Can you eat as much as you want on a keto diet?
Eating as much as you want while being on a diet sounds like a fantastic dream. You must be hearing about “guilt-free eating” while being on the keto diet, but it is mere speculation.
Can you eat as much as you want on a keto diet? This question has two answers depending on how much you want to eat.
If you want to eat a balanced diet with measured calories and carefully selected food portions that are keto-friendly, too, the answer is YES!
But if you want to eat insanely, like a whole lamb in one sitting or an entire tree of Avocado a day, that is, definitely, a NO! (Unfortunately)
How much can you eat on a keto diet?
The Keto diet is high in a fat diet with moderate protein and deficient carbohydrate intake. But being high on fats doesn’t make it a calorie-free diet. Calories come with fats and proteins too. Carbohydrates are not the only source of it.
In fact, fats provide more calories than carbohydrates. 1 gram of carbs or protein will provide 4 calories, while 1 gram of fat provides 9 calories. It is twice as much as the calories from carbs and proteins.
So when it is said that you should be taking around 70% fats, 25% proteins, and 5% carbs in your diet, we are talking about the percentage portions of 2000-3000 daily calorie intake.
If you are trying to lose weight, you should be taking the food portions sufficient for 2000-3000 calories only. You need to split your food intake into 4-7 small quantities in a day, i.e., breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks in between these meals.
You need to be very clear that if you want to take, say between 340-350 calories in a portion, you have two options:
You can eat a medium-sized cupcake (53 cal) following a hamburger (150 cal) and 330 ml coca-cola can ( 143 cal) or
A steaming cup of butter coffee (200 cal) with 2 boiled whole eggs (74×2= 148 cal)
When you are on a keto diet, you have to choose the second option because despite providing an almost equal amount of calories, the second meal is rich in fats and low in carbs compared to the first, high in carbs.
Let’s go for a calorie break down to better understand why option 2 is keto-friendly while 1 is
Meal 1:
| Item | Total calories (cal) | From fats | From proteins | From carbs |
| Cupcake (small without chocolate) | 53 | 26% | 3% | 71% |
| Hamburger | 150 | 14% | 14% | 72% |
| Coca-cola 330 ml serving | 143 | 0% | 0% | 100% |
Meal 2:
| Item | Total calories (cal) | From fats | From proteins | From carbs |
| Butter Coffee (100 ml) | 200 | 87% | 7% | 5% |
| Whole eggs x 2 | 148 | 63% | 35% | 2% |
When you compare these two meals in terms of their calories breakdown, it is evident that in feed 1, most of the calories are coming from carbs while in meal 2 most of the calories are derived from fats.
A person willing to be on a keto diet should go for meal 2 despite all the first option attraction. Why? Because to remain in your ketosis state, you require high fats and low carbs.
For keto-dieting, you need to choose your food choices and portions very carefully. Always keep a check on the calories a food item provides and the source of these calories like I have just described in the table above.
What foods can you eat on a keto diet?
As we have already discussed, foods on a keto diet should be high in fats, moderate in proteins, and low or free of carbohydrates. It is best to base your diet around whole, single-ingredient foods.
So, you should carefully choose your edibles during grocery. Here are the keto-friendly food items you should put on your grocery list:
Fruits: Avocados, Apricot, Lemons, Kiwis, Oranges, Mulberries, Strawberries, Blueberries, Raspberries, and olives
Veggies: Green veggies, Tomatoes, Onions, Mushrooms, Green beans, Asparagus, Bell peppers, Celery, Spinach, Zucchini, Swiss chard, Cabbage, Kale, Cucumber, Eggplants.
Butter and cream: Grass-fed butter, Clarified butter, Heavy cream
Cheese: any kind of unprocessed cheeses like Cheddar, Goat, Cream, Blue, or Mozzarella
Dairy: Full-fat yogurt, Greek yogurt
Eggs: Pastured or omega-3 whole eggs
Condiments: Salt, Pepper, Herbs, and Spices
Healthy oils: Coconut oil, Extra virgin olive oil, and Avocado oil
Fatty fish: Salmon, Trout, Tuna, and Mackerel
Meat: Red meat, Steak, Ham, Sausage, Bacon, Chicken, and Turkey
Seeds and Nuts: Almonds, Walnuts, Flaxseeds, Pumpkin seeds, Chia seeds, Hazelnuts, Macadamia nuts, Cashews, Coconuts, Pistachios, Sunflower seeds, etc.
What foods should you avoid in the keto diet?
All foods that are high in carbs should be limited or eliminated. Even some “Natural” food products can be anti-ketosis. All the items mentioned below should be off your grocery list.
Alcohol: Beer, Wine, Liquor, Mixed drinks
Other drinks: Soda, Fruit juice, Smoothies, Bakery items, condiments, sauces: Cake, Ice cream, Candy, Barbecue sauce, Honey mustard, Teriyaki sauce, Ketchup, etc.
Root vegetables and tubers: Sweet potatoes, Potatoes, Carrots, Parsnips, etc.
Beans or legumes:, Lentils, Chickpeas, Peas, Kidney beans, etc.
Fruit: all sweet fruit with high carbohydrates except small portions of berries like strawberries. Grains/starches: Wheat-based products, Rice, Pasta, Cereal, etc.
Low fat or diet products: Low-fat Mayonnaise, Salad dressings, and condiments
Sugar-free diet foods: Sugar-free candies, Syrups, Puddings, Unhealthy fats: Processed vegetable oils, Mayonnaise, etc.
Ketosis is a hard-earned state, and any food high in carbs or low in fat can ruin it for you. You have to be very particular about the meal you are going to bring to your table. A balance between carbs, proteins, and fats should be maintained, which means:
- You can not eat whatever you want.
- You can not eat as much as you want on a keto diet.
Expert help is always ready for you here on KETOTONICS. Get your personalized meal plans and follow our recipes to make your meals tastier and healthier than ever.