With everyone desperately wanting to live a healthy life, the ketogenic diet is one of the diets people are embracing. Its popularity is steadily growing. According to studies, a diet of low-carb and high-fat actually helps you shed some weight, protects you from obesity, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and epilepsy.
Ketogenic diet limits carbs to 20-50 grams daily. We are about to explore the eight healthy foods for a ketogenic diet.
Contents
1. Low-Carb Veggies
All non-starchy vegetables have low carbs and calories. What they have in large deposits are nutrients such as vitamin C and other minerals. Veggies are rich in fiber and your body doesn’t digest fiber like carbs.
Consuming starchy veggies like yams, beets, or potatoes could shoot beyond your carb limit. Go for veggies such as broccoli, kale, cauliflower which help to decrease the risks of cancer and heart disease.
2. Nuts
All ketogenic products contain minimal carbs, but if you decide to overeat, then you will not be fulfilling the purpose. Nuts are some of those products. You can eat most of the nut family except cashew nuts which have higher carb than the rest.
Nuts are easy to eat far more than you are supposed to because they are really tempting. Go for macadamia and pecan nuts.
3. Olives and Olive Oil
Olives and its products possess great health-promoting compounds. The most studied one is oleocanthal, which is anti-inflammatory that can reduce pain and inflammation in your body.
However, some of the fats in olive oil can be rancid when heated at high temperatures. It’s safer to cook olive oil under low temperature or eat it raw. You can add it to your veggies and salads.
4. Avocados
It’s with no doubt that avocados are amazingly healthier than most fruits. In every 9 grams of carbs contained in a 100-gram avocado, 7 grams of them are fiber.
Rich in vitamins and minerals such as potassium, avocados can help you adopt ketogenic diet easily. They will also help you improve your cholesterol level.
5. Dark Chocolate
Every time you get tempted to touch that chocolate, make sure it’s a dark one. The dark ones have more cocoa in them which means they have a lot of flavanols. In case you didn’t know, they decrease the risks of insulin resistance, blood pressure, and heart disease.
When buying one, check the label and if it has added sugars return it and pick the one with none. Don’t overeat though. Too much of it will kick you out of the diet.
6. Coconut Oil
The properties in coconut oil make it one of the best for the ketogenic diet. The oil has been used to increase ketone levels for people who have Alzheimer’s disease as well as other common brain disorders.
Coconut oil can also help people with obesity to lose weight and cut belly fat. According to research men who eat two tablespoons of coconut oil witness improvements on their waistlines.
7. Some Drinks
Water! You need a lot of it. You can drink it hot, or add cucumbers, lemons or limes. You can also take coffee with no sugar.
Another beverage you can take is tea whether black, mint, green, herbal — just drink — and don’t add sugar. Avoid coke and beers at all costs.
8. Berries
Even though most fruits are high in carbs, we can find some with smaller amounts. Berries, for instance, don’t contain much, and they also have flavonoids that give them the red, blue and purples colors.
You already know what flavonoids can do to your body. Some of the berries you can eat are blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries.
The ketogenic diet can help you shed some weight and overcome some health problems. The amazing part is that all the food is tasty and still help you reduce your carb intake. If you haven’t yet, go for the diet to enjoy the benefits.