Carbohydrates on a Keto or Low-Carb Diet – Diet Doctor

Carbohydrates, or “carbs,” are one of the macronutrients found in food. Cutting carbs on a low-carb or keto diet may help you lose weight, improve blood sugar control, and provide other health benefits. In this guide, you’ll learn all about carbs, including the best types and amounts to consume.

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What’s your main health goal?

1. What are carbs?
2. How are carbs processed in the body?
3. How are carbs used by the body?
4. What are the benefits of restricting carbs?
5. Do I need a minimum amount of carbs?
6. The best carbs to eat on a keto or low-carb diet
7. What are “net carbs”?
8. How many carbs should I eat per day?

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What’s your main health goal?

What are carbs?

“Carb” is short for “carbohydrate.” Like the other macronutrients (major nutrients), protein and fat, carbs provide your body with energy (calories).

There are two basic types of carbs in food: starches and sugars.

Starches

Starches are made up of long chains of individual glucose (sugar) units that are linked together.

The diagram below is a simplified depiction of the structure of starch.

Starchy foods generally don’t taste sweet. However, because starch is just a long chain of sugar (glucose) molecules linked together, once it’s digested in the gut, it’s absorbed into the blood as pure glucose, which raises blood sugar levels.

Examples of foods high in starch

• Rice
• Pasta
• Potatoes
• Cereal
• Bread

Sugars

Sugars are much shorter chains compared to starches. In fact, sometimes they are just a single glucose or fructose molecule. However, in food they’re usually two sugar molecules linked together, such as sucrose (glucose and fructose) or lactose (glucose and galactose).

Below are simplified depictions of a sucrose and a lactose molecule.

Sucrose

Lactose

Sugars are found in whole foods such as many plants and dairy products, but aside from fruit and root vegetables like carrots and beets, these foods don’t taste very sweet. Most vegetables, nuts and seeds only have tiny amounts of sugar.

Examples of whole foods that contain sugar

• Fruit
• Vegetables
• Nuts and seeds
• Milk, yogurt and kefir

Processed and packaged foods often contain added sugars. Food manufacturers typically add refined sugar or high-fructose corn syrup to their products, although they sometimes use honey or other “natural” sugars that are considered healthier. But sugar is sugar, and your body processes all of it the same way.

Examples of added sugars

• Refined white sugar and all other sugars: brown sugar, raw sugar, beet sugar, coconut sugar, turbinado sugar, etc.
• Dextrose
• High-fructose corn syrup
• Honey
• Maple syrup
• Molasses
• Agave nectar

More

To learn more about sugars and other sweeteners on a keto or low-carb diet, check out our keto sweeteners guide.

How are carbs processed in the body?

Starches and two-unit sugars like sucrose and lactose are too big for your body to absorb. Therefore, after you eat carbs, your body produces enzymes that break them down into single sugar units that can be absorbed.

These single sugar units are handled by the body in different ways. To understand the effect of carbs on the body, it’s useful to know how glucose and fructose are absorbed.

Once glucose enters your bloodstream, it causes your blood sugar to rise immediately. This prompts your pancreas to produce insulin, the hormone that allows glucose to move out of your blood and into your cells. How much your blood sugar goes up – and how long it stays elevated – depends on a number of factors, including how many carbs you eat, how much insulin you produce, and how sensitive your cells are to insulin.

On the other hand, fructose doesn’t raise blood sugar the way glucose does. Instead, it goes straight to the liver, where it is converted to glycogen for storage.

Your liver can handle small amounts of fructose found in whole foods without difficulty. However, consuming processed foods and beverages high in fructose can overwhelm your liver’s ability to process it properly. High fructose intake on a regular basis may potentially lead to insulin resistance, fatty liver, and obesity.

Agave nectar and other high-fructose “healthy” alternative sweeteners are often marketed as being “low glyemic index” because they don’t raise blood sugar as much as white sugar does. But they may possibly be an even worse choice than white sugar when it comes to your weight and health due to fructose’s adverse effects.

Importantly, all digestible carbs, or net carbs, are absorbed and (with the exception of fructose) can raise blood sugar — whether they come from whole or refined grains, fruits, vegetables, or sugar itself.

How does the body use carbs?

Once the carbs you’ve eaten are digested and absorbed, the glucose they provide can be used as an energy source by all the cells in your body, including those in your muscles, heart, and brain.

Glucose that isn’t immediately needed by these cells can be stored in your liver and muscles as glycogen (long chains of glucose, similar to starch in food). However, there’s a limit to the amount that can be stored. Once your glycogen storage sites are full, any additional glucose from the breakdown of excess carbs will be converted to fat and stored in your body, including your liver.

What are the benefits of restricting carbs?

A keto or low-carb diet provides several benefits, especially for people who want to get their blood sugar under control or lose weight:

• Lower levels of blood sugar and insulin.
• Elimination of carb cravings.
• Powerful appetite control.
• Ability to go for many hours without eating due to feeling full and satisfied.

More about the benefits of a low-carb diet

Do I need to eat a minimum amount of carbs?

The short answer is no. In fact, you technically don’t need to eat any carbs at all.

When carbs are restricted, your body switches to using fat and ketones rather than sugar as its main energy source. Aside from your red blood cells and a small portion of your brain and kidneys, which do require glucose, your cells can use fatty acids or ketones as fuel. You can learn more about this in our complete guide to ketosis.

Your body is actually capable of making glucose for any cells that need it, even if you don’t consume any carbs. This is because your liver can convert amino acids (found in protein) and glycerol (found in fatty acids) into glucose. This process is known as gluconeogenesis.

In their 2005 textbook “Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids,” the U.S. Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine states:

“The lower limit of dietary carbohydrate compatible with life apparently is zero, provided that adequate amounts of protein and fat are consumed. ”

Interestingly, there are nine essential amino acids found in protein and two essential fatty acids, but there is no such thing as an “essential” carbohydrate.

However, there are valuable nutrients in many low-carb foods that contain some carbs, such as vegetables, nuts, and seeds. These foods also provide fiber, flavor and texture, which can enhance your eating experience.

Best of all, including them in your diet will still allow you to experience the benefits of a low-carb or keto lifestyle.

The best carbs to eat on a keto or low-carb diet

By choosing your carbs wisely you should still be able to keep your blood sugar within healthy limits, while nourishing your body with important vitamins and minerals. Adding some carbs to your diet may also make your low-carb lifestyle more sustainable, fun, colorful and varied.

Here are some of the best sources of carbs on a keto or low-carb diet:

• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Kale
• Leafy greens
• Asparagus
• Avocado
• Macadamia nuts
• Pumpkin seeds
• Raspberries

What are “net carbs”?

“Net carbs” refer to the amount of carbs a food contains after subtracting the fiber.

It’s generally accepted that the fiber in whole foods isn’t digested and absorbed. However, not all experts on carb-restricted diets agree on this point.

Additionally, in people with type 1 diabetes, fiber may distend the stomach and trigger the release of hormones that raise blood sugar. Therefore, you can either subtract the fiber carbs in whole food to get the ‘net carbs’ or count total carbs, depending on your personal preference and tolerance.

Here is an example of how to calculate net carbs: 100 grams (3.5 ounces) of cauliflower contains 5 grams of total carbs, 2 of which come from fiber.

5 grams of total carbs minus 2 grams of fiber = 3 grams of net carbs.

On the other hand, many processed low-carb foods display labels indicating their “net carbs,” which reflect their total carbs minus added fiber and sweeteners known as sugar alcohols. Studies have shown that some of these additives can be partially absorbed and raise blood sugar levels. Therefore, the term “net carbs” on packaged foods may be very misleading.

When calculating net carbs, only subtract fiber from whole foods. In any case, we recommend sticking with whole foods and avoiding processed and packaged “low-carb” products.

How many carbs should I eat per day?

Not everyone needs the same carb restriction for optimal health. Healthy, physically active, and normal-weight individuals may not necessarily have to restrict carbs at all, especially if they choose minimally-processed sources most of the time.

