Top 9 Foods to Include in Your Keto Recipe

Before we dive into foods to include a keto diet, there is a teeny-weeny chance that not many people are familiar with the keto diet.

Just so nobody gets left behind, we thought it would help if we discussed what makes a diet “keto” and walk our way up from there. Shall we?

First thing first, what is a keto diet?

Not to bore you with scientific jargon, the word “keto” is short for ketogenic, and it refers to foods with low carbohydrate (popularly known as low-carb).

The keto diet idea is to get most of your calories from protein and fat (healthy fat) instead of carbohydrates. You will also have to cut down on white bread, sugar, pastries, soda, and other similar foods packed with carbs.

Hopefully, you understand the insight we just shared with you. Now, let’s move on to widespread concern about the ketogenic or keto diet.

Is the keto diet good for me?

Often, one question that comes to the fore whenever a ketogenic diet is mentioned is whether it is safe and the benefits of going on a keto diet?

How about we take a second or two to address these concerns? Great, right?

So, what are the benefits of the keto diet?

1. Keto diet helps with weight loss

Because keto diets are intended to reduce appetite and boost metabolism, it is an excellent way of promoting weight loss. The ketogenic diet promotes weight loss because it contains food that fills you up quickly and hinders hunger-stimulating hormones.

A keto diet survey report showed that the keto diet makes you lose fat faster than low-fat diets, and you can shed up to 5 lbs. more fat within six months.

2. Keto diet may help reduce the risk of cancer

Studies on the keto diet suggest that in addition to the ketogenic diet’s ability to reduce blood sugar, it can also reduce insulin complications — and insulin has links to some types of cancers because it regulates blood sugar.

Also, keto has shown potential as a complementary treatment, in addition to chemotherapy and radiation therapy, in the treatment of cancer. This is because it causes more stress — oxidative stress on cancer cells and causes them to die.

3. Keto diet can help reduce cholesterol

Following a keto diet takes less healthy fats such as pork rinds off your plate and replaces them with healthy fats like avocados. What that means is that you are also steering clear unhealthy foods that could spike your cholesterol level.

Guess what low bad cholesterol means to your health?

It means you are less exposed or at risk of having cardiovascular diseases or any other heart complications. While you are following your keto diet, you must pick nutritionally balanced and healthy foods.

Another benefit of the keto diet is that it offers neuroprotective benefits, making it useful in treating and managing health conditions like Alzheimer’s disease. Last but not least, the keto diet can also improve acne.

Before we discuss our keto recipe, here is a list of foods you should steer clear of.

What foods should I avoid in a keto diet?

As we hinted earlier, a keto diet is packed with high protein and a rich, healthy fat eating plan — with little room for carbohydrates (low carb). Having touched on the benefits of the keto diet and some diseases keto has proven to be effective in treating, here are foods you should avoid on a keto diet.

1. Food grains should be avoided because they contain high carbohydrates in them which hinders ketosis. Examples of food grains include oatmeal, rice, barley, rye, wheat grains, and whole wheat flour.

2. Fruits. Yes, fruits! Fruits are naturally high in glucose and fibre — making them a no-go area for those on a keto diet. Some fruits to avoid included mangoes, dates, pineapples, peaches, pears, and grapes.

However, there a good number of keto-friendly fruits: avocados, olives, blackberries, blueberries and raspberries.

3. Vegetables

If you are shocked to find out that apples are not keto-friendly, brace up for more surprises. Vegetables that grow under the ground are also off the list for those on a keto diet. So, veggies like yam, carrot, corn, sweet potatoes and peas are a No! No!

Other foods you should avoid include artificial sweeteners, beverages and low-fat dairy products like condensed milk, low-fat milkshake, and low-fat butter because they are unnecessary additions to your meal and may contain carbohydrates.

Top 9 foods to include in your keto recipe

1. Eggs

2. Olives and olive oil

3. Poultry and seafood

4. Dark chocolate

5. Berries

6. Allium vegetables like garlic and onions

7. Cruciferous vegetables like kale and broccoli

8. Coconut oil

9. Nuts and seeds

Of course, that is not all. You can add avocado and the popular shirataki noodles. Just be creative with your choice of these foods and incorporate them into your keto diet.

Conclusion

If you follow through on a keto diet, your body initiates the ketosis process, where your body starts utilizing stored body fats to generate energy.

To help you get started on your keto diet, you can start by decreasing your carbs consumption, opt for more healthy fats, exercise regularly, stick to a sleep schedule and drink more water. Make the best of all we have shared with you so far and spruce up your keto diet.