When starting a ketogenic diet, people might consider how to consume a ton of fat daily. People often think that they are eating a high-fat diet, but they are simply eating a low-carb diet in a general sense. Eating a low-carb diet without generally increasing the fat intake means that the body is getting calories from protein.
Through gluconeogenesis, the body uses protein as a source of energy instead of glucose, which prevents the body from the metabolic state of ketosis. Along with this, one of the most common mistakes people make when starting a ketogenic diet is that they don’t consume enough fats. The reason behind this is that people have become accustomed over the years to fearing this macronutrient intake. A keto diet mainly depends on this macronutrient for making fuel for the body. Now the question arises: how to add fat to keto diet?
A person can add fat to keto diet through healthier means such as transforming the hot beverage into a creamy drink, consumption of vegetables as a vehicle for fat, initiating fat bomb recipes in diet, selecting the fatty cuts of red meat, fatty fish, and poultry with skin, and choosing something fat-related for snacks and cravings.
Below are some suggestions which a person can follow to ensure high-fat consumption daily in a keto diet.
Using Vegetables with Homemade Cheese Sauces:
During a ketogenic journey, people often neglect vegetables by considering them a source of carbohydrates, but without vegetables, a balanced diet is incomplete. Vegetables are a vehicle for fats by choosing low-carb vegetables and infusing them with healthier oil, high-fat dressings, cheese sauces and high-fat dips.
Low-Carb Vegetables:
Low-carbohydrate-based vegetables are available, which a person can consume by mixing them with oil bases and fat-based dips and creamy sauces. Low-carb vegetables include:
- Celery
- Cauliflower
- Zucchini
- Broccoli
- Cucumber
- Leafy green vegetables
- Radish
- Cabbage
- Asparagus
- Brussels sprouts
- Kale
Healthy Choices of Oil:
These vegetables give a more scrumptious taste with a variety of salad dressings and oil bases such as:
- Coconut oil
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Extra virgin avocado oil
- Macadamia nut oil
- Pumpkin seed oil
- Ghee
- Butter
- Nut kinds of butter
- Mayonnaise
- Avocado
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A person can prepare dairy-free and cheese sauces to make the vegetables more delicious and consume more fat in keto.
Recipe:
Keto Broccoli with Cheese Sauce:
It is a delicious recipe in which a recipe developer can infuse fat easily and replace any vegetable in place of broccoli. For cheese sauce, Melt ½ cup butter in a pan and add 1 cup heavy cream. Heat them for a minute and add mascarpone cheese along with salt and pepper.
Melt them well and add cheddar cheese and stir for 3-4 minutes until the sauce thickens. Pour this sauce over broccoli and enjoy! This delicious sauce makes a perfect combination with any low-carb vegetable.
Consuming High-Fat Proteins from Meat Group:
Choosing the fatty cuts of red meat like lamb, beef, and bison, fatty fish like salmon, herring, mackerel, sardines, and eel, and poultry with the skin on such as chicken legs and thighs, duck and turkey are the best options from meat group to fulfill the requirements of a keto diet.
Moreover, to make it more related to a keto diet and include fat in the diet, fatty dips can also be consumed.
Recipe:
Grilled Chicken with Keto Dip:
It is a protein and high fat-based recipe that a person can consume during a keto diet, and fat can be added in more quantity when finished with dip. Marinate the chicken in small pieces in a mixture containing 1 tsp oil, lemon zest, salt and pepper. On a grill pan, grill the chicken pieces by threading them onto a skewer. Cook for 5-7 minutes until done.
For a keto dip, toast pine nuts in a skillet. Mix pine nuts, few leaves of parsley and basil, salt and pepper to taste, one large avocado, lemon juice and 3 tsp oil and process them in a food processor to make a smooth paste. Enjoy the chicken with this paste!
Drinking Creamy Drinks:
Healthy fats such as various sorts of oils, butter, and heavy cream can be added to drinks and beverages to get the extra fat when following a keto diet. If you are a coffee lover, it can be infused with heavy cream or coconut cream to get excess fat, making it a creamy drink.
Other than this, turmeric tea, matcha green tea, chai tea are also options that a recipe-developer can transform into creamy beverages. And when incorporated with healthier fat options such as MCT oil, coconut oil, ghee, grass-fed butter, coconut cream, and cacao butter gives a more tasty flavor.
Recipe:
Sugar-Free Hot Chocolate Drink:
In a boiling cup of water, add one-fourth cup of dairy-free milk along with one tablespoon of cocoa powder and five drops of stevia. Mix them well to make a drink. On top, add coconut or heavy cream to make it a creamy beverage and enjoy!
Fatty Snacks for Satisfying Cravings:
To satisfy the cravings and fulfill hunger at snack time. A person can consume fatty snacks among various options available from nuts and seeds range pecans, pili nuts, macadamia nuts.
Other than these, olives, boiled and baked eggs, a person following a keto diet can also consume canned sardines and avocados at snack time.
Recipe:
Citrus Marinated Olives for Snacks:
For making this delicious and high fat based snack:
- Heat one-fourth cup olive oil in a saucepan.
