How Long Should The Keto Diet Last?

The keto diet is a low-carb, high-fat plan designed to force your body to use fat as fuel source and can help you shed unwanted weight while improving overall health. While ketosis takes a few days to achieve, once achieved you can both lose weight and enjoy improved health benefits.

Best of all, you can still indulge in your favorite foods – just keep track of how many net carbs you eat each day.

Nuts and seeds

Nuts and seeds are essential components of a keto diet as they contain many micronutrients. Furthermore, these food sources also offer healthy fats, fiber and proteins for added nutritional benefits.

While certain nuts and seeds are more keto-friendly than others, all should be consumed in moderation; that means limiting yourself to no more than a handful a day.

There are various low-carb nuts that are also incredibly nutritious, packed with vitamin E, B vitamins, calcium, copper, iron, magnesium manganese selenium zinc as well as phytochemicals and other essential vitamins and minerals.

Olive oil

Olive oil can be an ideal fat to incorporate into a keto diet, as its monounsaturated fatty acid content helps lower cholesterol levels.

There is a range of olive oils on the market; some are more costly, while some might work better for cooking than others.

No matter which variety you purchase, be sure to double check the label and ensure it contains an official seal from an organization like the California Olive Oil Council or Extra Virgin Alliance.

An extra-virgin olive oil that is both pure and unrefined will allow you to reap maximum benefit from its ingredients – olives!

Coconut oil

Coconut oil is an ideal addition to a keto diet, offering fast absorption into your bloodstream due to its medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs).

Ketones can be converted to energy for use, helping reduce appetite levels while also helping decrease ghrelin (which regulates hunger).

However, high intakes of saturated fats have been linked with heart disease; therefore it’s best to use coconut oil with caution and limit it to 10% of your daily calories intake.

Berries

Berries make an ideal keto diet snack as they’re low in carbohydrates while providing essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Furthermore, their fiber content can help make you feel full and prevent cravings for sweet treats.

As part of your keto diet, berries may be included; however, it’s important to manage portion sizes carefully. Do not consume more than 3-4 servings of fruit per day as this could hinder ketosis progress.

Your net carb consumption depends heavily upon which fruit you choose, with levels typically falling anywhere between three and eleven grams per serving. Selecting those with lower net carbs being especially key.

Meat

Meat and poultry can be staples on any keto diet, offering high-quality proteins as well as essential vitamins and minerals. But too much meat may contain too much fat; to maintain optimal health it’s essential that portion sizes remain in check.

Avoid processed meats such as deli meats, hot dogs and sausages which contain added sugars that could throw you out of ketosis and contribute to weight gain. Instead opt for chicken, fish and beef which contain vitamins B12, potassium, selenium and zinc for best results.

Vegetables

Vegetables can make an excellent addition to the keto diet if they’re part of your favorite meals. Their low carbohydrate count provides essential nutrition.

Keto diets rely heavily on fat sources for nutrition. Nuts provide much-needed sources of essential lipids.

Leaved greens like spinach, kale and lettuce are excellent keto vegetables because they offer lots of essential vitamins (A and C) and are known to protect heart health.

Carrots are low in net carbs and contain virtually no digestible carbohydrates when eaten raw, making them an ideal addition to lunches on the keto diet.