Introduction
Despite the diet fads that have perforated the weight loss industry, there is one diet that seems to remain alive. That diet is the ketogenic diet. Now in case, you’re wondering what are the easy ketogenic meals to start eating today to lose weight? Don’t worry, this guide will break down everything you need to know about this wonderful diet. I’ll also reveal the easy ketogenic meals that you can start eating today. So let’s dive into it.
What is the ketogenic diet ?
The ketogenic diet has been around now for over a decade. It is called the “Ketogenic diet” for one main reason. That reason is that it’s a low carb diet. In the ketogenic diet, all you’re basically doing substituting low carbs foods (or easily digestible foods) for foods with a high percentage of protein and fats.
Foods like white bread, white pasta will be eliminated and foods like meat, walnuts, seeds, eggs, and fish will be embraced. In other words, you can simply say that the ketogenic diet switches from using carbohydrate to produce calorie to fats instead.
Can the ketogenic diet help you lose weight?
In order to find out whether the ketogenic diet can help you to lose weight, we, first of all, have to know the science behind it. The ketogenic diet uses a process called “ketosis” – to calculate the ratio between carbs, protein, and fats.
In this diet, your sugar intake will be reduced to about 20% of your normal daily consumption and your protein foods will increase to match the low supply of sugar in the body.
So in a nutshell, Ketogenic helps you to lose weight so long as your body converts sugar to fuel. Let me explain. Each time you consume sugar, your body releases the insulin hormone to convert it to energy. The more insulin present in your blood, the less fat you’ll burn.
But the less insulin in your body, the more fat you’ll burn. So the ketogenic diet, in essence, regulates your insulin levels and when your insulin levels are low, you’ll feel have fewer cravings.
Why should you eat the keto diet?
The ketogenic diet is not one of those fad diets that encourage you to starve yourself to lose weight. You will be able to lose weight, reduce your triglyceride levels, increase your body’s good cholesterol, and reduce blood pressure, without ever having to starve.
Sure the ketogenic diet reduces your appetite, but it does it in a healthy way. Scientific American showed in their studies that “the brain love using ketones much more than glucose”.
WHICH KETO DIET FOOD SHOULD YOU EAT
There are about 9 main foods that you’ll be eating in your keto diet. Such foods are Fats and oil, protein, dairy, vegetables, nuts and seeds, beverages, and spices, dark chocolate and cocoa powder, seafood, coconut oil.
Easy Keto Meals #1 – Fats And Oil
First, let’s start with fats and oil. Fats are the main kicker here. They’ll play a very important role in our ketogenic diet. Despite the popular misconceptions about fats, They play a very important role in our bodies. The only danger of consuming fats is if you’re consuming the wrong type of fat.
Fats like avocado, butter, coconut oil, egg yolks, and macadamia nuts are very important to the body. If you’re going for vegetable oils then it’s important to go for the cold compressed type. One fact that you should watch out for is nuts and seeds. They contain a high amount of Omega 6’s in them. Apart from these, you can consume all other fats in moderate level
The best fats and oil foods to consume includes:
Avacado, butter, chicken fat, Red palm oil, Olive oil, Coconut oil, Ghee, Macadamia Nuts
Easy Keto Meals #2 – Proteins
The next food we’ll discuss now is protein. When it comes to choosing protein, you want to only choose organic foods and free range eggs. Every other protein food should remain in its normal level.
The proteins to consume are Fish, whole eggs, Meat, pork, poultry, Bacon and Sausage, Peanut butter.
Easy Keto Meals #3 – Vegetables
On a ketogenic diet, you only want to eat vegetables that are cultivated from the ground. We will eliminate vegetables that are high in sugar. If you don’t like vegetables at all, then you can substitute them with organic meats.
Easy Keto Meals #4 – Dairy Products
In this case, you want to only stick with organic milk. Opt for low fat milk over milk high in fats. Please try to avoid cheese and sour cream, as they can lead to heart disease, stroke and diabetes ( more details here).
