For years now, it seems like the only diet that everyone is on is the ketogenic diet. Perhaps you’ve heard celebrities talking about it, or your friends have told you how much weight they have lost since they went keto. Now you’re considering going keto, but you don’t know what the diet entails, or what it is that you can and cannot eat.
Luckily, you’ve come to the right place. But before we look at the foods that you can and can’t eat on a ketogenic diet, let’s find out exactly what a keto diet is.
What is a Ketogenic Diet?
A ketogenic diet is a high fat, low carbohydrate diet, where proteins are eaten in moderation. Keto has been known to produce a whole wealth of health benefits – especially for diabetics and epileptics – but it’s also known for effectively helping people lose weight. The reason why keto is so effective at shedding weight is that it alters how your body works. When you go keto, your body no longer uses carbohydrates as fuel, as you’re not eating them anymore. Instead, your body starts to use fat as fuel, thanks to a process that is known as ‘ketosis.’
Do you need to exercise to lose weight while doing the ketogenic diet?
No. Exercise is not mandatory for losing weight on the keto diet, although it will help. Exercise provides you with a huge amount of benefits. It will improve your sleep, lift your mood, boost your self-esteem, and contribute to weight loss, as well, so exercise should always be considered. But it’s not necessary for losing weight via keto.
What can you eat on a ketogenic diet?
A ketogenic diet is a high fat, low carbohydrate diet. It must be followed strictly for it to work. If you introduce carbs to your diet – even a small amount – then it will knock your body out of ketosis, meaning that you will no longer be gaining the benefits of keto. It can take some people days or weeks until they are back into ketosis.
To make sure that you’re entirely keto, then only eat the following foods:
Meat
Just about every meat is acceptable on a ketogenic diet. But you should always select unprocessed meat. If it’s possible, choose organic meat too. Grass-fed meat is a healthier option than corn-fed. When you’re on a keto diet, then you can happily eat poultry, beef, pork, lamb, venison, turkey, and ham. Try to keep your portions relatively small, as too much protein can knock you out of ketosis. And remember, do not eat sausages, meatballs, burgers, or other processed meat, as they contain carbs, and are not ketogenic as a result.
Fish & Seafood
Just like meat, fish and seafood are just fine on a ketogenic diet. You can eat salmon, pike, trout, mackerel, cod, tuna, snapper, halibut, catfish, and most other fish. When it comes to seafood, then clams, mussels, shrimp, clams, and lobsters are all fine too. Once again, you must remember that the fish should be unprocessed and not wrapped or covered in anything. Battered or bread-crumbed fish is not ketogenic, as it will contain carbohydrates.
Nuts
Nuts are ketogenic and they make a fantastic keto snack. Peanuts, almonds, cashews, pecans, hazelnuts, and walnuts are a great option. You’re also allowed to eat peanut butter and almond butter too.
Eggs
Eggs are fine on keto. But you just need to be careful how you cook them, as you’ve got to make sure that you avoid any carbs. Scrambled eggs on toast are off the menu. Boiled eggs make a great snack.
Cheese & High Fat Dairy
Some tasty foods are ketogenic, and cheese is one of them. Soft and hard cheeses are keto, just like a lot of high-fat dairy products. Heavy cream and sour cream are fine, as well as cream cheese. Butter is okay, and it can be used for cooking.
Natural Oils & Fats
When it comes to oils for cooking, then you have a lot of choices on a ketogenic diet. Coconut oil, olive oil, ghee, lard, and avocado oil are all acceptable. You can also eat mayonnaise.
Certain Vegetables
Not all veg is okay on keto. The basic rule is that if they grow above ground, then they’re fine on keto. Leafy green vegetables are particularly recommended, such as cauliflower, kale, and spinach. You can also eat mushrooms, bell peppers, avocado, olives, and asparagus. Remember, tomatoes are a fruit, and they are not acceptable on a ketogenic diet.
Berries
You can eat blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries on the ketogenic diet, but you must do so in moderation. Only eat these foods sparingly, or else you may knock yourself out of ketosis.
What can you drink on a ketogenic diet?
Now that you know what you can eat on a ketogenic diet, let’s have a little look at what you can drink:
Coffee
As long as you don’t put any sugar in it, then coffee is fine. You should refrain from adding milk or cream, although a small amount is okay. And you can even make a Bulletproof coffee with butter if you want to up your fat intake.
Tea
Once again, tea is fine, as long as you don’t add any sugar or milk to it. Herbal teas are a great tasty option.
Certain Alcoholic Beverages
If you want to have an alcoholic beverage while you’re on your ketogenic diet, then you have to pick it carefully. Hard liquors are fine, as is very dry wine or champagne. If you want a special drink for a night out, then try vodka and soda water, as this has no calories and tastes great.
Bone Broth
This is a tasty, nutritious drink that you can make at home.
WATER: Of course, water is what you should be drinking most of the time, and it is fine on a ketogenic diet, just like it is on any diet at all.
What can’t you eat on a ketogenic diet?
Now that we know what we can eat and drink on a keto diet let’s have a look at what we absolutely cannot eat under any circumstances if you want to adhere to a ketogenic diet. There are a lot of them. So, we’re going to look at the most common ones.
Bread
Bread is Enemy Number One on the ketogenic diet. It is packed full of carbohydrates, and it should be avoided at all costs. If you’re going to go keto, then you’re not going to be eating any sandwiches, toast, or bagels for a while, but it’s worth it, as you’ll lose weight.
Pasta
Pasta is often eaten by athletes prior to a sporting event. Why? Because it is packed with carbohydrates that release energy. But you don’t want these carbs, so no spaghetti or penne. But you can make a tasty alternative with courgettes. Have a look online for a keto courgette pasta recipe.
Pizza
Another of Italy’s most famous foods is not ketogenic. But, you may be able to make a ketogenic alternative, which uses cauliflower as a base and doesn’t have a tomato sauce. If this intrigues you, then have a look online for a recipe.
Fruit
Fruit is packed with lots of amazing vitamins and minerals that are fantastic for you. But it also has lots of sugar in it. And that’s why it’s not ketogenic.
Candy
Most diets don’t allow you to eat candy, but it’s particularly important on the ketogenic diet that you don’t eat candy because it will knock you out of ketosis, ruining your good work.
Potatoes
That’s right – no more French Fries. Potatoes are not allowed on a ketogenic diet. They are a high-carb food, so they cannot be eaten while you’re in ketosis.
Rice
his is a staple food around the world. It’s cheap and versatile, but it’s also a carbohydrate, so it’s not allowed on a keto diet.
What can’t you drink on a ketogenic diet?
The last thing we need to look at is the non-keto drinks. Here are the main ones to avoid:
Beer
We all know what a beer gut looks like. And if you want to lose yours via the ketogenic diet, then you need to cut out the beer, as it is a very high carb drink.
Soda
Soda is high in sugar, which makes it a no-no on the ketogenic diet.
Fruit Juice
As we’ve seen, fruit is not allowed on a keto diet, and that’s the same for its juice.
Conclusion
Now you know exactly what you can and cannot eat and drink. There are no more excuses. It’s time to jump on the keto train and enjoy the journey. If you do, then there’s a good chance that you’ll notice the weight fall off you, as this is a highly effective diet that’s extremely popular because it works.
