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There are many foods you can eat on a keto diet, even though it can sound restrictive initially. Among the foods that are allowed on a keto diet are eggs, butter, cream and cheese, healthy oils, avocados, meat and low-carb vegetables.
But before we explore what you can eat on a keto diet, let’s dive into what this kind of nutrition plan is and why it’s beneficial for your health.
A keto diet is, in essence, a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet that is designed to induce a state of ketosis in your body.
Ketosis is a natural metabolic state within your body where you use fat to fuel your body rather than carbohydrates. The main advantages of putting your body into ketosis are that you burn off excess fat stores, lower your insulin levels and stabilise your blood sugar levels.
Signs that your body has entered ketosis include:
This last point may sound negative, but it is easily fixed by brushing your teeth more frequently or chewing sugar-free gum. The increase in ketones in your breath (of which one is acetone) is what causes your breath to smell.
You’ll also have an increase in ketones in your blood, which you need a specialised meter to track.
Broadly speaking, when you are on a keto diet you will focus on consuming protein and high-fat foods, alongside low-carbohydrate vegetables.
In terms of the foods you’re allowed to eat on a keto diet, many people focus on the following:
There are different ways to approach a keto diet in terms of the ratios of fat to protein to carbohydrates.
As a starting point, you may want to focus on gaining 70–80 per cent of your calories each day from fat, 10–20 per cent from protein, and 5–10 per cent from carbohydrates. Although there is no definitive rule about the percentages.
It’s important to note that when you start a keto diet, you can experience some unpleasant side effects as your body adjusts to your new way of eating.
This can include diarrhea or constipation in the first few weeks, as well as feeling as though you have flu-like symptoms. Normally this passes within a few days of starting your new meal plan.
You may also notice that you feel less alert and struggle to focus in the first few days of a keto diet, and your sleep can be disrupted. However, once your body adjusts, you will often find that you are rewarded with increased focus that lasts, as well as helping you lose weight.
One tip to help minimise these side effects is to gradually switch to a keto diet. You can do this by first switching to a standard low-carbohydrate diet before reducing your carb intake further and moving to a fully keto diet plan.
A keto diet plan is one that allows you to stick to your ratios of fat and protein to carbohydrates. Planning your meals ahead of time can make it much easier to stay on track.
When you’re creating your meal plan for the week, make sure you factor in snacks as well as your main meals throughout the day. Investing in some high protein snacks can make all the difference to your success and help you stick to your keto diet.
We can’t stress enough how important it is to plan ahead each week when you’re on a keto diet plan – and especially if you are new to this kind of diet.
That’s why it’s important to buy high-protein alternatives to snacks you would normally consume during the day.
Our eating habits can often be subconscious and you don’t want to derail your diet plan by reaching for a chocolate bar in the afternoon when there are suitable alternatives available.
When possible, prepare your own food and take it with you – whether we’re talking about lunch at work or a family gathering. This can help you stick to your eating plan because you aren’t having to make food choices from potentially limited options.
You can also buy pre-prepared meals designed specifically for those on a keto diet, which can be a lifesaver if you are short on time.
Take some time to understand the different macros you’ll see on food labels to help you work out whether an item you are buying in a store has the right kind of fat and protein content versus carbohydrates for your plan.
