non-starchy veggies: peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, broccoli, greens Avocados: you can include whole avocados to every snack or meal Healthy fats: sesame oil, coconut butter, MCTs, MCT oil powder, avocado oil, and olive oil Nut butter: cashew butter, almond butter, and natural peanut Nuts and seeds: flaxseeds, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, almonds, macadamia nuts Full-fat cheese: cream cheese, goat cheese, brie, mozzarella, cheddar Full-fat dairy: cream, butter, yogurt Meat: bison, organ meats, pork, venison, grass-fed beef Foods to Avoid It's better to exclude foods high in carbohydrates from your keto diet: Alcoholic drinks: sugar drinks like beer High-carb sauces: dipping sauces, sugar-rich salad dressings, barbecue sauce Fruit: pineapple, bananas, grapes, citrus Legumes and beans: kidney beans, lentils, chickpeas, black beans Starchy veggies: peas, pumpkin, corn, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, potatoes Grain products: tortillas, breakfast cereals, oats, rice and wheat Pasta: noodles and spaghetti Sweet drinks: sports drinks, sweetened teas, juice, and soda Sugary foods: coconut sugar, agave syrup, maple syrup, candy, ice cream, and sugar Bake goods: rolls, doughnuts, cookies, crackers, whole-wheat bread, white bread Although you need to reduce your intake of cars, low-glycemic fruits like berries can be had but in low amounts. The idea is to stay in the macronutrient range. Make sure you opt for healthy food sources and avoid process and unhealthy fats. Given below is a list that can help you: Diet foods: Avoid foods that contain artificial colors, sweeteners, and preservatives like aspartame and sugar alcohols. Processed foods: all types of packaged and processed foods like lunch meats and hot dogs. Unhealthy fats: corn oil, canola Keto-Friendly Drinks Sugar is part of a wide variety of drinks like coffee drinks, iced tea, soda, and juice. If you are on the keto diet, you might want to avoid high-car drinks like high-carb foods. According to many research studies, sugary drinks are associated with many health issues like diabetes and obesity. The good news is that you can choose from a lot of sugar-free drinks on the keto diet. Given below is a description of some keto-friendly sugar-free drinks: Unsweetened tea: You can opt for green tea as it is delicious and offers a lot of health benefits. Coffee: you can give a go to heavy cream to make your tea taste better. Sparkling water: It's a great alternative to soda. Water: Of all the drinks out there, water is the best choice if you want to stay hydrated. You can drink water throughout the day. For extra flavor, you can choose from different keto-friendly flavors. They will make your drinks taste great. For instance, you can put some lemon peel and fresh mint into your drinks. Although you must restrict your alcohol intake, you can still enjoy a low-carb beverage, such as tequila and vodka. Make sure you mix water with these drinks. The takeaway A healthy keto diet revolves around low-carb, high-fat choices and excludes processed products and unhealthy fats. Make sure your keto-friendly drinks are free of sugar. Good alternatives include unsweetened coffee/green tea, sparkling water, and water. If you follow the above guidelines, you can prepare a great keto-friendly diet plan.
