‘Tis the season for overeating…or is it? Believe it or not, you don’t have to leave this Christmas season feeling stuffed out your ears with excess calories.
Instead, you can enter the new year feeling grateful, appreciative, and mindful of all of your food choices, leading to a healthier version of you.
Here are Keto Zone’s top 10 tips to eat mindfully during the holidays.
What happens to physical and mental health when you lose 10 percent of your body weight? If you’re overweight, the benefits can be life-changing!
In fact, studies show that even modest weight loss helps normalize blood sugars, blood pressure and cholesterol (1). Additionally, being overweight or obese can impair immune function and increase the risk of severe infection (2). But, weight loss can help.
There’s little doubt that the last 18 months have wreaked havoc on many people’s health, both physically and mentally. Stress, isolation, and loss of routine have made it difficult for many to stick with healthy eating and exercise.
Now’s the time to fight back. You can take back your health and lose weight, if needed. Dedicate the next 6 weeks to get back on track for good!
There are many reasons people have gained weight in the last 18 months. They include:
How can you lose 10% of your body weight in 6 weeks?
Let’s keep it simple. The Keto Zone is the most efficient, effective way to reverse the scale and begin losing weight. You can start with the Keto Zone Diet Book for all the information you’ll need. You’ll omit all the carbohydrates responsible for your weight gain and many health issues. You’ll also add in healthy fats that will keep you feeling satisfied and full.
As you do so, you’ll lose weight within just the first week or 2. As you stick with it, you’ll get your momentum back and see the pounds fall off.
A food diary is an amazing tool for your weight loss journey. Simply write down your intake. Use an app or other resource to become familiar with carbohydrate amounts in foods. To learn more about carbs and reading food labels, check out this post.
While there’s nothing magical about food diaries, they do help by:
It’s easy and free to keep an online food journal or simply a written one.
Intermittent fasting is an amazing tool for overall health and weight change. And, since it can jumpstart loss, it can really help with motivation!
An easy way to start intermittent fasting is to stop eating at 7:00 pm every night, and resume at 11:00 am every morning. Between waking up and eating at 11:00 am, you can have non-carb drinks such as coffee, coffee with Keto Zone® MCT Oil Powder and Keto Zone® Collagen Powder, tea, or drinks that utilize healthy sugar substitutes.
At 11:00 am or so, eat a Keto lunch, and then eat your Keto dinner around 6:00 pm. Between lunch and dinner add 1-2 Keto Zone snacks such as fat bombs or other healthy favorites.
If you now work from home, you face food temptations around you all day long. If your cupboards are loaded with high-carbohydrate convenience foods, it can be a tough battle!
It’s time to get rid of them, or simply find alternatives!
Luckily, you can buy or make your own options. There are many amazingly satisfying recipes on this site. They include:
No-Bake Keto Zone Chocolate Almond Cookies
Or, check out the Quick & Healthy Keto Zone Cookbook.
Can you really lose 10 percent in 6 weeks? You can. Set your goals now!
First, take time to set daily “habit goals.” These goals need to be action-based and in your control. For example:
Then, set weekly goals. These should also be in your control. They can include exercising 3 times per week, sticking to your daily eating goals each day, or journaling.
And lastly, set a long-term goal for the 6 weeks. Is your goal to lose 10 percent of your body weight? Set it and write it down.
Write all of these goals down and put the paper in a place you can read it when the going gets tough. It will keep you motivated to stay on track.
You can do it!
This has been a very tough 18 months for many. It’s important to take back control of your health and weight. If this includes weight loss and a push to lose 10 percent, we can help. Use the steps above. You can also join our FREE 21-Day Keto Zone® Challenge to get started today!
It’s no secret: Eating healthy foods can be more expensive than eating unhealthy foods. But, if you know a few tricks, you can eat keto on a budget.
What’s more, Americans now spend an average of $3.6 trillion or $11,172 per person per year on healthcare (1), much of which could be prevented with a healthy lifestyle and healthy weight. In fact, it’s estimated that $190.2 billion is spent each year on the health care costs of obesity-related issues alone (2). This is a huge cost for our country and us as individuals.
