If you find yourself in a conversation about dieting or weight loss, chances are you’ll hear of the ketogenic, or keto, diet.

That’s because the keto diet has become one of the most popular methods worldwide to shed excess weight and improve health.

Research has demonstrated that adopting this low-carb, high-fat diet can promote fat loss and even improve certain conditions such as type 2 diabetes and cognitive decline.

This article explains what to eat and avoid while following a keto diet and provides a one-week keto meal plan to get you started.

The keto diet, as a rule, is very low in carbs, high in fat, and moderate in protein.

When following a ketogenic diet, carbs are typically reduced to 20 to 50 grams per day, though looser versions of the diet exist.

Fats should replace the majority of cut carbs and deliver approximately 75% of your total calorie intake.

Proteins should account for around 10-30% of energy needs, while carbs are usually restricted to 5%.

This carb reduction forces your body to rely on fats for its main energy source instead of glucose — a process known as ketosis.

While in ketosis, your body uses ketones — molecules produced in the liver from fats when glucose is limited — as an alternate fuel source.

Though fat is often avoided for its high-calorie content, research shows that ketogenic diets are significantly more effective at promoting weight loss than low-fat diets.

Plus, keto diets reduce hunger and increase satiety, which can be particularly helpful when trying to lose weight.

The ketogenic diet relies on a very low-carb routine. Carbs are typically restricted to 20-50 grams per day, replaced mostly with fat and moderate amounts of protein.

Switching over to a ketogenic diet can seem overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be difficult.

Your focus should be on reducing carbs while increasing the fat and protein content of meals and snacks.

To reach and remain in a state of ketosis, carbs must be restricted.

While certain people might only achieve ketosis by eating 20 grams of carbs per day, others may be successful with a much higher carb intake.

Generally, the lower your carbohydrate intake, the easier it is to reach and stay in ketosis.

This is why sticking to keto-friendly foods and avoiding items rich in carbs is the best way to successfully lose weight on a ketogenic diet.

Keto-Friendly Foods to Eat

When following a ketogenic diet, meals and snacks should center around the following foods:

Eggs: Pastured, organic whole eggs make the best choice.

Poultry: Chicken and turkey.

Fatty fish: Wild-caught salmon, herring, and mackerel.

Meat: Grass-fed beef, venison, pork, organ meats, and bison.

Full-fat dairy: Yogurt, butter, and cream.

Full-fat cheese: Cheddar, mozzarella, brie, goat cheese, and cream cheese.

Nuts and seeds: Macadamia nuts, almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, peanuts, and flaxseeds.

Nut butter: Natural peanut, almond, and cashew butter.

Healthy fats: Coconut oil, olive oil, avocado oil, coconut butter, and sesame oil.

Avocados: Whole avocados can be added to almost any meal or snack.

Non-starchy vegetables: Greens, broccoli, tomatoes, mushrooms, and peppers.

Condiments: Salt, pepper, vinegar, lemon juice, fresh herbs, and spices.

Foods to Avoid

Avoid foods rich in carbs while following a keto diet.

The following foods should be restricted:

Bread and baked goods: White bread, whole-wheat bread, crackers, cookies, doughnuts, and rolls.

Sweets and sugary foods: Sugar, ice cream, candy, maple syrup, agave syrup, and coconut sugar.

Sweetened beverages: Soda, juice, sweetened teas, and sports drinks.

Pasta: Spaghetti and noodles.

Grains and grain products: Wheat, rice, oats, breakfast cereals, and tortillas.

Starchy vegetables: Potatoes, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, corn, peas, and pumpkin.

Beans and legumes: Black beans, chickpeas, lentils, and kidney beans.

Fruit: Citrus, grapes, bananas, and pineapple.

High-carb sauces: Barbecue sauce, sugary salad dressings, and dipping sauces.

Certain alcoholic beverages: Beer and sugary mixed drinks.

