Tips for Keto/Low Carb

After explaining what keto is and why it works so well, I hear from a lot of people that it sounds interesting, but overwhelming to get started. Many people wonder we have for meals, since mainstays in a normal American diet such as pasta and bread are out of limits. I wanted to share a few things from our house that might make others' transitions into keto or low carb a little easier.

First, let me share the meal that we had last night that you might not think of as keto right off the bat. Keep in mind, some people on keto are very serious about tracking the amount of carbs, fat, and protein they are taking in. T-Rex and I are not on a full keto diet (further explanation in a moment). Hubster kept track of his ratios in the beginning. Since he has been doing keto for about a year and has lost his goal amount of weight (25 lbs.! ROCK ON, BABY! SO proud of your determination!), he doesn't really track his ratios anymore. He mostly stays away from things he knows he should not eat and eats the things he knows he should. So, about our meal last night...

We had seasoned, bone-in pork chops and chopped salad. I seasoned the chops with my favorite "grill" seasoning that I get from the farmer's market. I'm not sure what herbs and spices are in it, but it is delicious and works well with pretty much everything. The chopped salad consists of chopped romaine, tomato, cucumber, onion, mushroom, broccoli, chopped "boiled egg" (check out my previous post here to see how I make my "hard-boiled" eggs), shredded colby cheese, and chopped bacon.

This meal may not seem low carb since it is typical to have a meat with a salad for dinner, but by adding things like bacon, eggs, cheese, and full-fat dressing to a salad, which is also full of lots of yummy veggies, you can bring up your fat ratio.

Like I said before, T-Rex and I don't follow a full keto diet. Our fat and protein ratios are usually high (good fat is very important for the development of young brains!), and our carb ratios low, but we will eat some carbs. When we eat grains, they are always whole grain. Other carbs we eat sometimes are beans and lentils.

Sometimes for dinner, I want to make pasta. T-Rex and I are ok to eat whole what pasta, but obviously that doesn't work for Hubster's diet. I use an idea from Alex, instead! I steam broccoli florets and put whatever pasta sauce on broccoli instead of pasta. He still gets the yummy sauce and a filling portion of veggies, without the added carbs.

We make another modification when we want to have sandwiches. T-Rex and I will have sandwiches on whole-wheat bread. Instead of bread, Hubster will have a wrap on a high fiber tortilla. These are the kind that we like:

7" La Tortilla Factory Whole Wheat Low Carb Tortillas (Regular Size)

They end up being only 3 net carbs. Not so shabby for tortillas!

If you have any questions or modification ideas about/for keto, please leave a comment! We love to hear from you! Until next time!

Φιλάκια, 

Eleni