If you are Australian and are thinking of doing the ketogenic diet, you might be wondering how to go about it. A ketogenic diet has several benefits like weight loss, a decrease in chronic conditions, and increased energy levels.
In this article, we will explore everything related to a ketogenic diet and how you can do it if you live in Australia. Learn the benefits, drawbacks, foods to eat, foods to avoid, food alternatives, a one-day meal plan example, and a shopping list.
A keto diet plan is a low-carb, moderate protein, and high-fat diet.
It has a typical calorie distribution of 5-10% carbs, 20% proteins, and 70-80% fats. This means that you can have, on average, 25-50 g of net carbs per day. The exact amounts are different for each individual, depending on things like your age, weight, and how physically active you are.
To ensure you are in a ketogenic state, keeping your calorie and carb count within the appropriate ranges is essential. Foods with a significant amount of carbohydrates — like grains, legumes, dairy, and fruit — should be controlled to avoid going overboard.
This diet plan is not suitable for everyone. People with diabetes (insulin-dependent) and pregnant or lactating women should not be doing this type of eating program.
There are many benefits to following a ketogenic diet. Here is a list of the most common benefits you can obtain.
Even though there are several benefits of following a ketogenic diet, there are also some possible side effects. Here is a list of the most common ones you might experience.
Before you switch to a new diet plan, you must ask your primary healthcare provider if you are suitable for this eating plan. If they give you the thumbs up, you can start preparing yourself.
While there are several ketogenic products you can find in Australia, I first recommend understanding ketogenic food basics.
Fats are going to be your primary energy source. As such, you need to consume them in large quantities. Focus on having healthy types of fats like avocado, nuts, seeds, olives, and oils instead of butter, sour cream, cream cheese, and fatty meats. A large intake of unhealthy fats (animal fats) could potentially lead to an increased risk of heart disease.
Proteins are the next group that you need to focus on. Protein helps increase your fullness levels, maintain your muscle mass, and slightly increase your metabolism. Add foods like fish, chicken, eggs, Greek yogurt, meat, cheese, and soy.
Vegetables are an excellent source of nutrients and fiber, needed to prevent nutritional deficiencies or constipation. Non-starchy vegetables can be included in almost an unlimited amount. To ensure enough nutrients, eat different color veggies throughout the day and week.
When it comes to carbs, you can always consume a small portion of them, keeping track of your daily intake. Healthy high-carb foods like fruits, legumes, starchy veggies, and whole grains can be eaten in small amounts.
Unhealthy carb sources like sugars, pastries, cakes, and white flours are not recommended since they can increase your carb intake throughout the day, affecting your ketosis state, and they don’t provide nutrients.
When you pick up a product at your grocery store in Australia, read the nutrition label and check how many grams of net carbs it has (total carbs minus fiber).
You may be able to find options like low-carb keto bread, cereals, and granolas, or sugar-free versions of jams and other products, that won’t affect your ketogenic state.
There might be some foods that you are missing like cereal, snacks, or granola when you switch to a ketogenic diet. There are some good brands that you can find in Australia that offer keto-friendly foods.
These brands all have different options, ranging from mashed potatoes to snack and cereal options.
For example, to boost your results, you can get The Apple Keto Gummies, which have BHB ketones, Garcinia Cambogia, green tea, coffee extracts, and lemon extracts. They may help speed up the process by providing external ketones.
However, remember that you don’t need to buy any special products to do keto.
In fact, you’re better off cooking and preparing your food from scratch, using whole ingredients. But store-bought products can be a good quick fix for busy days.
Now it’s time to go to your favorite grocery store. Find an example of a keto shopping list for Australia below.
Remember that you can modify the foods based on the time of year and region where you’re located. Choose foods that are in season to enjoy fresh ingredients and a lower grocery bill.
Fats
Proteins
Fruits
Vegetables
Get free printable keto shopping lists in PDF
Remember the more variety that you have, the more nutrients you get to avoid any nutritional deficiency.
To see how to combine all the ketogenic knowledge you’ve gathered so far, here is a one-day sample meal plan to help you out.
2,137 calories | Total Macros: 48.6 g net carbs – 132.3 g protein – 142.7 g fats
If you still have questions regarding a ketogenic diet, here are the most common questions often found and their answers.
The main reason the keto works is because you go into a caloric deficit. This means that you consume fewer calories than your body needs. The result of this is that your body needs to burn fat to provide for those calories it lacks.
As the diet is high in fat, you may feel fuller for longer, which may mean you eat less (helping you to achieve calorie deficit).
When you don’t have glucose for energy, your body converts fat into ketones to use for energy. Using ketones for energy may have certain health benefits beyond weight loss.
Some people feel increased energy, more satiety, and better results when doing keto. The most important aspect is if you can stick to the diet long-term.
The best diet is the one that you can find sustainable and part of your lifestyle.
It usually takes 3-5 days for your body to stop using glucose and start using ketones as your primary energy source. For some people, it might take less time, while it might take a couple more days for others.
There are several variations of the ketogenic diet. People often talk about four main ones:
You can find other variations like lazy keto, modified keto, vegan keto, plant-based keto, or Indian keto.
It depends on your satiety levels and your calorie requirements. Some people prefer to do 5 mealtimes per day because they get full too easily.
On the other hand, some people prefer to do only 3 meals per day since they don’t get hungry or have enough time.
As long as you reach your caloric and macro content, you can do as many meal times as you want.
Yes! This quintessential Aussie product has 0.8 g of net carbs per teaspoon, so vegemite is keto-friendly. It also has 1.4 grams of protein per 1 teaspoon.
