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TOP IT OFF! How Many Carbs Can You Have On Keto?
The overriding keto principle is that you have to keep your carb intake incredibly low. Guidance varies a bit between nutritionists, but the limit is typically around fifty grams a day as a max.
It's pretty tough to make massive changes to your diet if you're used to things like bread, pasta, and pizza—which is why, “What to eat on a keto diet?” is such a common question!
Today we'll explain the keto concept, show you some fantastic drinks for ketogenic diet followers, and introduce our keto-friendly Skinny Syrup as a dinner party savior that's one hundred percent keto-friendly.
How Does Keto Work?
The big idea behind keto is that if you keep your carbs to a minimum, your body starts using fat for energy instead of relying on easy-access glucose that comes from carbs.
Fat is energy-dense, so some of that converts into ketones. Cells use these ketones when they don’t have glucose reserves in the storage cabinet.
Nutritional ketosis is a state you achieve when you've minimized your carb consumption enough that your body makes that switch!
Let's clarify—keto does not mean you should eat zero carbs (that's rather unhealthy, BTW!).
Instead, you go for low-carb foods and balance them with healthy fats and protein.
What Is The Keto Carb Limit?
Like every diet, your plan will depend on your weight, physiology, and a load of other metrics.
So, how many carbs can you have on keto? It should be about five to ten percent of your daily calories as a rough idea.
If you exercise a lot, you'll get a much more generous carb allowance than someone who's more sedentary.
The Five Common Keto Diet Mistakes
Gaining the most significant metabolic benefits from a low-carb diet means you'll need to be mindful of some typical stumbling blocks that can thwart your keto efforts.
Eating More Carbs Than You Realize
Precise carb limits vary, as we've discussed, but anything under around one hundred to a hundred and fifty grams a day is low-carb, which is way less than we're all used to eating!
There are crazy amounts of foods and drinks that contain more carbs than you'd ever have guessed, so you need to do a bit of homework to understand what you’re eating.
Overdoing The Protein
Macros look at our balance of fats, protein, and carbs. Protein is a powerful energy source that makes us fuller for longer and is usually the focus of weight loss programs.
The issue with keto is that if you eat more protein than you need, some amino acids get turned into glucose, and we're back in the old carb trap!
Your goal is to target high fats, moderate proteins, and low carbs.
Steering Clear Of Fats
We've been conditioning ourselves for years and years to avoid fats like the plague—so keto can mean you need to spend a bit of time reconfiguring your thinking.
Some dieters try to cut out fats on a low-carb diet, which is a mega mistake!
Missing out on carbs means your body needs fat to compensate. So if you cut out fat, you'll get super hungry very quickly and likely have insufficient nutrition to keep you going through the day.
The trick is to avoid trans fats and opt for monounsaturated and omega-3 fats instead.
Running Low On Electrolytes
Keto diets mean you'll naturally reduce your insulin levels, which means you start shedding sodium and water.
That's the annoying bloat you get in the first few days of keto, but it soon passes if you do an excellent job of replacing sodium.
Adding salt or drinking electrolytes will help avoid dizziness, headaches, and fatigue.
Giving Up Early
Human bodies choose carbs as a preference, so cutting back means a significant shift to burning fat instead, which takes a few days at least to kick into gear.
Most people find it takes about three or four days to adjust and a few weeks to adapt appropriately, so don't throw in the towel too early!
Choosing Keto-Friendly Drinks
Foods aren't usually a big problem on keto since it's pretty easy to choose tasty meats, eggs, fish, dairy, cream, and veggies that are all naturally low-carb.
But many people fail when it comes to choosing drinks because those typical beverages (like sodas, cocktails, fruit juices, and smoothies) are heavy on carbs.
The best keto drinks include:
- Coffees and teas, either herbal or with a deliciously sweet Skinny Mixes syrup in place of the sugar!
- Simple water or low-calorie, low-carb flavored water. Don't forget fruits have stacks of carbs, so they need to be avoided.
- Pure spirits in place of wine or beer. You can't go for juice, flavorings, or soft drinks, so we'd recommend our best-selling keto syrups to create flavorful cocktails without any black marks on your new dietary habit.
As inspiration, why not whip yourself up a perfect latte with our Keto Pumpkin Spice Syrup, or add a burst of sweetness to your vegetable smoothies with Blueberry Burst + Antioxidants Syrup. It's one hundred percent carb-free!
So check out Skinny Mixes for all the tasty fun—and no stealthy carbs sending you off the keto rails!
