The Ketogenic diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet that's shown to have numerous health benefits — it can also help people lose weight.
While on the Ketogenic diet, you reduce your carbohydrate intake and replace it with fat. Keeping to a strict Ketogenic diet during the holiday season can be tricky, especially with a busy lifestyle and work schedule.
There's a wide range of healthy and nutritious ways to enjoy the holidays and stay in ketosis.
Survive this Holiday Season with these simple KETO tips and tricks.
SNACKS
Every holiday season, the kitchen is always the epicenter of activity. I think it is all that cooking that gets people socializing in there, smelling the delicious smells, and grazing.
Sure, you can put out all the usuals like chips, dips, crackers, candy and nuts, but what about those KETO friendly foods?
These KETO snacks will meet your KETO criteria and they will still satisfy you.
My favorite is shrimp with cocktail sauce. Shrimp is simply a delicious, healthy snack and an entire bag of frozen shrimp is nearly carb-free. Couple this with Heinz (sugar free) ketchup (.5 cup) mixed with horseradish (2t), Worcestershire (1t), and a dash of Tabasco for the KETO cocktail sauce.
Meat Jerky, cold cuts and salami (with mustard) are all KETO friendly.
Olives
Nuts - be aware that nuts have only 1-2 (g) carbs per ounce serving, but they are high in calories - so don't have too many.
Make some delicious cheese crisps using Parmesan cheese. Best part - they're filling and only 1 gram of carbs per serving. I mean, c'mon, who doesn't love cheese?
SWEETS
I do my best to avoid them altogether as much as possible but I do realize this is difficult for most so I offer the following websites and blogs to search for some delicious KETO recipes for fudge, cakes, cookies and a whole lot more.
SPIRITS
Drinking lowers inhibitions and therefore increases one's appetite for more crunchy or doughy carbs; and also keep in mind the different carb counts of liquor, wine and beer:
Spirits (per 1 jigger) vs. Carbs (g)
Champagne = 1-2 (g) carbs
Gin = Zero (g) carbs
Vodka = Zero (g) carbs
Tequila = Zero (g) carbs
Rum = Zero (g) carbs
Whiskey = Zero (g) carbs
Brandy = Zero (g) carbs
Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Pino grigio = 2-3 (g) carbs
Pinot noir, Merlot, and Cabernet sauvignon = 3-4 (g) carbs
and
Light Beer (per 12 oz.) = 2-5 (g) carbs
The key (as we've often heard before) is moderation. A good tip is to drink one full glass of water before each drink, not only will that slow down your drinking, it will keep you hydrated properly.
Mixing KETO and alcohol can also be a challenge because being in ketosis can significantly reduce a person's tolerance, and this will cause your liquor to hit quicker and maybe even give you a terrible hangover the next morning. This is why this glass of water-in-between concept is encouraged. (Also: consider coconut water in between for the boost of electrolytes.)
In the end, have fun, after a long period of quarantine and cancellations it is time to get out there and enjoy the season. Just remember to do your best to keep your willpower in check.
Lastly, and whatever you do, don't eat the fruitcake because in my opinion, conventional fruitcake really does suck no matter what time of year, no matter how you diet and no matter who you're with.❤️ Much love friends!