WHAT IS KETO? The keto diet, also known as a ketogenic diet, is a nutritional approach that restricts carbohydrate consumption in order to force your body to burn fat instead of carbohydrates for fuel. This is called nutritional ketosis.

THERE ARE MULTIPLE TYPES OF KETO DIETS One thing many people don’t realize about the ketogenic diet is that there are actually a few different varieties. While most people are on the standard keto diet, there are also some others you should be aware of. Here is a short breakdown of what each keto diet includes:

Standard keto diet – The standard keto diet (SKD) is extremely low-carb and high-fat, while allowing for moderate protein in your diet. Only 5% of your diet should consist of carbohydrates.

Targeted keto diet – With the targeted keto diet (TKD), you stick to the standard keto diet, except when you are working out, you can add more carbs.

High protein keto diet – Some people are put on the high-protein keto diet, where your protein percent goes up to 35%, your fat is slightly lower, and your carbs are still in the 5% range.

Keep in mind when talking about the keto diet, most people are referring to the standard version.

WHAT YOU CAN EAT ON KETO Naturally, one of the most common questions should do with what exactly you can eat when you are on the keto diet. Most low-carb diets are also high-protein, so this is where some people get it wrong. This is not Atkins or any other low-carb diet. You are not eating unlimited amounts of meat and cheese on this diet. Since you need a certain number of macros – or percentage of protein, carbs, and fat – on this diet, planning is crucial.  

To feel full, you need to eat as many no-carb and low-carb natural foods as you can throughout the day. This means limiting the fruits and vegetables you can consume. You probably already know the typical low-carb foods like lean meat, cheese, eggs, and some nuts. However, there are also some vegetables that are very low in carbohydrates. They include:

•Cauliflower

•Spinach

•Romaine lettuce

•Broccoli

•Bok choy

•Kale

•Collard greens

•Cabbage

•Green beans

HEALTH BENEFITS OF THE KETO DIET Not sure the keto diet is right for you? Let’s look at some of the health benefits. You already know that since it burns fat, weight loss is a major benefit of the diet. However, that’s not all. The keto diet balances out your hormones, so it can also help with infertility, particularly if you have PCOS. It can also reduce the bad cholesterol and increase the good cholesterol, lower your blood sugar, help with acne, and help to give you more energy.

The keto diet is often seen to lose weight, and while that is a definite benefit, it isn’t the only one. There are a wide range of advantages to being on the ketogenic diet, from infertility assistance to helping fight cancer.

It Helps Fight Cancer

One of the benefits you might not realize about the ketogenic diet is that it can help you fight cancer. Many people think about benefits like losing weight, but don’t forget about this very important advantage! The way keto helps are by

reducing your sugar, since you are also reducing your carbohydrates. When you do this, you are reducing how well the cancer cells can feed off all those extra sugars in your body. Cancer cells tend to grow much slower when you follow a diet that restricts your carbs and sugar, such as with the keto diet.

You Have a Suppressed Appetite

The keto diet helps you to lose weight and keep it off in a few different ways. The first way is by helping to suppress your appetite. When your body goes into ketosis, you crave less sugar, carbs, and food in general, so it helps you to eat less. While the first week or so might be difficult, if you keep up with ketosis every single day, you will soon discover that you can eat smaller meals with plenty of protein and nutrients, but not overeat. Your cravings start to go away and your appetite overall isn’t as bad.

Keto is Good for Infertility

If you are someone that suffers from infertility because of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), then the keto diet can help you. Through ketosis, your hormones start to regulate and you can regulate your blood glucose levels. This allows you to get help with your PCOS and might even cause your body to normalize enough to ovulate on time and have a higher likelihood of getting pregnant. While the research is still being done, many infertility specialists are already recommending it.

It Can Help with Alzheimer’s Disease

Another major illness that the keto diet can help with is Alzheimer’s disease. This disease does not have a cure, but doctors often look for different ways to treat the symptoms and slow it down. With ketosis, you are eating more healthy fats that help provide nutrients to the brain, which can strengthen it and help to slow down the progression of Alzheimer’s. This is becoming one of the more well-known natural treatments for Alzheimer’s.

TIPS FOR STARTING THE KETO DIET Now that you have some knowledge about the keto diet, what you can eat, and what guidelines to follow, you need to get started. These tips will help you start the diet in a way that promotes success and helps you transition into a new

ketogenic lifestyle.

Remove All Temptations

To start with, remove all the major temptations in your household. While some people find it easier to make small changes, this leaves room for you to have little cheats here and there, which keep you from ketosis. For the keto diet to work properly, you really need to reach ketosis from the very beginning. This means getting rid of all bread, rice, pasta, and most grains. Go through your fruit and veggies and get rid of any of them that are high in sugar and carbs. Stick with veggies like broccoli, kale, spinach, and cauliflower, as these are still approved by the keto diet.