Though carbs should be restricted, low-glycemic fruits such as berries can be enjoyed in limited amounts as long as you’re maintaining a keto-friendly macronutrient range.

Be sure to choose healthy food sources and steer clear of processed foods and unhealthy fats.

The following items should be avoided:

Unhealthy fats: Margarine, shortening, and other sources of trans fat.

Processed foods: Fast food, packaged foods, and processed meats such as hot dogs and lunch meats.

Diet foods: Foods that contain artificial colors, preservatives, and sweeteners such as sugar alcohol, and aspartame.

Keto-Friendly Beverages

Sugar can be found in a wide variety of beverages including juice, soda, iced tea, and coffee drinks.

While on a ketogenic diet, high-carb drinks must be avoided just like high-carb foods.

It’s no small matter that sugary beverages have also been linked to various health issues — from obesity to an increased risk of diabetes.

Thankfully, there are many tasty, sugar-free options for those on the keto diet.

Keto-friendly beverage choices include:

Water: Water is the best choice for hydration and should be consumed throughout the day.

Sparkling water: Sparkling water can make an excellent soda replacement.

Unsweetened coffee: Try heavy cream to add flavor to your cup of joe.

Unsweetened green tea: Green tea is delicious and provides many health benefits.

If you want to add some extra flavor to your water, try experimenting with different keto-friendly flavor combinations.

For example, tossing some fresh mint and lemon peel into your water bottle can make hydration a breeze.

Though alcohol should be restricted, enjoying a low-carb drink like vodka or tequila mixed with soda water is perfectly fine on occasion.

A healthy ketogenic diet should revolve around high-fat, low-carb food choices and restrict highly processed items and unhealthy fats. Keto-friendly beverage options must be

sugar-free. Consider water, sparkling water, or unsweetened green tea and coffee.

The following menu provides less than 50 grams of total carbs per day.

As mentioned above, some people may have to reduce carbohydrates even further to reach ketosis.

This is a general one-week ketogenic menu that can be altered depending on individual dietary needs.

Monday

Breakfast: Two eggs fried in pastured butter served with sauteed greens.

Lunch: A bunless grass-fed burger topped with cheese, mushrooms, and avocado atop a bed of greens.

Dinner: Pork chops with green beans sauteed in coconut oil.

Tuesday

Breakfast: Mushroom omelet.

Lunch: Tuna salad with celery and tomato atop a bed of greens.

Dinner: Roast chicken with cream sauce and sauteed broccoli.

Wednesday

Breakfast: Bell pepper stuffed with cheese and eggs.

Lunch: Arugula salad with hard-boiled eggs, turkey, avocado, and blue cheese.

Dinner: Grilled salmon with spinach sauteed in coconut oil.

Thursday

Breakfast: Full-fat yogurt topped with Keto granola.

Lunch: Steak bowl with cauliflower rice, cheese, herbs, avocado, and salsa.

Dinner: Bison steak with cheesy broccoli.

Friday

Breakfast: Baked avocado egg boats.

Lunch: Caesar salad with chicken.

Dinner: Pork chops with vegetables.

Saturday

Breakfast: Cauliflower toast topped with cheese and avocado.

Lunch: Bunless salmon burgers topped with pesto.

Dinner: Meatballs served with zucchini noodles and parmesan cheese.

Sunday

Breakfast: Coconut milk chia pudding topped with coconut and walnuts.

Lunch: Cobb salad made with greens, hard-boiled eggs, avocado, cheese, and turkey.

Dinner: Coconut chicken curry.

As you can see, ketogenic meals can be diverse and flavorful.

Although many ketogenic meals are based around animal products, there is a wide variety of vegetarian options to choose from as well.

If you’re following a more liberal ketogenic diet, adding a cup of berries to your breakfast or a small serving of a starchy vegetable to your dinner will increase the number of carbs in this meal plan.

If you want a more detailed plan go to: https://tinyurl.com/keto-mealplan