There are Many Ways to Eat Healthy

Because I talk about the keto diet a little more than anything else, you might think that I’m saying that’s the only way to be healthy and get proper nutrition. Let me be clear in saying that’s not the case. I absolutely believe keto is a great way to live but there are other methods that work well for our bodies too. There are other diets that are similar to keto but might have slightly different macro recommendations - paleo, Atkins, and Mediterranean, are some good examples. These can do great for you as well and can help you to a path of better health.

The main thing you need to remember is that if a diet is high in processed food, high in carbs, high in starchy foods, high in sugars… it should absolutely be avoided. On the other hand, any diet that eliminates sugar, is low in processed foods, is low in starchy foods, gets carbs from non-starchy vegetables, and includes high quality fats and proteins… that’s a good diet for you. And remember - it’s not about how many calories are consumed, it’s about the quality of food that you’re eating.

We have things that are essential in our diet and if those are being met and you’re eliminating the things that are harmful, you’re on the right path. Vitamins and minerals are obviously something our bodies require. We get most of these from good quality food so it’s important to include those foods in our diet. We also need protein. Our body turns protein into amino acids and if we don’t eat it we will get sick. We also need fat. Fat turns into fatty acids in our body and we will also get sick if we don’t eat this. But carbohydrates - not necessary for survival at all. Carbohydrates turn to glucose in our bodies and our body can make the small amount of glucose we actually need to keep us well. If we never consumed a carb we would be fine. Since we can’t say the same about fats and proteins, we need to incorporate those into our diet.

One of the things that can be hard about some diets - including keto - is tracking your macros and trying to keep your numbers within a certain percentage. As you might remember, a keto diet is supposed to be roughly 5% carbs, 20% proteins, and 75% fats. When we’re not used to eating that way it can be hard to learn how to fit your food into those percentages. But don’t worry, you don’t have to do that. If you’ve heard the term lazy keto, this is what it means to do lazy keto - eating the right kind of foods but not tracking the actual numbers to make sure they hit the right percentages.

If you’re filling your plate with good quality (non-starchy) vegetables like spinach, romaine lettuce, asparagus, and broccoli; eating a healthy choice (and portion size) of protein like grass-fed beef, wild-caught salmon, and free-range/organic chicken; and incorporating some good fats like avocados, coconut oil, olive oil, and butter, then you’re doing your body good and you will see a difference. You’ll see a difference in your energy level, in your gut health, in your bloodwork, and in your overall health by reducing or eliminating the chances of many diseases that plague our country today. And of course, you’re very likely to see a difference in your weight. Unless you’re already thin when you change your diet, you’re likely to see a good reduction in your weight as well.

So if you find yourself thinking you can’t change your diet because you don’t want to track macros and you don’t want to count calories, that’s okay! Just choose good foods and eliminate bad foods and you’re well on your way to good health. :)

If you need help with what you should eat versus what you shouldn’t eat, you can find a list of shoulds and a list of shouldn’ts from past articles.