However, for people with a range of health issues or weight problems, it’s often beneficial to keep carb consumption relatively low. Generally speaking, the lower the carbs, the more effective for weight loss and for metabolic health problems like type 2 diabetes.

At Diet Doctor, we define three different levels of carb restriction as follows:

• Ketogenic: less than 20 grams of net carbs per day
• Moderate low carb: 20-50 grams of net carbs per day
• Liberal low carb: 50-100 grams of net carbs per day

To learn more about these levels and how to choose the one that’s best for you, be sure to check out our helpful guide, How low carb is low carb?

/ Franziska Spritzler, RD

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14-Day Keto Meal Plan with Recipes & Shopping Lists

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If you are new to keto, make sure to read the advice below before starting a keto diet plan.

Who is a keto diet plan for?

A keto diet plan is for people who want to simplify their lives while getting all the benefits of keto eating: appetite suppression, weight loss, better blood sugar control, and other health improvements.

Keto diet plan basics

On a keto diet plan, your meals contain less than 20 grams of net carbs (total carbs minus fiber) per day. They also provide enough protein to meet your needs and help you feel satisfied.

Following a diet plan can help simplify your keto journey and set you up to succeed, because all of the planning is done for you.

Simplify keto tips

1. Breakfast: Choose one keto breakfast to eat every day, like scrambled eggs. Not hungry? Skip breakfast and sip a coffee instead. This saves time and money.
2. Prep your meals: Cook at least two servings for dinner, eat one — and refrigerate the other — for tomorrow’s lunch. Freeze other portions for later. Full meal prep guide.
3. Try no-cook plates: Sliced deli meats, cheeses, and veggies make an easy lunch. Here are many more.

Risks

Following a keto diet appears to be safe for most people.

However, before starting a keto diet plan, make sure to check with your doctor if you take medication for diabetes or high blood pressure. If you’re breastfeeding, you should not follow a keto diet.

Start fresh

Use our kitchen clean-out list to help you make sure your kitchen is keto-friendly before starting your keto diet plan. This can dramatically increase your chances of success.

Avoid keto flu

Drink lots of fluids and get enough salt, especially during the first week of the meal plan, to minimize symptoms of the initial “keto flu. ” For example, a cup of bouillon daily and salting your food ‘to taste’ really helps.Full guide

What Are the Best Low-Carb Fruits to Eat on a Keto Diet?

Fruit is known to be high in carbs, so you might think nature’s candy is off-limits on the trendy, high-fat, low-carb ketogenic diet.

Think again.

With the right picks, you can enjoy fruit on a keto diet. You just need to school yourself on which fruits are a good fit via a keto diet food list and then enjoy them in moderation.

A Primer on the Keto Diet and Ketosis

First, it’s important to understand how keto may help you lose weight. The purpose is to kick your body into ketosis, a natural metabolic state that forces your body to burn fat rather than carbs. This happens because, on the keto diet, you’re usually taking in 50 grams (g) or fewer of carbs per day, says Deborah Malkoff-Cohen, RD, CDCES, a nutritionist based in New York City. While several variations of the keto diet exist, the standard approach to this plan requires you to take in about 70 to 80 percent of your calories from fat, 20 percent from protein, and 5 percent from carbs, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Because some fruits have more carbs than others, knowing which ones to avoid is key for accelerating weight loss and reaping other possible benefits of keto. Just know that large, long-term, randomized controlled trials on the keto diet are limited, so it’s unclear whether keto is safe and effective to follow for the long haul, according to Harvard Medical School.

Also important before you jump on the bandwagon is to know that keto can pose health risks to some individuals, including people with type 1 diabetes and people with type 2 diabetes who are on medication, people who are at risk for heart disease, people with kidney disease, and women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, according to a recent review.

RELATED: What People With Type 2 Diabetes Need to Know About the Keto Diet

For anyone, regardless of any underlying health issues, the so-called keto flu is a possibility (and even likelihood) as your body adjusts to ketosis on the keto diet, says Tori Schmitt, RDN, founder of YES! Nutrition, based in Dayton, Ohio. Fatigue, irritability, headaches, and nausea are all symptoms of the keto flu, Schmitt says. Fortunately, keto flu lasts only about one to two weeks. Play it safe and ask your healthcare team if keto is right for you.

What Fruits to Eat on a Low-Carb Keto Diet

If you’ve decided keto is a good fit for your wellness goals, and you want to add fruit to your meal plan, choose fruits with the least amount of net carbs, which is the total amount of carbohydrate content in a fruit minus its fiber content (since the body can’t digest fiber), according to the website for the popular low-carb Atkins diet. The keto diet allows for about 25 g of net carbs per day, per the healthy-lifestyle website Ruled.me. Dietitians recommend reaching for the following fruits.

The Best Carbs for Ketosis Diet

Putting your body in a state of ketosis—the goal of the ketogenic diet—takes some willpower.

Just in case you need a refresher, a ketogenic diet is a diet based on a very low-carbohydrate, high-fat eating plan. This approach to eating forces your body to break down fat stores into “ketones” (hence the name) for energy.

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Scientists are still researching the short- and long-term effects of a ketogenic diet, but some studies are emerging to show a benefit.

The Men’s Health Guide to Intermittent Fasting

In a recent study reported in the journal Nutrition Research, obese men who followed a ketogenic diet for 12 weeks experienced decreased appetite, an average weight loss of 39 pounds, improved physical performance, better brain function, and lower insulin levels.

What’s more, additional research is pointing toward the health benefits of intermittent fasting, including the more extreme ketogenic diet. But can you do both at once?

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“To move your body into ketosis, you have to limit carbohydrates to between 5 and 10 percent of total calories or about 20 to 50 grams of carbs per day,” says nutritionist Carolyn Williams, PhD, RD, author of the cookbook Meals That Heal and a contributor to The Men’s Health Guide to Intermittent Fasting. “While that’s a very low carb diet, it doesn’t mean you can’t get the healthy nutrients you need from vegetables.”

In fact, you can eat your fill of quality carbohydrates, and still reach that holy grail of fat-burning ketosis. The trick, says Williams, is choosing fruits and vegetables with less than 5 grams of net carbs per serving. (You calculate net carbs by subtracting grams of dietary fiber from grams of carbohydrates.)

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That leaves you with a few fruits like berries and avocado, and good selection of vegetables that’ll taste even better with a generous dose of keto-friendly fats like olive oil or butter.

Focus on these six low-carb fruits and vegetables in your quest for ketosis:

1. Avocados

While most fruits are off limits on a keto diet, this fatty fruit is an exception. Avocado is one of the most popular keto diet foods because it’s loaded with healthy monounsaturated fat. Plus it has three grams of fiber per 1/4 fruit, which negates all but one of its carb grams.

2. Tomatoes

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Here’s another keto-friendly fruit, an excellent source of the compound lycopene that is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, according to a study in the British Journal of Nutrition.

3. Spinach

Leafy greens like spinach are very, very low in calories and carbs, which make them a great way to get helpful nutrients like potassium, iron, vitamins A and C, and fiber. A cup of raw spinach, for example, contains just under 7 calories and 1 gram of carbohydrate.

4. Mushrooms

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The meaty texture of mushrooms makes them very satisfying for people following a ketogenic diet. Grill a large Portobello cap and eat it with a fork and knife as you would a steak. It packs just 15 calories and just 1 grams of net carbs thanks to its dietary fiber content.

5. Cauliflower

This is another satisfying low-sugar vegetable. Steam and mash it as a delicious substitute for starchy potatoes. A cup of cauliflower mash contains about 4 grams of net carbs. Bonus: Studies show that high-fiber foods like cauliflower play a significant role in improving gut health.

6. Asparagus

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The deep green color of these low-calorie, low-carb vegetables signifies they’re high in antioxidants, such as vitamin E, and vitamin C, as well as plant chemicals called flavonoids.

Asparagus contains three key flavonoids—quercetin, kaempferol, and isorhamnetin—that have been shown to offer anti-inflammatory properties and blood-pressure lowering effects in human studies, according to a recent review in the journal Nutrients.

