5 Delicious and Simple Keto-Friendly Foods
Dieting is often associated with one thing: bland and boring foods. Heck, it's one of the main reasons people don't diet at all. They are not willing to sacrifice their favorite meals, snacks and desserts.
This is especially the case with the ketogenic diet. You need to cut out most if not all carbs. This includes bread, rice, pasta, pastries, and lots of delicious food.
There are endless healthy, keto-friendly, and delicious options if you know what to eat. These foods can be mixed together, eaten alone or used to create amazing meals. These are five foods to consider on the ketogenic diet.
1. Seafood
Healthy sources of protein are the building blocks of a good keto diet. Protein contributes to building lean muscle mass and weight loss. Fish and crustaceans, in particular, are rich in vitamins and minerals and contain almost no carbohydrates.1
They're also loaded with healthy fatty acids, which have been linked to a reduced risk of disease and improved mental health.
For non-stop seafood ideas, you can use a keto meal plan and recipe software like Ultimate Keto. Apps like Ultimate Keto have over 300 easy-to-follow videos that walk you through preparing, cooking, and serving keto-friendly meals.
Seafood can be eaten with a salad rich in fibrous vegetables to promote a feeling of fullness. Try serving it with sliced mango and avocado for a tangy and sweet finish.
2. Meat and poultry
What is as popular as seafood? Meat and poultry. Like seafood, both are rich in good protein, healthy fats, and vitamins. They contain virtually no carbohydrates, which makes them wonderful for people losing weight on a ketogenic diet. It has been proven that a high number of proteins preserves muscle mass even during a low-carbohydrate diet.2
Grass-fed meat is the healthiest choice. It has the most nutrients and the least amount of hormones. Meat and chicken don't have to be boring either. No need to carry Tupperware containers of unseasoned chicken and broccoli everywhere you go.
Try making a chicken curry dish served with a sweet cranberry and pumpkin seed salad. Or use salt, pepper, and lemon for a simple but tasty seasoning.
3. Eggs
Dairy products are another food group that is great for people losing weight on the ketogenic diet. This is because dairy products contain protein, vitamins, and minerals and are low in carbohydrates. In particular, you should try to consume more eggs. You can either buy cartons or buy egg whites for a convenient way to prepare and cook them.
One of the biggest benefits of adding eggs to your diet is that they have been shown to increase feelings of fullness.3 This means fewer binges and snacking that will knock you out of ketosis.
Eggs can be cooked and served in classic ways such as scrambled, hard-boiled, sunny side up, lightly boiled, and soft boiled. Mix vegetables such as onions, garlic, peppers, tomatoes, green onions, and peas. Fill it with your favorite cheese and enjoy!
4. Low-carb vegetables
Some carbs are okay on a ketogenic diet. Obviously, you don't want to overdo it, but a small amount won't hurt. Your body will stay in ketosis because it needs 25-35 grams of carbs to break out of it. Stay below that and you're still in fat-burning mode.
This is why low-carb vegetables are a perfect choice for a snack or to mix into other keto-friendly dishes. Non-starchy vegetables include:
1. Broccoli
2. Zucchini
3. Spinach
4. White mushrooms
5. Iceberg salad
6. Cauliflower
7. Asparagus
8. Radishes
5. Cheese
Another dairy product you must try is cheese. Cheese is rich in protein, healthy fats, and vitamins such as calcium and has practically no carbohydrates. This means it can help you gain muscle, lose fat, and stay healthy during your ketogenic diet journey. That's not to mention conjugated linoleic acid, which is linked to fat loss and better body composition.4
However, cheese is a very simple item. How do you wear it? Make it exciting? Recipe and meal plan creators like Ultimate Keto do the trick. They will give you hundreds of ideas for delicious keto-friendly meals. Even better, they show you how to do it through instructional videos, because you don't need to be a talented chef - just be able to watch simple videos.
Conclusion
One of the biggest complaints about any diet like the ketogenic diet is bland, tasteless foods. However, it doesn't have to be that way. You can eat delicious healthy meals all day if you know what to eat.
It starts with the right sources of protein, such as fish, meat, and poultry. All of this will give you a high amount of protein to help you gain muscle and lose fat. Mix them into salads and other dishes for more nutrients and fiber.
Then eat more low-carb vegetables like broccoli, spinach, asparagus, and zucchini. You can eat them as snacks to make you feel full, or you can serve them with meat.
Dairy products such as eggs and cheese are excellent sources of healthy fats and protein. Eggs can be cooked in many different ways and used in a variety of dishes. Cheese can be used as a topping or as a healthy snack.
Need more keto-friendly recipe ideas? Check out the Ultimate Keto Recipe and Meal Plan Maker today for hundreds of ideas to help you lose weight and never get bored of dieting again.