Start the Healthy Keto Diet the Right Way

Beginning a new diet can be confusing. Several people want to attempt the ketogenic diet, or keto, but don’t know where to start. The keto diet assists your body in making the transition from burning sugar as a source of fuel to burning fat. This transition places your body into a condition referred to as ketosis. To do keto healthfully, you must take a few steps. This is a step-by-step guide through the proper method for beginning a healthy ketogenic diet, and it is concerned with what to eat, how much, and when to eat.

The Basics of Healthy Keto

The overall objective of keto is to make your body burn fat as fuel rather than sugar. A big part of this is done by a hormone that goes by the name of insulin. When levels of insulin are high, your body will burn sugar. When levels of insulin are low, your body will burn fat. In order to keep insulin low, you will have to make two significant changes:

• Reduce your carb consumption. That means sugars of every variety.

• Eat less frequently. This decreases the frequency of insulin release.

Eating less frequently doesn’t mean eating less food. You can eat plenty of food so that you feel full. The emphasis is on how frequently you eat, not on how much food you eat at a time. Eating stimulates insulin release, and therefore eating less frequently keeps your insulin levels in check.

What to Avoid: Carbohydrates and Sweets

In order to begin healthy keto, you need to significantly decrease the amount of carbohydrates and sugars you take in. This includes:

• All the types of sugar: Honey, agave nectar, brown sugar, white sugar, date sugar, and added sugars. Pay close attention to food labels and look for hidden sugars.

• Grains: This implies no wheat flour, bread, pasta, cereal, crackers, or biscuits.

• Starches: Avoid potatoes, sweet potatoes, and corn.

Fortunately, there are a lot of low-carb substitutes. Almond flour can be used for baking, pizza crusts, and bread. Cauliflower makes a wonderful substitute for starchy foods, such as mashed potatoes or pizza crust. There are plenty of recipes online that demonstrate how to use these alternatives.

The Special Role of Vegetables

While cutting out all carbs, there is a huge exception: vegetables. On a healthy keto diet, you should be consuming lots of low-carb vegetables. Your goal should be 7-10 cups of vegetables a day. These can be bell peppers, cabbage, broccoli, kale, and Brussels sprouts. Even carrots, tomatoes, and beets are fine at this level.

It may be difficult to consume this many vegetables. Eat your vegetables first at every meal. This way, you’ll ensure that you get enough before you are full of veggies and protein and fat. Vegetables are essential because they:

• Nourish your gut microbes, which regulate blood sugar and increase energy.

• Supply essential nutrients such as potassium, magnesium, and Vitamin C.

Consuming a plenty of nutrient-rich vegetables is central to going keto in the healthy manner. For further information on what to consume, you may refer to the entire post on the website.

Getting Your Protein Right

Following carb reduction, the second action is to consume a moderate level of protein. It is not consuming massive amounts, as with other diets. Your protein consumption is based on size, metabolism, and age. Typically, look at 3-8 ounces of protein at each meal. One simple rule of thumb is to consume a portion roughly the size of the palm of your hand, perhaps a bit more or a bit less.

Good protein sources are:

• Meat

• Fish

• Chicken

• Seafood

• Eggs (consume the entire egg, including the yolk)

• Cheese (provided you don’t have allergies)

• Nuts and nut butters (read labels for added sugars)

When selecting protein, always select options containing fat. Skip lean or low-fat protein powders such as whey and meats. Fatty proteins stabilize your insulin levels. For instance, select more fattened portions of meat or fish, and have cheese such as brie. Deli meats and bacon often contain added sugar (dextrose), so be sure to read the labels.

Accepting Healthy Fats

The healthy keto diet is sometimes referred to as a “higher fat” diet. This is a higher proportion of your calories from fat. Don’t forget, many of your proteins are already fat along with them. However, you might need to put some extra healthy fats on your foods. Fats are very filling and make you feel satisfied, which is great for staying on the diet.

Some healthy fats to add include:

• Avocado

• Butter (to sauté or melt over vegetables)

• Olive oil (excellent to use in salads)

• Coconut oil

• Animal fats

Putting fat on your vegetables, such as olive oil on a salad or butter on cooked greens, aids your body in absorbing valuable nutrients known as phytonutrients and antioxidants. There are foods such as nuts, cheese, and eggs that contain both fat and protein. These can be good options to consume after a meal to make you feel fuller.

Fats to Avoid

As crucial as selecting healthy fats is avoiding unhealthy fats. Avoid these very inflammatory fats:

• Soy oil

• Corn oil

• Canola oil

• Cottonseed oil

• Safflower oil

• Sunflower oil

These oils can be located in salad dressings, mayonnaise, and most processed foods. They can lead to inflammation in your body. Always read the labels when purchasing products to ensure that they do not have these oils.

Adding Intermittent Fasting

After you learn what to eat on keto, the second strong move is to incorporate intermittent fasting (IF). Intermittent fasting is when you consume your meals during a condensed window of time per day, giving your body extended periods of time without food. This is an incredibly effective method for maintaining low insulin levels.

Following are three important tips about intermittent fasting:

1. Eat only when you really are hungry. Real hunger, not habit or mild craving. Real hunger could be a feeling of weakness, shakiness, or crankiness. If you feel good and strong, see if you can overcome temporary hunger sensations.

2. Skip breakfast. You can inch your first meal back later, or go straight to skipping breakfast. If you’re accustomed to breakfast, have coffee with a spoonful of butter and/or MCT oil. MCT oil assists your body in producing ketones rapidly, which can make your transition into fat burning smoother and help the brain. At about 8 AM, you may experience a brief urge to eat from a hormonal phase (cortisol). Disregard this sensation and fight through it.

3. Quit snacking. Snacking, even on low-calorie foods, can stimulate hunger and insulin. Eliminating all snacks is essential. If you find yourself wanting to snack, more often than not it is because you didn’t eat enough fat at the last meal. Put more healthy fats in your next meal to be full longer.
On your fasting day, you can have water, tea, or coffee (no sugar). You may also take your vitamins.

Your Daily Eating Window

One of the most popular approaches to beginning intermittent fasting is to eat your first meal at noon and your second meal at 6 PM. This provides you with a six-hour eating window and an 18-hour fasting window. This routine, particularly in conjunction with no snacking, allows you to experience many rewards from healthy keto. You do not have to monitor your calories yet; simply consume the correct foods during your eating window.

For more about intermittent fasting basics, you may visit Intermittent Fasting.

Making Healthy Keto Work for You

Beginning the healthy keto diet requires making dramatic changes in your dietary habits. Keep in mind these fundamental concepts: reduce sugars and carbs, consume a lot of low-carb vegetables, opt for moderate and oily proteins, and supplement with healthy fats. Mastering these, introduce intermittent fasting by consuming less frequently and omitting snacks. These steps will transition your body correctly to utilizing fat for fuel.

You can access a Free Beginner’s Guide to Healthy Keto and Fasting to guide you on your path. Getting new ideas for recipes can make things interesting as well. Try these keto recipes and additional keto recipe choices. Knowing the Healthy Ketogenic Diet for Beginners gives you even more information. Persist, and your body will reward you!