It’s not always easy to make lifestyle changes. But, if you prioritize your health, it is worth all the effort and will save you money in the long run.
You can make a difference in your own life without breaking the bank. Are you ready to make your health a priority AND stick to your budget? Here are 12 tips to eat keto on a budget.
If you take the time to get organized, plan your meals for the week, and cut down your trips to the grocery store to once per week, you can save hundreds.
How?
Grocery stores are designed to entice you to spend extra money every time you go in. In fact, many shoppers spend extra money on foods they don’t need or hadn’t planned on buying.
To start a meal prep routine, you can simply assign a type of cuisine for each day of the week. For example:
Next, assign a recipe to each meal category and shop once per week accordingly.
If you use a grocery pick-up service and don’t even set foot in the store, you can save even more. For more on how a routine can save you time and money, check out this post.
Once you have a routine, it’s much easier to buy in bulk because you can rest assured you know when you will eat each food, and it will not go to waste.
As long as you minimize waste, buying in bulk can save you money.
For example, try to find larger containers of nuts, seeds, coconut flour, coconut oil, and more at discount stores or online in bulk.
A routine can also help you shop the sales. If you know you always eat ground beef on Mondays and chicken on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, you can buy these meats in larger amounts when they are on sale.
What’s more, non-perishables can also be bought in a month-supply to save money.
Typically, stores have a different type of food within each category on sale each week (this way they can keep you coming back). When the food you want is on sale, stock up for the month to save.
Typically, you have to spend either time OR money on your eating plan. If possible, skip some of the time-saving convenience foods and take the time to prep your meals and save money.
For example, meal replacement bars, commercial fat bombs, keto tortillas, keto breads etc. are very expensive and can be made at home or skipped altogether.
If you want a Keto Dessert such as these Keto Zone® Chocolate Chip Cookies, make your own using basic keto ingredients rather than buying a keto cake or cookie.
As a bonus, your diet will always be healthier when it is based on natural real foods rather than pre-packaged commercial foods.
One of the most beautiful things about the Keto Zone® diet is its simplicity. It’s a diet based on high-fat foods, with only moderate amounts of protein and vegetables.
Once you buy your high-fat foods such as healthy oils, creams, etc (yes, these are expensive), you don’t have to spend much on protein or other foods.
For example, while most Americans eat 6-10 ounces of extremely expensive meat each day, you can limit meat to just one meal per day and cut your portion to 4-6 ounces. Then, shop in-season non-starchy vegetables to keep your costs low.
If you are in the habit of going out to eat for lunches while working, or several times per week for dinner, you can save hundreds by eating at home or packing your lunch.
Eating out can be a fun experience. However, many times we eat out simply out of convenience. If you can cut down on restaurant eating and save it for just one fun social outing per week, your keto food bill will be significantly reduced.
When it comes to proteins, you can spend a lot or a little…and it all depends on your “cut” and preference.
For example, a beef chuck cut costs about half as much as a ribeye.
What’s more, eggs are an extremely inexpensive protein source that fits into the Keto Zone® diet very well.
Another favorite? Rotisserie chicken is often cost-effective and gives you a break from cooking.
Take a few steps from the produce aisle to the frozen foods aisle to save money.
Of course, some foods are simply best when fresh such as herbs, leafy greens, and other favorites. But, you can save a lot by buying berries, green beans, broccoli, and more in the frozen aisle. Interestingly, nutrient retention is typically similar or even higher in frozen versus fresh produce (1).
What’s more, buying some frozen produce can vastly cut down on waste since it doesn’t spoil.
Even if you live in a big city, you can likely find local farms or butcher shops that offer the chance to purchase a whole, half, or quarter cow.
While it costs a lot upfront, the total savings can be great. What’s more, you can often save when buying a larger portion, so consider finding another family and splitting it.
Of note, you will likely need extra freezer space.
Depending on where you live, you may be able to grow many of your high-cost groceries. For example, herbs are extremely easy to grow but are expensive in the store. You may also be able to grow greens and lettuce, bell peppers, cucumbers, and more.
