Have you ever considered trying a low-carb eating plan for weight loss? If you find yourself in a conversation about dieting or weight loss, chances are you’ll hear about the ketogenic, or keto, diet. The keto diet has become one of the most popular methods worldwide among people trying to lose weight and improve their health. Essentially, it’s a 30-day test where you only eat foods and meals that follow the keto way of life.
What is the Keto Diet?
The keto diet, as a rule, is very low in carbs, high in fat, and moderate in protein. It is an extremely low-carb, high-fat eating plan. An important fact to note is that while keto is essentially considered a low-carb diet, it should not be put in the same category as other low-carb diets that are available today.
On this diet, 70 to 80% of your calories come from fat, and about 5% come from carbohydrates (that’s around 20-50 grams per day on a 2,000-calorie diet or around 25 net carbs after subtracting fiber from total carbs). Moderate amounts of protein account for the remaining calories.
This carb reduction forces your body to rely on fats for its main energy source instead of glucose - a process known as ketosis. While in ketosis, your body uses ketones - molecules produced in the liver from fats when glucose is limited - as an alternate fuel source. Plus, keto diets reduce hunger and increase satiety, which can be helpful when trying to lose weight.
Scientific research on this eating plan continues to show that it can be effective in helping overweight and obese participants lose weight. Research shows that ketogenic diets are effective at promoting weight loss - though they may be no more effective than other weight-loss diets. However, it still requires a calorie deficit, and isn’t necessarily more effective than other reduced-calorie diets in the long term.
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Macronutrient Ratios on Keto
When following the 30-day keto challenge, aim for the following macronutrient ratios:
- Fats: 70-75%
- Protein: 15-20%
- Carbs: 5-10%
If you want to be even stricter with your carbohydrate intake, you can follow the original classic ketogenic guidelines where your carb intake will be just 10 to 15g per day.
Foods to Embrace on the Keto Diet
When following a ketogenic diet, meals and snacks should center around the following foods:
- All kinds of meats, including organ meats and poultry.
- Avocados: whole avocados can be added to almost any meal or snack
- Eggs: pastured, organic, or conventional all work fine
- Fatty fish: salmon, sardines, and mackerel, and other seafood such as shrimp and crabs.
- Full-fat cheese: cheddar, mozzarella, brie, goat cheese, and cream cheese
- Full-fat dairy: unsweetened yogurt, butter, and cream, but check the labels as dairy does contain some carbs
- Nuts and seeds - While all kinds of seeds such as sunflower, chia, pumpkin, sesame, hemp, and flax are keto-friendly, some nuts can be higher in carbs than others. Macadamia nuts, almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, peanuts, and flaxseeds are good choices.
- Nut butter: no-sugar-added peanut, almond, and cashew butters
- Oils: Put away the cooking sprays and enjoy using oils in your cooking. Oils rich in healthy fats: olive oil, avocado oil, and sesame oil
- Non-starchy vegetables: greens, broccoli, tomatoes, mushrooms, and peppers
Foods to Limit or Avoid on the Keto Diet
When possible, it’s best to avoid or limit foods rich in carbs while following a keto diet. The following foods should be limited:
- Beans and legumes: black beans, chickpeas, lentils, and kidney beans
- Bread and baked goods: white bread, whole wheat bread, crackers, cookies, doughnuts, and rolls
- Certain alcoholic beverages: beer and sugary mixed drinks
- Fruit: citrus, grapes, bananas, and pineapple. As most popular fruits such as mangoes, bananas, oranges, apples, and pears are quite high in sugar and carbs, people attempting the 30-day keto challenge are generally advised to avoid them. Though carbs should be restricted, you can eat them in small amounts while monitoring your intake. For instance, you can enjoy low glycemic fruits, such as berries, in limited amounts as long as you’re maintaining a keto-friendly range of macronutrients (carbs, protein, fat).
- Grains and grain products: wheat, rice, oats, breakfast cereals, and tortillas. They are quite high in carbs and will likely take your body out of ketosis. Examples of grains include rice, quinoa, oats, corn, and buckwheat.
- High carb sauces: barbecue sauce, ketchup, honey mustard, sugary salad dressings, and dipping sauces
- High-carb vegetables. While most vegetables are quite low in carbs, some tend to contain a lot of starch and are high in carbs.
- Pasta: spaghetti and other noodles
- Starchy vegetables: potatoes, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, corn, peas, and pumpkin
- Sugary drinks and alcohol. They’re high in sugar, which is something that is highly discouraged on keto.
- Sweets and sugary foods: sugar, ice cream, candy, maple syrup, honey, agave syrup, and coconut sugar
- Sweetened beverages: soda, juice, sweetened teas, and sports drinks
Be sure to choose plenty of whole foods and steer clear of processed foods and trans fats when possible.
Read also: Keto Calorie Counting: A Detailed Guide
Keto-Friendly Beverages
Sugar can be found in a wide variety of beverages including juice, soda, iced tea, and coffee drinks. While on a ketogenic diet, you should limit or avoid high carb drinks, just like high carb foods.