Choose Only What is On Your Grocery List

When you are first starting out, it is hard to remember what you can and can’t have. Start by creating a meal plan that includes every single meal and snack you and your family intend to eat for the first week. Take that meal plan and create a shopping list that is detailed and includes all ingredients you will need. When you go to the supermarket, you should only be purchasing what is on the list, and nothing more. This allows you to stick to the diet, but also to get just what you need for the meals you have laid out.

Get Rid of the Cheat Days

Some other diets might give the option to have a cheat day, which is one day a week where you can eat whatever you want. This might be fine for a typical low-calorie diet, but it does not work well with the keto diet. You will discover that is harder for your body to recover from a cheat day, even if you didn’t actually gain any weight from it. You are going back and forth between ketosis and not, which can be hard on your digestive system, so it is best to hold off on the cheat days. If you want to have a little treat every occasionally, that is better than dedicating an entire day to French fries, cookies, and pasta.

Avoid Eating Out in the Beginning

Eating out can be a struggle when you are still transitioning to this new lifestyle. While you will learn ways to eat out and still be on the keto diet, you might want to hold off for now. Wait at least a few weeks before you start going out to eat on this diet.

WHAT YOU CAN AND CAN’T EAT One of the most common questions regarding the keto diet is knowing what you can and can’t eat. This diet is a little more complicated since you are eating a very low-carb diet, but are not eating unlimited amounts of protein like with a traditional low-carb diet. Here are some things to know about what you can and can’t eat, including some items you can have but in limited quantities.

What You Can Eat Freely

The first category of foods includes high-protein and low or no-carb foods that you can eat almost to an unlimited amount. You still need to watch your portion sizes and make sure you don’t consume too much protein, but these are still good foods to enjoy while on the keto diet. The following foods can be enjoyed freely on the keto diet:

Meat that is grass fed – You want to enjoy plenty of meat on the keto diet, but try to include meat and seafood that is wild-caught or grass-fed. This includes any type of beef, poultry, pork, and fish if it was raised humanely without hormones.

Vegetables with no starch – Some vegetables can be enjoyed freely while on the keto diet, but not starchy vegetables. When they are non-starchy vegetables, they tend to be lower in carbs and appropriate for this type of diet. This includes most types of leafy greens, radishes, cucumber, asparagus, squash, zucchini, and cauliflower. You can also have plenty of avocado.

Healthy fats – There is nothing wrong with having a lot of fats on the keto diet, but the types of fats do matter. You don’t want to eat nothing but sweets and fried foods, but healthy fats like seafood and fatty fish, macadamia and olive oils, and saturated fats are completely fine.

Have These in Limited Amounts

There are other vegetables and fruits that you can have on the keto diet, though you need to be careful with the amounts. These still have low carbs, but more than other veggies mentioned, so watch your quantities and count the

total carbs for each meal you plan. Have these fruits and veggies, but in limited quantities:

•Root vegetables

•Cabbage

•Turnips

•Fennel

•Berries

•Artichokes

You can also enjoy dairy products like cottage cheese, yogurt, cream, and sour cream, but not the low-fat or fat-free versions. When you choose something with low fat, it tends to have starch and sugars you can’t have with the keto diet. You can also have nuts and seeds, including brazil nuts, pecans, hazelnuts, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, and pine nuts.

A SOLUTION FOR YOU

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Hi there!

My name is Heather Beardsley. In 2016 I lost 18 pounds and healed my insulin resistance with a keto diet. Since then I have become a keto expert. I have a master’s degree in education, I’m a wellness coach, and I’m certified in Fitness Nutrition.

Once I realized that my ‘healthy’ vegan diet was high in carbohydrates which was was negatively affecting my hormones, causing unexplained weight gain, and blocking my ability to lose weight, I knew that a low-carb keto whole foods nutrition was the answer.

I spent far too many years restricting my food intake and over-exercising, which damaged my metabolism. You don’t have to make the same mistakes.

The best news is that the keto lifestyle can set you free from all that, and heal your body if you also choose to make low-carb nutrition a way of life. with keto you do not have to count calories, suffer from blood sugar crashes, or experience constant hunger with keto. Keto will balance your hunger hormones and give you steady energy all day long.

My passion is helping my carbohydrate-intolerant clients lose weight, heal their insulin resistance and find their food freedom with keto.

With so much noise out there right now about keto, it’s important to get your information from someone who has not only made this nutritional approach their life, but also coached dozens of clients to see weight loss and healing success with keto too. If you have questions or need support in your journey to health you can find me over on my Facebook Page and on Instagram @thriveinmidlife

Yours in health,

Coach Heather Beardsley