All of these fruits and vegetables pair nicely with the fats and proteins that make up the bulk of a ketogenic meal plan. For 15 easy recipes that’ll make your journey to reach ketosis even more delicious, check out The Men’s Health Guide to Intermittent Fasting: Build Muscle and Torch Fat without Stressing About What You Eat, available here.

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Net Carbs Keto: here’s how it works and why it’s important

If you follow the keto diet, you’re sure to have heard about, read about, and seen the term net carbs frequently. But, what’s the big deal with net carbs? We’re here to give you the rundown on what net carbs are, how to calculate them, and why they’re important to the keto diet.

What are net carbs

There are many definitions about what exactly net carbs are, how to calculate them, and whether calculating them is even necessary for you to be successful on the keto diet. We believe that knowing your net carb count is essential because they directly impact your ability to stay in ketosis, which is the goal of the keto diet.

Net Carbs are the number of carbohydrates left over in your food after subtracting the ones your body can’t digest and convert to glucose such as fiber, rare sugar, and certain sugar alcohol. Other types of carbohydrates don’t digest, but these are the primary ones you will come across. It’s important to note that even though fiber, rare sugar and sugar alcohol typically don’t convert to glucose, there are exceptions to every rule, so take this only as a general guideline.

All carbohydrates are not created equally. That’s why you only need to focus on your intake of carbohydrates that convert into glucose. Those are the carbs you want to count because if you consume too many, your body won’t remain in a state of ketosis.

How to calculate net carbs

If you look at a food label, it will show the total carbohydrates in grams along with the total sugars and sometimes the sugar alcohol count directly beneath it. You have to subtract the dietary fiber and sugar alcohol from the total carbohydrates. That provides you with your net carbs.

For example, if you eat broccoli, you’ll find that 1 cup has 6 grams of carbohydrates and 2.4 grams of fiber. Instead of eating the cup of broccoli and attributing all 6 grams to your total carb intake, you subtract the 2.4 grams of fiber. That leaves you with 3.6 net carbs. Now you’re able to consume more carbohydrates.

Recommended net carbs on keto

The general recommendation for net carb intake on the keto diet is 20 grams or less per day. The number can vary based on your weight, gender, and fitness goals. You can use a macronutrient calculator to determine your specific recommendations or consult with a dietician.

How net carbs play into the keto diet

Now you know what net carbs are, how to calculate them, and the recommended number of net carbs. Do you know why knowing this number is so important? Here’s a simple explanation.

As you know, the keto diet is a macronutrient restricting diet (link to the macronutrient diet here) requiring that you consume a low amount of carbohydrates and a high level of fats. By reducing your carb intake, you are depriving your body of energy producing glucose, which comes from carbohydrates. Since your body can’t produce glucose due to a lack of carbs, you enter a state of ketosis and use your fat to produce ketones, an alternative energy source.

It’s essential that you track your net carbs to ensure your body isn’t producing glucose and instead produces ketones from your fat. This, in essence, leads to weight-loss as your stored fat turns into energy.

Keto Carbs

To be successful on the keto diet, you want to ensure that you know not only the rules of the diet but also the reason why the guidelines are in place. Knowing the keto carb recommendations can help you implement this diet, stay consistent, and be successful in achieving your health and fitness goals.

Be sure to follow Heka Good Foods as your one stop shop for all things health, fitness, and keto.

Sources:

https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/keto/carbohydrates#net-carbs

https://www.umass.edu/nibble/infofile/fiber.html

https://calculo.io/keto-calculator

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/foods/broccoli#nutrients

https://www.nature.com/articles/ejcn2013116

Your Body on Fewer Carbs

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11)    SEBASTIAN KAULITZKI / Science Source
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13)    libre de droit / Getty Images

SOURCES: 

Cleveland Clinic: “Carbohydrates,” 
Medline Plus: “Blood Sugar,” “Fluid and Electrolyte Balance.”
Harvard Health Publishing: “Ketogenic Diet: Is the Ultimate Low-Carb Diet Good for You?” “Should You Try the Keto Diet?”
Sarah Simental, MS, RD, CNSC, CSPCC, dietitian, Los Angeles.
Diabetes Teaching Center at the University of California, San Francisco: “Ketones.”
StatPearls Publishing: “Low Carbohydrate Diet,” “Ketogenic Diet.”
Arizona State University College of Health Solutions: “The Keto Diet: Is Eating More Fat the Key to Weight Loss?”
Mayo Clinic: “Is the Keto Diet For You? A Mayo Expert Weighs In,” “Dietary Fiber: Essential for a Healthy Diet,” “Hypoglycemia.”
Northwestern Medicine: “Pros and Cons of the Ketogenic Diet,” “How to Beat the Bloat,” “Surprising Causes of Bad Breath.”
American Academy of Family Physicians: “What Is Bloating?”
Journal of Breath Research: “Breath acetone as a potential marker in clinical practice.”
American Diabetes Association: “Hypoglycemia (Low Blood Sugar).”
Journal of the Endocrine Society: “A Case of Hypoglycemia Associated With the Ketogenic Diet and Alcohol Use.”
American Heart Association: “Saturated Fat,” “The American Heart Association Diet and Lifestyle Recommendations.”
Archives of Internal Medicine: “Long-term Effects of a Very Low-Carbohydrate Diet and a Low-Fat Diet on Mood and Cognitive Function.”
Nutrients: “Very Low-Calorie Ketogenic Diet: A Safe and Effective Tool for Weight Loss in Patients with Obesity and Mild Kidney Failure.”
National Kidney Foundation: “The Right Food Can Help Fight Kidney Disease.”

A Low-Carb Approach to Fat Loss

How Keto Works | Keto Meal Plan | Keto for Weight Loss | Keto for Muscle Gain | Keto Mistakes & Side Effects | Best Keto Supplements

In recent years, low-carb diets have come to dominate fitness culture among those looking to lose weight. But there’s low carb, and then there’s keto. Low carb gives your body less of a certain macronutrient and brings your calorie count down. But the ketogenic diet goes so far as to encourage your body to burn fat as fuel!

When done right, the ketogenic diet can have major benefits beyond just weight loss. But if you know you’re looking to use it to lose weight, you’re in the vast majority. Here is exactly what you need to know to lose weight with keto.  

How Does Keto Weight Loss Work?

The idea behind the keto diet is to get your body into a state known as “ketosis,” where it stops burning carbohydrates as fuel and burns fat instead. Once you become “fat-adapted,” as it is called, your body begins to tap into its stored fat and actually burn that for fuel. It also begins to produce and burn tiny organic compounds known as “ketones,” which is where ketosis gets its name.

To achieve this fat-adapted state, you must take away carbohydrates as a main fuel source, and replace them in your diet with dietary fat. This means reducing your carbohydrate intake to around 5-10 percent of total calories, or around 30-50 grams per day for most people.

This is a big change from the recommended 225-335 grams or more of carbohydrates per day for a typical 2,000-calorie diet. To give yourself a bit more wiggle room in your keto weight-loss meal plan, you can focus on net carbohydrates, which is total grams of carbohydrates minus grams of fiber.

Transform your pantry and your supplement cabinet with products formulated to help you reach ketosis and stay there.

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Setting Up Your Keto Macros

Unfortunately, macronutrient calculators weren’t designed with keto in mind, so to accurately calculate how many grams of protein, carbs, and fat you should eat in a day, you need a customizable one that you can modify for that goal. Bodybuilding.com’s macronutrient calculator features a “customize your macro ratio” option that gives you a calorie target, but allows you to dial it in for your preferred macros.

Here’s a tried-and-true keto benchmark to aim for:  

• Fats: 70%
• Protein: 20-30%
• Carbs: 5-10%

Set yourself up for success with snacks that fit your keto macros!  