- Add ¼ spoon crushed red chilli flakes, salt and pepper to taste, orange and lemon zest to taste, thyme and garlic one teaspoon.
- Cook this mixture for two minutes and add one cup of olives to them.
- Cook for more than two minutes and transfer to a bowl.
- Stir in one spoon lemon and orange juice and serve warm!
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A Complete Food Guide to Add Fat to Keto Diet:
| Food ItemsFood Items | Add These Items Liberally to The Diet | Add These Items Occasionally in Diet | Add These Items Never in Diet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein | Grass-fed beef Fatty fish like salmon Dark meat chicken | Bacon Skinless Chicken Shrimp | Cold cuts Marinated meat with sugary sauces Fish and chicken nuggets |
| Oil and Fat | Avocado oil Olive oil Coconut oil Butter Heavy cream | Sunflower oil Safflower oil Corn oil | Margarine Artificial trans fat |
| Fruits and Veggies | Avocado Leafy greens Celery Asparagus | Leeks Eggplant | Potatoes Corn Raisins |
| Nuts and seeds | Walnuts Almonds Flaxseeds Chia seeds | Unsweetened nut butter Cashews Pistachios | Trail mixes with dried fruit Sweetened nut Chocolate-covered nuts |
| Dairy products | Cheddar cheese Blue cheese Feta cheese | Full-fat cottage cheese Full-fat plain Greek yoghurt Full-fat ricotta cheese | Milk Sweetened nonfat yoghurt Ice cream |
| Sweeteners | None | Stevia Erythritol Xylitol | Agave Honey Maple syrup White and brown sugars |
| Condiments and sauces | Guacamole Lemon butter sauce Mayonnaise | Raw garlic Tomato sauce Balsamic vinegar | Barbecue sauce Ketchup Honey mustard |
| Drinks | Water Almond milk Plain tea | Black coffee Diet soda Zero-calorie drink | Soda Fruit juice Lemonade |
| Herbs and spices | Salt Pepper Thyme Oregano Paprika Cayenne | Ground ginger Garlic powder Onion powder | No herbs and spices are off-limit. You people can use in a small amount to add flavors to food. |
Details of Some Fat-Related Items to be Included in Keto Diet:
Avocado and Avocado Oil:
Avocados are a healthier option of fats that a person following a keto diet can add to a keto diet and is a good source of fiber and significant minerals. Avocados and avocado oil are used to maintain heart prosperity and are heart-sound monounsaturated fatty acids.
Moreover, they help to change glucose levels. A person following a keto diet can add avocados in smoothies and dips to make a perfect blend. Avocado oil showered on grilled and steamed veggies gives an ideal flavor.
One tablespoon serving of avocado oil gives:
- 124 calories
- 0g net carbohydrates
- 0g protein
- 14g fat.
Flax Seeds:
Omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, and other healthy compounds are present in flaxseeds making it the best source. Researches have proved that flax seeds and their oil help prevent coronary diseases, diabetes, and degenerative frontal cortex afflictions. Consuming flax seeds by sprinkling or blending with smoothies, soups or keto yogurt is an excellent way. Moreover, on a keto diet, a person can enjoy ground flax seeds by adding them to wafers, rolls, and pancakes.
One tablespoon of flaxseeds gives:
- 37 calories
- 1.3g protein
- 2g carbohydrates
- 3g fat
Chia Seeds:
Chia seeds, also a good source of healthy fats and fiber, are also best for a keto diet. These seeds are enriched with various plant compounds such as quercetin and kaempferol, which help reduce the threatening development of coronary disease and diabetes.
Chia seeds have a fantastic ability to acclimatize water and become solidified in a liquid within hours. So, due to this factor, they can be used to prepare chia pudding and in thickening sauces and dressings. A person following a keto diet can consume chia seeds by mixing and blending them in smoothies and soups.
One tablespoon of chia seeds give:
- Less than ten calories
- 4g protein
- 9g fats
- 11g fiber
Olives and Olive Oil:
Olives and olive oil are highly researched and investigated for a significant long time. Researchers have proven that they contain enormous quantities of nutrients that are best for weight control nutrients.
Olives stacked with heart-sound fats and distinctive plant compounds help reduce the risk of conditions of coronary disease and osteoporosis.
For more enormous flavors and tastes, olives can be stuffed with garlic, cheddar, and pimentos too. Olive oil is used as a base for dressing or marinade for meats, vegetables, and blended vegetables.
One tablespoon olive oil gives:
- 119 calories
- 9% saturated fat
- 0g protein
- 0g carbohydrates
Coconuts and Unrefined Coconut Oil:
Coconuts and coconut oil are also keto fat sources and offer medium-chain greasy substances (MCTs), a source of fat that the body can acclimatize and use. MCTs also slip a change in ketosis state, in which the body burns the fat for producing fuel rather than glucose.
Adding unsweetened coconut pieces or full-fat coconut milk and coconut oil in smoothies, dish vegetables, and curried meats gives a unique island-style flavor to foods.
