Can I eat as much as I want on keto?
In this manual, we are going to discuss “Can I eat as much as I want on keto?”, and the different food groups you can choose from.
Can I eat as much as I want on keto?
No, you cannot eat as much as you want on keto. Anything in excess would have the opposite effect on what you are aiming for keto diet followers. There should be a constraint on the quantities of food ingested in one day.
Can Keto diets burn fat?
Yes, it can burn fat. The Ketosis process helps burn fat by inducing the breakdown of fat rather than carbohydrates upon the limitation of carbohydrates by 5-10%.
Ketosis regulates blood sugar by lowering sugar levels and insulin due to the low carbohydrates ingested.
The ketone bodies produced from fat would be the ultimate source of energy for the body and brain.
What are the Macronutrients in the Keto diet?
Macronutrients are different from micronutrients. Macronutrient means the nutrients needed in large portions, unlike micronutrients.
To count the calorie intake you consider macronutrients. It is formed of carbohydrates, protein, and fat.
The distribution is as follows:
- 70% to 80% from fat
- 5% to 10% from carbohydrates
- 10% to 25% from protein
What are Food groups?
Not all food groups are appropriate for the keto diet. There are five food groups divided by the USDA. The food groups are as the following:
- Fruit and vegetables (pick low carbohydrates from this group)
- Starchy food (pick low carbohydrates from this group)
- Dairy
- Protein
- Oil and Fat
What is the diet plan for the keto diet?
The food groups to pick from are majorly oils and fats as well as proteins(from meat and dairy), with low carbohydrates fruits, and vegetables.
Oil and Fat
Olive and coconut oil are the best to go for while on a Keto diet. Olive oil, especially extra virgin olive oil, is a healthy choice of fat packed with antioxidants.
Coconut oil is saturated fat that fosters the elevated ketone bodies produced in the liver. This increases metabolic rate and weight loss, especially in the belly area.
Protein
20 percent of protein is found in meat, nuts, and dairy. The best range for protein is 1.5 grams to 2.0 grams per kilogram of your body weight.
| Food | Protein Content in 100 grams |
| Chicken breast (no skin) | 32 |
| Tuna | 24.9 |
| Salmon | 24.6 |
| Egg boiled | 14.1 |
| Skimmed milk | 3.5 |
| Low-fat yogurt | 4.8 |
| Hazelnuts | 14.1 |
| Almonds | 21.1 |
| Walnuts | 14.7 |
Vegetables
When you pick vegetables to eat while on a keto diet you should be careful of some very high carbohydrates vegetables. Go for vegetables with a carbohydrate content of fewer than 8 grams. The table shows some vegetables you can opt for.
| Vegetable | Carbohydrate content in 100 grams |
| Romaine Lettuce | 0.7grams |
| Celery | 1.4 grams |
| Spinach | 1.4 grams |
| Cucumber | 1.5 grams |
| Asparagus | 1.8 grams |
| Iceberg lettuce | 1.8 grams |
| Banana peppers | 2 grams |
| Zucchini | 2.1 grams |
| Mushroom white | 2.3 grams |
| Yellow Summer Squash | 2.3 grams |
| Tomato | 2.7 grams |
| Eggplant | 2.9 grams |
| Broccoli | 4 grams |
Dairy
In moderation dairy can help in weight loss process for people following a keto diet. The conjugated linoleic fatty acid found in butter and cream can help in weight loss. Dairy products range from milk, cheese, yogurt, cream, and butter.
| Diary Food | Carbohydrates | Protein |
| Milk (1cup) | 12 grams | 8 grams |
| Cream (1 tablespoon) | 0.5 grams | 0.4 grams |
| Cheese (28 grams) | 0.4 grams | 7 grams |
| Butter (100 grams) | 0.1 gram | 0.9-gram |
| Full-fat yogurt (100 grams) | 4.7 grams | 3.5 grams |
Nuts
Nuts are keto-friendly food that is low in carbohydrates. . They contain high fiber and healthy fat content. Nuts contain less than 10 grams of carbohydrates and the lowest carbohydrate content would be in Brazilian nuts.
Some nuts to eat on the keto diet are:
- Almonds
- Brazil nuts
- Pecans
- Walnuts
- Chia seeds
- Macadamia nuts
- Pumpkin seeds
- Flaxseeds
- Sesame seeds
Fruits
With fruits it is tricky to choose the ones with low carbohydrates content. There are, however some choices with low carbohydrate content some of which are:
- Watermelon 7.55 grams per 100 grams
- Strawberries 7.68 g of carbohydrates and 2 g of fiber, yielding a net of 5.68 g of carbohydrates per 100 grams.
- Blackberries have 9.61 g of carbohydrates, but 5.3 g of fiber, netting only 4.31 g per 100 grams.
- Cantaloupe 8.16 g of carbohydrates and 0.9 g of fiber, netting only 7.26 g of carbohydrates per 100 grams
- Avocados 8.53 g of carbohydrate and 6.7 g of fiber, netting only 1.83 g of carbohydrates per 100 grams
Conclusion
In this manual, we discussed “Can I eat as much as I want on keto”, and the different food groups you can choose from.
References
Protein – British Nutrition Foundation
Can You Eat as Much as You Want on Keto? (authentic-keto.com)