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How to Create Keto Weight-Loss Meals

To start building a keto weight-loss meal plan, divide these daily totals by however many meals you plan to eat each day. This will give you guidelines to follow for each meal. For example, 50 grams of carbs, 100 grams of protein, and 155 grams of fat spread out over 5 meals equals 10 grams of carbs, 20 grams of protein, and 31 grams of fat per meal.

Since the majority of your calories need to come from fat, you’ll have to switch your thinking when it comes to meal planning and focus on choosing high-fat, low-carb foods to build your meals around. Here is a list of foods to choose from:  

• Fatty nuts and seeds
• Avocados
• Whole eggs
• Full-fat cheese
• Fatty cuts of meat and 80/20 ground beef
• Chicken thighs
• Olive oil and coconut oil
• Butter
• Heavy cream
• Sour cream
• Cream cheese
• Fatty fish: salmon, mackerel, sardines, anchovies
• Bacon

You’ll notice this list does not have any fruits and vegetables. That’s because fruit is very high in carbohydrates, as are many starchy vegetables such as potatoes, corn, and beans.

Fortunately, leafy green vegetables are OK, and you should include plenty of all of these:  

• Spinach
• Kale
• Broccoli
• Romaine lettuce
• Cabbage

Other flavorful low-carb vegetables to fill your cart with include mushrooms, peppers, onions, and celery. Be sure to include plenty of these veggies in your plan not only for their vitamin content, but also for the water, fiber, and antioxidants they bring.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

First, give your body adequate time to adapt. You should expect to take a minimum of 3-4 weeks to become fully fat-adapted. Some people find it takes twice that long. Many would-be keto dieters tend to “cheat” on the weekends, denying their body the opportunity to fully convert to a fat-burning state.

If you’re strictly keto all week only to carb up on the weekend, you will never achieve the benefits of full-time ketosis. You may still lose some weight, especially if you’re in a calorie deficit, but chances are you’ll feel tired and sluggish because your body still runs primarily on carbs.

If you want the full benefits of keto—increased fat burning, higher energy, and improved mental clarity—you have to stick with it! Experts agree you can minimize the initial side effects by paying close attention to your hydration and electrolyte levels, since you lose water when you cut carbs.

Perhaps the biggest mistake keto dieters with a fitness or lifting background make is to eat too much protein. The body can convert excess protein into glucose, which prevents your body from using fat for fuel. With more than 70 percent of your calories coming from fat, this truly is an “eat fat to burn fat” diet. You must make the shift and prioritize fat—and low-carb vegetables—to have success on this approach.

Want to dive deep into how ketosis works? The guide “Keto Diet 101: How to Use Fat as Fuel” by Catherine Saenz, Ph.D., will get you fully informed. For more keto meal ideas and information about which supplements work best with keto, Parker Hyde’s article, “Ketogenic Diet: Complete Meal and Supplement Guide” is a must-read.

90,000 Best Carbs on the Keto Diet

Once you have opted for a ketogenic diet, you should always stay within the recommended net carbs range. If you do not, you will not be able to enter / stay in ketosis, which will nullify all your efforts towards a healthy lifestyle.

If you are consuming too many carbohydrates, it is easy to feel. You:

• After eating you feel tired and sleepy
• Hungry shortly thereafter

So let’s talk about the best carbs during the keto diet.

Remove simple carbohydrates from the diet

Always choose glucose over fructose. Fructose replenishes glycogen stores in the liver, not muscles. Because of this, fructose will inhibit ketosis, while glucose will immediately go into action.

You should eat healthy, complex carbohydrates while keeping track of your macros and the glycemic index of your foods.

Thus, the best carbohydrates include:

• Asparagus
• Artichokes
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Sweet potato
• Zucchini
• Brussels sprouts
• Leafy greens such as spinach and kale
  
• Nuts (almonds, macadamia, Brazil nuts and walnuts)
• Raspberries and blackberries
• Chia and flax seeds

Read Also:
Best Low Carb Vegetables
Best Low Carb Fruits

How do you like the keto diet?

Super) Not very

When you finally reach ketosis, you should have enough energy to train with very few carbohydrates from your diet.

Expert opinion

Alena Kovaleva

Former “carbohydrate addict”, happy mom and editor-in-chief of KetoDieto.

Ask an Expert

If you are short on fast carbs, you should try using MCT oil as it is an easily available source of energy. MCTs are easy to digest, so you can consume them without worrying about suddenly gaining weight.

Optimize your carbs

All people have different organisms and there is no single approach, of course, but you can adhere to the following recommendations:

1. It is best to avoid carbs in the morning and opt for keto coffee with MCT oil or a protein-rich breakfast instead.
2. As for carbs for the rest of your day or evening, it depends entirely on what you are going to do with them. Most people have enough fat to use as energy when they are in ketosis and do light to moderate exercise.

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Info Field »Who was the keto diet for?

17 May 2021 17 May 2021

The main thing in a keto diet is ketosis. A certain state when the body begins to take out the reserves of fat and process it first into free fatty acids, and then into the keto body. The body will use them instead of carbohydrates to get energy. However, this is not easy to achieve. To do this, you need to lower the blood glucose level to a minimum and keep it in this state for two days.The keto diet itself lasts an average of 3 months.

List of allowed products in the keto menu

If you can’t eat carbohydrates, then you can eat proteins and fats. It is they who form the basis of the keto diet. Therefore, you can eat meat, fish, seafood, eggs and nuts, seeds, vegetable oil and mushrooms. Dairy products are allowed in small quantities. Green vegetables, berries and salt are also allowed.

Of course, there are exceptions to all the rules. For example, on a keto diet, you are allowed to eat tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplants, bell peppers, olives, peanuts, apricots and grapefruit.

What is removed from the diet for the period of the diet?

The ban includes sugar and fruits (dried fruits are also considered), processed meat (sausages and sausages), flour and sweets, semi-finished products and alcohol, as well as vegetables with a high starch content. For example, beets, potatoes and corn.

Cons and contraindications of the keto diet

The keto diet is a nutritional system that is best used only after consulting a doctor. And even better – according to its purpose.The fact is that before you enter your body into a state of ketosis, it must be prepared for this. Otherwise, oxidation can begin, which can lead to coma.

In addition, a sharp restriction of carbohydrates in the diet will inevitably affect mental performance. First of all, attention and concentration suffer. Plus, apathy and fatigue appear.

Intense sports, in particular strength training, are best canceled during the keto diet.They require glycogen, which the body can obtain exclusively from carbohydrates.

Contraindications to the keto diet include kidney disease, diabetes and insulin resistance. This type of diet can also become dangerous for those who have a violation of the production of prolactin. In addition, the lack of carbohydrates negatively affects the synthesis of the hormones estrogen and progesterone.

Who is the keto diet for?

Most often, doctors recommend limiting carbohydrates in their diet for people with neurodegenerative disorders.Like Alzheimer’s. For those wishing to lose weight, for a start, it is better to try to give up only fast carbohydrates. Because the keto diet seems simple at first glance. In fact, it is quite difficult to withstand it. Therefore, everyone who seeks to find a perfectly slim figure should remember a simple rule: we lose weight when we spend more energy than we get. We say “YES” to proper balanced nutrition and sports.

However, if you do decide to try the keto diet, be aware that it also comes in different forms.

The standard is the keto diet, where 75% of the total calories are fats, 20% are proteins and 5% are carbohydrates. It is the most studied and accompanied by the most complete instructions.

The cyclic keto diet involves alternating five days on a keto diet and two days on a high-carb diet. This option is suitable for athletes and bodybuilders.

Keto Diet High Protein is 60% fat, 35% protein, and 5% carbohydrates of the total calories of the day.

Our selection of recommended keto foods includes soups, keto mixes and ice creams.

Gerontologists talked about the dire consequences of a carbohydrate-free diet

On the air of the Russia 1 TV channel, gerontologists – Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Professor, Director of the St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology Vladimir Khavinson and Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor, President of the Russian Society of Anti-Aging Medicine Svetlana Trofimova commented on the appeal of one of the viewers.

She said that during self-isolation she decided to try a carbohydrate-free diet, which is fashionable among supporters of healthy lifestyles.

