Keto Means
Keto Means
Photo: Karolina Grabowska
Most Ketogenic diet guidelines recommend you stay between 15 - 30g of net carbohydrates per day, or 5-10% of total calories. In general, if you're a very active person who exercises 4 to 5 times a week, you're more likely to be able to consume more carbohydrates and stay in ketosis.
Protein-rich foods like eggs can play an important role in regulating blood sugar levels for people with diabetes. Plus, eggs contain many...
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In general, keto-friendly veggies are those with leaves — all types of lettuce, spinach and other greens are good ketogenic options. Green...
Read More »One of the core principles of the Ketogenic diet is keeping carbohydrate intake extremely low – less than 50 grams per day. The purpose of keeping carbs low is so that your body has to switch to using fat as the primary energy source instead of glucose from carbohydrates. Fat is a very energy-dense molecule, and some of that energy is converted into ketones. Ketones can be used by most of the cells in your body for energy instead of glucose. When your body switches to using fat and ketones as the primary energy source, you’re in a state of nutritional ketosis. But that doesn’t mean you have to (or would even want to) completely remove all carbs from your diet. After all, Keto isn't meant to be a zero carb diet. In this Keto Beginners Series, we’re going to talk about the types of carbohydrate foods that fit best into the low carb, high fat Ketogenic diet. How Many Carbs Can You Have on Keto? Everyone has slightly different levels of carbohydrate restriction on the Ketogenic diet. Some people can get away with eating more and stay in ketosis, while others may need to be more restrictive. Most Ketogenic diet guidelines recommend you stay between 15 - 30g of net carbohydrates per day, or 5-10% of total calories. Net carbohydrates = Total Carbohydrates - fiber - sugar alcohols In general, if you’re a very active person who exercises 4 to 5 times a week, you’re more likely to be able to consume more carbohydrates and stay in ketosis. But if you live a sedentary lifestyle and are overweight, we encourage you to keep carb intake on the lower end to ensure you achieve a state of ketosis. Carbohydrates to Avoid on the Ketogenic Diet There are certain foods that contain extremely high amounts of carbohydrates and will need to be avoided in order to achieve and maintain ketosis. During your Ketogenic journey, avoid high-carbohydrate foods including: Most fruits, pasta, potatoes, candy bars, pastries, donuts, candy, soda, juice, rice, and bread. List of Carbs You Can Consume on Keto Now that you understand which foods should be avoided entirely, let’s talk about the best Ketogenic-friendly carb sources you can still incorporate into your diet plan. Some of the foods listed below still contain some carbohydrates, so it’s best to be sure to read labels and carefully track your intake so you don’t overdo it, especially if you’re a beginner. #1. Cocoa Powder and Dark Chocolate Cocoa powder and dark chocolate are great alternatives to eating sugary chocolate bars. They’re a great source of antioxidants. Chocolate is even considered a “superfood,” because it contains essential nutrients to help you stay healthy. Dark chocolate also has flavanols, which have been linked to reducing the risk of heart disease by lowering your blood pressure. It’s important to only consume dark chocolate that contains 85% cocoa or more. Anything less usually contains other higher carbohydrate ingredients that could potentially interrupt ketosis.[*] Tip: A great low-carb snack you can make with cocoa powder or dark chocolate is a Keto Coconut-choc Fat Bombs. Simply add cocoa powder into a bowl with almond butter and coconut oil and put it in the microwave or heat on a stovetop and stir until it becomes a consistent liquid. Then place it in the freezer for half an hour and you'll have a tasty, sweet low-carb snack! Add a little stevia if you need a little more sweetness. Read about more Keto snack ideas here. #2. Low-Carb Vegetables Vegetables store sugar in the form of starch. Non-starchy vegetables store less sugar, so they are low in starch and carbohydrates. They are also low in calories, high in fiber, and nutrient-dense, making them the perfect Keto-friendly carb source. Many non-starchy veggies contain high amounts of fiber, which is a carbohydrate itself. However, fiber doesn’t break down into glucose, or sugar, in your digestive system like other carbohydrates do, so the fiber doesn’t count toward your carbohydrate limits! This fact about fiber becomes important when reading labels because fiber is included in the grams of total carbs. Remember, take total carbs – fiber to determine how many carbs in the food count towards your carbohydrate goal. You can consume large amounts of the following low-carb veggies on Keto: Kale
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