Are you looking to lose weight? Do you want to lower blood sugar? Maybe you’ve been hearing about a ketogenic, or keto, diet, and you want to know if it’s right for you and your weight loss and health goals. Well, here’s what you should know about how a keto diet works, and how Netrition can make it easier for you to stick to one. Of course, always talk to your doctor before starting any type of new meal plan, especially one that’s extreme like a keto diet.
How a Keto Diet Works
On a keto diet, you lower your carbohydrate consumption drastically. The goal is to get your body to switch from its usual metabolism, in which you get more of your energy from carbohydrates. Instead, your body turns to fats for energy. An effect is the generation of ketones.
Some people prefer a high-fat keto diet. Others like a keto diet that’s relatively high in protein, but also has a lot of fat. Another variation is a cyclical keto diet, which might include eating a high-carb diet one or two days a week, while eating for ketosis the other five or six days of the week.
Carbs on a Keto Diet
How many carbs can you have on a keto diet? It depends on factors such as whether you are a man or a woman, how much you weigh, how old you are, and how active you are. Many people can get into ketosis by dropping their carb count to about 20 to 30 grams per day. You may have more if you are active.
Foods on a Keto Diet
The foods that you cannot have on a keto diet tend to be high in carbs. The foods to emphasize are foods that are carbohydrate-free, such as protein foods and fats, as well as very low-carb foods.
These are common foods on a keto diet.
- Chicken, turkey, beef, and pork.
- Eggs.
- Cheese and cream.
- Butter and oil.
- Non-starchy vegetables, such as lettuce and other greens, eggplant, zucchini, mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, celery, and asparagus.
- Peanuts, nuts, and seeds.
You might also have small servings of lower-carb fruits, such as berries.
A keto diet limits foods such as these high-carb foods.
- Grains and grain products, such as bread, cereal, pasta, and rice.
- Potatoes and other starchy vegetables.
- Sugar-sweetened beverages and foods.
- Sweets and other sugar-sweetened foods.
- Bananas and other high-carb fruits.
If that seems restrictive, don’t worry! You can look through the Netrition store to find keto-friendly swaps for your favorite high-carb foods! Keto-friendly foods at Netrition include these.
- Baking Mixes for Cakes, Bread, and Pancakes
- Keto-Friendly Granola and Cereal
- Low-Carb and Protein Pasta
- Low-Carb Protein Chips and other Protein Snacks.
You might also ask your doctor whether a Multivitamin and Mineral Supplement may be a good idea on a keto diet.
Sample Meal Plan on a Keto Diet
You may have to be careful with what you eat on a keto diet, but don’t worry: it’s not that hard to make a meal plan. Here’s a sample menu on a keto diet.
Breakfast: Keto Granola with berries and Milkadamia Unsweetened Macadamia Milk or cottage cheese.
Lunch: Wrap in FlatOut Low Carb Flatbread with cooked skinless chicken breast, shredded lettuce, tomato slices, SuperSeedz Gourmet Pumpkin Seeds, and Avocado Chipotle Lime Mayo.
Dinner: Grilled salmon with Sugar-Free Teriyaki Sauce, brussels sprouts, and Keto Queen Kreations Yellow Cake Mix for dessert.
Snacks: Pork King Good Fried Pork Rinds, Quest Nutrition Tortilla Style Protein Chips, and American Licorice Company Sugar Free Red Vines
Keto Betahydroxybutyrate (Keto BHB) to assist with a Keto Diet
It can be tricky to get into ketosis and stay there. It may help to consider a supplement. For example, Perfect Keto Keto Base contains Keto Betahydroxybutyrate, or Keto BHB, from Calcium BHB, Sodium BHB, and Magnesium BHB. Betahydroxybutyrate is a compound that your body makes when it’s in ketosis and is producing ketone bodies. When you take BHB as a supplement, you may be signaling your body that you’re in ketosis. The result is that you can stay in ketosis with a higher carb intake than you would without taking exogenous BHB.
Perfect Keto Keto Base comes in Chocolate, Salted Caramel, and Vanilla Flavors. They’re all delicious, and all sugar-free. They’re sweetened naturally with monk fruit. Each scoop has 60 calories. Mix a delicious scoop into water or a favorite low-carb beverage such as almond milk, coffee, coconut milk, or a protein shake. It’s best on an empty stomach, and you can take it in the morning, before a workout, or anytime during the day.
Is a Keto Diet Safe?
It’s important to be careful on a keto diet, since there isn’t that much long-term data on it. It’s possible that a long-term intake of a lot of protein and a lot of fat could lead to problems. For example, a high-protein diet could place stress on the kidney and liver, or it could interfere with bone health. A high-fat diet could harm heart health.
But is that true? We don’t know yet. What is clear is that plant-based protein seems to be easier on the body than animal-based proteins. So, you could opt for plant-based, or vegan, protein sources, such as soy, beans, and nuts. For example, Netrition has Hippeas Chickpea Puffs, Garden of Life Sports Performance Protein Bars, Edamame Spaghetti, and Mr. Tortilla Burrito Tortillas, for starters. And Calcium Supplements contain a valuable mineral for bone health.
As for heart health,experts suggest choosing healthier sources of fat over less healthy ones. Healthier ones include Olive Oil, avocados (Avocado Mayo, anyone?), and Peanut Butter. Less healthy ones include butter, shortening, trans, and hydrogenated fats.
You’ll also want to talk to your healthcare provider if you notice any symptoms, such as feeling lightheaded, when you start a keto diet.
Does a keto diet sound like something that might work for you? Be sure to talk to your doctor before starting one to make sure it’s a good idea for you and you know how to make it work for you.