Sugary beverages have also been linked to various health concerns - from obesity to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes.
There are many tasty sugar-free options for those on the keto diet. Keto-friendly beverage choices include:
- Sparkling water. Sparkling water can make an excellent soda replacement.
- Unsweetened coffee. Try using heavy cream to add flavor to your cup of coffee.
- Unsweetened green tea. Green tea is delicious and may provide many health benefits.
- Water. Water is the best choice for hydration and should be consumed throughout the day.
If you want to add some extra flavor to your water, try experimenting with different keto-friendly flavor combinations. For example, tossing some fresh mint and a lemon peel into your water bottle can make hydration a breeze. Though alcohol should be restricted, enjoying an occasional low carb drink like vodka or tequila mixed with soda water is acceptable on the keto diet.
Sample 7-Day Keto Meal Plan
The following menu provides fewer than 50 grams of total carbs per day. As mentioned above, some people may have to reduce carbohydrates even further in order to reach ketosis. This is a general, 1-week ketogenic menu that can be altered depending on individual dietary needs.
Read also: Magnesium Supplements for Keto
- Monday
- Breakfast: two eggs fried in butter served with sauteed greens
- Lunch: a bunless burger topped with cheese, mushrooms, and avocado atop a bed of greens
- Dinner: pork chops with green beans sauteed in olive oil
- Tuesday
- Breakfast: mushroom omelet
- Lunch: tuna salad with celery and tomato atop a bed of greens
- Dinner: roast chicken with cream sauce and sauteed broccoli
- Wednesday
- Breakfast: bell pepper stuffed with cheese and eggs
- Lunch: arugula salad with hard-boiled eggs, turkey, avocado, and blue cheese
- Dinner: grilled salmon with spinach sauteed in sesame oil
- Thursday
- Breakfast: full-fat yogurt topped with Keto granola
- Lunch: steak bowl with cauliflower rice, cheese, herbs, avocado, and salsa
- Dinner: bison steak with cheesy broccoli
- Friday
- Breakfast: baked avocado egg boats
- Lunch: Caesar salad with chicken
- Dinner: pork chops with vegetables
- Saturday
- Breakfast: cauliflower toast topped with cheese and avocado
- Lunch: bunless salmon burgers topped with pesto
- Dinner: meatballs served with zucchini noodles and Parmesan cheese
- Sunday
- Breakfast: coconut milk chia pudding topped with coconut and walnuts
- Lunch: Cobb salad made with greens, hard-boiled eggs, avocado, cheese, and turkey
- Dinner: coconut chicken curry
As you can see, ketogenic meals can be diverse and flavorful. Although many ketogenic meals are based around animal products, there are vegetarian options. However, following a keto vegetarian diet will be more challenging, as the choice of foods will be less varied. Anyone following a keto diet should aim for as much variety as possible in their ingredients to reduce the risk of nutritional deficiencies. If you’re following a more liberal ketogenic diet, adding a cup of berries to your breakfast or a small serving of a starchy vegetable to your dinner will increase the number of carbs in this meal plan.
Keto-Friendly Snack Ideas
Snacking between meals can help moderate hunger and keep you on track while following a ketogenic diet. Here are some excellent, keto-friendly snack options:
- Almonds and cheddar cheese
- Avocado cocoa mousse
- Berries with heavy whipping cream
- Celery and peppers with herbed cream cheese dip
- Cheese roll-ups
- Coconut chips
- Greens with high fat dressing and avocado
- Guacamole with low carb veggies
- Half an avocado stuffed with chicken salad
- Hard-boiled eggs
- Jerky
- Kale chips
- Keto smoothie made with coconut milk, cocoa, and avocado
- Macadamia nuts
- Olives and sliced salami
- Parmesan crisps
- Trail mix made with unsweetened coconut, nuts, and seeds
Keto Shopping List
Preparing a shopping list can help you decide what foods will fit into your ketogenic meal plan. Fill your cart with meat, poultry, eggs, low carb veggies, full-fat dairy, and healthy fats. It’s always worthwhile to plan your meals ahead of time and fill your cart with the ingredients needed for a few days’ worth of healthy dishes. Plus, sticking to a shopping list can help you avoid foods that don’t fit within your nutrition plan.
The following is a simple ketogenic shopping list that can guide you when perusing the grocery aisles:
- Avocados: a mixture of ripe and unripe avocados (so that your supply will last)
- Cheese: Brie, cream cheese, cheddar, and goat cheese
- Condiments: sea salt, pepper, salsa, herbs, garlic, vinegar, mustard, olives, and spices
- Eggs: organic or conventional
- Fish: fatty fish like salmon, sardines, mackerel, canned tuna, and herring
- Fresh or frozen berries: blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries
- Fresh or frozen low carb vegetables: mushrooms, cauliflower, broccoli, greens, peppers, onions, and tomatoes
- Full fat dairy: unsweetened yogurt, butter, heavy cream, and sour cream
- Meat and poultry: beef, chicken, turkey, and pork
- Nut butters: almond butter, sunflower butter, and peanut butter
- Nuts: macadamia nuts, almonds, pecans, and pistachios
- Oils: olive, sesame, and avocado oils
- Seeds: pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and chia seeds
- Shellfish: oysters, shrimp, and scallops
Potential Downsides and Risks of the Keto Diet
While the keto diet does seem to have some benefits, it is unlikely to be suitable in the long term. There are some risks and possible drawbacks for people on the keto diet.
