The keto diet has been getting very popular in the past couple of years and you may be wondering about its benefits. While it seems to be very trendy, it’s definitely more than just a fad. The keto diet can be a powerful tool to help you reduce inflammation, improve fat burning, reduce sugar cravings, and more. 
 
The keto diet is a very low-carb diet plan where about 60-80% of calories comes from fat, 20-30% from protein, and 5-10% from carbs. By limiting carbohydrates, you are limiting the release of glucose, which pushes the body into using fat as a fuel source. Normally your body uses sugar (glucose) as a fuel source, which comes from carbohydrates. When there is not enough glucose in your blood, your body starts to convert fat as a source of fuel.
 
When your body uses fat as a source of energy it’s able to burn fat quite effectively. Although weight loss is arguably one of the most noteworthy benefits of ketosis, there are many other health benefits including: reduced inflammation, mental clarity, clear skin,
abundant energy, reduced cravings, anti-aging benefits and reduced risk of chronic disease.
 
There are lots of ways to follow a keto diet and everyone should find what works best for their bodies in terms of the amount of fats, protein and carbohydrates to consume. However, it is important that everyone focuses on eating real food to get the diet’s full
benefits.
 
When eating real foods in place of processed foods you’re getting all of the micronutrients including vitamins, minerals and enzymes. Eating a clean keto diet may require a lot of research, planning, meal prep and cooking, but feeling your best self is worth the time and energy!
 
To prepare eating a healthy keto diet you should include the following in your diet:
 
  • Grass-fed beef, pasture-raised poultry, wild-caught fish, and free-range eggs
  • Lots of nutrient-dense low-carbohydrate vegetables like greens
  • Low glycemic index fruits like berries, olives, avocado, lemon and lime
  • Herbs and spices
To get the most out of the keto diet you should avoid the following:
  • Processed meat products
  • Sugar
  • Gluten
  • Fried foods
  • Processed foods
The keto meal plan requires you to focus on the ingredients of the foods that you’re  consuming. It teaches you to question the quality of foods that we’ve been told are healthy such as breakfast cereals and granola, fruit juices, “healthy” chips, and so on. You start to notice how much sugar and processed junk is in our food system. 
 
The keto diet can seem limiting, but with time this diet starts to become your new normal. You may be wondering if you’ll be able to eat out at restaurants when following this diet and the answer is mostly yes!
 
If you can find restaurants that use keto-friendly ingredients such as Festal Cafe then you’ll have no problem sticking to your keto diet meal plan. Festal Cafe, located downtown Vancouver, has a plethora of keto options including sandwiches made with keto baguettes, keto-friendly zucchini pastas, a ton of sugar-free keto desserts, and keto pizzas! If you’re following a keto meal plan and live in Vancouver, Festal Cafe is the place for you! Buy keto food in Vancouver from Festal Café and follow your keto meal plan.