The Best Healthy Fats to Consume For a Keto Diet
So you’ve gained a little weight, and you’re looking to get that body snatched again. Did you gain the ”Covid 19 pounds” stress eating over the last year? Yeah, a lot of people have. The good news is that you have many lifestyle options to lean into. One of the most popular choices right now is keto.
The Ketogenic Diet
If you’re never heard of keto, you must be living under a rock. The ketogenic diet or lifestyle, AKA keto, focuses on low-carb, high fat (LCHF) eating. Like other low-carb diets, the point of a keto diet is to replace your carb intake with more fat (both saturated fat and unsaturated fat), prompting the body to burn fat for energy. That process sends your body into that magical metabolic state known as ketosis.
Ketosis
Ketosis turns that fat into ketones in your liver. Those ketones supply energy for your brain. Many keto all-stars also take ketone supplements, usually in the form of a powder added to a drink, to boost their results. Research is always being conducted on supplements, but just search for #ketones on Insta. People swear by them.
Macros
There are a few versions of the keto diet. The primary difference is your suggested percentage of protein, fat, and carbohydrate daily intake, AKA macros, rather than specifically counting calories. We are going to focus on the most commonly followed plan: The standard ketogenic diet (SKD).
The standard keto diet typically recommends your daily macros be broken down to 70% fat, 20% protein, and 10% carbs. You’re still making sure that you’re getting all those necessary vitamins and minerals, but you’re changing the format of your diet a bit. There are more extreme versions, but we’re going to leave those to the swole bodybuilders. Go to your phone's app store and do a little research on apps for calculating and tracking macros. There’s a bunch to choose from, so read the reviews to find what fits you best.
Keto For Weightloss
The main reason people are focusing on keto is to drop that extra poundage. Many people don’t know this, but a keto diet was not formulated for people to lose weight. It was actually developed to help children with neurological diseases, such as epilepsy.
Research is constantly being conducted, but the keto lifestyle seems to be helping people with other health conditions too. Things like Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, Parkinson’s disease, and many others are being researched. Pretty cool, right?
Some studies even show that people following a long-term keto diet have better weight loss results than those following traditional low-fat diets. Before you get started, you should know the keto diet is no bueno for people with:
- Thyroid issues
- Gallbladder disease or people who have had their gallbladder removed
- Certain liver conditions
- Pancreatic disease
- Suffer from or have a history of eating disorders
Fat Focused
We think you’ll agree that the best part about following a keto diet is the fat! Yasss, fat! Give us all the fats. That said, you do have to be intentional about where you’re getting your fats—lots of trans fats can increase your risk of heart disease, so go for polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats instead.
You really have to be intentional when following a keto diet, but even more so if you’re a vegetarian or vegan. Non-vegans can rely on fatty fish like salmon, tuna, and sardines, as well as proteins like lamb and chicken. Vegans have to get a little more creative since they’re not about to be knocking back cheese and mackerel to get their healthy fats in.
Just about every #keto post you see on Insta shows a picture of an avocado, runny egg, and pile of bacon. Cool cool, but what can we serve with our avocados instead to meet our fat intake goals?
Some healthy vegan fats to try would be:
- Full fat coconut cream or coconut milk
- Nuts and nut butters
- Vegetable oils such as peanut oil, extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, and avocado oil
Thankfully, the variety of plant oils we have access to really changes the game. We can use them to cook, coat veggies in, make salad dressings, and all kinds of stuff! Avoid ghee, butter, and lard, since those are all dairy based products.
Protein Power
Vegans know how hard it can be to get protein on the regular, so following a keto diet brings another level of importance to the game. Luckily, some of these healthy fats we need also pack a protein punch. Next time you need to bump up the grams of protein you’re getting in a day, try:
- Tofu
- Nutritional yeast
- Peanuts, walnuts, almonds, cashews, pecans, and more
- Kale
- Tempeh
Sometimes it feels like healthy snacks are an oxymoron. Meeting our new keto protein goals and snacking between tasks can leave you pressed. But don’t be. You’re fam now, and we got you.
