The keto diet is a high fat and low carb diet that many people have started to use as a means to lose weight and get healthier. There are so many different recipe ideas online for the keto diet that it’s no wonder this is the option many people are opting to get started with when it comes to switching up their eating habits. While the keto diet is relatively easy, there are some things you need to know before you get started.
The Beginners Guide to Starting The Keto Diet
Be patient with your body as you work to transition from what most of us have grown accustomed to, eating a high carb diet full of processed foods. Your body may have some adjustments such as what’s known as the keto flu during the transition to the keto diet but any symptoms due to transitioning to the keto diet will usually diminish within a couple of weeks.
Know Which Foods to Avoid or Eat
You’ll need to know which foods are best to eat when on the keto diet as well as which foods to avoid eating. You may assume that just bread, pasta, candy, and similar foods are high in carbohydrates, but the reality is there are many other foods we think of as healthy that are high in carbs. Beans are high in protein but are also high in carbohydrates. Veggies and fruits also have carbs in them, so again, it’s important to know how many carbs per serving with each food option you indulge in. This means your first step towards starting the keto diet will be to research which foods you should avoid and which ones you can use as part of your weekly meal plan.
Learn to Appreciate Healthy Fat
If you’re afraid of fat then the keto diet is going to be a very difficult diet for you. As I said earlier in this article, the keto diet is a high fat and low carb diet that forces your body to use fat instead of carbs for energy. This means you’ll have to learn to start cooking with more oil. In addition, you’ll have to get comfortable with having a nonstarchy vegetable option with your meals and don’t be afraid to order a burger at the local restaurant. The keto diet will make you question and adjust everything that you’ve learned throughout your life about food and more specifically, fat.
Monitor your Carbs
Just like the first step in this beginners guide to starting the keto diet said, you’re going to have to pay attention to your food choices. This means you’ll need to monitor your carbs as a means to eat fewer carbs and more fat throughout your day to day life. The keto diet will usually include a limit of 20 grams of net carbs per day. While you don’t have to count your carbs, it may assist you in the first few weeks while you work to figure out which foods are best to keep your carb levels low and fat high. The keto diet doesn’t really have any restrictions as far as what to eat or not to eat, so that can be helpful as you plan your keto diet weekly meals.
There are so many benefits to starting the keto diet. Many people have experienced weight loss, enhanced mood, and more control over their blood sugar levels as they switched from their current way of eating to the keto diet plan.
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