10 Extremely Valuable Keto Tips for Optimal Health (and why I'm choosing a different path)
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Do I believe that Keto works for weight loss? Yes.
Do I believe that it’s for everyone? No.
This is my personal journey with Keto. I have ended my relationship with ketosis amicably, we both agree to disagree, after a 3 month stretch. I started out, an absolute skeptic, a heckler if you will. The Keto diet was contrary to everything I had ever learned about nutrition. Granted, I am not a nutritionist, I am a chef (I am however just a few credits shy of my Nutritionist Certification).
Keto is a lifestyle, which means, you are either in or your out. There are terms thrown around the play ground such as ‘dirty keto’ for those who live life right on the edge of what’s acceptable for this diet. But really if you want the results, it needs to be a new way of living & eating for you. The concept is pretty easy to grasp, if you’re not consuming carbs your body will resort to fat for fuel, simple enough. I get it. I believe it works. I have friends who have had great success in achieving their weight loss goals using this diet & they live it like a religion.
How devoted was I on this quest you ask? I was probably 85% in. I did not give up my evening cocktails, Gin if you please with soda water. Hard liquor actually has no carbs but it does release sugar alcohol into the system, another discussion for another day. Some may say this was enough to sabotage my results. Perhaps. Outside of that I consumed the proper amount of fat & banished all carbs. I had so much fat in fact, that I felt if cut, I would bleed bacon fat. I literally felt it seeping through my pores, bacon was my new perfume. I prefer to smell of vanilla & cake batter for the record. Total weight lose- 3 lbs. If I had tried harder or stuck with it longer, I’m certain I would have lost the desired weight.
But here is the catch 22, you do Keto for life. You are either in or you are out. I decided that it was not a sustainable way of eating for me. This is really the entire point of this article, it wasn’t for me, for life. I love food & I would venture to say, that I have a healthy relationship with it. But I want watermelon in the summer. I love my garbanzo roasted beans. I missed sweet potatoes & yams. I love a good bowl of chili. All of these foods that I love & consider to be a part of a healthy diet, are Keto no-no’s. So I had to ask myself, Wendi can you do this for life? Can you forgo these foods you love? The answer was no.
I did however discover some absolutely life changing keto tips that I have incorporated into my vision of a healthy lifestyle. As with many subjects in this world, there are very strong opinions out there for or against Keto, or any diet or lifestyle for that matter, so feel free to leave your (respectful) opinions on the matter or your success or failure in the comment section below. I wanted to share my experience as well as the things I learned along the way.
1.) Bone Broth.
I now make a fresh batch of bone broth once a week. Be it chicken, turkey or beef. Stock consists of bones cooked down with mirepoix & herbs into a flavorful broth. A necessity in the kitchen, it serves as a basis for soups & sauces. It is also a great stand alone. Sipping a cup of hot broth warms us head to toe. If we are feeling under the weather, nothing is quit as soothing or relaxing thanks to the natural tryptophan found in poultry. Collagen (a form of protein) released from the bones is excellent for hair, nails & digestive system. The properties of a good bone broth can aid in weight loss as well as help our bodies recover from surgery or our muscles from exercise. It’s a highly valued staple in the Keto diet as well as the Paleo diet.
2.) Water.
Yes, I drink out of a copper vessel. Yes I know this is a hippy thing to do. However, I highly recommend that you research the benefits, it’s quite fascinating. That aside, consuming adequate amounts of water is integral for both weight loss & for general health. It flushes your system of toxins, plumps up your skin, & helps to satiate your appetite. We’ve heard it a million times & yet I still struggle to consume enough water. I’d much rather drink coffee, iced tea or Gin (lol…giggles. No but really!) But I find that if I put lemon in, it’s more palatable not to mention lemon is a purifier. Aim for drinking half of your weight in ounces. In other words if you weigh 150 lbs. divide that by half & drink that in ounces, so 75 ounces per day.
3.) Detox Baths.
Detox baths were another interesting & highly beneficial discovery I made while doing Keto. They are soothing, relaxing & they remove toxins from the body through the skin. Simply fill a tub with 1/2 baking soda, 1 cup epsom salt & a few drops of essential oil (I like a combination of tea tree, lemon & peppermint). I do these detox baths once a week.
4.) Collagen Powder.
I can not emphasis enough the impact that consuming collagen powder has had on my over health. Particularly my skin & hair. I normally have baby fine hair & now my hair is the thickest it’s even been. My skin is not only glowing, it appears more youthful. I mean truly, I am now a firm believer. I purchase unflavored & add it to my morning coffee or afternoon bone broth or a smoothie.
