If you’re not familiar with keto, it’s basically a way to eat and live that mimics what our bodies would run on if we were eating the traditional hunter-gatherer diet. Like that lifestyle, it’s low in carbs and high in fat, so your body uses fat as its main energy source instead of relying on glucose (sugar) from carbohydrates. But once you’ve established a habit of eating this way for a while, you may be surprised by how much hunger there can be when eating at home or out with friends. If this happens to you—and trust me: It does!—then I have some tips for fighting those cravings:
Have a protein rich diet
Protein is essential for building and repairing muscle, which can help you feel full. Having protein also means that you’re getting energy from your food instead of carbs or fat, so it will keep you feeling full longer.
Protein helps to keep your immune system strong so that it can fight off infections in the body if they occur (like colds), as well as helping to maintain good cholesterol levels and reduce blood pressure. This means that consuming more protein will help improve overall health!
Include healthy fat in your diet
Healthy fats are the enemy of sugar cravings. When you’re craving something sweet, try adding healthy fat to your meal or snack to help curb the craving. Healthy fats are good for your brain and heart, they help retain moisture in your skin and hair, they can increase satiety (fullness) while reducing hunger pangs, so include them in whatever way works best for you!
Examples of healthy fats include:
- Coconut oil (found in coconut milk)
- Avocado (avocados contain monounsaturated fatty acids that are considered “good” cholesterol)
- Grass-fed butter
Eat lots of fiber-rich foods
Fiber is a carbohydrate that helps you feel full and satisfied, so it’s a great way to fight cravings. Fiber also helps prevent constipation and other health issues related to lack of fiber in your diet. A lot of foods contain lots of fiber, including vegetables like broccoli, spinach, Brussels sprouts and artichoke hearts; whole grains like brown rice or whole wheat breads (avoid white bread); fruits such as applesauce or dried apricots; nuts such as almonds or cashews; tofu made from soybeans (try tempeh instead if you’re vegetarian); legumes such as chickpeas/garbanzos
Drink more water
Drinking water is a great way to keep yourself hydrated, especially when you’re trying to lose weight. It can also help prevent cravings and boost your metabolism. According to the Mayo Clinic, drinking water will flush out toxins from the body so that you don’t feel bloated or tired at the end of a long day.
Drinking more water means that there’s room for other foods in your diet; it gives your body the energy it needs just by itself! If this sounds like something worth trying, here are some easy tips:
Exercise regularly
Exercise is an important way to help you feel better and reduce stress. It can also improve your mood and make it easier for you to get through the day. When on keto, exercise may seem like a bad idea because of the high levels of fat in your diet. However, if you do choose to exercise while on keto, there are several ways that can help:
- Limit exercise intensity as much as possible until your body gets used to burning fat instead of carbs. This means only doing moderate amounts of cardio or strength training at first (don’t go crazy). You should give yourself time before increasing intensity too much due to the potential risk factors associated with overtraining (such as lowers testosterone levels).
- Find activities that challenge but don’t stress out about them – examples include swimming laps around an indoor pool or playing volleyball with friends at local parks during warm weather months when outdoor activities aren’t quite so dangerous yet still require some level of physical activity.
To fight cravings, you can add these foods and drinks to your diet
- Protein-rich diet: Protein is the building block of muscles and can help you feel fuller longer. It’s also important for muscle repair, which means that if you’re having trouble building muscle on keto, adding more protein to your diet may help.
- Healthy fat in your diet: Fat is an essential part of a healthy diet because it helps keep our bodies running smoothly by providing energy and promoting satiety (the feeling of fullness). While most people think they should avoid all fats, it’s important to remember that some fats are actually good for us! For example, monounsaturated fats found in avocados and nuts can help lower cholesterol levels while omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oils may reduce inflammation and heart disease risk factors like blood pressure or stroke risk factor.
- Eat lots of fiber-rich foods: Fiber is something that many Americans don’t get enough of—and this could be why they struggle with weight loss goals on the ketogenic diet! While there isn’t much research available about how much fiber we should consume each day specifically related ketonemia vs. other types of diabetes management options like medication dosage changes; however there does seem to be some evidence suggesting that increasing fiber intake directly correlates with improved glycemic control among those who follow low carb diets such as Atkins’ Induction phase or South Beach Diet Phase.