- Cholesterol impact: A keto diet is typically high in saturated fat and trans fats. These can raise LDL (“bad”) cholesterol in some individuals, which may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular events like heart attack and stroke.
- Fiber and vitamins: It can also be low in vegetables, grains, and legumes, meaning you may not get enough fiber and B vitamins to maintain essential body functions.
- Keto Flu: this includes a range of symptoms that can develop when starting a ketogenic diet. This can feel similar to the flu, and it’s caused by the body adapting to a new diet consisting of very little carbohydrates. Your body enters a process known as ketosis, which may cause you to experience other symptoms that include leg cramps, digestive issues, and bad breath. Ketosis is safe and healthy, but may not be for everyone.
- Not for everyone: The keto diet is not recommended for everyone. This may include people with kidney failure or liver disease, as well as type 1 diabetes as it can lead to diabetes-related ketoacidosis. Make sure to consult your healthcare team before beginning the keto diet.
- Pregnancy and nursing parents: It may not be safe for those who are pregnant or nursing.
- Restrictive: The diet is very restrictive and needs careful planning, which makes it hard to sustain. The lack of diversity can lead not only to nutritional deficiencies but also boredom. It can affect social events, as eating out becomes more difficult.
- Weight regain: While it may help you lose weight, stopping can lead to weight regain.
For these reasons, it’s best to check with a health professional before trying a keto diet.
Tips for Success on the 30-Day Keto Challenge
- Commit Publicly: Share your decision with friends and family for added accountability.
- Consult a Healthcare Professional: Because the keto diet may not be advisable for those with high cholesterol or who are living with heart or liver disease, be sure to consult a registered dietitian, physician, or other qualified healthcare professional before starting the keto diet to ensure it is safe for you.
- Don't Overcomplicate Things: A lot of people overcomplicate Keto. Tracking your food intake and measuring ketones can be useful, but they’re typically not necessary at first. Just follow along with the free Keto meal plan for the first few weeks.
- Embrace Familiar Meals: You can adjust to Keto faster with familiar meals that are made Keto.
- Experiment with Recipes: Try a recipe that is unlike any recipe you’ve tried before. Cook a protein that you’ve never cooked before.
- Have Fun: Enjoy each meal. Maybe even try to cook a Keto dessert this week?
- Manage Expectations: The first week of this challenge will be the hardest of all.
- Plan Ahead: It was also hard to stick with the ketogenic diet while traveling, so planning ahead is a must.
- Prepare: Preparation is key to the success of any lifestyle change. This course will provide essential tips on how to optimally prepare your pantry, meal plans, and mindset for the 30-day journey ahead.
- Stay Hydrated: Water is the best choice for hydration and should be consumed throughout the day.
- Use Online Tools and Calculators: Some online tools and calculators can be helpful.
Overcoming the "Keto Flu"
As your body moves from relying on a steady supply of glucose to ketosis, or fat-burning, the “keto flu” may hit. I felt tired, had wild sugar cravings and was mean to my poor husband. It was a rough start. Symptoms of this ‘flu’ include insomnia, fatigue, nausea and vomiting, lack of endurance when exercising, headaches, constipation, and dizziness. Please note that while these symptoms generally last a few days, they may at times last for several weeks.
Monitoring Ketosis
Testing ketones in the blood is the most accurate way to tell if you’re in ketosis or not. If you don’t want to go through the blood testing route, you can use at-home testing kits. These tests use either your urine or your breath to check for ketone levels. Experiencing keto flu symptoms is also another simple way to tell if your body is in ketosis.
Addressing Common Questions
- Can I drink alcohol on keto? That depends on the kind of alcohol you want to drink. Hard liquor such as rum, gin, whisky, brandy, vodka, and tequila, in addition to low-carbohydrate wines and beers are allowed, but only in small amounts. These options are lower in carbs and sugars than other kinds of alcohol and can be consumed.
- How long does it take to lose belly fat in ketosis? As with general weight and fat loss, it’s difficult to say how long losing belly fat will take when you’re on this diet. Remember that gaining weight/fat doesn’t happen overnight, so you won’t lose fat overnight. Losing belly fat can take anything from a couple of weeks to months or even years.
- What are the basic rules of keto? People who follow a keto diet focus mainly on high-quality fats and proteins while keeping carb intake to 5-10% of their total calories. To benefit from the diet, you’d need to opt for less processed foods such as nuts and fresh fish.
- What are the main foods to avoid on a keto diet? Foods to avoid include carbs, and particularly highly processed carbs, such as white bread, cookies, and so on.
- What do you eat except bacon and eggs? Examples of foods you can eat would be a mushroom omelette, chicken curry, yogurt, nuts, and seeds. It’s best to get your carbs from fruits or low-carb vegetables.