It’s the start of a new year. And that means many of us are surveying different aspects of our life, looking for areas of improvement. One area that many of us like to focus on is our diet. Over the course of the year, many of us slip into bad habits. Eating junk food, takeout, and ready made meals for the sake of convenience. But oftentimes we are failing to do things as simple as eating five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. If you’re looking to change your diet to kick start a healthier lifestyle, you might have heard a lot about keto diets. Here’s more information on the subject to help you decide whether this could be a good option for you!
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What Is a Keto Diet?
Let’s start out by explaining exactly what a keto diet is. Keto diets revolve around the concept of fasting and restrictive food types. Overall keto is a practice that has been practiced for centuries. The general concept is abstaining from food for set periods of time, and only eating specific food when you do eat, which often results in weight loss. This is because you place yourself into a calorie deficit. As your body isn’t receiving the fuel that it usually does and starts to draw on supplies that have been put away, such as fat supplies.
If you are currently at a healthy weight, there’s no point engaging with a keto diet to lose weight. Although some people say the recommended routines make them feel better over all. Just be cautious of not losing weight that you do not need to lose as this can be unhealthy.
However, if your doctor advises that you lose weight, it is still important to remember that extended periods of fasting are inadvisable too. You need to make sure that keto is practiced properly and as recommended by a healthcare professional.
How Does It Work?
So, we’ve highlighted the general premise of keto above. But how does it actually work? Well, when your body doesn’t get food for periods of time, or is restricted from certain foods, it will naturally enter into a state of ketosis. This is where the name of the keto diet comes from. During ketosis, your body uses fat supplies for energy rather than the carbohydrates that you’d usually eat on a day to day basis.
Of course, you can’t simply starve yourself by not providing your body with any fuel. This is hugely detrimental to your health and overall wellbeing. It can also cause your body to hold onto fat supplies, using as little as possible in an attempt to prepare for potential long term lack of food.
Instead, by following a keto diet, you can ensure that you’re still providing your body with what it needs while tapping into fat supplies. This is where keto can work. Keto is short for “ketogenic” and the concept of this diet is to consume a low calorie and carb diet with high levels of fat. Your body will learn to burn the fat from your diet and then move onto reserves of fat. This will give you energy at the same time as helping you to lose weight and fat.
Meal Ideas
Of course, adopting a keto diet will mean completely having to change the meals you’re used to making. Here are a few different ideas that should act as inspiration and get the ball rolling.
Keto Quesadillas
A key difficulty people face creating keto meals is replacing carbs. But this doesn’t mean you have to cut out tasty dishes like quesadillas. Instead, you need to simply find a replacement for wraps and other carb sources. Keto quesadillas craft the wrap from a cheese, making the meal delicious and perfectly keto friendly.
Keto Butter Cake
You’ll be glad to know that following a ketogenic diet doesn’t mean having to cut out dessert. Unlike many other diet plans, keto diets do allow for desserts. So you don’t have to say no to after dinner treats. Why not try keto butter cake? This cake is a delicious, fluffy, indulgent vanilla butter cake that is naturally low carb and perfect for those following a keto diet. Whether you’re craving something sweet or looking for a birthday cake that won’t throw your diet off track, it’s definitely worth giving a try.
Of course, you should always consult your doctor or another healthcare professional before making any significant changes to your diet or lifestyle. They’ll be able to consider your individual needs and determine whether a keto diet could suit you well. If they say that this could work for you, hopefully, some of the information outlined above should help you along the way to a healthier diet!
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