Clean Keto for Spring Cleaning

What Is Clean Keto?

The clean keto diet is about decreasing your carb intake while increasing your fat consumption, allowing you to lose weight and keep your body healthy. The lack of carbs affects your metabolism and puts you into ketosis. But what exactly is ketosis? Well, your body depends on your carb intake to gain energy. Should you, however, renounce carbs (what a nightmare), then your body has no other choice than to get fuel elsewhere.

Luckily for your poor carb-less body, your liver can act as an energy donor because it's capable of transforming fats into keto bodies, which in turn can be used to gain energy. This entire process is called ketosis, the namesake of this diet. It explains why low carbs and high fat are the mantras of this regimen.

What Is Clean vs. Dirty Keto?

Clean keto isn't just about eating fats and avoiding carbs; it also focuses on food quality. People are advised to avoid processed foods and making whole foods a priority. Dirty keto doesn't care about the "cleanness" of your food so long as you follow the drill of high-fat nutrition.

A Glimpse into the Clean Keto Food List

Every diet comes with a bundle of rules. Here are the clean keto energy demands:

• Carbs: 10%
• Proteins: 30%
• Fats: 60%

To achieve this, try to stay away from these carbs:

• Grains (rice, pasta)
• Legumes (beans, (chick)peas, lentils)
• Root vegetables (carrots, potatoes)
• Sugars (candy, cakes, beverages containing sugar)
• Fruit (bananas, pineapple, any fruit containing a lot of sugar)
• Saturated fats (mayonnaise, processed vegetable oil)
• Ready meals, mixed spices
• Alcohol (that one’s a bummer)
• Low-fat diet products

To not completely scare you off, let’s not focus on the bad and take a look at the bright side. You get to stuff yourself with these delights:

• Meat (red meat, steak, chicken, turkey, ham, bacon)
• Oily fish (salmon, tuna, trout)
• Dairy products (cheese, butter, etc.)
• Eggs
• Nuts and seeds (walnuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds)
• Healthy oils (coconut oil, virgin olive oil)
• Spices (salt, pepper, herbs)
• Fruits (berries and other fruits low in sugar)
   

Not too shabby, huh? These keto foods almost make up for all the things that you need to give up.

The Benefits of Clean Keto
 

Most diets promise two things: weight loss and better health. Clean keto is no different.

1. Keto Weight Loss

The fact that we're calling it a clean keto diet already gives away that there's some weight loss involved. Some studies even argue that people can lose more weight with a clean keto diet than a low-fat diet. There's one study claiming that people on a keto diet lose double the weight of people who follow a low-fat regime. This is great in two ways:

1. You lose more weight than usual.
2. You can kiss the sad days of counting calories goodbye.
    

This is primarily because of the high fat intake that stimulates your body to burn more energy and has a bunch of health benefits.

But to lose weight sustainably, you should always try to combine diet with fitness. And in case you lack motivation, start weight loss challenges with coworkers, friends, and family members. inKin’s corporate wellness program is one option to keep your spirits high.    

2. Keto Health Benefits
 

• Diabetes: One of the main reasons for type 2 diabetes is overweight. By allowing people to lose weight, the keto diet is a great way to avoid this disease. Moreover, people who have type 2 diabetes showcase high insulin resistance. The keto diet helps decrease this resistance by 75%.
   
• Epilepsy and Alzheimer’s: People who have epilepsy or Alzheimer's are also encouraged to follow a clean keto diet to counteract insulin resistance.   
   
• Heart diseases: With clean keto, your body fat, blood sugar, and blood pressure are kept low, ensuring a healthy cholesterol level.
   
• Skin disorders: Low insulin levels, low sugar intake, and no processed food lead to healthy skin.
   
• Cancer: Cancerous cells take energy from sugar. And since sugar is one of keto’s big no-nos, the clean keto diet can slow down the growth of tumors. (Note: This in no way, shape, or form replaces medical therapy!)     

A little disclaimer: Clean keto has many benefits but, just like any other change of nutritional pattern, it isn't for everyone. Generally, we recommend that our readers consult a doctor before changing their eating habits. That way, they can make sure that they're following a regimen that's suitable for them.

Put This on Your Keto Meal Plan: A Keto Taco Breakfast Skillet

Who says that eggs are just for breakfasts? No one, that’s who. You can enjoy eggs in different shapes and forms all day, every day. It just depends on what you combine it with.

Here’s a unique recipe brought to you by Peace, Love, and Low Carb (a pretty catchy blog name, if you ask us).

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground beef
• 4 tbsp. Taco Seasoning
• ⅔ cup water
• 10 large eggs
• 1 ½ cups sharp cheddar cheese (shredded), divided
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• 1 Roma tomato
• 1 medium avocado
• ¼ cup black olives
• 2 green onions
• ¼ cup sour cream
• ¼ cup salsa
• 1 jalapeno (optional)
• 2 tbsp. fresh cilantro (optional)
   

Instructions:

• Fry the ground beef in a large pan at medium heat. Get rid of any leftover fat.
   
• Add taco seasoning water. Let simmer at low heat for about 5 minutes until the sauce covers the meat. Then take half of the beef out and put it aside.
   
• Scramble the eggs in a large bowl. Then add to it 1 cup of cheddar and the heavy cream. Stir until well-combined.
   
• Preheat the oven to 375°F (about 190°C).
   
• Now add the egg blend to the meat in the pan and combine them well. Put in the oven for 30 minutes (until the mixture is well-cooked).    
   
• Add the leftover ground beef, ½ cup of cheddar, tomato, avocado, olives, green onion, sour cream, and salsa to this mix.
   
• For those who like it, garnish this with jalapeno and cilantro.
  
   

Bon appetit!

Photo Credit: Unsplash and Depositphotos