It is always a concerning question of how many carbs can you have on a keto diet for the people following a ketogenic diet plan. The answer to this question is quite simple that as it is a low carb diet, so 20 grams of carbohydrates per day are recommended for keto followers.
How Many Carbs Can you Eat on a Keto Diet?
To know how many carbs can you eat on a keto diet, you first need to understand the net carbs concept. Net carbs are the carbs that are termed as digestible carbs. These carbs account for the carbohydrates that are digested to produce energy in the body. Net carbs include both the simple as well as complex carbs.
Simple carbs are the one which possesses one or two units of sugar that are linked together. These are present in vegetables, fruits, sugar, milk, and, honey. Complex carbs have many units of sugar that are joined together. These are found in starchy vegetables and grains.
When you consume food containing carb, most of it is converted into individual sugar units by the action of enzymes. So, only these single units of sugar are absorbed by the body. There is a portion of carbohydrates that cannot be absorbed by the body as they are not broken down. These include sugar alcohols and fibers.
So, we can take out the amount of fiber and sugar alcohols from the total amount of carbs consumed to have the value of net carbohydrates.
Summary: To calculate the number of net carbohydrates, we can subtract the number of fibers from the total carbs as shown by the following formula:
" Total carbs – Fiber = Net Carbs."
How Many Carbs per day on Keto Diet?
To elaborate on the answer about how many carbs per day on keto diet, you need to read this whole post. The number of carbs that are required to lose weight varies from person to person. This is because weight loss depends upon different factors like age, gender, body composition, and activity and exercise levels.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stated that if your diet contains 2000 calories, then you should consume 300 grams of carbs per day to lose weight.
However, people following the keto diet cut down their carbs slowly up to 15- 30 grams per day for weight loss. Research has indicated that a low carb diet is very effective for losing weight.
A low carb diet works to lower the appetite and helps the person to eat few calories. This promotes weight loss more easily as compared to other diet plans.
Summary: Many studies show that a low carb diet (containing 15- 30 grams of carbs) leads to more effective results as compared to a low-fat diet. Besides, to be effective, the keto diet is also a healthier one.
What is Dirty Keto?
No doubt, dirty keto follows the rule of high fat and low carb, but this does not hold nutrition and can lead to different diseases. It is called dirty keto because it contains processed foods as a part of the keto plan.
The meals of dirty keto are high in sodium. When you consume a higher amount of sodium it leads you to high blood pressure and heart-related issues in individuals that are sensitive to salt. In this way, dirty keto is not suitable according to the health point of view.
Moreover, processed foods also contain added sugars which play an important role in hindering the process of ketosis. Dirty keto foods do not contain essential elements, thus following a messy keto plan results in a deficiency of elements like zinc, magnesium, calcium, and folic acid.
Summary: The dirty keto diet may be easy and captivating for people, but it affects the overall health by disturbing the levels of micronutrients that are essential for the normal functioning of the human body.
Frequently Asked Questions: (FAQs)
1. What can I eat at McDonald’s on keto?
Mostly the junk foods are high in carbs, but you can adjust according to your keto plan and can fulfill your cravings. You can eat a McDonald’s double cheeseburger without a bun that contains a total of 270 calories. It has fewer carbs of 4 grams and 20 grams of proteins that make it suitable for the keto diet.
However, you must avoid high carb toppings such as ketchup, breaded onions, and honey. You can have tomatoes and lettuce as an alternate for toppings.
2. Is peanut butter keto?
Peanut butter is keto if you are consuming the right amount of it. Two tablespoons of peanut butter are allowed in a keto diet as they contain 5 grams of carbs and 8 grams of proteins in total. It has 18 grams of fats. So, it is important to have only two tablespoons of peanut butter. It is quite risky to add it to your diet plan as it is very easy to overeat.
3. What Chinese food is keto-friendly?
The best Chinese food to eat in a keto diet can be lean protein. You can also have steamed chicken or fish, seafood, and a variety of vegetables, including cauliflower, broccoli, and beans. Make sure to eat the meat that is free from cornstarch.
All of these Chinese meals can give you a tempting and satisfying dinner, and you will enjoy it without any guilt.
4. Can you eat pizza on keto?
Yes, pizza can be included in a ketogenic diet plan as it is keto safe. But it is important to use the pizza that has the crust made out of cauliflower. This crust is made up of almond flour and can be prepared in homes easily. It is also available in different stores in the freezer section. The pizza that is made up of carb-filled dough is not allowed in a keto diet.
5. Can you have cheat days on keto?
Cheat days and cheat meals are important parts of different diet plans. These allow you to have some relaxation so that you can start the diet again with more energy. While breaking the rules in any diet may be useful but as far as the keto diet is concerned, cheat days or cheat meals are not allowed. This is because it kicks you out from ketosis breaking the ultimate goal of the keto diet.
Bottom Line:
It is important to have extremely low levels of carbohydrates following a ketogenic diet plan. You must pay attention to how many carbs can you have on a keto diet by calculating the number of net carbs in your meals. The number of net carbohydrates can be calculated by subtracting the number of fibers from total carbs. It is important to eat only the allowed amount of carbs on a keto diet to lose weight.