Of all the macronutrients, carbohydrates are the most popular. I know you agree with this assertion. But what can you citeat least three reasons behind this? Well, you may not be in a position to mention the three, but I am quite confident you can mention one reason – their contribution to our overall well-being. To be specific, there are so many low carb diets out there. Most of them have a lot of health benefits. For instance, paleo is a low carb diet that recommends consumption of the diets that were used during the Paleolithic period but discourage food products that emerged with the industrial revolution and invention of agriculture. The most common low carb diet plan is ketogenic.
Nearly everyone dealing with lifestyle issues is aware of this diet plan. There are so many low carb diets. But when it comes to the proportion of macronutrients, confusion sets in. In our discussion today, we are going to focus on a ketogenic diet that involves keto friendly fruits and vegetables. This is a meal plan with a clear definition, especially when it comes to the macronutrients. It has a lot of health benefits, including effectiveness in weight loss. We will give you an overview of what a keto diet meal plan should like. Let us begin with the basis of the ketogenic diet.
The Basis of the Ketogenic Diet
As a low carb diet plan, keto requires the consumption of low carbs, moderate protein, and more fat. The reason behind this plan is to attain the state of metabolic ketosis has proved to have a lot of health benefits. Ideally, the body relies on glucose for the production of energy. But with the absence of carbs, the role of energy production is shifted to fat. The breakdown of fats usually takes place in the liver, producing fuels known as ketones. When these substances are entirely used for energy production at the expense of glucose, a state of metabolic ketosis is said to have been attained. To benefit fully from the ketogenic diet, ketosis must be sustained. However, this is something that requires effort.
In general, a maximum of 20g of carbs is sufficient to sustain ketosis, though this amount can vary between individuals. You are supposed to obtain a maximum of 5% of daily calorie intake from carbs, between 2o0 and 30% from protein, and 70-80% from fat. This is where the issue of meal plans becomes critical. Some food products contain a lot of carbohydrate content and, therefore, cannot be appropriate for you.
So which option are you left with if indeed you are voiding high-carb diets? There are so many keto-friendly foods. But we do not mean once you are these foods, you are definitely going to shed weight. The effectiveness of keto will depend on your goals and how determined you are to adhere to the dietary requirements. All said and done, the following are some of the keto-friendly food for you.
Keto-Friendly Foods
Eggs
- Pastured eggs
- Organic whole eggs can be perfect.
Poultry
- Chicken
Fatty fish
Wild-caught salmon is perfect. You can as well have herring and mackerel.
Meat
The best choice here includes
- Grass-fed beef
- Venison
- Pork
- Organ meats
Full-fat dairy
- Yogurt
- Butter
Full- fat cheese
- Cheddar
- Mozzarella
- Brie
- Goat cheese
- Cream cheese.
Nuts and seeds
- Macadamia nuts
- Almonds
- Walnuts
- Pumpkin seeds
- Peanuts
- Flaxseeds
Nut butter
- Natural peanut
- Almond
- Cashew butter.
Healthy fats
- Coconut oil
- Olive oil
- Avocado oil
- Coconut butter
- Sesame oil.
Avocados
Whole avocados, as supplements to any kind of meal or snack, are fantastic.
Non-starchy vegetables
- Greens
- Broccoli
- Tomatoes
- Mushrooms
Condiments
- Salt
- Pepper
- Vinegar
- Lemon juice
- Fresh herbs
In light of the above, you have a lot of choices. Be determined to use these foods, and you will benefit a lot from keto. However, you need to be careful with the number of carbs that can sustain you. As you continue being with the diet plan, the amount of carbs required to sustain you lessens. Therefore, be determined to find your carb requirement regularly. Let us now look at how the meal plan should look like.
The Meal Plan
Monday
- Breakfast: just 2 fried eggs taken with sautéed greens.
- Lunch: have a bunless grass-fed burger and some cheese, mushrooms, and avocado on top. You can have a supplement of greens.
- Dinner: have a dinner of Pork chops and some green beans.
Tuesday
- Breakfast: A Mushroom omelet will be okay.
- Lunch: have Tuna salad supplemented with celery and tomato along with some greens.
- Dinner: Roast chicken taken with cream sauce along with sautéed broccoli is fantastic.
Wednesday
- Breakfast: breakfast of bell pepper supplemented with cheese and eggs.
- Lunch: lunch of Arugula salad and some boiled eggs, avocado, and blue cheese.
- Dinner: a plate of Grilled salmon and spinach.
Thursday
- Breakfast: Have a Full-fat yogurt and Keto granola.
- Lunch: Take a Steak bowl and cauliflower rice, avocado, and salsa.
- Dinner: dinner of bison steak and cheesy broccoli.
Friday
- Breakfast: a breakfast of baked avocado egg boats.
- Lunch: have a plate of Caesar salad and chicken.
- Dinner: have Pork chops and vegetables.
Saturday
- Breakfast: breakfast of Cauliflower toast, cheese, and avocado.
- Lunch: a plate of bunless salmon burgers and some pesto.
- Dinner: a dinner of meatballs and some zucchini noodles along with parmesan cheese.
Sunday
- Breakfast: a cup of Coconut milk chia pudding and some coconut and walnuts.
- Lunch: a plate of Cobb salad with some greens, and hard-boiled eggs along with avocado and turkey.
- Dinner: a dinner of coconut chicken curry.
The Bottom Line
The ketogenic diet is vital, not only for weight loss but also for overall body health. In this blog, we have discussed some keto-friendly foods. We have also looked at how a keto meal plan should look like. There are some foods that you need to avoid while on keto. Learn about them in our next blog. Thank you!