in today's video we are going to be talking about what you can eat on the keto diet
what foods you can eat and also how to understand macros which is the breakdown of carbohydrates
protein and fat this video is part two in a series i am running this week on my channel about how to
start the keto diet for beginners in the first episode yesterday we talked about what the keto
diet is why it is so effective and the benefits so if you haven't watched that video make sure
to check it out either before this one or after as i mentioned yesterday the keto diet is beneficial
for a lot of people including those who want sustainable weight loss those who are diabetic
pre-diabetic or insulin resistant and those who want more consistent energy throughout the day
through my online coaching program ketostart i have helped hundreds of people reach their
health and fitness goals simply by tweaking their diet but when you are first starting the keto diet
it can be pretty overwhelming trying to figure out what you can and can't eat so in today's
video we are going to break it all down talk about what foods you can eat on the keto diet
how much fat protein and carbohydrates to eat and how to put together a keto meal without tracking
hey guys welcome back to my channel if you're new here my name is kait i'm a health coach and i post
videos on a high fat nutrient dense way of eating if you like this video please give it a thumbs up
feel free to share and make sure to subscribe and make sure to follow me on instagram twitter and
facebook where i share new posts every single day now i am super excited for today's video
because a lot of people when they first hear about the keto diet think it is restrictive and while it
may restrict more foods than the standard american diet which literally allows you to eat anything
the reduction in variety is well worth it for how good the keto diet makes you feel and i promise
you if you follow the tips we are going to talk about in today's video the keto diet will not feel
restrictive so we're going to start today talking about macros what they are why they matter what
foods fall under each category and then we will get into how to put together a keto meal without
tracking what are macros if you know anyone who eats the keto diet you've probably heard them talk
about their macros and wondered what they were referring to macro is short for macronutrient
which refers to the three nutrients we as humans consume in large quantities these are fat protein
and carbohydrates when someone is referring to their macros they're talking about the percentage
of each that makes up their calories for the day the average westerners macros are roughly 50 carbs
35 percent fat and 15 protein the average keto diet is typically 10 carbs 70 fat and 20 protein
now let's break down the three and talk about how they tie into keto and our health protein protein
is the most important macronutrient the body uses protein to build and repair tissues as well as
to make enzymes hormones and other body chemicals protein is especially important for bones muscles
cartilage skin and blood if you do not get enough protein in through diet your body will
break down your tissues to reuse them examples of foods high in protein include beef eggs and
fish carbohydrates carbohydrates are the only non-essential macronutrient and by that i mean
they are the only one that we do not need to get through diet there are essential amino acids which
is protein there are essential fatty acids which is fat but there are no essential carbohydrates
when we eat carbohydrates the body converts them into glucose and raises your blood sugar
levels insulin is then released to shuttle the blood sugar to your cells so it can be
used for energy when your blood sugar is always elevated your body will use that for energy just
to get it out of your bloodstream if you are constantly eating carbs throughout the day you
will rarely be burning fat both dietary and body fat and if you remember yesterday we talked about
how much energy the body can store from carbs and from fat the body can only store a very
limited amount of carbs for energy less than 2000 calories but it can store so much more through
fat even someone who is lean at 15 body fat can have over 800 000 calories worth of energy stored
so because we can only store a limited amount of carbohydrates for energy if your body is
relying on this fuel source it means that you will have to constantly be eating throughout the day
in order to keep your energy up eating a diet high in carbohydrates meaning your blood sugar
is always spiking and crashing and your energy levels will do the same and the other risk here
is that when we eat too many carbohydrates too frequently our bodies can become insulin resistant
meaning they can no longer use carbohydrates efficiently signs who are insulin resistant
include having difficulty losing weight excess abdominal fat and skin tags and insulin resistance
will lead to type 2 diabetes if you do not address it thankfully the best way to counter and reverse
insulin resistance is with the keto diet so if you just realize you might be insulin resistant
don't sweat you're in the right place examples of foods high in carbohydrates include
bread pasta and juice fat fat is an alternate fuel source for the body but it has other