Along with delicious, fresh foods, you can boost your health when gardening. It’s a great way to get outside, get exercise, and get your hands dirty!
Of course, if you are a hunter, you can get free-range, amazing meats for protein by hunting it yourself. Even if you use a butcher to process it, the costs are a very small percentage of buying meat at the store.
If your meals usually cost around $3.00 each, you can save this entire cost each day. Your average savings may be $3.00 per day, $21.00 per week, and $90.00 per month.
You can make Dr. Colbert’s Keto Zone® Coffee with Keto Zone® Hydrolyzed Collagen Powder and Keto Zone® MCT Oil Powder. Rest assured, it won’t break your fast!
If you’re like most people, you have meat, frozen leftovers, and more in your freezer. In fact, a large percentage of food waste can be attributed to forgotten frozen foods rather than spoiled fresh ones.
How can you avoid this?
Get organized! Clean out your freezer and organize it so you can easily see what foods are available to use in meals or to reheat.
If you like making extra portions for frozen leftovers for cooking, make sure these are also organized and add a list to the outside of your freezer to keep track of what you have available.
There’s little doubt that healthy, delicious Keto Zone® meals cost more than eating harmful processed foods like ramen noodles. However, with some creativity, work, and organization, you can eat keto on a budget. Follow these tips, and share your own below – how do you eat keto on a budget?
And, if you’d like to get started with an entire Keto Zone® lifestyle, try our FREE Keto Zone® 21-Day-Challenge.
Keto Zone is anything but boring. While other weight loss plan are often boring and restrictive, there are so many delicious, inspiring options on Keto Zone. Even a keto lemon-lime slushie. Great flavor. Almost no carbs.
And what’s more, it’s ultra-nourishing.
Here’s how to make it today, and what it will do in your body.
Ingredients:
Instructions:
Lemons and limes contain powerful nutrients, packed in a low-carb, low-calorie fruit. In fact, the juice from ½ lemon or lime contains 6 calories or less, and 2 grams carbohydrates or less (1). It’s a low-carb package, but the nutrient abound. They include small amounts of vitamin C, thiamin, folate, pantothenic acid, calcium, magnesium, and copper.
Let’s start with Vitamin C. This water-soluble vitamin has been linked to immune health, and a reduction in inflammation and oxidative stress.
In fact, one review showed that adequate vitamin C could reduce the duration of common colds and respiratory infections (2).
How?
Vitamin C enhances the proliferation of B- and T- immune cells via gene regulation. When vitamin C is deficient, the cells display impaired immunity and higher susceptibility to infections. When infection occurs, vitamin C levels drop as it’s used to fight them, and then requires higher consumption rates to continue to be effective (9).
Both lemons and limes provide vitamin C.
The benefits of limes and lemons extend to blood sugars. Limes have been found to reduce blood sugar levels after a meal, and improve overall HgbA1C according to this study of 70 patients with diabetes (3). Improved blood sugars, in turn, can promote fat loss as cells become more sensitive to insulin.
What’s more, since adding lemons and limes to water can help you drink more, you can take advantage of adequate hydration for weight loss!
The vitamin C in limes and lemons goes beyond the immune system; it can benefit the heart as well. In fact, one study showed that increases in fruit and vegetable intake, especially high-vitamin-C options, reduced heart disease by 4 percent (4). Other studies have shown reduced blood pressure with increased intake of lemons (5).
Vitamin C can also reduce chronic inflammation to fight the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and more. A study from Oregon State University found that vitamin C reduced inflammation (6) while another has shown limes reduce kidney cell stress and inflammation (7).
Another benefit of lemon and lime antioxidants? They may fight cancer cells.
In lab studies, lemon extract has killed breast cancer cells. In other studies, lemon juice has stopped the growth of other types of cancer cells (8) (9).
It’s hypothesized that lemons’ compound hesperidin and d-limonene have anti-cancer properties. (10, 11).
Citrus fruits are good for the fight against cancer. For example, a 2015 study showed a possible link between increased citrus fruit consumption and a diminished risk of esophageal cancer (12). Another 2018 meta-analysis of this study and others stated, “This meta-analysis indicates that intakes of citrus fruit significantly reduce the risk of esophageal cancer (ESCC)… Further studies about constituents in citrus fruit and its mechanism are warranted (13).”
