What Is A Low Carb Diet?

So, just what can you eat on a low carb diet? At its most basic, the low carb diet consists of plenty of healthy proteins, fats plus nutrient-dense plant foods - while sticking to between 20g and 150g of carbs per day. When you go low carb (or LCHF: low-carb high-fat, like keto), your diet will consist of meat, chicken, fish, vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds and healthy fats.

Low-carb diets should include lots of fresh, single-ingredient whole foods. When this is not the case, you can ‘do’ a low-carb diet wrong, and may wonder why you’re not losing weight or lacking in energy. It all boils down to the food choices you make as to whether your low-carb diet is healthy or unhealthy…

Eliminate Sugar and Refined Carbs
These are by far the biggest ‘bad carb’ culprits known to drive weight gain. Avoid anything sweet – cakes, pastries, cookies, fruit juices and any added sugars - plus processed foods like white bread, flour, rice, maize, pasta, fried fast foods and snacks like popcorn. They are quickly absorbed into the bloodstream, causing unhealthy spikes in blood sugar levels.

These ‘empty calorie’ spikes not only convert into unwanted fat stores but also provide very little, if any, nutritional value, and are actually bad for your health. Just by doing this one small thing, many people naturally find themselves switching to a low carb diet by default.

Stick with Nutrient and Fibre-Dense Carbs
Swop out refined carbs for nutrient dense and fibre-rich vegetables - like broccoli, mushrooms, zucchini and asparagus - to bulk up your meals to help reduce blood sugar and curb hunger cravings. And choose carbs that have a better nutritional profile, such as nuts and certain dairy products, like Greek yoghurt, cream and cottage cheese.

Pick the Right Proteins
Good sources of protein include red meat, poultry, fish, dairy, eggs, nuts, and beans. However, not all proteins are created equal. A large long-term study has confirmed that two or more servings of red meat a day led to a 30% higher risk of developing heart disease than one or fewer servings a day. And by replacing one serving of meat with nuts reduced the risk by 30%.

To Lose Weight You Need to Eat Fat
A typical mistake many people make when they ditch the carbs is not replacing them with enough healthy sources of fat. This just drains all your energy and leads to terrible food cravings.

The critical thing here is choosing healthy fats, and avoiding the many bad trans fats out there. As a rule of thumb, any fat that has been chemically processed is a baddie, while naturally occurring fats are the good guys. Think margarine and canola oil versus healthier options like butter and virgin olive oil - it’s a no-brainer. Nature also provides us with many sources of good fats like avocados, nuts and seeds.

Fat is also a far more sustaining fuel than carbs. You’ll soon find that by eating more good fats, you will not only have more energy but also totally lose your appetite.

Read More. Everything on The Best and Hottest Diet Plans You Need to Know

The Keto Diet Explained - Become a Fat Burning Machine

Many low carb diets favour protein first. The ketogenic diet is also low carb but is different in that it puts fats first. On average, keto diets include about 70-75% fats, 15-20% protein and 5-10% carbs.

When you eat less carbohydrates, you increase your intake of fats. Less carbs puts your body into a state of ketosis, where all that excess fat stored in your body is burned for energy.

What is Ketosis?
The main energy source for all cells in the body is glucose, which comes mostly from carbs (but also an excess of protein). When you reduce carbs and so deprive your body of glucose, your body begins to use small energy molecules called ‘ketones’ that are produced from stored fat.

With consistently low glucose levels, these ketone bodies accumulate in the blood. This is called ketosis.

So what does this really mean? On a keto diet, your body switches its fuel supply to run mostly on fat. When glucose is substantially reduced and your blood sugar levels become very low, your body starts using ketones for fuel by drawing them off your fat stores. In doing so, it becomes an incredibly powerful burning fat machine…

The Benefits and Disadvantages of Keto
The keto diet is not only great for weight loss, but also comes with a lot of other big pluses. Like no gnawing hunger pangs and keeping you more alert and focussed with tons of energy.

It also has many other enormous benefits for your overall health including improvements in cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure - and can even help reverse type 2 diabetes. It can also help the improve the function of both your brain and heart, clear up your acne and PCOS, as well as reduce the risk of certain cancers.

But it does have a few downsides. You may have heard of the notorious ‘keto flu’ that initially appears within the first few weeks as the body adjusts to using fat instead of glucose for energy. Think things like tiredness, brain fog, having trouble sleeping, moodiness and irritation.

Headaches are also common and usually due to dehydration, so drinking lots of water on this diet is a must. Then there’s also ‘keto breath’ but this is a good sign that your body is going into ketosis. All of these are normal and soon go away - just give your bod a chance to get used to your new eating regime.

Read More. How to Fix Your Metabolism to Achieve a Healthy Weight

What You Can (And Can’t) Eat On A Keto Diet

Ditch the Carbs
What’s the most important thing to do to reach ketosis? Avoid eating too many carbs. The fewer carbs, the more effective it is to reach ketosis and so lose weight.

