If you are eating the right things in your keto diet, but you make a big slip up occasionally, it won’t be that big of a deal unless it becomes a habit. If you continually eat foods that are sabotaging your diet, you may eat properly most of the time, but those few foods could be keeping you from a successful keto diet.
1. Grains
Grains are everywhere but if you want to stay in ketosis, you need to make sure they do not pass by your lips. If you are wondering, “how long does it take to get into ketosis?”, the answer is going to be “a long time,” if you keep eating grain.
Modern grains have been altered genetically so processed food makers can get the most yield at the lowest cost. This means that benign grain is now a nutritionally empty ingredient that spikes your blood sugar more rapidly than if you were to eat pure sugar from the table. It also has addictive properties that cause you to feel tired and to overeat.
2. Most Fruits
What!? Fruit? Yes, while you might have grown up hearing that fruit is healthy, it does not mean it is going to fit into your keto diet. Fruits are high in carbs and high in sugar, so, usually, they are not going to be friendly with your diet. This means no fruit juice, dried fruits, and most fruit smoothies are out as well.
If you must have fruit then go for options that are lower in sugar such as blackberries, raspberries and blueberries and only eat them a little at a time so you do not cause your glucose levels to spike which means major problems for your keto diet plan.
3. Starchy Vegetables
If the vegetable grows beneath the ground, you need to stay away. Look for leafy greens instead of things like sweet potatoes and carrots. While these may be yummy treats, they are not a fit for your keto diet. Starchy vegetables are high carb and you want to stay away from those carbs, remember?
This means you need to cut out the yam, peas and parsnips and throw in some collard greens or other leafy vegetables so you can get your veggie fix. You can season your leafy greens, but make sure not to grab the salad dressing because that is a whole other book that you don’t want to open up and read.
4. Sugars
Don’t be fooled when you are reading the labels of various products at your local supermarket. You’re trying to stay away from sugar, you read through the entire ingredients. No sugar. Great. What you might not know is that there are many names for sugar and food makers know how disguise the sugar in just about everything.
Some of the terms for sugar that you should know:
- Honey
- Agave Nectar
- Maple Syrup
- Raw Sugar
- Turbinado Sugar
- High-fructose Corn Syrup
- Can Sugar
And there are sure to be more names that sugar shows up under as the market begins to notice the ones that are currently in use so make sure to look out for any sneaky sugar that might be included in your favorite “healthy” snack.
5. Low Fat Dairy & Milk
If you want to consume full-fat dairy products such as butter, heavy cream, yogurt or sour cream, those will be fine for keto, but you should not have milk or low-fat or reduced-fat dairy products. This could go against what most people have been taught, but remember that this is for the keto diet and it works.
These low fat options are too high in carb count and pasteurized milk is difficult for most people to digest since it lacks beneficial bacteria and oftentimes contains hormones that are not good for your body. If you must have milk then you can go for raw milk in small amounts. Make sure that you keep a check on the carbs so that you do not over do it.
6. Factory Farmed Animal Products
Factory farmed animal products are not healthy and you should avoid them at all costs opting for organic, grass-fed animal products. If the animals you are getting your products from were grain-fed then they will render products that are lower in nutrients.
Factory farmed fish or pork products may be high in omega-6s and the fish is usually high in mercury. Processed meats such as your favorite packaged sausages are usually choked full of nitrates that can be harmful and possibly even cancerous.
7. Condiments
If you can make your own condiments, that is your best option. If that is not possible then you should avoid condiments that are made with unhealthy oils, contain added sugars or are labeled “low fat”. Again, low fat options are not the way to go when you are on a ketogenic diet.
Another option is using herbs and other seasoning instead of going for condiments.
Conclusion
Staying away from foods that will keep you out of ketosis may seem challenging at first, but once you understand which foods are the best for you, it will get easier. Getting around other friends that are living the keto lifestyle is also helpful so you can exchange ideas and recipes. The results that you get from keto will outweigh the work that you do to start the process.
Article Submitted By Community Writer
