(Beauty)

The 6 Keto Recipes That I Have On Repeat

Aug. 17, 2018

A red bowl with shrimp salad keto recipe on a green wooden surface

You’ve probably heard about the ketogenic diet, which is kind of like Atkins but repackaged in a sexy 2018 way (and sans sugary, alcohol-filled meal bars). “The keto diet is a high-fat, low-carbohydrate (low glycemic index foods) diet, based around a metabolic process called ketosis,” says Jessica Rosen, certified holistic health coach and co-founder of Raw Generation. “For most people, the body uses glucose from carbs as its main source of energy. The drawback of using glucose as a primary energy source is that high glycemic foods like grains and certain fruits skyrocket your blood sugar, causing an insulin response that triggers your body to store up fat,” she explains. But on a keto diet, your body doesn’t have enough glucose to burn for energy—so it starts using these things called ketones as fuel. “Ketones are byproducts of the body metabolizing fat for energy,” explains Rosen.

Originally, the ketogenic diet was used as a way to help patients with epilepsy. But if you don’t have epilepsy, how can it be beneficial? Many people swear by it to help improve their mental function and to stabilize their energy (no more sugar crashes, essentially). It can also help with bloating, as starchy carbs and processed foods are a couple of the main culprits of gas. I started keto because I felt sluggish and like I needed to change up my diet. It wasn’t easy at first, but I’m happy to report that after the first few days I noticed I had more energy and focus. Plus, I started to crush my workouts.

And while cutting grains and sugar completely out of your life seems miserable and restrictive, keto can be fulfilling food-wise, if you have the right recipes at your fingertips. I learned this firsthand. After some trial and error, I narrowed down some tried-and-true meals that made ketosis no only bearable, but downright delicious. No, I’m not kidding.

To prove it, I’ve included six of my favorite go-to keto recipes—they’re easy to make, taste delicious and help me stick to my healthy eating plan.