How to Keto Diet | JENNIE-O® Turkey (2024)

By Jennie-O

TAGSKeto FriendlyNutrition & Diet

What is the Keto Diet? Jennie-O’s Guide to Cutting Carbs and Cutting Weight.

The keto diet— a high-fat, low-carb eating plan—is everywhere. Maybe you’ve heard people talking about it at the gym. Maybe your neighbor is trying it out. No matter how you heard about it, people all over the world are trying out a keto lifestyle and are rapidly shedding weight by cutting carbs in a major way.

(If you’re a seasoned pro and looking for great keto diet recipes, head on over to our great directory of keto diet recipes and menus.)

What is the Keto Diet?

The ketogenic diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet that’s all about dramatically reducing carbohydrate intake and replacing it with fat. This may be counterintuitive to most fad diets you’ve heard about. However, the keto diet is rooted in the idea of the body reaching a metabolic state known as ketosis.

When your body reaches ketosis, your body has become more efficient at burning fat for energy. It will also begin turning fat into ketones in the liver, which supply energy for the brain. A ketogenic diet can be the catalyst to massive reductions in insulin and blood sugar levels.

Foods to Eat

Carbohydrates can be hard to quit, as they are in just about everything. But, that doesn’t mean you have to deprive yourself of great tasting food.

Here are the main foods that are high-in-fat, low-in-carbs and are great starting place for anyone wanting to dip their feet into keto diet:

  • Meat: Steak, ham, sausage, bacon, turkey, and chicken.
  • Cheese: Cheddar, cream cheese, goat cheese, mozzarella, or blue cheese (always unprocessed).
  • Low-carb veggies: Tomatoes, peppers, onions, and most green veggies will do the trick.
  • Fatty fish: Salmon, tuna, mackerel, and trout.
  • Condiments: You can still use salt, pepper, and other various herbs and spices.
  • Eggs: Look for omega-3 or pastured whole eggs (from cage-free, free-roaming hens).
  • Butter and cream: Always go for dairy from grass-fed cows, whenever possible.
  • Avocados: Whole avocados.
  • Nuts and seeds: Walnuts, flax seed.
  • Healthy oils: Coconut oil, avocado oil, and most of all, extra virgin olive oil.

Foods to Avoid

Now that you have your bases loaded for what you should be eating, it’s time to talk about what foods you should be avoiding in order to maintain ketosis.

  • Sugary foods: Fruit juice, smoothies, candy, cake, ice cream, and sodas.
  • Grains or starches: Many wheat-based products like pasta, rice, cereal, and others.
  • Alcohol: Many alcoholic beverages can contain high-carb content, throwing your body out of ketosis.
  • Beans or legumes: Kidney beans, peas, chickpeas, lentils, and other beans are all great sources of protein but also are usually packed with carbs.
  • Root vegetables and tubers: Potatoes, sweet potatoes, parsnips, and carrots are all very high in carbs and starches.
  • Fruit: Shockingly, nearly all fruit should be avoided on the keto diet, with the exception of small portions of berries
  • Low-fat diet products: Highly processed diet foods tend to be made with lots of carbohydrates to supplant their lack of calories.
  • Sugar-free diet food: More highly processed foods that do not contain sugar, but come with high levels of sugar alcohols, which can impact ketone levels in your body.
  • Some condiments and sauces: Make sure to read the labels of your favorite condiments. Herbs and spices are typically keto-friendly, but some sauces can come with high levels of carbohydrates.
  • Unhealthy fats: Processed vegetable oils and things made with them (like mayonnaise) can affect your ketosis status.

Avoiding carb-based foods like sugars, grains, potatoes, candy, juice, and even most fruit will be essential for finding the results you are looking for with a ketogenic lifestyle.

Take a look at all of our great keto diet recipes and menus and get moving toward a happier, more nutritious you.

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How to Keto Diet | JENNIE-O® Turkey (2024)

FAQs

Can I eat turkey on a keto diet? ›

Here are the main foods that are high-in-fat, low-in-carbs and are great starting place for anyone wanting to dip their feet into keto diet: Meat: Steak, ham, sausage, bacon, turkey, and chicken. Cheese: Cheddar, cream cheese, goat cheese, mozzarella, or blue cheese (always unprocessed).

Should you start keto cold turkey? ›

Consider easing in. “Prior to starting a keto diet, individuals may benefit from tapering down their carbohydrate intake, instead of reducing carbs cold turkey,” says Lara Clevenger, a ketogenic dietitian-nutritionist with a private practice in New Smyrna Beach, Florida.