At the top end you need to keep carb intake under 50 grams of net carbs per day, but ideally below 20 grams. That’s not much in starchy food terms. Just one large potato contains 20 grams of carbs, as does one half of a large hamburger bun.

But you can eat roughly more than half a kilo of nutrient and fibre rich vegetables (grown above the ground) before reaching 20 grams of net carbs. These are great for bulking out your meals throughout the day as well as keeping your gut in good shape.

Fats Are Your Friends
The second most important thing is to switch to fats as your main source of energy. It goes without saying that processed fats should be avoided at all costs. Keep it whole and natural.

Keto diets specify as much as 75% fat as part of your daily calories (for women it’s sometimes less). But that doesn’t mean you should start scoffing pats of butter and loading cream into your coffee at every opportunity.

Butter and cream, together with fatty cuts of meat, chicken with skin and cheese, are foods high in saturated fat. Aside from the fact that some of these are also protein rich (keto only allows 15-20% protein calories), saturated fat can in itself cause other health problems.

You’re far better off turning to unsaturated fats to reach your daily fat quota, as these are anti-inflammatory and heart-healthy. This would include foods such as nuts, seeds (like chia and flax), avocados, plant oils (olive and avocado), and oily fish. Just bear in mind that some of these also include carbs and protein that would have to be included in your daily allowance.

And if you’re hesitant about being able to reach the fat quota, don’t forget that you can also use healthy fats like olive oil (extra virgin, please) for sautéing, drizzling over meat and vegetables, and as a salad dressing.

Remember that fats are healthy. Eating low carb and healthy fats has been proven to reduce a vast number of health risk factors. So don’t fear fats…

Don’t Overdo the Protein
One of the biggest mistakes you can make without even being aware of it is eating too much protein. And if you ever find your weight plateauing, it’s probably because of this.

Protein is nutrient and energy dense - which is good - but just like carbs it breaks down into glucose. And if your glucose starts climbing too high your body will fall out of ketosis - and you’ll stop losing those kilos.

Stick with Zero Carb Drinks
Water is about to become your new BFF, if it’s not already. Coffee and tea are also good options - but without milk as it contains sugar. But you can divvy them up with lemon slices, almond milk or an occasional dash of rich cream…

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So, Is Keto Right for You?

If you’ve had difficulty losing weight using other methods, a keto diet may be a good option. The science behind it is extensive and compelling, and the evidence strongly suggests that it is a better choice for weight loss (and your health) than a standard low carb, high protein diet - and many other diet options that are around.

But Isn't Keto Difficult?

What can be intimidating for a lot of people is the ‘apparent’ complexity of the diet. Having to swot up on the fat, protein and carb content of every food seems bad enough. And then trying to put together meals using a mix of these to ensure you’re not OD’ing on one in favour of another is even more daunting. After all, most of us have no clue what 70% fat, 10% carbs and 20% protein even looks like on a plate…

Because of this, many people struggle to get keto to work for them, particularly if they’re beginners. Trying out different keto recipes available online is an option but what about juggling all the other stuff? Studies have actually shown that most people fail when starting a new diet because they dive in without having a well-planned approach to preparing meals. Sound familiar?

A Proven Keto Weight Loss Diet and Meal Plans

This is where a structured weight loss programme and easy beginners’ meal plans and recipes can help you get started on keto.

And exactly how Leanne Vogel, best-selling Keto author, can give you all the support you need. She is a holistic nutritionist with a solid track record of creating keto recipes that show just how simple it is to fall in love with life, food allergies, weight loss goals and all.

And best of all, she knows all about the unique challenges women can sometimes face on keto, and has developed ways to address these. The ideal weight loss diet which turns you into an efficient fat-burning machine…

Her book, The Keto Beginning: Complete Guide + 30-Day Meal Plan, is perfect for beginners looking to easily shed weight, regulate metabolism, and improve their health without the need to radically reduce (or even counting) calories.

With The Keto Beginning, you'll learn how to use whole food-based nutritional ketosis to...
 

• Reach your perfect weight without feeling restricted or deprived

 

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• Maintain steady energy, without relying on constant feeding

Packed with 17 chapters, 147 pages and over 70 high-fat, low-carb, moderate-protein, dairy-, gluten-, sugar-, grain-, legume-free recipes - this is the lifestyle change that empowers you to achieve the weight loss and state of health you've been searching for.

And it doesn’t have to be complicated. This book highlights just how easy and effortless living a dairy-free keto life can be. Grab your copy of The Keto Beginning here.



Not Sure If Keto Is For You? Free Download - 18 Yummy Keto Recipes You Need to Try

If you’re a little hesitant about committing to a keto diet before knowing exactly what it’s all about, why not try out some of Leanne’s keto recipes in the meantime?

Packed with a whole bunch of different options for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and even desserts (including chocolate goodies!), this free download of 18 seriously yummy keto recipes will show you just how easy and delicious keto can be.

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Important note: If you are on medication for blood pressure or diabetes; have a kidney imbalance; have a liver, thyroid or gall bladder issue; or are pregnant or breastfeeding, you should consult with a medical specialist before embarking on a keto diet.