Whole foods, heart-healthy ingredients and fresh produce. These are the staples of many nutritious lifestyles and diets.
At Bob’s Red Mill, we love exploring and learning about different ways to fuel our bodies and give us energy for the day ahead—that’s why we’re excited to learn more about the keto diet for beginners!
If you’ve heard of the keto diet but aren’t quite sure where to start, this article is for you! Let’s take a closer look into what it is, how it works and the bounty of foods and recipes it offers.
What is the Keto Diet?
There are plenty of diets and meal plans out there with different versions being introduced all the time. If you’ve heard the term but find yourself wondering what is the keto diet, you’ve come to the right place!
The keto diet, also known as the ketogenic diet, is low in carbohydrates and rich in fat. It’s been used for centuries and in the 19th century, was commonly used as a way to help control diabetes.
More recently, the diet has become popular as a potential way to lose weight. It shares similarities with some other low-carb diets like the Paleo Diet and the South Beach Diet. These diets are high in protein and moderate in fat. The keto diet, however, is especially known for its high intake in fat content and moderate intake in protein content.
How Does the Keto Diet Work?
The base of the ketogenic diet for weight loss has to do with depriving the body of glucose, which is the main source of energy for our body’s cells and comes from eating foods with carbohydrates.
If you do this, an alternate source of fuel known as ketones are produced from the stored fat (which is where the term keto comes from). Because the body demands glucose, when few carbohydrates are being eaten, it pulls stored glucose from the liver and temporarily breaks down muscle to release the glucose. If this sort of fasting continues for 3-4 days, the glucose is depleted and the blood levels of insulin decrease, meaning that the body starts to use fat as its fuel. In the absence of glucose, the liver produces ketone bodies from fat, which are then used instead. Ketosis, which may be a term you’ve heard, happens when keynote bodies accumulate in the blood.
Mild ketosis occurs in healthy people during periods of fasting, like sleeping overnight, or strenuous exercise. Those who advocate the diet believe that if it’s followed carefully, the brain will use ketones for fuel and the blood level of ketones will not reach a harmful level, known as ketoacidosis.
There are lots of different versions of the keto diet, but all do away with foods that are rich in carbohydrates like starches, refined and whole grains, pasta, cereal, cookies, potatoes and sugary fruits.
At Bob’s Red Mill, we love our pasta and bread, but we also love experimenting with different ingredients. We think a loaf of bread made from whole wheat and honey is delicious, but so is a loaf of bread made from almond meal!
Let’s take a closer look at the list of keto diet foods and see how you can incorporate them into your own unique diet and lifestyle.
Keto Diet Food List
Now that we’ve answered the question “What is the keto diet?” let’s uncover “What is the keto diet meal plan?” If you’re building a keto diet meal plan, there are plenty of options! From seafood to cheese to leafy greens, here are some of the staples of the keto diet.
Seafood
- Wild salmon
- Tuna
- Halibut
- Catfish
- Lobster
- Mussels
- Cod
- Squid
- Oysters
- Shrimp
- Crab
- Sardines
Meat and Poultry
- Chicken
- Turkey
- Quail
- Duck
- Wild game
- Beef
- Pork
- Lamb
- Veal
- Bacon
- Sausage
- Goat
- Venison
Cheese
- Mozzarella
- Brie
- Goat
- Parmesan
- Swiss
- Blue cheese
- Gouda
- Provolone
- Feta
- Ricotta
Other Dairy
- Eggs
- Cottage cheese
- Greek yogurt
- Heavy cream
- Grass-fed butter
- Cream cheese
- Sour cream
Fruit
- Strawberries
- Blueberries
- Blackberries
- Raspberries
- Tomatoes
- Avocado
- Olives
- Gooseberries
- Cherries
- Currants
- Loganberries
- Melon
Vegetables
- Spinach
- Cauliflower
- Mushrooms
- Zucchini
- Artichokes
- Beans
- Lettuce
- Celery
- Chives
- Cabbage
- Broccoli
- Asparagus
- Eggplant
- Okra
- Pumpkin
- Leeks
- Onion
- Mustard greens
- Zucchini
- Shallots
- Spaghetti squash
- Fennel
- Brussels sprouts
- Kale
- Cucumber
- Radishes
Nuts and Seeds
- Pinenuts
- Almonds
- Brazil nuts
- Cashews
- Pecans
- Pistachios
- Hazelnuts
- Walnuts
- Pumpkin seeds
- Sesame seeds
- Sunflower seeds
- Chia seeds
- Flaxseeds
Condiments and Oils
- Unsweetened ketchup
- Lemon juice
- Vinegar
- Olive oil
- Coconut oil
- Flaxseed oil
- Walnut oil
- Sesame oil
Drinks
- Coffee
- Almond Milk
- Tea
Natural Sweeteners
- Monk fruit
- Stevia
- Erythritol
- Xylitol
Keto Diet Recipes
When it comes to creating a keto diet plan for beginners, many folks are surprised to hear that the diet itself is rich with ingredients! With those ingredients comes the opportunity for plenty of unique and creative recipes to excite the taste buds. Here are some of our favorites.