It would basically be rude if we didn’t introduce you to our high-protein Pig Out Pigless Pork Rinds. These Addictively Delicious™ snacks will leave you satisfied, yet reaching for another bag. And since they have 25g of protein, you will have no problem hitting your keto goals.
We want to keep things fresh, because we all know the reason people fail new diets is because they get bored or it feels too hard. If you go in prepared, you can do anything! Keep that protein coming with some of these go-to staples.
- Mixed nuts
- Vegan jerky
- Hummus with veggies
- Outstanding Puffs
So we told you about our Pigless Pork Rinds, but we also have some killer cheesy Puffs. They come in four amazing flavors and carry 21g of protein per bag. We suggest ordering a variety pack so you can pick your favorite. Boom. You’re welcome!
Dessert Options
It’s tough on any diet to find a dessert that feels good enough to eat without ruining the hard work you put in all day. If you’re already a vegan, you probably have some healthy tricks up your sleeve that can double in your new keto life.
When you really start looking, you’ll realize that there are all kinds of keto-friendly, vegan dessert recipes that you can try to make. Try dipping low-carb fruits like strawberries into your favorite nut butter for a high protein, low carb treat. You can even whip whole fat coconut cream into whipped cream and pair it with your favorite berries and pepitas. Don’t forget to sprinkle some cinnamon on top!
Sticking To The Plan
Like any new thing you try, it can be tough to stick to a routine and build confidence in your new lifestyle. Don’t be afraid to go for it and truly believe in your plan. When you believe you can do something and put the work in to make it happen, you are more likely to succeed. We know it’s scary, but we have a few tips and tricks we think will help.
Have Support
Whether you live alone or not, get your close family, friends, or roommates on board. Let them know you want to take this seriously and need their help. Ask them not to tempt or tease you with things you won't be eating anymore, and be respectful of your new life. People tend to help and be more supportive when they think you need them. Help them help you.
Remove Distractions
If you have old bags of candy, chips, and crackers sitting in your pantry, what do you think you’ll reach for when you’re having a bad day? Bruh, please. Toss open containers in the trash and donate those unopened non-perishables to your local food bank. Start fresh and give yourself lots of options. Don’t be afraid to replace your go-tos with new alternatives. That’s the point of all of this anyway, isn’t it?
Make a Plan
You can’t just wake up one day and change your life without putting the work in first. Prepare yourself for success by getting organized. Do you plan to meal prep your work lunches the night before or bulk prep weekly? Do you have keto-approved snacks in your purse or desk to get you through the day? Have you told your lunch buddy about your new low-carb diet?
Step away from the vending machine on the third floor of your office building. Step. Away.
Set Realistic Goals
We’re all guilty of going online and seeing someone post a side-by-side of all their progress and wonder why it’s not us. Why doesn’t it work when I try to diet? Why doesn’t my body look like that? Well, it’s probably because they actually did the work and stayed consistent.
There’s no reason you can’t be like them. Hell, better than them. Respect their glow up and use it as motivation to get your own! Speak your new life into existence. Be realistic. Take it slow. Set goals. Then crush them!
Keto Conclusion
We’ve learned a lot about keto together, and we think you’re ready. This pandemic has left us all pressed, but we know we’ll come out better on the other side of it. If we’re going to be sticking it out a bit longer, you might as well do a little something for yourself.
There’s no better time than now to get healthy and no better time to try keto. Download your new app. Figure out your macros. Do some food research and get to shopping. We want to know what vegan and keto-approved foods you find and what you liked best. Keep us posted, my dude, because we know you’re going to kill this!
Sources:
The Ketogenic Diet: A Detailed Beginner's Guide to Keto | Healthline
What is the Ketogenic Diet | Eat Right
What Does A Vegan Eat On A Keto Diet? A Guide To The Keto Vegan Diet | Paleo Foundation