functions as well it is responsible for making and balancing hormones forming cell membranes
and transporting fat soluble vitamins vitamins a d e and k while humans can survive with no
carbohydrates in their diet they cannot survive without fat when we limit our carbohydrate intake
our livers convert fatty acids into ketones these byproducts become our body's new energy source
under most circumstances you need to be consuming less than 50 grams of carbohydrates per day to
be in ketosis examples of foods high in fat include avocados butter and cheese
macro breakdown we briefly discussed the macro breakdown of the keto diet earlier in this video
but now let's get into it further getting into ketosis is dependent on one thing
restricting carbohydrates when your body doesn't have glucose to burn it starts turning fat into
ketones for energy it is important to eat a lot of fat fat is going to be what satiates you and what
keeps you energized however there isn't a number you should aim for eat enough so that you are not
hungry and if you are hungry eat more fat protein is important to keep our body functioning properly
not getting enough can result in symptoms such as hair loss and dry skin you should make sure you
are hitting your protein goal each day in general your macros should look something like this
seventy to eighty percent fat twenty to twenty five percent protein and five to 10 carbohydrates
but here's the thing i do not think that looking at macros in terms of percentages
is the best way to approach the keto diet a better way to think of it is like this protein is a goal
carbs are a limit and fat should make up the rest there are various apps out there such as
myfitnesspal and lifesome that allow you to scan barcodes and weigh your food out to track how many
calories and how much fat protein and carbs you're consuming well i do think these apps are useful
when you're first starting a keto diet i do not think that you need to be tracking constantly in
order to get results tracking can become tedious so i prefer to use a hand tracking system instead
this system makes it quick and easy to put together meals and ensure you stay under your
carbohydrate limit so here is how to put together a keto meal without tracking start with protein
pick at least one protein-rich food from the following list beef lamb eggs chicken salmon pork
tuna sardines mackerel crab you should aim to have between two to four palm sized portions of
protein per day depending on your height someone who is more petite and has a goal body weight of
around 100 pounds or 45 kilos would be closer to two serves whereas someone taller and maybe
more muscular would be closer to four from there you can add a source or sources of fat
pick an oil or fat to cook your protein and other food with butter ghee coconut oil olive
oil avocado oil tallow lard and duck fat use about one thumb size portion for cooking if
you have weight gain goals you can use more next you want to add low carb fruits and vegetables
some options include cauliflower broccoli lettuce mushrooms bell pepper asparagus brussels sprouts
and strawberries you can include one to two fist sized servings of these with each meal
the next step is to add additional fat the amount of fat you add will depend on your goals
someone with weight loss goals will add less fat and someone with performance goals will add more
here are some options additional oil or animal fat butter avocado olives cheese nut butter
macadamia nuts almonds walnuts coconut flakes chia seeds hemp seeds or sour cream add anywhere from
two to seven thumb sized portions again depending on your goals ideally you want to add enough fats
that you are satiated after your meal it might take a bit of practice to get the right amount
but keep a mental note of how much you added each time and adjust accordingly for next time an
example meal using this formula might look like 2 serves of salmon one serve of olive oil two
serves of spinach and mashed cauliflower and four serves of additional fat with pecans and cream
using this method allows you to put together a keto friendly meal without having to weigh out
and track everything like i said before apps like myfitnesspal and lifesun yes they can be useful
but you shouldn't have to rely on them anyways guys that brings us to the end of today's video
make sure to subscribe and turn notifications on so you don't miss the videos in the rest of
the series tomorrow we are going to be talking about keto and intermittent fasting what it is
and if it is necessary on keto and remember to check out my online coaching program ketostart
a 7 day keto crash course ketostart covers a lot of the topics we are going over in this series
through text audio and video you also get access to a private facebook group where you can ask me
questions and i can offer you support and you get bonus downloads such as shopping lists a meal plan
and a meal building guide thank you guys for watching and i hope you enjoyed this video
if you want to check out the rest of the series you can find it here if you want to catch up on
my recent upload you can find it right here and if you want to check out my keto diet and carnivore
diet coaching programs you can find them here thanks again guys i'll see you next time bye