How to Get Started With The Keto Lifestyle
Updated: Dec 10, 2022
As a parent, I want to make sure to stay healthy and active so I can keep up with my kids! Life can get busy, but it’s important to have the energy to be there for them. There are so many ways you can choose to change your lifestyle and improve your health.
It’s a little overwhelming deciding how to do this, but I have a great solution that has gained a lot of traction in the health and wellness community. The keto lifestyle not only helps you lose weight, but it can also improve brain functioning, lower inflammation, and boost your energy.
Starting something new can be hard. Luckily, I’m here to guide you through the ketogenic diet. This way you can make positive improvements and see some real results!
What is Keto Lifestyle?
You might be wondering what the keto lifestyle is. Also known as the ketogenic diet, people choose to eat foods that are low in carbs but high in fat and protein. Eating a diet that consists more of proteins and fat causes the body to burn fat faster. This is because your body starts to use fat as its energy source instead of glucose.
By deciding to live a keto lifestyle, you will reduce your blood sugar, improve brain health, and experience many other benefits which I’ll talk about later. Just know that the keto diet is highly effective and beneficial for weight loss and a range of other health issues!
What is Ketosis?
The key part of the keto diet is transforming your body's metabolic state. By cutting out carbs and eating fats and proteins, you change the way your body processes energy and enter a state of ketosis. In this state, instead of using glucose to fuel yourself, fat is burned to give you energy throughout the day.
Ketones, which are taken from fat, fuel your body and help you get into ketosis. If you decide to try out the keto diet and enter ketosis you will need to cut out carbs entirely from your diet.
What Foods Should You Avoid?
I talked a little bit about the keto diet and told you that you need to avoid carbs, but what specific foods should you stay away from? Some non-keto foods you need to take out of your diet include:
Sugary foods like candy
Grains and legumes (this includes bread and pasta)
Fruit
Any drinks and foods with added sugars
Beer and other mixed drinks
Vegetables with a lot of starch like potatoes
Honey and other condiments
In general, stay away from foods with a lot of sugar and carbs. Look at the food label and see how many carbs are in the foods you normally enjoy. If you need a more complete list of foods to avoid, look at this page.
What foods Are Keto Friendly?
While you will have to make some restrictions to your diet, there are plenty of filling and tasty foods you can still eat while doing keto. To give you an idea of what you can eat with the keto lifestyle, I’ll list some keto friendly foods here:
Seafood like fish, shrimp, and oysters
Meat and poultry ( this is a main staple of the keto diet)
Eggs and dairy products
Plain yogurt and cottage cheese
Leafy greens (certain vegetables are low in carbs)
Non-sweetened beverages like coffee and tea
For a more detailed guide about keto friendly foods, I suggest checking out this page on Healthline. Again, there are tons of foods you can eat. As long as they are low carb and low sugar then you can eat from a range of food groups and still enjoy your meals!
Benefits of the Keto Lifestyle
The keto lifestyle has many benefits. I talked about some of these benefits, but I’ll explore some of the biggest perks of going keto in more detail below.
Reduced hunger: If you do the keto diet, you will be less hungry and eat fewer calories. Ketogenic foods are more filling and can help suppress your appetite to more healthy levels.
Weight loss: As you can imagine, when you are eating less, you will lose more weight. The keto diet also cuts out carbs which is a major contributor to weight gain. By eating fewer carbs and sugar it will be a lot easier to lose weight. Keto also helps get rid of fat in the stomach and abdominal area.
Better cholesterol levels: If you want to improve your cholesterol, keto can help with this. The ketogenic diet lowers bad cholesterol and improves good cholesterol.
Lowers blood sugar levels: For people with diabetes or pre-diabetes, the keto lifestyle might be a good option. People that struggle to control their blood sugar really benefit from this diet. Some people can even get off their blood sugar medication.
Lower blood pressure: Another benefit of this diet is that you can lower your blood pressure. Many people turn to medication to fix their health issues, but going on this natural diet can help reduce blood pressure effectively.
Good for your brain health: Finally, keto is great for your brain health. Not only is this diet great for boosting brain energy, but it can also help with brain disorders like epilepsy. Doctors are also starting to research this diet for conditions like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
Keto Recipes You Should Try
To get you started on your keto lifestyle, I’ve partnered with Keto Konnect to provide you with a couple of simple recipes you can try out today. These are great options for anyone that wants to quickly throw together a quick keto meal and relax a little over the weekend.
1. Keto Fajita Bowl
The first recipe is a simple Fajita Bowl. This meal is hearty and really easy to make! Your whole family will enjoy eating this.
2. Keto Margarita:
This next recipe isn’t meant for the whole family. However, if you want to treat yourself a little, I suggest trying out this keto-friendly margarita!
Final Thoughts on Keto
The keto diet is a great lifestyle change and can help you with a range of health problems. If you need to lose weight or are looking to improve your energy levels this could be a good option for you. However, while I highly recommend keto, don’t forget to talk to your doctor to make sure this is the right choice for you.
*For more delicious keto recipes, meal planning, and keto coaching, be sure to follow Keto Konnect on Facebook*