5.) Monk Fruit.
Where has this sweetener been my whole life? I’ve never been a fan of sugar replacements. I do not do artificials of any kind. If you were to sprinkle a packet of artificial sweetener on the side walk & a package of natural sugar, the ants would carry away the natural & build a barrier around the artificial. If the ant’s know, that’s good enough for me! Stevia, though natural still tastes like stevia. But Monk Fruit is a true blue natural, delightful sweetener with zero calories & no net carbs. It’s a 1|1 ratio swap in recipes. So when I bake for guests I will continue to use conventional sugar but when I need a sweet treat for myself I’ll use Monk Fruit exclusively. The recipe below is a Keto Cheesecake made with Monk Fruit & it is to die for.
6.) Soups, Salads, Stir-fries.
Whilst on Keto, I mainly stuck to soups, salads & stir-fries. These became my staples & I will continue to use rely on them for weight loss. Doing Keto prompted me to create new & enticing ways to add vegetable to my diet. For instance, the Pho-Deconstructed below (no rice noodles) is a perfect way to increase your water intake through the nutrient rich broth & get a healthy dose of vegetables at the same time. I also developed a recipe that makes 1 large omelet size version of egg-foo young as another healthy, low carb option. Both of these recipes will remain in my arsenal for weight lose.
7.) Full Fat Dairy, Coconut Oil & Ghee.
Since I am shifting from a high fat Keto diet one would think that full fat dairy would be a contrary choice. But what I discovered was that they left me feeling much more full & with a much smaller amount. Basically, the full fat versions of say yogurt sustained my appetite much longer & quite frankly, they taste much better. Ghee, I am using much more frequently these days for cooking as I believe it is a more refined & healthier option. Coconut is delightful for stir-fries & doubles as a moisturizer. It is literally the only thing I use to condition my skin including my face now.
8.) Less Carbs. More Vegetables.
Americans love their carbs! And we are not partial to any particular cuisine we love them all! Deep fried egg rolls, carne asada fries, pasta & pizza, anything rolled up in a tortilla! So it’s no wonder that the carb chase catches up with us eventually. The Keto diet really forced me take an inventory of how many carbs I had been consuming. For instance at looking at my dinner plate, it was composed of 50% carbs either in potatoes or rice usually then 25% protein & 25% vegetables or no vegetables at all. The correct ratio would be 50%-75% vegetables & depending on your take, maybe no carbs at all at dinner time having the other percentage comprised of protein.
I also believe in ‘Good Cop, Bad Cop.’ Good carbs & bad carbs, good fats vrs. bad fats. There is a lot of debate about this concept. So from here forward the carbs I do choose will be more quality. Saying no to potato chips but yes to a baked yam. Saying no to refined sweets but yes to fresh fruits such as water melon.
9.) Intermediate Fasting.
Fasting has been used since biblical times for weight loss & reflection. Perhaps even acting as a reset button for our relationship with food, giving it the proper perspective. I do what they call the 16/8 fasting. You fast for 16 hours in a 24 hour period & you have an 8 hour window in which to eat. So my window is 11am-7pm. Which basically means I’m skipping breakfast, that is a 1/3 less calories per day that I’m no longer consuming. That’s huge!
10.) Fat Head Dough.
Having an intolerance to gluten, I had already given up bread. So discovering Fat Head Dough was quite the revelation for me. I will continue to make this dough for pizzas, calzones & focaccia only now I will make them lower in fat & calories & heavy on the veggies.
What I’m doing now to reach my weight loss goals & achieve optimal health.
There is one universal truth that transcends all diets. Are you ready for it? You must expend more calories than you consume to lose weight. There it is. The secret. My husband Mark presented this concept to me as if it were something I had never heard before & yet was I applying this basic truth, this well known principle? No. So here is my new game plan.
Apply the 10 tips above that I learned from doing Keto.
Consume less calories with intermediate fasting.
Increase activity. Five days a week- 30 -1 hour of exercise. Biking, waling, hiking, wood cutting.
Self love & positive affirmation. Have you ever looked in the mirror & said to your reflection; That is not my body! Or looked at a picture someone took then posted on social media & thought ‘That can’t be right! It’s got to be the angle of the camera!.’ Your not alone. But today try looking in the mirror & tell yourself. I am beautiful. I am strong. Everyday I get closer to my goals.
I am trying on a new supplement designed to aid in appetite control & weight loss & optimal health; sea moss. Stay posted…
“It is my hope that you found this article & personal journal beneficial, informative & uplifting. I wish you success in your goals be it weight loss, confidence or good health. With Love.”