Just about everyone in the world dreads this word and participating in one as well-a diet. I cringe at the word because I know that means I have to stop enjoying my Ben & Jerry's ice cream and switch to less fun snacks such as cucumbers and hummus.
What if I told you though that a diet will not only help you physically but overall mentally as well?
The keto diet has been proven to help boost people's energy, and overall mental health as well. The worst part about this diet though is that it is a low-carb and high-fat diet. No more Olive Garden breadsticks or pasta, or a Three Musketeers bar.
Other foods that you have to stay away from are sugary foods such as soda, fruits, (except blueberries and strawberries), smoothies, cake, and ice cream, beans, alcohol, grains or starches, unhealthy fats (such as processed vegetable oils and mayonnaise) and alcohol (the worst part).
Foods that you can eat and are highly recommend with this diet are: meats such as red meat, steak, ham, sausage, bacon, chicken, turkey, fatty fish, eggs, butter, cream, cheese, nuts, seeds, healthy oils, avocados (my personal favorite) and low-carb veggies such as green veggies, tomatoes, onions and peppers.
Once you drastically reduce your carb intake, your body will go into a metabolic state called ketosis.
When your body is in ketosis, it will become very efficient in burning your fat into energy. This can also turn your fats into ketones inside of your liver which will then deliver more energy to your brain.
Ketosis not only helps you lose weight and boost your energy, but it also helps with a variety of other health related conditions as well such as prediabetes, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer's disease, epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, polycystic ovary syndrome, brain injuries and acne.
I know that diets can be difficult to manage especially people with busy lifestyles, and people who try to budget since healthier food tends to be more expensive.
If you are thinking about starting the keto diet, I highly recommend you read Jen Fisch's "The Easy 5-Ingreedient Ketogenic Diet Cookbook: Low-Carb, High-Fat Recipes for Busy People on the Keto Diet."
And then once you start to really get into the swing of things you should break open her other book, "The Big Book of Keto Diet Cooking." This book has over 200 recipes and easy two-week meal plans for you to follow.
Since I started this diet, I have also started following Jen Fisch's Instagram account which is ketointhecity_.
If you are having trouble finding keto meals to make, Pinterest has a bunch of ideas that are helpful. It may seem hard in the beginning, but in the long run, it will be so worth it.
