New to Keto - No Clue!

omibashu

Hi community! I really want to make a true effort at keto, not just for weight loss but for the other mental and physical health benefits I have researched. That being said...I do not cook and I get overwhelmed looking at cookbooks. My husband does all the cooking and he is naturally skinny and has no health concerns! So, that has translated to lots of pasta, pizza, grain bowls, etc. Any advice on how I can build easy meals for myself to eat along with him? I am going to try to just focus on meat and low-carb veggies, eggs...I honestly don't know where to begin. Sorry to sound like such a dummy! I just know myself and if I get a keto recipe book right now and try to actually "prepare" keto meals I will fail and eat a bowl of pasta.

neanderthin

Before you actually start to implement a ketogenic diet I would advice you talk to your Dr. if your on any medications because a ketogenic diet will have an effect and sometimes with some medications a very large effect and medications will need to be adjusted accordingly, so be aware and talk to your Doctor.

Better health is a journey and I understand your interest in a ketogenic diet, which is my diet of choice as well and just want to emphasize that this doesn't need to happen overnight or need to be as strict as the generally recognized standard ketogenic diet, which actually is really not suitable for the vast majority. I'm on a 1:1 ratio ketogenic diet, so I suggest you research ratio's before you decide how your going to implement the diet, just so your not making it harder than it has to be.

Also a low carb diet, under 100g's has many similar health benefits as a ketogenic diet and reducing carbs in your diet is a good way to implement a ketogenic diet anyway. Basically some of the therapeutic effects of the ketogenic diet will have active mechanisms spill over into low carb, so don't beat yourself up if your not in ketosis 24/7 because that isn't realistic. What I'm saying is take it slowly and look at the time line as flexible and malleable where you control the how much and when to a higher degree and if it takes 6 months or longer, then so be it, there is no specific timeline for health and only that your working towards a better health goal is the actual goal. If reducing your carb intake slowly over say a 1 year timeline is easier for you, do that, there are no specific rules of engagement, you make the rules and if slowly moving towards a keto diet helps, then do that.

As far as pizza and pasta, significant other, family that's a tough one for sure. The more you involve your SO the easier it will become but I do on occasion have both pizza and pasta and generally it'll be before I play hockey or go to the gym and utilize the carbs, aka glycogen, as fuel but again this is something you need to figure out because I actually prefer working out with no carbs, but hockey I like the carbs, so now it's just before hockey. Glucose in a more natural state like wheat and a pasta effects me differently than having fructose from sugar, so I can tolerate pasta easier than I can an Oreo cookie that has wheat but also sugar, if that makes sense, so you'll have to figure that one out. I also supplement with MCT oil which promotes ketones much like exogenous ketones or salts, so you may want to look into that.

PennycillinEQ

One step in the right direction would be to ask your husband to substitute cauliflower rice for the pasta and grain in the bowls he makes for you. You can still enjoy his culinary creations and lower the carbs a ton,

mbinaz2019

You can substitute zucchini noodles made with a vegetable spiralizer for spaghetti. Or, try spaghetti squash.

One thing to remember with a restrictive diet like keto, is that if you decide to stop and go back to a more balanced diet, the weight is likely to come back on. I did Atkins a number of years ago, and lost weight quickly. But the restrictions became too much to handle for me. When I went off the program, my weight came back very quickly - and I wasn't eating junk food, I just added back healthy grains (oatmeal, brown rice, etc) and fruit.

Keto is a high fat diet that doesn't specify healthy fats. Too much saturated fat can cause Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver disease, which doesn't have symptoms in its early stages, but can lead to more serious liver problems. Too much protein has an effect on the kidneys, and unless you eat lots of veggies, constipation can be a problem.

There are pros and cons for all diets. Make sure you're getting accurate information in your research.

https://www.nm.org/healthbeat/healthy-tips/nutrition/pros-and-cons-of-ketogenic-diet

https://www.theportlandclinic.com/the-keto-diet-pros-cons-and-tips/

You might want to look into the Mediterranean Diet, which is based on a more balanced program of lean protein, healthy fats, whole grains and fruit. My doctor recommends that over other programs. It's also more sustainable due to the variety of foods. For instance, instead of wheat based pasta, I eat chickpea pasta - more protein & fiber, less carbs.

loulee997

omibashu wrote: »

Hi community! I really want to make a true effort at keto, not just for weight loss but for the other mental and physical health benefits I have researched. That being said...I do not cook and I get overwhelmed looking at cookbooks. My husband does all the cooking and he is naturally skinny and has no health concerns! So, that has translated to lots of pasta, pizza, grain bowls, etc. Any advice on how I can build easy meals for myself to eat along with him? I am going to try to just focus on meat and low-carb veggies, eggs...I honestly don't know where to begin. Sorry to sound like such a dummy! I just know myself and if I get a keto recipe book right now and try to actually "prepare" keto meals I will fail and eat a bowl of pasta.

What kind of Keto are you doing?

• Traditional or Medical (UNLIKELY. Epileptic Diet)
• Standard (Higher fat/ lower protein)
• Modified (Higher protein/lower fat)-- What used to be known as Atkins.
• CKD Cyclical or Carb Cycling
• TKD Targeted
• Keto Clean or Plant based

I'm going to assume standard or modified (but you may find CKD easier to do.

For quick meals--eggs are an easy protein source.

You may want to try some zoodles or low-carb noodles. You can make low-carb zucchini pasta. Bake it a little in the oven to remove extra water. Once you bake out the water, you can toss with low-carb pasta sauce and cook. It will give you a pasta option. If you get the excess water out--your hubby might even eat these with you. They are very similar to pasta--as long as the excess water is forced out . SOme grocery stores sell frozen zucchini or low-carb pasta noodles for something easier.

For pizza, you can replace the high-carb crust. They make low carb frozen pizza--it's a little bland. I'd add some peppers. If you want to make it yourself, you can make a mini pizza using a low-carb tortilla for the crust. You can also make an almond or coconut flour pizza crust. Use a low-carb sauce,. Add low-carb toppings. With the low-carb crusts--the tastier toppings will help. You can google YOu can make a chicken/cheese crust, a cauliflower crust, even an egg crust. The low carb tortilla is easier.

Pizza 1
Pizza 2

For frozen pizza--the Quest 1 is okay. I think it's bland.
Almond flour pizza crust recipe.