What is the trick to keto diet? ›

Strategies for encouraging the body to enter ketosis include:
  1. Significantly reducing the carbohydrate intake. ...
  2. Increasing physical activity. ...
  3. Fasting for short periods. ...
  4. Increasing healthful fat intake. ...
  5. Testing ketone levels. ...
  6. Checking protein intake. ...
  7. Consuming more MCT oil.

How do I get enough food on keto? ›

How To Eat Enough Healthy Fat On Keto
  1. Eat eggs. Eggs are the perfect Keto food—about 65% fat, 35% protein, minimal carbs, and highly nutrient-dense.
  2. Favor fatty cuts of meat. Ribeye, chuck roast, and lamb leg are solid Keto-friendly cuts. ...
  3. Veggies as a fat vehicle.

What is the best deli meat for keto diet? ›

Short answer: Turkey. Fat content in turkey is much less than that in chicken, pork, and beef. Plus, it's typically made with less salt because it's already #blessed in the flavor department.

Is rotisserie chicken keto friendly? ›

Yes, rotisserie chicken is keto-friendly. It's a carb-free option and a great source of protein (20-25 grams of protein per portion size). But you need to be careful about the part of the whole chicken you eat since some options have a high-fat content (mostly from saturated fats).

What foods can I eat unlimited on keto? ›

Foods you can eat on the keto diet include fish and seafood, meat and poultry, non-starchy vegetables like bell peppers, broccoli, and zucchini, avocados, berries, nuts and seeds, eggs, high-fat dairy products, olive oil and other oils, and high-cocoa chocolate.

What is the hardest day of keto? ›

1.The First 10 Days May Be The Toughest

Before starting, you should be aware that if you drop carbs cold-turkey, the first few days you will most likely experience symptoms of your body adjusting to lack of glucose. Many people starting off keto will go through this and it's often referred to as the “Keto Flu”.

What happens on the first 3 days of keto? ›

In the initial stages of a ketosis diet, people may feel more tired and weaker than usual. This fatigue occurs as the body switches from burning carbohydrates to burning fat for energy. Carbohydrates provide a quicker burst of energy to the body.

How do I speed up my weight loss on keto? ›

To maximize weight loss on a ketogenic diet, get adequate sleep, reduce stress, be more active and consume whole, nutritious, low-carb foods whenever possible.

What are big mistakes on keto? ›

Eating too much protein and not enough fats

Proteins as well can cause insulin spikes when over-consumed. The only macronutrient that doesn't spike insulin is pure fat. For this reason, you need to be adhering to very specific fat/carb/protein ratios when following a Keto Diet.

How do people lose weight so fast on keto? ›

The ketogenic diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet that encourages the body to enter a state of ketosis. In this metabolic state, the body burns fat for fuel instead of glucose, which can lead to rapid weight loss.

What is the best butter for keto diet? ›

Grass-grazed raw butter may be one of the healthiest dairy products on a ketogenic diet menu. Grass-grazed raw butter is basically pure raw fat; it has zero carbs, zero sugars and zero grams of protein. As you can see, most of butters' fat is saturated.

Is peanut butter good for keto? ›

Peanut butter can definitely be part of a keto diet, but it's best to stick to plain options that are free of extra flavors and sweeteners. Almond butter is a good choice, too, and it's slightly lower in carbs. Additionally, you should be mindful of your portion size if you're trying to lose weight.

How do you satisfy your hunger on keto? ›

Increase the size of your meals with nutrient-dense foods. This will promote a sense of fullness and reduce the urge to snack in between meals. Include plenty of fibre in your meals. While fibre from foods like green leafy vegetables is considered a carbohydrate, we don't digest it, so it doesn't count.

What is the best meat for keto diet? ›

Some of the best meats for keto include beef, pork, chicken, salmon, and bison. Still, all plain, unprocessed meats are keto-friendly and low in carbs — so there are plenty of options to choose from. However, you may want to choose your meats based on other factors in addition to carb count.

What meat is not keto friendly? ›

A lot of people think that the keto diet is all about consuming meat and meat alone. But eating too much meat that is processed, like sausages, smoked meat, bacon and hot dogs is definitely not good. These kind of meat contain gluten, preservatives and sugar, that will increase carb intake and kick body out of ketosis.

Is deli turkey breast keto friendly? ›

keto-friendly meats, cheeses & more

Variety is key to Keto success. That's why Dietz offers a wide range of keto-friendly deli meats like Buffalo Style Chicken and Applewood Smoked Turkey Breast. Plus tasty cheeses such as Originals cheddar and provolone.

What foods do not break ketosis? ›

Foods you can eat on the keto diet include fish and seafood, meat and poultry, non-starchy vegetables like bell peppers, broccoli, and zucchini, avocados, berries, nuts and seeds, eggs, high-fat dairy products, olive oil and other oils, and high-cocoa chocolate.

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