At first I was pleased with the result: immediately – minus three kilograms. However, soon she noticed that she began to feel very bad.

The young woman, according to her, developed headaches, insomnia, muscle cramps, dizziness and mild nausea, a feeling as if from the flu.

She even passed the coronavirus test just in case.Fortunately, it turned out to be negative, but now the viewer is worried about the question: could this carbohydrate-free, or the so-called keto diet, which involves a complete rejection of foods containing carbohydrates, could have such an effect on her body.

Experts say that it is impossible to completely give up carbohydrates and explain why our body needs them.

Gerontologists explain: our body consists of fats, proteins and carbohydrates, which make up 2-3 percent of our body.This is glycogen. And carbohydrates are essential. They are found in the liver, heart, brain, and muscles, and the presence of glycogen is the most important factor in our life.

Our body needs carbohydrates, first of all, because it is energy.

No carbohydrates – there will be apathy, weakness, experts explain.

In addition, they are the protection of our body. Complex carbohydrates are necessary for the functioning of the immune system, they are included in the so-called polysaccharides – mucous substances that line our bronchi, nasal cavity, and gastrointestinal tract from the inside, and the largest number of immune cells accumulates there.

“Because we say that, for example, the nasopharynx is the first gateway to any infection. And if at least some infection enters our body, these mucopolysaccharides become the basis that then further prevents the occurrence of infectious processes in our organism “, – explains Dr. Trofimova.

Carbohydrates are the builders of our body.

Her colleague Dr. Havinson adds: “The most important thing is that carbohydrates are part of RNA and DNA, our molecules of heredity, and therefore reproduction is simply impossible without the material for building DNA and RNA.”

In addition, without such carbohydrates as fiber, normal functioning of the gastrointestinal tract is impossible, it is also needed for proper intestinal motility.

The keto diet can also lead to metabolic disorders and ketoacidosis, the person may even smell a little acetone.

Another rather serious complication that can occur after such a diet is a glypoglycemic condition, which causes headaches, discomfort, irritation, and the like.

It is also a loss of important microelements – those that do not enter the body with the same carbohydrates with such a diet, gerontologists note.

When asked what to do, experts advise changing your lifestyle a little and be sure to include complex carbohydrates in the diet in the first place.

For example, brown rice, vegetables, fruits, and sweets, cakes and sugar are replaced by lighter, but also healthy complex carbohydrates. These are the same fruits and, for example, yoghurts.

Experts also remind that it is very important to have a correct daily complex nutrition – a diet that includes proteins (about 40 percent), carbohydrates (also about 40 percent) and about 20 percent fats.

This is what is recommended by the World Health Organization, and such a comprehensive diet will help restore or maintain health and stay young and full of strength as long as possible, according to experts in longevity.

90,000 Cyclic ketogenic diet – the keto diet for athletes – avitasport article.ru

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To properly follow a ketogenic diet, you should limit your carbohydrate intake to about 20-30 grams of digestible carbohydrates per day. This simple rule should be followed by anyone on a ketogenic diet, but there is one exception – athletes.

By “athletes” I mean anyone who trains intensively several times a week.During high-intensity exercise, the body needs glucose for fuel, not fat.

To provide our muscles with the sugar they need for intense exercise, we must consume carbohydrates using a cyclical ketogenic diet or a targeted ketogenic diet.

1. Cyclic Ketogenic Diet or Targeted Ketogenic Diet? Which one to choose?

The cyclical ketogenic diet involves one to two full days of high carbohydrate intake to replenish muscle and liver glycogen .This means that the cyclical ketogenic diet is not suitable for those who are unable to sustain the required amount or intensity of exercise.

For example, this dietary deviation is not recommended for people who exercise at low to moderate intensity, or for beginner athletes, because they will likely not be able to completely deplete glycogen stores and return to ketosis on a cyclical ketogenic diet. So if you are a beginner, intermediate or endurance athlete, then the best way for you to use carbohydrates as a performance tool is with a targeted ketogenic diet.

On the other hand, if your rigorous training schedule includes high-intensity exercise that depletes glycogen stores, allowing you to return to ketosis every week, then a cyclical ketogenic diet is better for you.

The main goal of the cyclical ketogenic diet is to use carbohydrates as a tool to maximize muscle growth and exercise while reaping the benefits of a standard ketogenic diet. However, the downside is that you can potentially accumulate body fat along with this extra muscle mass.

2. What is the Cyclic Ketogenic Diet?

A typical cyclical ketogenic diet regimen includes 5-6 days of a ketogenic diet and 1-2 days of high carbohydrate intake.

Some people have also experimented with 2 week cycles in which 10-12 days are ketogenic and 3-4 days are carbohydrates. The 2 week regimen has also had good results, but it does not fit the schedule of most athletes as well.

Its main goal is to temporarily withdraw from ketosis to replenish muscle glycogen to maintain physical performance in training in the next cycle.

If you are on a ketogenic diet for health (for hyperinsulinemia or hypertension), then a cyclical ketogenic diet will not work for you, as the hormonal response can cause symptoms that are treated with a low-carb diet.

Since the goal of the cyclical ketogenic diet is to completely deplete muscle glycogen, a proper training schedule is essential for optimal results. A good example of a training plan is the following:

• Monday / Tuesday: work on different areas of the body.Monday can be a workout for legs and ABC, and on Tuesday for chest, back and arms.
• Friday: High rep full body depletion workout.

The amount of exercise required to completely deplete your glycogen depends on the amount of carbohydrates you consume. If you do few approaches, then use heavy weights, in this case, you need to perform 2-3 approaches. Conversely, if you do a lot of reps, then use moderate weights and do 5-6 sets.

3. How to follow a cyclical ketogenic diet?

The low carb portion of the cyclical ketogenic diet is identical to that of the standard ketogenic diet. The distribution of nutrients is as follows:

• Calories to gain weight: 40 calories per kg of body weight.
• Calories for Weight Loss: 27 calories per kg of body weight.
• Calories for weight maintenance: 33-16 calories per kg of body weight.
• Carbohydrates: 30 g or less per day. The fewer carbs, the faster you go into ketosis.This is especially important since you only have 5-6 low carb days.
• Protein: during the first 3 weeks – 1.5 g per 1 kg of body weight or 100 g, whichever is the greater. Next, determine in accordance with your goals (1.5-2 g).
• Fat: Remaining Caloric Requirements.

Once you’ve depleted your glycogen stores and are in ketosis, you’re ready for the carbohydrate portion of your cyclic ketogenic diet.

3.1. Carbohydrate Load

To switch to an anabolic state, you must start taking carbohydrates 5 hours before your last workout.During this time, 25-50 g of carbohydrates can be consumed along with proteins and fats to enhance the production of enzymes in the liver.

1-2 hours before the last workout, it is recommended to combine glucose and fructose to replenish liver glycogen stores. 25-50 g is a good starting point, and you can add more as needed.

Carbohydrate load means 25-50 grams of carbs, not whole cake

Most often, during a carbohydrate load, people just eat whatever they want.Although this approach is completely haphazard, it nevertheless yields results. For those looking for a more scientific approach, the following are guidelines for proper nutrient intake during a carbohydrate load.

Nutrient intake

Your own experiments are the best I can recommend, but here are some rules to help you:

• First 24 hours: Carbohydrates should make up 70% of your total calories – 11 g per 1 g dry weight.The amount of proteins and fats is divided equally and is 15% each. You can eat foods with a high glycemic index, but it is best to stick to whole foods rather than processed foods that are sources of carbohydrates.
• Next 24 hours: 60% carbohydrate, 25% protein, 15% fat. It is recommended to consume 55 grams of carbohydrates per gram of dry weight. You should eat foods with a lower glycemic index.

3.2. Re-entering ketosis after taking carbohydrates

Depleting liver glycogen stores will provide your fast track to ketosis.What’s the easiest and most reliable way to accomplish this? Just follow these steps.