Lemon and lime juice is a great anti-aging drink option, and can actually improve skin health. Again, it’s the antioxidants fighting the free radicals. One lime has 25-32% of your RDA for vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant.
Free radical build-up can contribute to aging skin, which results in wrinkles age spots, dryness, and loss of elasticity. Antioxidants, from the outside in, and inside out, may improve this condition (14).
In fact, studies have shown that those who suffer from severe acne often have a high level of oxidative stress in the body (15).
We’ve added even more nutrition with the option of fermented greens and green tea with Fermented Green Supremefood, or berries with Red Supremefood (includes cranberries, blueberries, and raspberries). They also contain prebiotics and probiotics blends of L. rhamnosus, L. casei, B. longum, and L. acidophilus.
Or, add Instant Ketones to help you get in, or stay in, the Keto Zone while enjoying amazing energy and mental focus.
You don’t have to miss out on all the best foods and drinks of summer while you’re in the Keto Zone. Try our Keto Lemon Lime Slushie today, a perfect drink for summer that will nourish your body from your skin to your heart.
Yes, you can eat muffins on a ketogenic diet!
But these aren’t your average muffins.
Typical chocolate muffins are made with inflammatory wheat flour and loaded with processed sugar. That means they will sabotage your weight loss and ruin your health.
On the other hand, these ketogenic chocolate cream cheese muffins are gluten-free and low-carb. So you can indulge in this guilt-free treat without sabotaging your weight loss on the Keto Zone diet!
Made with almond flour, coconut milk, grass-fed butter, and MCT powder, these decadent chocolate muffins are full of healthy fats.
These muffins are perfect as a low-carb dessert or a midday snack.
Try the recipe out today!
Imagine waking up on Christmas morning to the sweet smell of orange and cranberry alongside fluffy vanilla muffin batter.
These Keto Zone Cranberry Orange muffins are hands down one of the best ways to start Christmas day, especially when topped with soft butter and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
As keto-friendly as can be, almond and coconut flour substitute out unhealthy wheat/white flours and keto sweetener outs unhealthy sugar.
You don’t even have to be on Keto Zone to enjoy, which is perfect for the whole family.
While you’re here, check out the 8 other healthy Christmas breakfast ideas below the recipe. Let the Christmas cooking begin!
We all know the Keto Zone diet works. It helps you burn fat, lower cholesterol, lower blood sugar, and boost energy without having to sacrifice your sanity over bingeing, starvation, and other unhealthy food habits.
You feel better.
And recent evidence comes to show that keto does even more than the above. Although studies are still in the works, keto may have positive effects on ADHD symptoms, bringing new light to those who’re struggling with unproductive treatments. Here we’ll touch on everything you need to know about ADHD and Keto Zone.
Missing pasta? This worldwide food staple can be hard to resist. Its taste and texture make it an easy addition to pretty much every meal, which is why so many keto-dieters find themselves in a pasta pinch. But going Keto Zone doesn’t mean you have to kick this yummy food out of your life completely. As keto grows more popular than ever, so do lots of delicious, low-carb pasta alternatives. And with the 6 substitute pasta ideas down below, you won’t even miss the real deal. (more…)
The Keto Zone diet allows you to take back control over your health. By teaching you how to track your intake of protein, fat, carbs, and other micronutrients, you set yourself up for success in all aspects of wellness. However, potassium probably isn’t high on the list of nutrients you’re making sure to consume every day.
Cheese has been on the naughty list for a long time, but thankfully, Keto Zone dieters don’t need to cut this infamous dairy product from their meals. In fact, cheese’s high-fat, high-protein macronutrients make it the perfect keto-friendly food to maintain ketosis and aid fat-burning.
With that said, consuming cheese comes with a catch! Unfortunately, not every cheese is made equal, but this guide tells all. From figuring out how to choose the right kind to know which to avoid, let’s get into the nitty-gritty of this classic food. (more…)