Keto - its not all about meat!

When people initially think about the keto diet, they think it's all about eating heaps of protein in the form of meat - much like the perception of the Atkins diet - eggs and bacon for breakfast, steak for dinner. But research has shown that regularly eating red meat and processed meat can raise the risk of type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke and certain cancers, especially colorectal cancer.

The Keto diet is all about cutting down on carbohydrates, eating healthy fats and fibre and giving your body a good boost of protein, but you don't have to eat meat to enjoy the benefits of a keto way of life.

The ketogenic diet is generally healthy for most people and can even help lower cholesterol levels in the long term. Like everything though, you have to look at your own preferences, eating too many egg based meals can easily see your cholesterol levels soar.

Its a fine balance between the foods you like to eat and the foods your body needs. If you'd like a bespoke keto meal plan get in touch and we'll do one for you info@life-bites.com.

The ketogenic diet is very popular at the moment, it helps people to lose weight, increases their energy levels and improves health and well-being. It can seem like a lot of work to start with, but once you've got the hang of it, you'll find it very easy to stick to and you'll feel the benefits within a week

To follow a keto plan, you have to restrict your total carbohydrate intake to 20-50g per day, this makes the body switch from burning up glucose (sugar) for energy and makes it start to use ketone bodies for fuel instead.

What are ketone bodies? Ketones are a type of chemical that your body forms from the breakdown of fat - it literally calls on your fat reserves to power your body rather than taking the sugar out of the food you are eating.

But if you have any health conditions to start with make sure you check with a doctor before you begin any alternative health regime. The keto diet is probably not the right option for you if you have kidney disease, liver disease, familial hypercholesterolemia, or fat-induced lipemia as this diet may worsen these conditions.

To make sure you are making the right choices avoid artificial trans fats, processed meats and fried foods - come on we all know those are never going to be good for you, they may even raise the risk of heart disease.