• Day 1: Do not eat after 18:00.
• Day 2: Wake up and do high-intensity interval training or high-intensity strength training on an empty stomach. Start a strict ketogenic diet with 0-2% carbs. The combination of high-intensity exercise and a strict ketogenic diet can help deplete glycogen stores so you can enter ketosis faster.
• Day 3: Wake up and do a moderate-intensity endurance workout or moderate-intensity strength training on an empty stomach. Return to a normal ketogenic diet with 3-5% carbs.
• Optional: Use MCTs to further increase ketone levels.

3.3. How long does it take to go into ketosis again?

All people return to ketosis at different rates after the last high carbohydrate intake.How long it takes for you to get back into ketosis depends on many factors, including:

• How well you are adapted to the keto diet. The longer you follow the ketogenic diet, the better your body will adapt to it. If you stick to it for a year, it will be much easier for you to enter ketosis after repeated carbohydrate intake than someone who has been on the diet for only a month.
• How well trained you are. The more you exercise, the easier it will be for you to enter ketosis.This is mainly due to the fact that trained people can work for longer periods of time at a higher intensity than people without physical training. Therefore, trained people can deplete glycogen stores faster and trigger ketone synthesis.
• How often do you do high-intensity workouts. High intensity resistance training will provide better results than aerobic training. Aerobic exercise cannot deplete glycogen stores as efficiently as intense exercise.
• What do you eat while reusing carbohydrates. The better the carbohydrates you choose (for example, eating mostly lower glycemic carbohydrates such as legumes, fruits, root vegetables, and whole grains), the easier it will be to re-enter ketosis.
• How strict are you on your diet. The stricter you are on your cyclical ketogenic diet (eating the right amount of carbohydrates without indulgence, etc.)), the easier it will be to enter ketosis again, and your body will adapt more effectively after each cycle of repeated carbohydrate loading.

Although there are also some genetic and lifestyle factors that affect ketosis that you cannot control. This list consists of variable aspects that you can adjust to help you return to ketosis faster after re-eating carbohydrates. However, an important question remains: is this dietary approach really worth the extra effort?

4.What Science Says About Cyclic Ketogenic Diets

There is not enough scientific evidence about cyclical ketogenic diets. However, there are two 2017 studies that provide evidence that combining a ketogenic diet with repetitive carbohydrate intake is a good approach for athletes.

In one study, twenty-five men over the age of ten were divided into ketogenic and Western (Standard American Daily Diet) groups.After ten weeks, the participants on the ketogenic diet were switched to a Western diet for a week.

The results were very interesting. In the first ten weeks, no large difference was found between the two groups; however, participants in the ketogenic diet group experienced significant increases in lean body mass and strength after a week on the Western diet based on the Wingate test (cycling at maximum intensity for a short period of time).There was no such improvement in the Western diet group.

In another 2017 study, researchers looked at the effects of a low-carb diet, a high-carb diet, and an intermittent high-carb diet (similar to the cyclical ketogenic diet) in high-profile athletes doing race walking. These results support the suggestion that a strict low-carb diet can reduce performance at higher intensities.But what happened to the athletes who followed the intermittent high-carb diet? Their performance has improved significantly.

While these two studies do not address the ketogenic diet cyclical schedule that we recommend in our article, they suggest that you can combine a ketogenic diet with a high carb diet to improve athletic performance and body composition. However, you don’t need to follow the diets used in the studies to get these results.All you have to do is follow a cyclical ketogenic diet, depleting glycogen stores, entering ketosis, and then replenishing glycogen stores with carbohydrates for 1–2 days. Thus, you get the benefits of keto adaptation, ketones and carbohydrates.

But remember that this diet is only for trained athletes who regularly exercise at high intensity. How do you know if you fall into this category? Below is a simple guide to help you understand what we mean by “high intensity”.

5. What is High Intensity Workout?

Generally, repetitive, anaerobic exercise that requires bursts of strength is considered high intensity. This type of exercise raises the body’s energy requirements to the point that cells must start burning glucose for fuel.

How do you know this is happening? When you start to breathe out through your mouth during exercise. This indicates that your body is starting to burn more sugar than fat, which should be happening in order for you to deplete your glycogen stores and enter ketosis.

Here are some examples of high intensity and low intensity exercises:

High Intensity Exercise:

• Low reps gym workout with weights greater than 80% of your maximum weight for one rep.
• Sprint or wrestling.
• Circuit training (crossfit).

The most common high-intensity exercises are exercises in the gym with heavy weights

Low-intensity exercises:

• Conversations while sitting on a stationary bike or standing on the side of the pool 🙂
• Exercising in a gym with a lot of repetitions with weights less than 80% of your maximum weight for one rep.
• Jogging or marathon.
• Yoga, Pilates and 90% group classes.

As tough as you run, this is a low intensity, low calorie (and carbohydrate) exercise.

It is also important to understand that the cyclical ketogenic diet should NOT be used to increase your endurance limit; rather, it should help you overcome power barriers. Carbohydrates are not good for adding 2 more reps to your 15+ rep set, but should be used to add 2 more reps to your 6 rep max set.

6. Conclusion

If you follow a standard ketogenic diet and do high-intensity exercise regularly, then you can get more benefits from a cyclical ketogenic diet. With this dietary approach, you can combine the benefits of burning ketones with enough sugar to boost performance, strength, and muscle mass.

The most common cyclical format of the ketogenic diet is 5-6 days of the standard ketogenic diet and 1-2 days of repeated high carbohydrate intake.During the ketogenic phase of your cycle, make sure you do high-intensity exercise on an empty stomach to deplete glycogen stores and push your body into ketosis faster.

When re-taking carbohydrates from all food sources, it is best to choose complex carbohydrates, as foods with a high glycemic index can reduce your ability to go into ketosis again. On the first day, we recommend that you get at least 70% of your calories from carbohydrate sources such as potatoes, yams, carrots, bananas, pineapples, raisins, and white rice.On the second day, it is best to reduce your carbohydrate intake by 10% and use lower glycemic index carbs such as whole grains, peas, blueberries, lentils, and black beans.

After re-taking carbohydrates, focus on depleting glycogen and increasing ketone levels, then repeat the cycle – that’s all. By using this dietary strategy, you will be reaping the benefits of a high carb diet and a ketogenic diet at the same time.

However, if you are not doing regular high-intensity training, or if you are a beginner athlete, then a standard ketogenic diet or a targeted ketogenic diet will be your best option.To find out which ketogenic diet to follow, check out our article in which we cover three types of ketogenic diet.

90,000 Vegan Keto Diet Part 2

How to Limit Carbs on a Keto Vegan Diet

In our sandwich-and-half-roll culture, the drastic reduction in carbohydrate intake is unsettling for many people. “The exact numbers vary from person to person, but on average, a strict keto diet can consume less than 50 grams of carbs per day,” says physiologist Michael T.Nelson. “Some people should eat no more than 30 grams of carbohydrates.”

The Mod Keto vegan keto diet approach allows two to three times the carbohydrates, but it is still a very low carbohydrate diet compared to the modern European and American. For the record, one banana, one apple, or one slice of bread will force you to immediately exceed your daily carbohydrate intake on a strict keto diet.

Avoiding grains, rice, bread and pasta will significantly reduce your carbohydrate intake, but you will also have to cut back on the fruits you eat, and those that are allowed should not be eaten in large quantities.Starchy vegetables like potatoes and yams are also missing from Mod Keto. The same goes for sweet spices and sauces.

If you crave carbohydrates so badly that your determination to continue with the diet is diminishing, you may be tricking your brain into making approved foods look more like your favorite starchy foods. Cauliflower can be grated into rice or boiled and mashed like potatoes. You can slice the zucchini into the noodles to replicate the appearance of the pasta.

But by and large, you just have to love more fatty foods and base your diet on them for energy from fat, not from carbohydrates. Avocados, coconut oil and nuts complement your meals perfectly in terms of flavor and aroma.

