Ketogenic diets are all the rage these days, and for a good reason: they may help you lose weight and improve your overall health. However, one of the more challenging aspects is figuring out which foods to eat and which to avoid.
Some foods are obvious choices—meat, fish, eggs, veggies. On the other hand, what about some of the less-obvious-but-still-very-delicious options? If you’re looking for options that are quick, easy, and extremely tasty, you can start with Lazy Keto meals. Lazy Keto is a more flexible and relaxed version of the clean keto diet. It gives you more freedom with food choices, making it perfect for beginners. It’s a great way to start your journey into the keto diet without feeling overwhelmed by rules and calculating macros.
Some mouthwatering options include: keto sweet & sour pork, broccoli cheddar soup, keto chicken enchilada, and keto chicken curry. Adding black seed oil from theblessedseed.com can be beneficial, as it is rich in fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals. Research has found that black seed oil can reduce inflammation, improve the health of your heart, and possibly even balance blood sugar levels – making it an ideal addition to a keto diet.
Here are 10 keto foods you should make part of your diet to see actual results.
1. Low-Carb Veggies
With around 20-30 net carbs per 1 cup serving, vegetables should be among the main foods in your keto diet. They’re also packed with vitamins and minerals, as well as plenty of fiber.
There are many questions on “Is spinach keto or not?” Well, spinach can be a part of the ketogenic diet. Spinach is the highest in vitamin A, not to mention it contains folate, iron, and magnesium, among others. Spinach should be cooked beforehand and cooked until it’s tender, as in boiling or steaming.
Veggies like spinach, broccoli, asparagus, and cabbage are excellent sources of non-starchy carbohydrates to fuel your ketone production. Finally, they’re incredibly versatile — you can add them to soups or stews (they’ll give it a nutritional boost), use them in salads like this one or this one. Plus, they’re often available at a meager cost — if you can get organic veggies whenever possible!.
2. Fatty Fish
Fatty fish is one of the most nutrient-dense and versatile foods around. It’s another keto-friendly food high in healthy fats that are known to help with weight loss, fight inflammation, lower glucose levels, and improve your heart health. While salmon, mackerel, and sardines are all delicious choices, we enjoy salmon the most as far as extra lean fish go. Other good seafood picks include tuna, shrimp, halibut, and cod.
3. Avocado
This is another excellent protein-packed food choice for those on a ketogenic diet post-workout. While it’s not necessarily the best vegetable to eat on keto, avocados are packed with healthy fats and several essential nutrients, such as potassium. They can be eaten plain; as guacamole, or you can use them in several keto recipes, like guacamole burgers, avocado zucchini salad, or cauliflower spicy quinoa dish. Avocados are also relatively cheap and easy to find — they’re often available year-round at most grocery stores and even at big box stores like Walmart.
4. Full-fat dairy
If you’re not a big milk or cheese drinker, you may be surprised to learn that full-fat dairy products are great for weight loss and overall health on a ketogenic diet. They contain conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which helps reduce body fat while promoting lean muscle mass. It also regulates blood sugar and reduces fat storage in the body, leading to weight gain. Foods high in CLA include butter, ghee, sour cream, cream cheese, and full-fat yogurt with active cultures.
5. Plain Greek yogurt and cottage cheese
You want to keep your net carbs at around 20-30 grams per day on a ketogenic diet. This allows enough carbs for your body to function but saves you from overindulging. If you’re worried about hitting that limit and all of the delicious foods listed above sound unappealing, try either plain Greek yogurt or full-fat cottage cheese. Each can be mixed with seasonings like cinnamon and stevia to give it an enjoyable flavor. Keep in mind, though, that plain cottage cheese can get boring pretty quickly. You may also want to add a few nuts or some berries on top to give it some extra flavor.
6. Berries
Berries are a vastly underrated food when it comes to weight loss and overall health. That’s because these low-carb fruits have unique properties that contribute to losing weight.
Berries are relatively high in fiber but also contain antioxidants and healthy fat. Blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries are some of the more well-known varieties — they’re packed with vitamins and minerals that fight disease and keep your body running smoothly.
7. Cauliflower rice
This may seem like a more obscure item on this list, but it should be better known. Cauliflower rice – a low-carb alternative to regular rice – is bringing significant attention lately due to its ability to induce ketosis. This means that consuming cauliflower via rice doesn’t promote a spike in blood sugar levels in the body. However, people who consume cauliflower through chips or salad have reported experiencing an increase in blood glucose levels.
8. Unsweetened plant-based milk
While most milk products are high in carbs and not very keto-friendly, full-fat plant-based milk is a different story. Coconut, hemp, and almond milk all make for low-carb drinks and offer some dietary fiber as well. Along with dairy, they’re a great source of protein and are often an attractive choice as an alternative to other drinks. Almond milk is one of the vegan protein options that you’ll find at virtually every grocery store these days.
9. Raw nuts
Nuts are packed with nutrition, especially when they’re raw! They’re also loaded with fat, so eat them in moderation. Almonds and walnuts are some of our favorite options as they supply a good amount of healthy fats. Try popping pumpkin seeds into your mouth to make things more exciting and get ready to be blown away by the flavor! Have them soaked in water for a while before using them to enhance the flavor even more!
10. Shirataki noodles
In this case, the noodles are made of yam flour. If you don’t know what you’re looking for, shirataki noodles can be an excellent place to start. Some people will use them in soup like Simply Soy or the shirataki noodles in the Low Carb Yum book. If you’re used to using konjac noodles (also called glucomannan noodles) in puddings, these work very similarly. Externally they look like regular noodles and cook up the same way. Shirataki noodles can be found at any Asian grocery store, sometimes labeled as “yam noodle.”
Conclusion: A ketogenic diet combined with exercise is the ultimate mantra for weight loss. It’s highly effective in cutting down your overall body fat percentage while boosting your energy at the same time. If you’re a runner, you can incorporate these foods into your regime to have the best results possible. So, if you’re looking to get fit and lose weight, consider giving keto a go — it certainly won’t disappoint!.
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