Easy Keto Meals #5 – Beverages
You’re free to drink at least 120 oz. of water per day. If you crave for something sweeter, then coffee and herbal tea can stand as a substitute. But remember to keep your coffee and tea intake to the minimal.
Easy Keto Meals #6 – Spices
Spices are something you should watch out for; some of them have high carb contents in them. Some of the low carb spices include Sea salt, Black pepper, cumin, Thyme, and chili powder.
Easy Keto Meals #7 – Dark Chocolate and Cocoa Powder
These are amazingly great sources of antioxidants and delicious as well.
Cocoa supplies as much antioxidants as other known fruits like acai berries and blueberries. This is why it is called a “super fruit”.
It’s been proven that Dark chocolate lowers blood pressure and keeps the arteries in good health by reducing flavanols. So it’s preferably to go for dark chocolates.
Easy Keto Meal #8 – Seafood
It is common knowledge that Fish and shellfish are keto-rich foods.
For rich B vitamins, selenium and potassium go for Salmon and other fish. The carbs in shellfish vary. Most carbs and shrimps are carb-free but other kinds of shellfish do contain some carbs.
Shellfish is still good to be included in your Ketogenic Diet but it’s important to stay within the range by choosing the kinds to use.
Here are carb counts for 3.5-ounce (100-gram) you can use:
- Oysters: 4 grams
- Clams: 5 grams
- Octopus: 4 grams
- Mussels: 7 grams
- Squid: 3 grams
Just for the popular ones.
Easy Keto Meal #9 – Coconut Oil
Another well-suited item for Ketogenic Diet to consider is Coconut oil because of its hygienic properties. Coconut contains medium chain triglycerides (MCTs). The difference between MCTs and long-chain is that the former is got straight from the liver and then converted to ketones or sometimes used as a quick source of energy. Coconut oil for long has been used for Alzheimer’s disease and other brain disorders and nervous system to increase ketone levels.
WHICH KETO DIET FOOD SHOULD YOU AVOID?
The foods that you avoid in the Ketogenic diet are foods that increase your blood sugar level. Also, try to stay away from refined and added sugars. Examples of foods to avoid in this diet are sugar, Milk, juice, syrup, honey, and fruits.
Try to avoid snacks as much as possible. Studies from the healtline shows that people that skip snacks tends to see a boost in their weight loss journey. If you’re hungry between meals, then it’s likely that you might be dehydrated, in that case drink more water. If you still insist on snacking then go for almonds. Avoid snacks like Chex mix, Fruit gushers, lay’s chips and other popular snacks.
KETO DIET PLANS – SAMPLES AND RECIPES
Most diet systems fail because they make people get tired of eating tasteless meals for a long time. The keto diet requires you to reduce some food intake and stick to fats instead. Unlike other diets, keto foods are quite delicious. So I don’t see any reason why you should be tempted to continue pigging on pastries and cakes.
Just to give you an overview of what you’re going to be eating
Breakfast: You want to quickly eat something snappy. So here are foods that you can eat for breakfast on this diet – Bacon, eggs and tomatoes, salsa, onions, cocoa powder and stevia, sugar free peanut butter, cheese omelet with vegetables, and mushrooms.
Lunch: Now for lunch we’ll be keeping it simple. We will be eating mostly meats and salads. so here are foods that you can eat for lunch on this diet – Burger with salsa, cheese and guacamole, beef stir fry, shrimp salad with olive oil, chicken salad with olive oil.
Dinner: Now for dinner, we are going to be eating foods that are high in fat and low in protein. so here are foods that you can eat as dinner on this diet – Salmon cooked in butter, meatballs, pork chops with parmesan cheese, Bun-less burger with bacon, white fish, egg and spinach, steak with eggs.
Conclusion
The ketogenic diet is great but it’s not for everyone. If you have diabetes, or if you’re looking to improve your metabolic health, then this diet is perfect for you. But if you are an athlete, then it’s advisable not to follow this diet. In the long run, you have to stick to the diet that works for you.