Speaking of training, if you’re used to running around in the gym like a squirrel on a wheel, then prepare for light mode until your body fully adapts to your diet. If this is your first time cutting out carbohydrates, it will take your body two weeks or more (and sometimes months) to fully meet the ketones that supply you for exercise.

If you’ve relied on animal products, it can be difficult to recover without the full complement of amino acids that each serving of animal protein provides. You have chosen a difficult path to achieve your goal, but do not be discouraged. Time and persistence – and your body will adapt to whatever diet you want, combined with exercise. Moreover, there are many examples of people whose performance in the gym increased on non-traditional diets.

A 2012 study found that gymnasts on a strict ketogenic diet lost weight in just 30 days without losing strength.The researchers concluded that keto nutrition may be beneficial in weight-class sports as it allows athletes to maintain greater strength while competing in lighter body weights.

How to get enough protein on a ketogenic vegan diet

For anyone on a vegan diet, but especially for athletes, the question always arises: “How do I get enough protein?” Dr. Nelson recommends about 0.7 g of protein per 0.45 kg of target body weight as a base daily intake for active people.If you train with different weights, most nutritionists recommend up to one gram of protein per 0.45 kg.

Target body weight refers to the mass you want to achieve, not the mass you are currently at. So, if you weigh 93 kg, but remember that you look and feel at 79 kg, eat about 120 grams of protein per day.

Your main task will be to find plant-based sources of protein to achieve the desired level.And these sources shouldn’t be high in carbohydrates.

For example: an average weight person who consumes about 2000 calories per day will need 100-200 grams of protein daily (depending on the severity of the keto diet). Three quarters of a cup of sunflower seeds will provide 25-30 grams of protein, but will also reward 10 grams of carbohydrates. Almonds have a similar protein to carbohydrate ratio of 30 and 15 grams per cup. The key is to get enough protein from vegan sources without allowing carbohydrates to increase too much in your diet.

Your best choice for low-carb vegan protein might be hemp seeds, which provide 30 grams of protein and 8 grams of fiber (not including carbs) in half a cup. Seitan, which is made from wheat, is also a good choice as it offers about 18 grams of protein and 2 grams of carbohydrates for every 0.08 kg. Tofu and tempeh also rank high on the list of best foods for Mod Keto (tofu has a protein to carbohydrate ratio of 8: 1; tempeh is about 6: 1).

If you’re ready to take the supplement route, hemp, rice and pea proteins have a 5: 1 protein to carbohydrate ratio and can be indispensable for athletes and fitness enthusiasts.In addition, there are proteins with a blend of plant proteins, which is sometimes very convenient.

If you have followed a more traditional ketogenic diet and relied on animal foods before, you may have counted protein only in these foods, as it contains all the essential amino acids your body needs in significant quantities. It’s a rare find in plant foods, so bodybuilders have historically kept track of the protein they get from chicken, beef, and fish without considering the amount of protein they get from vegetables, grains, and nuts.

The point is, although they may be less bioavailable than animal products, plant proteins are still used by your body and are still counted in the total protein. And if you’re going to ditch animal foods altogether, you’ll need to get plant-based proteins to support muscle, performance, and overall health. Otherwise, you will have a protein deficiency.

Vegans have known for a long time that they cannot get all the amino acids they need from one plant-based protein source, so they strive to fill their diets with a variety of proteins for a complete set of amino acids.You don’t need to do this at every meal — your body can retain amino acids from one meal for several hours until you eat other foods with amino acids that complement them and form a complete protein. But don’t get in the habit of basing your meals on tofu or hemp alone. Expand your menu as much as possible to ensure the richest intake of nutrients.

Vegan Food Replacements in the Keto Diet

If you are already a keto food aficionado accustomed to animal products, the list below will give you ideas on how to switch to non-killing foods while keeping your carb levels low.Plus, vegans can find low-carb alternatives to their favorite starchy or sugary foods. As always, you need to make sure you stay true to your diet by checking labels for added sugars, carbs, and hydrogenated oils (unhealthy, processed fats that don’t have a place in any healthy diet).

So, in this product list, you have to replace what’s on the left with what’s on the right

Dairy products

Milk coconut milk, almond milk

Cream coconut cream

Coconut oil / vegan oil

Eggs (for cooking) flax seeds (add water in a ratio of 1: 3)

Eggs (for food) silk tofu, vegetables

Cereals and starches

Sandwich bread lettuce

Flaxseed tortillas

Pasta shirataki noodles, zucchini noodles

Rice cauliflower rice

Mashed potatoes from cauliflower

Noatmeal oatmeal (“oatmeal” made from coconut flour, coconut oil, protein powder)

Porridge chia pudding, linseed muesli

Pancakes peanut butter pancakes

Waffles almond flour waffles

Snacks

Chips, dehydrated vegetables (including cabbage chips)

Crackers Chia seed crackers

Desserts

Avocado ice cream, low-carb sorbet

Brownie cake with macadamia nut, avocado, almond flour

Pudding avocado pudding

Processed soy-based meat substitutes and protein powders are staples for people switching to a vegetarian diet.But there is a nuance. A 2016 study published by Virginia State University explains that soy contains isoflavones, a kind of plant estrogen that can act as a female hormone in humans. And eating more than 1-3 soy foods or 25 grams of soy protein from non-concentrated sources like tofu can negatively impact testosterone levels. Why risk it? Better to get more protein from nuts, seeds, vegetables, supplements, and less soy products other than the occasional chunk of tofu.

Dominique D’Agostino, Ph.D., one of the world’s leading researchers on the ketogenic diet, agrees with this approach to the keto menu. “I generally avoid soy isolate and soy milk,” he says. “But I don’t think it’s a big problem if you don’t consume a lot of soy.” In particular, fermented soy foods – soy sauce and tempeh – do not pose much of a risk to hormone levels and can therefore be eaten more.

Sample Vegan Keto Meal Plan

The following menu, courtesy of Dr. Nelson, will give you an idea of ​​what a vegan keto meal day might look like.One thing is for sure: you can eat a large amount of food without worrying about getting too many calories and are unlikely to accidentally gain weight with this eating style.

It is easy to stay full on this diet due to its fat content and abundance of fresh vegetables, as it is rich in phytonutrients and fiber. On the other hand, it is very difficult to get enough protein. In general, striving for the minimum amount – 20% of calories – almost certainly requires supplementation.

Breakfast

Smoothie:

Rice protein powder (30 g protein)

½ cup mixed berries

1 st.l. oils MCT ***

1 ½ st. l. almond oil

1 cup of chaga tea

Lunch

3 servings of tofu (300 g)

2 cups baked asparagus

2 st. l. MCT oil, as dressing

Snack

Salad:

1 green bell pepper

2 cups cream mushrooms

100 g chopped onion

1 serving tempeh (100 g)

1 st.l. olive oil

50 g vegan teriyaki sauce

Dinner

Salad:

2 cups spinach

100 g cucumber

100 g tomatoes

1 cup red cabbage, chopped

1 st. l. olive oil

¼ cups of walnuts

Total: 1728 calories, 86 g protein, 78 g carbohydrates and 125 g fat

*** If you are on a strict keto diet or a Mod Keto diet, MCT oil can support ketosis by providing a fast conversion of fat into energy, says Dr. D’Agostino.Other helpful strategies for making the keto diet more comfortable, he says, include “eating in a time-limited window (for example, 16 hours of fasting followed by an eight-hour period during which you eat all of your food) and disrupting the diet. but supplemented with ketones. ”

While this has not been formally studied, it is believed that if you are keto-adapted, it is easy to fast for extended periods of time. This has practical advantages for occupations where it is inconvenient to take a break for food.For example, for military personnel and those who cannot interrupt work, as this will reduce productivity.

If you’re feeling hungry and you’re not eating soon, Dr. D’Agostino recommends taking supplements that provide ketones (known as exogenous ketones) to help maintain ketosis and energy. For example, when receiving late at night.

Disadvantages of the Vegan Keto Diet and How to Fix Them

Well, good! You’ve banished almost all carbs and animal products from your diet, found a way to get complete protein, and fell in love with avocados.Think your nutrition is perfect now?

