Studies show that a keto diet increases weight loss, reduces seizures, and helps with a variety of health conditions like diabetes, obesity, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and asthma.
While this sounds promising, a lot of people find it difficult to start and maintain the diet for different reasons, such as the keto flu (at the start of their journey) or not having enough keto tricks to make it truly work for them.
The good news is that low-carb eating doesn’t have to be complicated.
In this article, you’ll find a compilation of the best keto hacks. These will not only help you stick to keto but also have fun with it. After all, food is meant to be enjoyed.
1. Replace high-carb foods from your pantry with keto staples.
This is one of the basic keto hacks for beginners. Go through everything and figure out which foods are no longer necessary at this point in your life. You can throw away (or better yet, donate) high-carb products like rice, oatmeal, bananas, traditional flour, potatoes, sugar, and honey.
Then, fill up your kitchen with low-carb and high-fat items, including eggs, grass-fed meats, fish and seafood, avocados, and nuts. Here’s a more detailed keto shopping list to use on your next trip to the grocery.
2. Follow an easy keto meal plan.
When starting a diet, some people can stay on track better if they know what meals to eat. It would be helpful to start small or with your existing favorites. For example, a simple omelet made of eggs, bacon, and cheddar cheese.
Contrary to popular belief, planning nutrient-dense keto meals is easy. As long as you have a list of keto staples — from meats to vegetables to condiments — you can put together three to five-ingredient recipes.
3. Have keto-friendly snacks available.
Snacking has often been associated with weight gain, but that usually happens if you snack excessively (or consume more calories than you burn) or consume snacks with too many carbs and added sugars.
Furthermore, you’ll never know when hunger strikes. Cheddar cheese slices, veggie sticks with nut butter, and mini egg muffins are healthy options. It also helps to bring store-bought keto snacks with you to work or while you’re on the road. Examples are keto bars, dark chocolate (with at least 70% cocoa content), almonds, and pork rinds.
When getting store-bought keto snacks, always check the nutrition facts label for the number of carbs per serving.
4. Make energizing fat bombs.
Fat bombs are like energy balls made of high-fat ingredients like coconut oil, MCT oil, natural peanut butter, and stevia (or another keto-friendly sweetener).
The difference is that while traditional energy balls are loaded with carbs and sugar, fat bombs aren’t. In fact, they’re helpful for keeping you satisfied in between meals or energizing you before a workout. All you need are one to two fat bombs to experience their benefits.
5. Know which alcoholic drinks you can have.
There are plenty of alcoholic beverages to choose from that fit your keto lifestyle. Drinks that are completely carb-free (so you won’t have to worry about carb counting) include rum, whiskey, vodka, and other pure forms of alcohol.
However, if you prefer beer, stick with low-carb options like Miller 64, Corona Premier, and Budweiser Select. For keto wines, go for dry wines since these have the lowest amounts of sugar. Examples are sauvignon blanc, merlot, and chardonnay.
With these keto secrets, there’s no reason to say no whenever you’re invited to parties and gatherings. Here’s the key: Keep your alcohol intake moderate.
6. Combine the keto diet with intermittent fasting.
If you’re looking to increase your weight loss — or you’ve probably stalled on keto — try intermittent fasting (IF). Research studies done on both animals and humans have revealed that intermittent fasting reduces your overall calorie consumption and allows your body to use ketones instead of glucose for fuel.
