The keto diet offers incredible opportunities in weight loss, as well as added health benefits, but it isn’t always the easiest diet to follow. Unlike other diets, where cheating can be tolerated, the keto diet is a fairly strict diet that requires you to stay in ketosis to maintain weight loss. To stay in ketosis and meet your health goals on the keto diet, you need to follow some essential rules.
1. Sugar Is Your Nemesis
Sugar can be one of the hardest things to escape while you’re on the keto diet. You’ll find that sugar sneaks into all kinds of food, drinks, and even supplements. Choose supplements that are free of sugar and use a natural sugar-free sweetener like stevia. If you love sugar, consider looking for a high-fat replacement, which can be equally satisfying, like buttery roasted nuts.
2. No Bread
This is the rule that most people know best about the keto diet. You should be staying away from any grains or starches. While you are allowed some amount of carbohydrates on even a very low carb diet, those carbohydrates must come from vegetables. You need all of the vitamins and minerals from vegetables that you can get on this strict diet.
3. Say Goodbye To Excess Alcohol
There are some types of alcohol that can be tolerated on the keto diet, but all alcohol breaks down into sugars, and the vast majority of alcohol is rich in carbs, so for the most part, you will be avoiding alcohol on the keto diet.
On days that you do want to consume alcohol, you’ll have to be even more strict about other types of carb consumption. You may also be more sensitive to a hangover while on the keto diet, so make sure that you supplement with electrolytes.
4. Avoid Starchy Vegetable
Many people think that you can’t have any vegetables at all while on the keto diet. This isn’t the case, but it is wise to get rid of starchy vegetables in your diet. Peas, lentils, kidney beans, potatoes, carrots, parsnips, and most other starchy vegetables are heavy in carbs and unacceptable on a keto diet.
5. Not All Fats Are Equal
Many people launch into the keto diet with enthusiasm, ready to eat as much bacon and butter as they want. However, unhealthy fats like processed oils, mayonnaise, and very fatty meats introduce unneeded calories without much nutritional benefit. You are certainly allowed to have fatty meat and butter on a keto diet, but it is much better to eat healthy fats like those coming from avocado, lean meats, and nuts.
6. Don’t Cheat
Cheating is at least somewhat tolerated in many diets as an incentive to keep you on the diet most of the time. However, in the keto diet, cheating can throw you out of ketosis, which means you’ll have to go back through the process of getting into ketosis again. You may go through cravings and other symptoms of the keto flu.
If you want to avoid the keto flu, don’t cheat. If you want to get through the keto flu as well as possible and suffer the effects as little as you can, take electrolyte supplements that help your body deal with the effects of ketosis more easily.
Follow The Six Rules Of The Keto Diet
Most people are happy with the effect that they get from the keto diet, provided they follow these essential rules. Many people go into this diet thinking that it will be a fun or easy diet.
While it does have some advantages over other diets and often is more effective than alternatives, this can be a very challenging diet to stick to. Remember that supplements can help you get through the ensuing keto flu much easier if you do cheat once or twice.
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