No matter how it is! In your remarkable pursuit of personal and planetary health, you may still be missing one or more of the key nutrients needed for long-term health. These nutrients include:

Vitamin B12 (aka cobalamin)

Cobalamin is essential for your skin, eyes, hair and nervous system. Metabolically, it helps you digest proteins, fats, and carbohydrates.Unfortunately, B12 is difficult to find in plant foods. Some decent vegan, low-carb food sources include nutritional yeast, fortified almond milk (which has only 1g of carbs / serving), and Nori (purple seaweed, 0.5g of carbs).

However, most plant foods that contain B12 are high in carbohydrates at the same time, so this vitamin is worth getting with a vegan supplement. Choose one that provides 6-10 mcg of methylcobalamin (form B12) over cyanocobalamin, which is more easily absorbed.

DHA and EPA

These omega-3 fats provide building blocks for cellular structures throughout the body and help in the prevention of cardiovascular disease. Fish oil is the most abundant source of DHA and EPA, but a good vegan source of these fatty acids, which arguably offers the best DHA concentration, is algae.

Iron

This mineral is a key ingredient in hemoglobin that transports oxygen from your lungs to the rest of your body.When iron levels drop, hemoglobin and your energy and vitality drop along with it. Hair and nails become brittle and weak. If you’ve ever met a vegetarian who looks pale and regularly complains of exhaustion, he has an iron deficiency.

Plant iron, known as non-heme iron, is more difficult to absorb than heme iron, which is found in animal products. This is why iron levels can plummet even when a plant-based diet includes iron-rich foods such as Swiss chard, nuts, and seeds.Therefore, it is wise to take a vegan iron supplement on Mod Keto. Women need a double dose (18 mg of iron per day) as they lose some iron each month during their period.

Vegan Keto Recipes

As a vegetarian, the keto diet should not be limited to salads and smoothies. You can enjoy more gourmet food by adding a little creativity to your food preparation process. Liz McDowell, a holistic nutrition consultant and longtime keto nutritionist herself, offers her delicious recipes for the vegan keto diet.

Vegan Chili “fish” tacos with hemp sour cream

For “fish”:

1 can of heartwood – drain, rinse and chop

2 tablespoons tamari sauce, soy sauce or liquid amino acids

½ tsp garlic powder

½ teaspoon chili paste

1 st. l. sesame oil

For hemp sour cream:

1 cup peeled hemp seeds

¼ glass of lemon juice

¼ glass of water

A pinch of salt

Sauce:

Romaine lettuce for tacos

About ¼ cup chopped purple cabbage

1 shallots, chopped

Kelp flakes to taste (optional)

Juice of 1 lime

Instructions:

1.Add all the hemp sour cream ingredients to a blender and stir until smooth. Add water if you want a smoother, creamier texture. Set aside.

2. Place a saucepan on low heat and add sesame oil. Add the heartwood mixture and fry until the excess liquid is absorbed (about 5 minutes).

3. Allow the mixture to cool slightly, then assemble the tacos by placing the mixture first into the lettuce, then the cabbage, sour cream and shallots. Sprinkle with kelp flakes (if desired) and lime juice on top.

Servings: 2, Calories per serving: 215, Protein per serving: 11 g, Carbs per serving: 4 g, Fat per serving: 16 g

Keto Vegan Cakes

Product composition:

1 ½ cup warm water

½ cup peanut butter

¼ cup sugar substitute

2 scoops vegetable protein powder

¼ glass of cocoa powder

2 st. l. coconut flour

2 tsp baking powder

Instructions:

1.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and cover the baking sheet with non-stick spray. In a bowl, combine water, peanut butter, and sugar substitute.

2. In a separate bowl, sift together the protein powder, cocoa, coconut flour and baking powder.

3. Combine dry and wet ingredients. A thick dough is formed with a glaze-like texture.

4. Scoop the dough into a saucepan, smooth the surface and bake for 40-45 minutes (check by inserting a knife; it should come out clean).Let cool before serving.

Servings: 8 cakes, Calories per serving: 157, Protein per serving: 12.5 g, Carbs per serving: 4.2 g, Fat per serving: 9 g

Low Carb Sandwich Bread (Soy, Grain & Gluten Free)

Product composition:

½ cup psyllium husk

3 st. l. ground flaxseed

1 tsp baking powder

Pinch of salt (add up to 1 teaspoon if using unsalted peanut butter)

1 glass of water

½ cup peanut butter (almond oil and sunflower oil also work)

Instructions:

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add plantain, ground flaxseed, baking powder, and salt to a bowl and beat until combined.

2. Add water to the mixture and continue whisking until all the water is absorbed. Mix in peanut butter until mixture forms a smooth dough.

3. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread mounds of dough on paper and flatten them into discs about a quarter inch thick. Bake for 60 minutes.

Servings: 4 rolls, Calories per serving: 252, Protein per serving: 9 g, Carbs per serving: 4 g, Fat per serving: 12.5 g

90,000 Keto Diet.Carbohydrate-Free Diet Gains Popularity | Nutrition and diet | Kitchen

Today, there are many different modes and rules of nutrition. From day to day, the keto diet is gaining popularity among them – more fats and proteins, less carbohydrates.

The AiF-Chelyabinsk correspondent learned about the effectiveness of this technique.

100 grams per day

Surely many have noticed: one has only to give up sweets, as a couple of extra pounds immediately disappears.It is essentially a lighter version of the keto diet.

Fats, proteins and carbohydrates are the triad of vital nutrients that support the human body.

“Carbohydrates are an easy and quick source of energy, as they quickly break down into glucose in the human stomach. With a deficiency of carbohydrates, the body begins to produce glucose analogs on its own. These analogs are called ketones, they are formed during the oxidation of fatty acids that are found in subcutaneous fat.Such a complex process of burning deposits is triggered by a keto diet, ”explains nutritionist Maria Kulikova .

By creating a calorie deficit, mainly due to carbohydrates, a person gives the body a command to burn fat. But this does not mean at all that you need to completely abandon carbohydrates, you just need to minimize their use. Nutritionists consider the best option – 100 grams of carbohydrates per day. This is enough for normal muscle and brain function.

“The keto diet burns fat, but still retains a very good caloric intake, allowing you to preserve muscle mass and a good metabolic rate,” says the nutritionist.

Proteins and fats do not play a direct role in the formation of ketone bodies, but they can increase the caloric content of the diet as a whole. Therefore, the amount of these substances should be taken into account.

No potatoes and bananas

In terms of products in the diet, the keto diet is similar to the famous Kremlin and Atkins diet, however, it is not the products themselves that play an important role here, but their quantity.

The keto diet is similar to the famous Kremlin Atkins diet. Photo: pixabay.com

Meat and milk can be consumed.Eat turkey or chicken. The best fish for a keto diet are salmon and herring. Regarding vegetables, it should be said that they contain carbohydrates, so you need to eat no more than 40 grams of fruits at a time. Also include cottage cheese, eggs, cheese, nuts in the diet.

It is categorically unacceptable to eat cereals, sweet grapes, bananas, baked goods, beets, carrots, potatoes, pasta, sugar during the keto diet.

Indigestion

“The main advantage of the keto diet is the rather rapid loss of subcutaneous adipose tissue.This is especially important for athletes, because with many other diets, part of the muscle mass evaporates along with fat, and the metabolic rate slows down in the body. The ketogenic diet is also suitable for people who do not exercise. It doesn’t make you hungry, doesn’t take away calories, ”says Elena Meshcherikova, a fitness instructor .

Another undoubted plus of such a diet is appetite control. It eliminates the appearance of hunger. This is due to the fact that with it the level of insulin in the blood is low, namely, insulin is responsible for the appearance of a feeling of hunger.

The flip side of the newfangled diet – digestive problems and an unpredictable reaction to glucose deficiency may appear.

“The keto diet focuses on fatty and protein foods, so digestive disorders are not excluded – heaviness in the stomach, bloating, constipation.