The Keto diet has gained a lot of interest from people because of the results, it is also not too challenging to follow. Foods to eat on the keto diet will teach you to cut down on carb intake and increase consumption of fat and protein. The major component of the diet is consuming fat so our body is forced to burn it. In this fat burning process, any excess body fat is also lost. Hence, as a result, one can see a visible difference in weight.
It is not only beneficial for weight loss but also a healthy choice of food items you may consume to avoid or mitigate many diseases. Not having carbs and relying on fats for your diet is quite a precise definition of the keto diet. The maximum amount of carbs you want to shoot for per day when following a keto diet is 20 to 50 grams. It becomes difficult for people new to the concept to understand which food items to opt for and which food items to refrain from. To make that easier, in this article, we will be discussing the foods to eat on a keto diet.
1. Sea Food
Many seafoods contain quite a large amount of carbs, and on the other hand, many contain little to no carbs. When eating seafood, make sure to avoid eating shellfish and rely on salmon, crabs, and shrimps. They have the least carbs and are rich in minerals. Salmon has a large amount of vitamin B and selenium in it. Oysters, clams, and octopus also contain a very small amount of carbs so that they can be eaten, but too much of them can exceed the required limit.
2. Avocados
Avocados are very rich in minerals and nutrients. One Avocado contains almost 9 grams of carbs, and the rest is just fats and nutrients. It has a great amount of potassium and fiber. It also helps in controlling the triglyceride and cholesterol levels. Hence, one Avocado per day is recommended when having a keto diet.
3. Vegetables
Not all vegetables are recommended in the keto diet. You should go for the ones with low or no starch content and fiber. These vegetables have the least carb content in them. Green vegetables are mainly included in these. The vegetables you can eat on a keto diet are asparagus, Avocado, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, cucumber, green beans, eggplant, kale, lettuce, peppers (especially green), spinach, tomatoes, and Zucchini. You can also substitute some vegetables for carb foods. For example, you can make mashed potatoes from cauliflower, and zucchini noodles are used as zoodles.
4. Cheese
Fortunately, most cheeses are low in carb content and higher in fats. Though there are some in the cheese family contain saturated fatty acids, which might not be good for the heart. Cheese is a great source of calcium, as well. Some cheeses you can eat on the keto diet are blue cheese, Brie, Camembert, cheddar, chevre, Colby jack, cottage cheese, cream cheese, feta, goat cheese, halloumi, Havarti, Limburger, Manchego, mascarpone, mozzarella, muenster, Parmesan, pepper jack, provolone, Romano, string cheese, and Swiss cheese. All of them have fewer carbs in them but make sure not to go overboard with them.
5. Eggs
If you are feeling hungry, then eggs are the complete meal that can satiate your hunger. They contain fats and proteins with almost no carbs. It is preferred to make scrambled eggs or boiled eggs. Some people believe that the protein in an egg can raise their blood pressure and cholesterol. In such a case, make sure you keep drinking water after you have had one.
6. Meat and Other Poultry Foods to Eat on Keto Diet
Meat is the food with the most amount of protein. It is advised to take grass-fed animals’ meat. It is healthier. However, you can eat poultry meat as well. Chicken, beef, and mutton are all rich in protein and building muscle mass. Another good thing about red meat is that it has a high amount of vitamin B in it. Beef and mutton have a higher amount of omega 3 in them, which is included in good fats.
7. Coconut Oil and Olive Oil
Olive oil and coconut oil do not have any carbs in them. As for coconut oil, it has small chain triglycerides in it, which can be broken down easily during ketosis. Coconut oil is also great for shallow frying vegetables. Research has found men who ate one tablespoon of coconut oil each day observed a difference of one inch in their waist.
Olive oil is the only oil with zero carbs in it. I cannot emphasize more regarding the benefits of olive oil. It is great for people with heart disease, and you can use it as a dressing on your salads. You can also mix it up with other foods to eat in a keto diet and use it in place of mayonnaise.
8. Coffee and Tea
Coffee and tea are high in caffeine, which is good for metabolism. Too much of it is also not good for health. Coffee and tea have been seen to help people with diabetes in controlling their sugar levels. If you do not like the plain black coffee, you can have it with creamer or artificial creamer, which contains no carbs.
9. Yogurt and Cottage Cheese
Greek yogurt and cottage cheese are high in protein content. You might think it is suitable for snakes, but you can eat them as a complete meal. They promote a feeling of satiation because they have an appropriate amount of protein and very little carbs in them, which is required. You can also combine them with nuts and seeds. You can also combine them with nuts and seeds.
10. Nuts and Seeds
Nuts and seeds are quite good as a whole, but they do contain some carbs in them. You can eat them as protein foods, but too many nuts can exceed the carb count. A handful of assorted nuts can contain up to 28 grams of carbs. The main nuts and seeds you can take are almonds, Brazil nuts, Cashews, macadamia nuts, pecans, pistachios, walnuts, chia seeds, and flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, and sesame seeds.
11. Noodles
Noodles mainly contain carbs, but there is another type of with a maximum of 1 gram of carbs. There are many recipes for these noodles, and they are made from low carbs ingredients. You can look up recipes on the internet and make a great keto meal from them.
12. Cream And Butter
Cream and butter are low carb foods. They have linoleic and triglyceride fatty acids, which are easy to break down and result in weight loss. The cream is excellent in fat content. You can eat it with any food, or you can add it to tea or coffee. It is believed that butter and cream help in treating stroke and other types of heart disease.
13. Berries
You must be thinking that there are no fruits in the foods to eat in a keto diet meal. It is because most fruits have a lot of carbs in them, so you cannot eat them. They are healthy and widely recommended in other diet plans. But on the keto diet, all fruits are excluded except for berries. Berries are not entirely free of carbs. They have carbs but in very small amounts. The main berries you can eat are blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries.
14. Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate is the best craving one can have. When you are refraining from all other cravings and snacks, dark chocolate and cocoa are the only things you can eat without the fear of cheating on your diet. Dark chocolate has been known to reduce heart diseases and blood pressure due to its properties. Other than that, unsweetened cocoa can also be taken in specific amounts. The dark chocolates with 70 % cocoa are advised in the keto diet because 100 % cocoa can have some carbs in it.
15. Olives
Olives have the same health benefits as olive oil, but the olives in the whole form contain a lot more properties. They act as antioxidants and anti-inflammatory products. You can also eat olives if you have weak bones. Olives, though, contain a little more carbs in them. So you have to be careful when eating them.
Conclusion
Keto diet is not hard to follow if you intake each food in appropriate amounts. The foods are rich in nutrients, and they can prove to be very beneficial for you. Just make sure you don’t deviate from them. There are many delicious foods you can make from these food items to satiate your hunger. There is a wide range of products that can help you remain within the carb limits by exploring a lot of different recipes.
Food To Eat On The Keto Diet includes all the foods mentioned above, and I hope you got to know a lot more about what keto foods are from this article. Let me know what you think of them in the comments section below.
