Keto, Fad or Fabulous?
I sent this same information out in one of my newsletters (It’s not so much a newsletter as it is a nutritional inspiration letter) a couple weeks ago and I got so much amazing feedback that I decided to turn it into a blog post! If you are not a part of the Living Essential newsletter, I would love to have you! You can join below!
We hear the words “fad diet” all the time, because frankly, there are a lot of fad diets out there. When I hear someone call the “keto diet” a “fad” I totally understand why they might think that. It’s a fairly new term in the nutrition world, but it’s by no means a fad. It’s not even a diet.
Keto, or ketogenesis, is a metabolic state that our bodies are designed to be in naturally. It’s the ability to burn stored fat and keytones for energy instead of sugar. It’s a much more efficient and natural fuel for our bodies than carbohydrates. A person who is keto adapted has many more health benefits than a person on the Standard American Diet (SAD Diet). The SAD keeps people dependent on (sugar) glucose for metabolic energy, leading to inflammation in the body, insulin resistance, and all sorts of future health problems.
But is the Keto diet safe? YES, if you understand it correctly, It’s totally safe and natural and offers amazing health benefits! It’s the most natural way to “reset” your metabolism. You know what I mean, right? Who hasn’t said or heard someone else say, I just can’t lose the weight like I use to, or When I was younger I could eat whatever I wanted. Keto can help you get that metabolism back, and it does not matter how old you are!
Look at it this way, your poor metabolism has been slowed down and rusting in sugar (carbs) for basically your entire life. Get the sugar out of your metabolism and oil it up with healthy fat and get it moving again!!
So how many carbs should I be eating in a day on a ketogenic diet? NO MORE THAN 50! YEP, THAT IS ALL!! The Standard American Diet recommendations are between 225-325 grams of carbs A DAY! WOW! THAT’S INSANE!! But it makes sense if all your metabolic energy is derived from carbohydrate sugars, not to mention this energy source is fast burning and creates extreme swings in appetite, mood, and general energy levels. After eating ‘healthy whole grains’ and ‘fruit juice’ for breakfast you need another 100-200 carbs to recover from the mid-day energy crash, which sets you up for the mid-afternoon crash, remedied with another 20-50 carbs in snacks or ‘energy bars’.
Do I just eat bacon and cheese and other fats all day? Nope,keto is about burning the fat stores already in your body. Your body is genetically optimized (by nature) to burn fat as ‘THE’ primary and exclusive source of energy. Metabolizing fat generates stable, consistent, long-burning energy that eliminates energy fluctuations and corresponding impulses to eat (hunger pangs). Fat for energy literally burns reliably all day, however this is not a free pass to just eat bacon (although bacon is wonderful for you for all sorts of other reasons, as long as you find bacon without all the preservatives).
MY AVERAGE DAY ON KETO
Morning: Fresh, hot, french press coffee with 1 tablespoon of heavy whipping cream and 1/2 a scoop of collagen(Primal Kitchen vanilla coconut collagen is my fav!) powder per cup. I usually have no more than 2 cups of my Keto Coffee. This is a GREAT start to a busy day!
Breakfast: I eat at about 12 or 1pm each day. 1-2 eggs (fried in butter or scrambled), half an avocado, or a side salad with a full-fat ranch, and sometimes, yes, bacon! Don’t eat a ranch with any sort of vegetable oil in it. MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE RANCH DRESSING IS DANIELLE WALKER’S HERB RANCH DRESSING IN HER AGAINST ALL GRAIN (MEALS MADE SIMPLE) COOKBOOK.
Lunch: Most days I don’t eat lunch because I’m not hungry until dinner. The days I do eat lunch, I eat a small piece of grilled chicken on an enormous salad! EAT YOUR VEGGIES! Once again with the full-fat ranch or just olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
Dinner: A piece of grilled or sautéed meat (steak, chicken, pork, etc…) and a veggie or two. EAT YOUR VEGGIES!
Snacks: I rarely snack or even have an impulse to snack because ketogenic eating eliminates hunger pangs and abrupt energy drops. If I do reach for a snack, I will have a handful of almonds, pistachios, or the best option as far as nuts goes is macadamia nuts(high fat, low carb).
Evening- With two young and high energy little girls, ending a busy day is sometimes more rewarding with a glass of cabernet or cold glass of champaign (you never need a special occasion for champaign). Both Cabernet and Champaign top the list on keto friendly (very low carb) adult beverages. Cabernet is especially good because of it’s high amounts of antioxidants! Just don’t drink the entire bottle! Seriously, stick to about 6 ounces. You can also try Dry Farm wines. I have not tried these wines yet, but I have heard nothing but amazing reviews! Their wines are natural with no additives and sugar free with a low alcohol content, and won’t kick you out of ketosis.
Should I just go into keto cold turkey? No, I would not recommend this. If you are currently a sugar burner, (eating a carb heavy diet, having that usual “blood sugar drop” and so forth) I would recommend getting onto a Primal diet (whole foods, no dangerous oils, weening off sugar). I did this before I went to 50 carbs or less a day. Establish a diet of no more than 100 grams of carbohydrates a day initially. After a month or two go to 50 carbs or below. This will help you stay the course and succeed.
Another thing I want you to remember that will set you up for keto success is to make sure you DRINK A LOT OF WATER!
I promise you after being in ketosis for a month or more you will wonder how you ever ate more than 100 carbs a day! You just won’t be hungry as much as you once were!
So BOTTOM LINE, I THINK KETO IS FABULOUS! I am not in ketosis 100% of the time, but I definitely feel better and have more energy when I am. When I am not in ketosis I am eating a healthy primal diet and even then I usually never get above 100 carbs a day.
I hope this helps you understand ketogenic eating and the keto diet a little more. I will definitely be expounding on all of this in future emails and blog posts!
LIKE ALWAYS, PLEASE EMAIL ME WITH YOUR QUESTIONS! I LOVE HEARING FROM YOU!
Eat well, Kate