Keto Diet Foods
What we eat determines what energy source is available to the body as fuel. Many Chinese and Asian dishes are quite carb-heavy with noodles, rice, dumplings and sweet sauces. However, you can still enjoy the food you love by making a few changes to the staple ingredients.
Here’s what to eat:
FATS
Consume fats such as avocados, oily fish, olives, olive oil, coconut oil, ghee, lard.
For cooking oil, you can use : coconut oil, ghee, lard, Extra virgin olive oil.
Sesame oil, nut oils and grass-fed butter can be used at the end of cooking with minimal heat or drizzled on top of dishes.
Meats And Seafood
Meats, organ meats, eggs, and dairy products (if you are not lactose intolerant)
Choose fattier cuts of meats and fish (e.g salmon, sardines) whenever possible to help you reach your fat consumption target.
AVOID processed meats such as luncheon meats, Chinese sausages (Lap Cheung) and some barbecue meats that are high in sugar, such as Char Siu.
Non-Starchy Vegetables
Dark leafy greens and vegetables that are high in water content.
These include Kai Lan, Bak Choi, Choi Sum, Napa Cabbage, Spinach, Watercress, Morning Glory, Chinese Mustard Greens, Bean sprouts, Crown daisy (Tong hao), Chinese Lettuce, Amaranth (Xian Cai), cauliflower, broccoli, eggplant, okra, garlic chives, pea shoots, winter melon, mushrooms, wood ear, tomatoes, bell peppers, cilantro, scallions, chillies, leeks, onions, shallots and garlic.
You should avoid starchy vegetables such as potatoes, yams, carrots, turnips, taro, lotus roots, corn, sugar snap peas, legumes and beans.
Low-Fructose Fruits
It is best to stick to berries and tart fruits and keep the serving size small.
Low-fructose fruits include raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, coconut, lemons, limes, star-fruits, rose apple and watermelon.
Rice/Noodles Alternatives
Rice, noodles, dumplings and steamed buns are staples in many Asian cuisines and generally are off-limits under the keto diet. There are several rice/noodles alternatives you can have without falling out of ketosis.
Konjac rice and noodles, low-carb vegetable noodles (e.g Zoodles), cauliflower rice; Cabbage leaves and tofu sheets as dumpling wrappers.
Low-Sugar Sauces, Condiments And Spices
THE GO TO SAUCES: Season with tamari, fish sauce, sesame paste, miso paste, curry paste, fermented bean curd, fermented shrimp paste, black bean sauce, xo sauce, chilli oil, vinegar, turmeric, cinnamon, all types of peppercorns, star anise, cloves, Chinese five-spice, cardamom and fennel.
Avoid: Ditch the hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, plum sauce, sweet and sour sauce, duck sauce, ketchup, barbecue sauce, store-bought salad dressings, jams and syrups. Your coach will guide you as to how much sauce is acceptable on keto.
Stay Hydrated
Stick to water (you can add a few pieces of lemon, cucumber or electrolyte powders for flavour and added boost), black coffee, (herbal) teas and natural nut milk.
Stay away from sugary fizzy drinks, fruit juices, sugar-loaded sports drinks and most alcohol.
Peak Metabolism is all about food quality and familiarising you with
what to eat, not how much. With the guidance of our health
coaches, you can easily customize a keto food plan that you can
effortlessly follow, allowing you to stick with keto long-term.
Side Effects Of Keto
It is not uncommon to experience some side effects1 during the transition from using glucose to burning fat for fuel, typically known as the keto flu. Common symptoms include fatigue, brain fog, muscle cramps, impaired sleep, headaches and dizziness, nausea, decreased exercise performance and digestive issues. You can mitigate these side effects by increasing your salt and water intake, adding electrolytes and nutritional yeast into your day.
More About Keto
References
See the list- Masood, W., Annamaraju, P., & Uppaluri, K. R. (2021). Ketogenic diet. In StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499830/
