Tag: keto

Recipe: Just Cheese Crackers

KODAK Digital Still Camera

This is a quick and easy way to have a salty and crunchy snack food to replace chips or pretzels. They keep well and can be modified based on what type of cheese you use and can have spices added to them.

Ingredients:

  • 3 slices of deli sliced cheese, any type (I used white cheddar)
  • spices or flavorings to sprinkle on top (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 250 deg F. and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Take each slice of cheese and cut it into 4 equal pieces. Place cheese squares on the parchment with space between them so they don’t melt together when baking. Sprinkle with seasonings if you are using them, and don’t forget to add the spices to your total carbs.

Place in the oven for 40 minutes. Remove the cheese from the oven and allow to cool a few minutes, long enough to be able to flip them over on the sheet pan. Replace the pan in the oven for another 15 – 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and allow to cool, then place the squares on a piece of paper towel to blot the grease from the crackers. Cover with another paper towel and blot gently. The crackers can be stored in a plastic bag after fully cooled.

12 crackers has 195 calories, 0 carbs, 13 g Fat, and 17 g Protein.

What should I eat on a Ketogenic diet?

This is the first question most people ask when starting a Ketogenic diet, so here is a good beginners list of things to consider at the store.

Protein Sources

  • Beef
  • Chicken
  • Pork
  • Turkey
  • Fish
  • Shellfish
  • Lamb
  • Bacon, Pepperoni, Lunch Meat, Hot Dogs, Sausage, Pork Roll, and other processed meats *

*Watch labels with these items, as carbohydrate count can vary.

Dairy

  • Butter or ghee
  • Heavy cream
  • Eggs
  • Cheese, both hard and soft
  • Full fat versions of sour cream, creme fraiche, cream cheese,cottage cheese, mascarpone, ricotta, and plain greek yogurt

Vegetables and Fruits

All vegetables and fruits are going to have some carbohydrates in them, so it is best to keep track of how much you eat and how many net carbs are in them. Here’s are commonly eaten items that will fit into your carbohydrate limit nicely.

  • Lettuce, any type
  • Leafy greens, like spinach, kale, collard greens, etc.
  • Eggplant
  • Avocados
  • Asparagus
  • Cabbage
  • Broccoli
  • Brussel sprouts
  • Cauliflower
  • Zucchini
  • Yellow squash
  • Green beans
  • Celery
  • Mushrooms
  • Tomatoes
  • Cucumber
  • Turnips
  • Radishes
  • Herbs
  • Raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries in moderation

Other Items

  • Nuts (always check the label for net carbs)
  • Coconut oil
  • Peanut oil
  • Olive oil
  • Seeds (flax, chia, pumpkin, sunflower)
  • Beef jerky or meat sticks (check labels, some have a lot of carbs)
  • Almond meal or coconut flour
  • Low carb bars or snacks, usually found in the diet aisle
  • Sugar free sauces (ketchup, BBQ sauce, mustard, mayo, etc.)
  • Coffee or tea
  • 0 carb sweeteners

This is by no means an exhaustive list of foods, and as you learn to read labels you’ll find many others that work fine for a ketogenic diet. But, as a starting point, it should get you on the right track! Now, go get your keto on!

What is a Ketogenic Diet?

Everyone recently has their own ideas about what constitutes a Ketogenic Diet. There are rules galore, and every group of people you talk to will have different ideas about what rules are important and what are not. It’s confusing, but it doesn’t have to be.

A Ketogenic diet is, in general, a diet which allows you to burn fat for energy and keeps your insulin and glucose levels low. People often use 20 grams of total carbohydrates as their daily goal, but others will use a calculation of less than 5% of your daily calories coming from carbohydrates. If you use a percentage, you’ll need to know your daily caloric goal and work off of that number to see how many grams of carbs you’ll need. I find that keeping net carbs under 20 grams per day works just fine for most people, and it’s an easy number to calculate in your head if you don’t like tracking everything.

If you keep your carbohydrates this low you are eating a Ketogenic diet. This is the ONLY strict rule you need to follow. What you choose to eat to meet this goal is ultimately up to you. You are free to make your own choices about what is working or not working in your diet. You can track calories or not. You can use artificial sweeteners if they work for you. You can eat eggs every day, or avoid them like the plague. It’s totally up to you to decide.

This is not to say there aren’t things that can be helpful to think about when eating a Ketogenic diet. I will be covering some of those things in future posts, so stay tuned!