The keto diet is a low carb, high-fat diet with an adequate amount of protein. The idea behind this diet is to tap into the secondary energy source, fat by minimizing the availability of the primary energy source, glucose.
This can be done by minimizing carb intake to 5-10% of your overall calories, limiting the supply of glucose Without the availability of glucose, your body will source fat for energy. This is called ketosis, a state in which where your body produces ketones by the liver to use as its main energy source.
This may sound crazy to some, but on Keto diet, you’ll be eating quite a bit of fat.
Surprisingly or not, this is because eating fat can actually help you burn fat and lose weight. This especially holds true with the keto diet and a reason behind its rise and popularity.
The diet itself has been around since the 1920s, introduced by endocrinologist goes by the name of Dr. Henry Rawle Geyeline.
Back then the diet was used to treat epileptic seizures. But over the years, scientist have discovered that there are more benefits to eating ketogenic meal plans such as weight loss and fat loss.
But unlike other low carb diet meal plan, the keto diet can be very tricky to follow since it’s not only low in carbs but high in fat. So knowing what you can eat on a ketogenic meal plan can save you a lot of headache and frustration.
Well, if you want to avoid your headache and frustration of choosing the diet plan. Then you can think in a different way. You can try some diet pills which can make your diet plan easy. One of the best diet pills is phenocal and you can read the Phenocal review here before taking them.
Here’s what you can and cannot eat on the ketogenic diet plan.
Quick recap the “ketogenic diet” eating plan is all about minimizing carbohydrate intakes and upping your fats to get your body to use of fat as a form of energy according to Scott Keatley, R.D., of Keatley Medical Nutrition Therapy.
Here’s a quick breakdown of what your macros should look like.
About 60-75% of your calories should come from fat. This makes fat being the majority of your calorie makeup. Other 15-30% should be from protein. The rest of 5-10% should be carbs.
Ketogenic Diet Food List
Fats: This will make up about 75% of your calorie intake.
Fats & Oils: Most of your fats should come from natural sources. They include nuts, meats, and eggs. What that means is, focus on eating good fats like nuts and avocado. You may also supplement with a healthy oil like coconut oil, avocado oil, olive oil, nut butter, and butter.
Nuts and Seeds: have them in moderation. Nuts and seeds are a great source of fat. They also add some crunchiness and textures to your dishes that keep your diet fun and interesting. Try to use fattier nuts like macadamias and almonds.
Protein: Protein will make up about 15% of your calories intake. I recommend buying organic, pasture-raised and grass-fed meat whenever possible. Fish, whole eggs, bacon, sausage. etc.
Most fresh meats don’t have any added sugar in them, so you can eat them in a moderate quantity. Remember to limit your protein intake to 15%.
Be cautious with carbs since they can get tricky. Many foods contain some levels of cabs, even dairy products. Again your carbs intake need to be around 5% to get your body to the ketosis state.
Vegetables: Try to stick to low carbs vegetables such as asparagus, mushrooms, zucchini, spinach, avocados (also excellent fat source), cauliflower, and kale. Leafy vegetables and ground vegetables mentioned above are particularly suitable for this diet. They not only contain many vitamins, they are low in calories.
Fresh or frozen doesn’t really matter.
Beverages: It’s best to stick to water. You can flavor it if needed with lemon/lime juice or apple cider vinegar.
Takeaway
The hardest part of the keto diet is to figure out what to eat and not to eat. The right shopping list can remove all your guesswork out, making this diet easy to start. As for sticking with the plan, first few weeks can be challenging but it should get easier as you go.