Go Keto in Five Steps
YOU NOW KNOW THE SCIENCE behind the keto diet and why it works. In this chapter, you’ll learn how to get started and maximize success. Here’s a quick and easy step-by-step guide to use as you begin, and to refer to any time throughout your journey, for support and guidance.
Step 1: Clean Out Your Pantry
Out with the old, in with the new. Having tempting, unhealthy foods in your home is one of the biggest contributors to failure when starting any diet. To succeed, you need to minimize any triggers to maximize your chances. Unless you have the iron will of Arnold Schwarzenegger, you should not keep addictive foods like bread, desserts, and other non–keto friendly snacks around.
If you don’t live alone, be sure to discuss and warn your housemates, whether they’re significant others, family, or roommates. If some items must be kept (if they’re simply not yours to throw out), try to agree on a special location to keep them out of sight. This will also help anyone you share your living space with understand that you are serious about starting your diet, and will lead to a better experience for you at home overall (people love to tempt anyone on a diet at first but it will get old and they’ll tire quickly).
STARCHES AND GRAINS
Get rid of all cereal, pasta, rice, potatoes, corn, oats, quinoa, flour, bread, bagels, wraps, rolls, and croissants.
SUGARY FOODS AND DRINKS
Get rid of all refined sugar, fountain drinks, fruit juices, milk, desserts, pastries, milk chocolate, candy bars, etc.
LEGUMES
Get rid of beans, peas, and lentils. They are dense with carbs. A 1-cup serving of beans alone contains more than three times the amount of carbs you want to consume in a day.
PROCESSED POLYUNSATURATED FATS AND OILS
Get rid of all vegetable oils and most seed oils, including sunflower, safflower, canola, soybean, grapeseed, and corn oil. Also eliminate trans fats like shortening and margarine — anything that says “hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated.”
Olive oil, extra-virgin olive oil, avocado oil, and coconut oil are the keto-friendly oils you want on hand.
FINDING SUPPORT
Sticking to your diet in the beginning can prove difficult when close friends and family aren’t eating the same as you. Even worse, they are eating all the things you’re trying not to eat. Every person is different, and you likely know who will support you and who will not. For those who support you, explain that you’re avoiding carbs (and which foods include carbs) and request politely that they not offer you anything when you’re eating together.
Telling the naysayers that you’ve quit eating grains and sugar will usually suffice. The terms keto and low-carb will usually spark a debate or argument with certain people because they’ve been told their whole lives to eat carbs and low-fat products. Try to avoid using those terms when explaining your diet goals. Avoid direct debates by recommending they read about the benefits of being in ketosis and the health benefits of
eating a low-carb diet.
FRUITS
Get rid of fruits that are high in carbs, including bananas, dates, grapes, mangos, and apples. Be sure to get rid of any dried fruits like raisins as well. Dried fruit contains as much sugar as regular fruit but more concentrated, making it easy to eat a lot of sugar in a small serving. For comparison, a cup of raisins has over 100 grams of carbs while a cup of grapes has only 15 grams of carbs
Yes, you’re “getting rid” of unwanted foods in your pantry, but these foods can feed many others. Please, don’t throw them away! Find a local food bank or homeless youth shelter to donate them to.
Your pantry will seem empty after the clean out. That’s because products meant for longer-term storage are usually high in carbs and full of unhealthy additives and preservatives. You’ll fill your refrigerator shortly (Step 2) with healthy, natural foods.