Easy to follow Keto Diet Plan for You

Easy to follow Keto Diet Plan for You

Keto Diets are quite the rage these days. They are used for weight loss and often by patients of chronic diseases such as Diabetes, Hypertension, autoimmune diseases to lower risk factors. Exactly what is a Keto-diet and what are my choices? There is a lot of stuff online on what exactly constitutes Keto-diet. A little research will give you the answers.

Keto-Diet: What is It?

A basic Keto-diet plan is high in fat and very low in carbohydrates. It can have moderate levels of protein and fiber. This diet is very popular worldwide to reduce weight. The theory is simple. Your carbohydrate intake is reduced to very low levels. Our body relies primarily on carbohydrates which are broken down to release sugar. A Ketogenic diet replaces these carbohydrates with a higher level of fat. In the absence of carbohydrates, the body starts breaking down fats for its day-to-day energy requirement and this leads to dramatic weight loss. Breaking down of fats in the body reduces hunger pangs and this helps to promote weight loss.

Is a Keto-Diet Exclusively Vegetarian?

Keto-diets only focus on low carbohydrate and high-fat content foods. There is no problem in including vegetarian or non-vegetarian options as long as 75% of your calorie requirement is delivered by fats, 5% by carbohydrates and 20% by proteins and others.

This makes the Keto-Diet highly flexible and adaptable to different cuisines and food habits.

How Do I choose a Keto-diet Plan?

Keep it simple to make. If your meal plan is elaborate, with too many ingredients and time taking to assemble, you are going to have a hard time sticking to it. Remember “the best designs are the simplest”.

It’s good to have a list of foods you need to keep away from when following a Keto-Diet:

Sodas
Rice & Pastas
Potatoes
Bread
Chocolates
Low-fat Dairy Products
Most Alcohols

I have devised an easy Keto-diet plan for everyone. It is customizable and gives you options to mix and match to suit our palate.

Keto Breakfast

This is the first meal of your day. So take the time to plan it well.

Option 1: Eggs are a good choice. You could go for omelets, frittatas, Scrambled eggs with cheese. Combine it with coffee and full-fat heavy cream.

Option 2: Full fat unsweetened yogurt with Keto-friendly Granola.

Option 3: Full fat unsweetened yogurt smoothies with seeds and nuts. You could add a few berries.

You can include butter and cheese in good quantities. Stay away from processed meats.

Keto Lunch

Salads are a good option here. Feel free to use full fat and heavy dressings. Rich mayonnaise, oil-based dressings are welcome. If you like yoghurt-based dressings, they should be full fat. The idea is a high fat and medium protein option.

Option 1: Chicken or Tuna Salad with mayonnaise, tomatoes, onions.

Option 2: Beef or Mutton Stew with Mushrooms, Onions, Leeks.

Option 3: Vegetable Au gratin in white sauce with cream cheese.

Option 4: Roasted Cauliflower steaks with Feta cheese, olives and nuts (exclude cashew nuts).

One smart way to plan these meals is to do batch cooking over the weekend and freeze them. You could also manage your left-overs and cut down on cooking time.

Keto Dinners

An early Dinner is advised. Avoid eating dinners late. Keep the fat content high and stay away from alcohol. You have various options for red or white meat, seafood, baked veggies and many more. I would rather go with a red meat option like a Bison steak. If you have a sweet tooth, you could go for rich but low sugar puddings with lots of eggs and whole milk. A Cheese platter is great too. Go for the creamy cheese.

Option 1: Laksa or creamy chicken coconut curry.

Option 2: Pork Chops with grilled vegetables and rich pesto.

Option 3: Low Carb egg-plant Lasagna. Load the cheese.

Option 4: Caesar’s Salad with Chicken and Parmesan cheese.

It’s not as if you have to completely knock off the carbohydrates. It still has to be 5-7% of your diet. So include the whole wheat carbohydrate option occasionally to complete your carbohydrate quota.

Keto Snack Options.

Keto diets keep you satiated for a longer time and you don’t have hunger pangs as frequently as in other diets. However, it is good to have a good supply of Keto snacks to supplement your energy throughout the day.

Some good Snack options to keep are:

Nuts and Cheese
Hard-Boiled eggs – Very easy to do.
Berries with heavy cream – Don’t use extra sugar. The natural sugars in the berries work perfectly well.
Milk-shakes or smoothies
Egg or vegetable muffin
Olives with cheese
Parmesan crispies

There are so many options in the Keto-friendly snack range. Most regular and off-the-shelf snacks are very high on carbohydrates. So restrain the urge to grab something on the go. If you have to, pick dark chocolate, or sardines or even pickles. You could stock your bag with a few the low-carb Keto bars for that hunger emergency.

Tips to get to your Goal

When you start a Keto-diet, give your body a chance to adjust to the new diet. The energy levels in your body will fluctuate and could leave you feeling tired or drained. You don’t have to jump into the diet from day one. Break it in slowly over a week. Drink plenty of water and keep yourself hydrated. Empty your store of ingredients that do not fit in your Keto-diet. You will not eat what you don’t have.

This will give you a good start to your Keto-diet and health goals.