One of the best parts about the keto diet is that you can eat all the bacon you want. Unlike the paleo or Atkins diet which are highly stringent and require you to eat foods that may seem bland or what you don’t particularly like, the keto diet is actually much easier.
Since about 75% to 80% of your calories will be fatty foods, your taste buds will not need to suffer. You must note that fatty foods such as bacon are fine, but donuts are not. Processed foods are not a part of the keto diet.
In fact, you’re only allowed 20 to 50 grams of carbs a day. This restriction limits the amount of glucose in your blood and maintains the body in fat burning mode.
You’re only allowed to consume 20 to 25 percent of your calories as protein. Your entire focus should be on a fat-rich diet.
Most people often wonder, “But, what are good fats?”
Extra virgin olive oil and cold-pressed coconut oil are fantastic examples of good fats. You should consume these and avoid fats like margarine and hydrogenated vegetables oils that have been refined.
Here’s a list of some good fats
- Coconut oil
- Olive oil
- Cocoa butter
- Ghee
- Lard
- Butter
- Full fat cottage cheese
- Bacon
- Cured meats
- Salmon, sardines, and other oily fish
- Almost all types of vegetables (avoid white potatoes)
- Peas
- Most meats
While some of the foods mentioned contain both protein and carbs, all you need to do is consume them in the quantities mentioned earlier. Your portion sizes may vary, but the rules of the keto diet remain the same.
For example, even if you’re eating vegetables such as peas or broccoli, you shouldn’t have more than 50 grams of them. Yes, you will have to weigh them initially, just to be sure.
After a while, you’ll roughly know what the portion sizes should be. The same goes for the protein foods you’re consuming. Always weigh and measure your carbs though. You MUST be very strict with your carb consumption.
It may seem like a chore to track the calories, watch the portion sizes, see if you’re using the right fats and all the other little things that make up the keto diet. The best way to get around this problem will be to use an easy shortcut.
Get a few keto cookbooks that have all the calories and ingredients listed. Whip up dishes according to the recipes and you’ll be roughly on the mark. You could hire a nutritionist to create a keto meal plan for you, if you really wanted to.
Take the guesswork out of it so that you can just mindlessly follow the rules. Initially, when you’re getting used to a new diet, it’s easier if it’s all planned out for you.
Always research and know the diet well before you start. Be familiar with the keto recipes. Know what foods you like and dislike. It would be good to start your keto diet at a time when you have a few days off from work (for example, from Thursday to Sunday).
This will give you time to recover from symptoms of the keto flu. Usually, the first 4 days are the hardest. Once you get through those, you’ll slowly ease into the diet and lose weight in no time at all.
Be prepared before you start… and once you start, keep going till you see your weight come off and you reach your ideal weight. The keto diet is so powerful that you’ll see amazing results in about 4 weeks, if you’re consistent and compliant with the diet. Do give it a try today.
