Dive Into Food

Breaking Down Barriers and a Deep Dive Into Food

Switching to Keto is going to be dramatic at first.

Every traditional way you have thought of as a diet will have to be tossed in the metaphorical trash. Changing your mind about fat and fat consumption will be key to your success. Fat is essential and healthy fats are actually very good for our brains and our bodies. Healthy fats help our cells to absorb vitamins and proteins, and they also help supply our brain with the energy it needs to power our entire being.

Initially, your change to keto may be painful and make you feel yucky. This is all temporary and your body’s way of flushing out the toxins. As time goes on, your tastebuds will change, that yucky feeling will turn into pure energy and your mind will become sharper too.

What Will Have to be Eliminated

Now, we dive deep into the food. The hardest thing to eliminate will be glucose or sugar. We might not think we are eating sugars when we have a brioche bun. The reality is, our body takes that brioche bun and the liver works in overdrive trying to digest and derive any vitamins that may be available from that bun. Everything else that is left over is turned into glucose and stored in our bodies as fat, to use at a later date (if needed).

The elimination of alcohol, processed food, and carbohydrates will be difficult at first, especially if you are an individual who “goes to” crackers, chips, and potatoes for comfort.

The good news is, eliminating these foods will help the brain function, clear out fogginess, and eventually, cravings for these foods vanish.

The root vegetable beef stew that you made and ate and fed your family with every Sunday will look a little different on keto. Comfort food like mashed potatoes and gravy, pasta, pizza, cheesy grits will not be your comfort zone anymore. You are going to change and your definition of what is good for you and your body will change too. Hold on tight!

I want to give examples of comfort foods and how to “keep them” in your new lifestyle, we don’t want to scare anyone away.

BEEF STEW

I still make this dish frequently. It is one of my family favorites, and the flavors have actually grown on the kids! If they only knew how many vegetables they were eating.

2 lbs boneless skinless chuck roast cubed
Salt
Pepper
2 tbsp avocado oil (or other neutral plant oil)
8 oz baby bella mushrooms
2 stalks celery
1 small onion
4 gloves garlic
2 carrots sliced
1 tbsp tomato paste
4 cups beef broth
1 tsp fresh thyme
1 tsp fresh rosemary

My method of cooking is always to sere the meat, and throw it in all in a crockpot on low for 8 hours. It’s easy and almost effortless when dealing with daily activities. Here is the full recipe https://40aprons.com/keto-beef-stew/

Keto Beef Stew image by 40aprons.com

*You might want to check other recipes here.

What Needs To Be Eliminated

This list will sound long, but it’s not because there are still many things that you can eat.

The goal is to make a comprehensive list of foods that should not be considered when going keto, and maybe after you have done keto for a while; this food will be eliminated from your life.

To name a few:

Sugary foods should not be consumed: soda, fruit juice, smoothies, cake, ice cream, cookies, candy, etc.
Grains or starches: wheat-based products, rice, pasta, cereal, etc.
Fruit: All fruit, except for small portions of berries like blueberries or strawberries.
Beans and legumes: peas, kidney beans, lentils, chickpeas, etc.
Root vegetables and tubers: potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips, etc.
Low fat or diet products: low-fat mayonnaise, salad dressings, and condiments
Some condiments and sauces: barbecue sauce, honey mustard, teriyaki, ketchup, etc.
Unhealthy fats: processed vegetable oils, mayonnaise, etc.
Alcohol: beer, wine, liquor, mixed drinks
Sugar-free diet foods: sugar-free candies, syrups, puddings, sweeteners, desserts, etc.

How To Continue Getting The Things You Love

I love my sauces, dressings, and dips. If you are like me, it will be hard to lose out on all that flavor all the time. Every single meal is not filled with dressing or dips, but sometimes I want caesar dressing on my salad or barbecue sauce on my pork.

I found a company, there are many others very similar to it, but it is my favorite. The company is called primalkitchen.com. Check them out!

Here is a grocery list I have put together:

Some basics, some pantry items, some grab n go snacks, and some indulgences. For a family of four, this should be a great starting point.

Vegetables

Asparagus or Zucchini
Eggplant or Collards
Cauliflower and Cabbage
L‌ettuce and Spinach
Celery
Cucumbers

Eggs, Meat, and Seafood

Bacon
Pork
Salmon, Cod or Flounder
Ground turkey
Beef
Eggs- buy 2 cartons of 18, boil one carton and keep the other carton for regular dishes
Fats and Oils
Butter
Coconut oil
Avocado oil
Olive oil
Lard
Ghee