5 Ingredient Almond Crusted Halibut with Lemon
This 5 Ingredient Almond Crusted Halibut with Lemon by Chef Billy Parisi can be on the table in less than 30 minutes! It’s flaky, flavorful and dressed with butter, lemon and almond flour. It’s baked until it’s crispy, then served golden with your favorite sides. To keep it keto friendly, roast some broccoli with sesame oil or sauté a skillet of greens with extra virgin olive oil. We love everything Chef Billy creates, but we especially love how he utilizes our almond flour in his keto-friendly recipes. Our Almond Flour is gluten free, low carb and made from the finest California-grown almonds! They’re ground into a fine meal that’s perfect for keto baking and cooking. Try it on Chef Billy’s 5 Ingredient Almond Chicken Tenders. These delightful tenders are kid and adult approved and also follow the keto diet meal plan. They call for only five ingredients and make for delicious leftovers! We suggest pairing them with the keto condiment of your choice.
Savory Waffles with Blueberry and Mint
These Savory Waffles with Blueberry and Mint are the perfect way to celebrate summer and brunch! The waffles are made with eggs, water, coconut oil and our Paleo Pancake & Waffle Mix. This magical mix makes fluffy, tender and golden pancakes and waffles and is made from a nourishing mix of almond flour, coconut flour, simple root starches, organic coconut sugar and baking soda. Combine these waffles with a balsamic reduction, hollandaise and all the right toppings, and you’re in for a true treat! If it’s a keto-friendly breakfast for dinner you’re searching for, these savory waffles will steal the show!
Pork Schnitzel
Pork Schnitzel is fun to say and fun to eat! Our own Pork Schnitzel recipe incorporates pork loin cutlets, eggs, water and Paleo Baking Flour. Flavored with black pepper, nutmeg, cayenne pepper and a garnish of lemon and chopped parsley, this entree is fancy and tasty, yet easy! Paleo Baking Flour takes the guesswork out of grain free baking and allows you to make everything from schnitzel to cakes, cookies, muffins and crackers.
Nooch Crackers
These gluten free, grain free and dairy free Nooch Crackers have a cheesy and delicious flavor and are packed with nutritious ingredients! With a combination of Golden Flaxseed Meal, water, Almond Flour, Nutritional Yeast, salt, coconut oil, lemon juice and salt, you’ll have keto-friendly crackers you can eat with just about anything! Pair them with good cheese and a glass of sparkling water. You can also top them with mashed avocado and a sliced cherry tomato. If you’re going to a gathering where guests are following the keto diet, bring these along and both you and your Nooch Crackers will be the hit of the party.
Cashew No-Cheese Sauce
If you’ve yet to try our Cashew No-Cheese Sauce, you are in for the ultimate umami bomb! Nutritional Yeast, garlic, lemon and cashews combine to create a luscious and rich sauce that is good on just about everything. It’s a great way to jazz up your keto-friendly vegetables like roasted broccoli or cauliflower. You can drizzle it over your Nooch Crackers or make a wildly tasty cashew sauce pizza.
If you’re just diving in to the keto diet meal plan, we hope this article has answered your questions and left you feeling inspired to try it!
Whether you’re looking to experiment with new foods and preparations, or just interested in seeing if the diet is right for your body, the keto diet is a fun one to try.
As always, there are so many variations of diets and each one offers something different. What works for one person might not be a fit for another.
From all of us at Bob’s Red Mill, we hope you choose ingredients that make you feel good from the inside out. Thank you for reading and have a happy and healthy day ahead!
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