One tablespoon serving of coconut oil gives:
- 116 calories
- 0g net carbohydrates
- 0g protein
- 14g fat
Cacao Nibs:
Chocolate also has a spot in the keto diet, especially cacao nibs, unsweetened and regular rough chocolate. Cacao nibs, enriched with polyphenols, is a plant compound that can improve gut organisms. A person following a keto diet can add cacao nibs to the diet by blending them with smoothies, energy balls, and hot drinks.
Two tablespoons of cacao nibs give:
- 140 calories
- 2g of protein
- 12g of fat
Full-Fat Greek Yoghurt:
Full-fat Greek yogurt also has a vigorous development with a ketogenic diet. Yogurt is the unimaginable wellspring of microorganisms known as probiotics, providing stomach-related solid limits.
A person following a keto diet can consume Full-fat yogurt in various ways. Creating a keto-yogurt parfait and layering it with nuts, seeds, and coconut is also a good option.
- 100g full-fat Greek yogurt gives:
- 133 calories
- 6g proteins
- 5g carbohydrates
- 10g fat
Oily Fish:
Oily fish like salmon and sardines are the phenomenal augmentation to a healthy ketogenic diet enriched with protein and omega-3 fatty acids. Salmon, a rich source of vitamin D, is known to bone prosperity.
A person following a keto diet can enjoy all these sources of fatty fish with blended greens or stewed veggies. Moreover, canned fish mixed with mayonnaise, avocados, and celery sticks also enhance their flavor.
100 grams of salmon fish gives:
- 208 calories
- 20g protein
- 0g carbohydrates
- 13g fats
Whole Eggs:
Eggs are also one of the nutritious and versatile food items from the poultry group, which a person can add to a ketogenic diet due to their nourishment to the body. Egg yolk is full of vitamin B and avoids malignant growth. Moreover, lutein and zeaxanthin present in eggs help in eye prosperity.
Hard-boiled eggs can be enjoyed as snacks or incorporate into egg salad by adding mayonnaise. A person following a keto diet can also enjoy scrambled eggs stacked with low-carb veggies. Poached eggs are also a choice with avocados.
One serving of egg gives:
- 77 calories
- 1g net carbohydrates
- 6g protein
- 5g fat
Margarine:
Margarine is also an appropriate choice for adapting to a keto lifestyle as it is loaded with 80% fat. Enabling fats for a keto diet includes nut margarine, consumed and snacks and vegetables, and hot refreshments.
One tablespoon of margarine includes:
- 102 calories
- 11g fat
- 0g protein
- 0.1g carbohydrates
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A Sample Keto Meal Plan for a Week:
| DAY | BREAKFAST | SNACK | LUNCH | SNACK | DINNER |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Veggie and egg muffins with tomatoes | Sunflower Seeds | Chicken salad with olive oil, feta cheese, and olives | Celery and pepper strips dipped in guacamole | Salmon with asparagus cooked in butter |
| Tuesday | Egg, tomato, basil, and spinach omelette | Macadamia nuts | Almond milk, peanut butter, spinach, cocoa powder, and stevia milkshake (keto smoothie) | Roast beef and sliced cheese roll-ups | Cheese-shell tacos with salsa |
| Wednesday | Nut milk chia pudding topped with coconut and blackberries | Plain, full-fat Greek yoghurt topped with crushed pecans | Avocado shrimp salad | Smoothie made with almond milk, greens, almond butter, and protein powder | Pork chops with parmesan cheese, broccoli, and salad |
| Thursday | Omelet with avocado, salsa, peppers, onion, and spices | Two hard-boiled eggs | A handful of nuts and celery sticks with guacamole and salsa | Sliced cheese and bell pepper slices | Chicken stuffed with pesto and cream cheese and grilled zucchini slice |
| Friday | Sugar-free Greek whole-milk yoghurt with peanut butter, cocoa powder, and berries | A handful of walnuts with a quarter cup of berries | Ground beef lettuce wrap tacos with sliced bell peppers | Celery sticks dipped in almond butter | Loaded cauliflower and mixed veggies |
| Saturday | Cream cheese pancakes with blueberries and a side of grilled mushrooms | Kale chips | Zucchini and beet noddle salad | Meat-based bar of turkey or pork | Whitefish cooked in coconut oil with kale and toasted pine nuts |
| Sunday | Fried eggs with mushrooms | Dried seaweed strips and cheese | Low carb sesame chicken and broccoli | Turkey jerky with no added sugars | Spaghetti squash Bolognese |
Final Thoughts:
There are numerous ways through which healthier options of fat and fat-related products can be included in a ketogenic diet aiding in weight loss. The intake of 50-60% of nutrients should be from fat and fat products daily in a person’s daily food intake following a ketogenic diet.
It is advisable to refrain from high-fat components such as fried and processed food and soda drinks daily. These items are rich in trans-fat and saturated fats but leave detrimental effects on health quickly. So, selecting appropriate and healthy fats in the keto diet makes it a beneficial option for the human body.
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