Whether you want to try healthier meal plans or have recently started your fitness journey, the keto diet offers numerous health benefits. This high-fat, low-carbohydrate lifestyle helps you lose weight, control blood sugar, increase energy levels, and enhance mental clarity. It can also reduce your risk of contracting severe illnesses like heart disease and diabetes.
While this diet can promise you these health benefits, you can only enjoy them and achieve ketosis when you select the best foods. However, this step can be challenging for most health enthusiasts, especially if you’ve recently started a keto diet.
If you want to create healthier meal plans in your new lifestyle, this article will enumerate the five delicious but nutritious foods to consume when trying the keto diet.
1. Berries
Adding berries to your keto diet meal plans is wise because these fruits are rich in antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and fiber while containing low carbohydrates. Because of their low-carb content, raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries are ideal for smoothies or raw snacks. Although strawberries may taste good, you must consume them in moderation because their carbohydrate levels are slightly higher.
Besides going well in smoothies or making the perfect snack, you can use berries for salads or breakfast dishes, and they taste good when you pair them with cream cheese or yogurt. You can also make them into low-sugar jams or jellies.
2. Nuts and Seeds
Including nuts and seeds in your keto diet meal plans is ideal because they’re rich in essential nutrients. We recommend investing in macadamia nuts, almonds, walnuts, and pecans because they’re high in fat and packed with vital vitamins and minerals. You should also invest in chia and flax seeds because they’re rich in healthy fats, protein, and fiber. Moreover, they contain omega-3 fatty acids that help reduce inflammation and promote heart health.
You can maintain a healthy keto diet by choosing raw or dry roasted nuts and seeds without sugar or oil, adding them to meals, or enjoying them as snacks. You should also invest in soft cheeses like feta, brie, and goat cheese because they’re high in protein and calcium while low in carbs and calories.
3. High-Fat Dairy Products
You must add high-fat dairy products to your keto diet meal plans because they provide essential nutrients like fats, protein, calcium, and vitamins. Besides being rich in nutrients, experts recommend buying whole milk, cheese, heavy cream, butter, and Greek yogurt because you can use them in various cooking and baking recipes. Moreover, it’s ideal to choose Greek yogurt with no added sugar and higher fat content.
4. Low-Carb Vegetables
Eating vegetables on the keto diet is essential because they’re rich in vitamins and minerals. Invest in low-carb options like leafy greens, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, bell peppers, and mushrooms. You can also buy salad greens like romaine lettuce, spinach, and arugula because they’re even lower in carbs.
When selecting low-carb vegetables for your keto diet meal plans, check the labels and choose fresh, organic produce. That way, you’ll minimize exposure to harmful chemicals and maximize nutrient content.
5. Organic Meat
Meats are an excellent way to get protein on a keto diet, and you can choose options like beef, pork, chicken, fish, and turkey. You should select grass-fed or organic meats because they have more omega-3 fatty acids, and avoid processed meats. You can also invest in eggs and cheese because they provide essential nutrients like Vitamin B12, choline, and selenium. Moreover, fatty cuts like bacon can add healthy fats to your diet.
Final Thoughts
Trying a keto diet can help you start a healthier lifestyle, but you must find the best foods for your meal plans to enjoy the benefits. You can eat healthier by investing in fresh produce, organic meat, and high-fat dairy products.
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