Movement

Why you should be cooking with tallow fat

Reading time 3 min

If you’re like most people, you’ve never cooked with tallow fat before. Most of us grew up under the mantra: skip the animal fat and bring on those unsaturated plant-based oils!

But, now we’re finding that a lot of the traditional food preparation methods – like slow-simmering bone broth and pickling garden veggies in vinegar – are actually some of the best cooking techniques for ensuring we’re consuming a nutrient-dense diet. Cooking with tallow fat is the latest health food re-discovery that, it turns out, our ancestors had right all along.

Movement

How to workout the right way

Reading time 5 min

You have to exercise to be healthy, right? Definitely! We all know that regular physical activity is essential for having a healthy body and mind.

Working out helps us to stay in shape, to reduce stress, to live longer, and to prevent disease. The only problem is, if you are not doing it the right way, then you may be putting your body at risk while you are working so hard to improve it. What is the right way to exercise? What can you do to get the most out of your training, both during your workout and after?

Movement

10 Tips to getting back in shape – the effective way

Reading time 3 min

Through my work, I am fortunate to have been a part of the remarkable positive changes of so many. I will let you in on a little secret.

The trick too successful weight loss is not setting up a dreaded diet and exercise program. The key lies not in limiting, restricting, or pressuring yourself. The way to get in good shape, and beyond, is to embrace a higher quality of life and better health. Here are ten effective tips to start you off right with your new lifestyle.

1. Start with a benchmark.

You need a reasonable timeline to mark your first goal. For getting in shape, try starting with a 60-day goal. This duration works because it is long enough to notice a difference in your body but short enough to provide you with your first success, and a boost in motivation early on.

2. Frame your goal for well-being, not weight loss.

Let go of the numbers, looking instead to the positive habits you are forming. Losing weight is, of course, part of the process of getting in shape, but focusing on it will not give you a clear picture of health. In fact, as you burn fat and form lean muscle, you may notice minimal weight loss initially, or even weight gain, as muscle weighs more than fat. Then, as having more lean muscle mass increases the metabolic rate, you will notice your body becomes slimmer at a much faster pace.

3. Be realistic and patient.

The process of changing your health is like running a marathon. Pace yourself and be consistent. That’s it. You don’t need to cross the starting line at a sprint – if you try to do too much at the beginning, you will only wear yourself out and run the risk of getting discouraged before you have the chance to create new habits.

4.Set digestible targets.

This will help you to stay the course and give you a regular dose of motivation. Make your goals by the week, building each weekly goal upon the last.

5. Avoid calorie counting.

The food we eat is much more than a mass of calories. Some foods can trigger hormones that encourage fat loss or gain. Knowing the right types of food to eat will yield the best results, not calorie counting.

6. Cook in-season.

Wholesome, locally and sustainably grown foods are the best for your health, community and the environment. True nourishment isn’t just about what you eat. Rather, it is about how you source your foods, how you prepare them, and how you serve your family and community in the process. This holistic approach to choosing what you eat is a foundational part of integrating wellness into your life.

7. Exercise with quality not quantity in mind.

Long, tedious workouts do not translate into well-being. Doing too much can work against you, especially if combined with a diet that isn’t nourishing and supportive. Rigorous exercise and a calorie-deficient diet, a combo that so many mistakenly start with, will lead to disappointment, not health and sustainable weight loss. Focus on the quality of your exercise, keeping in mind that the higher the intensity workout, the shorter the duration necessary.

8. Do cardio and weight training.

You will notice much better results if you use both cardio-intensive workouts and other forms of exercise such as weight lifting and functional bodyweight exercises.

9. Integrate relaxation techniques into your resolutions.

Exercise is great for relieving stress, but you need more than just your workouts for staying calm, positive and mentally balanced – three traits that will help you succeed in your fitness and well-being goals. Meditation, time for quiet solitude and yoga are all tools you can use to manage stress.

10. Laugh, a lot. Laughter is truly the best medicine!

Laughing is good for you, and it doesn’t even have to be a genuine laugh. The body can’t tell the difference between a real or fake laugh. If absolutely nothing can make you laugh today, then pretend you are laughing (which will probably feel so funny you will start laughing for real). This can help to improve your mood and let you enjoy your world a little more.fore beginning any nutrition, supplement or lifestyle program.

food

Why cooking with pork lard is a healthy move

Reading time 7 min

Move over avocado and coconut oil – there’s a new healthy fat in the kitchen pantry. Pork fat, also known as lard, has been making its way into paleo recipes and a new wave of healthy dishes over the past couple of years.

Why the renewed interest in this traditional cooking staple?

It turns out, pork lard is incredibly good for you. In fact, the BBC listed pork fat in the top ten of its 2018 list of the 100 most nutritious foods. What makes pork fat so healthy and why should you consider cooking with it? Read on to learn why lard is having a renaissance moment, as well as tips for incorporating it into a balanced diet.

Knowledge

Dietary Desiderata – The Fifteen Commandments Of Healthy Eating

Reading time 6 min

Making sudden large, revolutionary changes to many different aspects of your life at once becomes another source of additional, unnecessary stress—an excellent way to hamper or even thwart your plans to become healthy.

The pace at which you should introduce changes to guarantee comfortable, surefire results and a peaceful transition period is different for everyone. But it should never cause excessive discomfort or involve heavy sacrifices! ????

Of course, you should count on a bit of unpleasantness, which may worry or even discourage you at the beginning. There’s no such thing as a free lunch!

At Babs Bone Broth – Nourishing Food Company we have the so called Dietary Desiderata – The Fifteen Commandments Of Healthy Eating. These commandments will encourage you to take the necessary steps for a peaceful transition period to a healthier and balanced lifestyle.

Enhancing Your Bone Broth

Industrial vs. Organic; The Use of Antibiotics in Animals

Reading time 8 min

This is one of the greatest challenges a lot of us face in clean, whole eating. You can walk into almost any grocer today and opt for the organic and locally grown fruit and veggies, organic legumes, nuts, and seeds, and other plant-based foods. You know then, your food is pesticide-free, has been grown without chemical fertilizers and you could say, was produced humanely as far as plant life is concerned.

When it comes to your animal-based proteins, however, things become more complex. This is because there are more factors that plug into the equation to yield the perfect meat, eggs or dairy protein sources. And, a lot of flexibility and varied interpretations when we look at farming terms.

Organic vs Industrial Farming

First, it’s important to keep in mind, industrial farming techniques are relatively new. What we think of when we say commercial, conventional, or industrial farming – the use of chemical fertilizers, developed seed varieties, and heavily mechanized methods – only started about mid-way through the 20^th century.

These methods went on to include the chronic use of hormones and antibiotics and increasingly questionable practices for animal farming at scale.

• Overcrowded barns where chickens and hens may spend their entire lives, often in cages.
• Pigs raised in overcrowded warehouses, wading through their own manure.
• Cattle may live outdoors, but they spend most of their times on crowded feedlots without shelter. Practices such as castration, horn removal and branding are still common.

Before industrial farming, methods were essentially organic as chemical inputs weren’t used. Farms, for the most part, were much smaller than the commercial farms we see today. There wasn’t the overcrowding, and all the issues of increased risk of disease (and the subsequent increased need for antibiotics), and the sacrificing of animal well-being in order to cut the costs of large scale production that we often see today.

Organic farming is a more holistic approach to farming. Eating organic protein sources does help to cover some bases of chemical-free, healthy, humane eating. Organic animal farming requires farmers to use organic feed, to not use antibiotics or hormones, and to ensure the animals are raised with relatively humane living conditions.

But, there’s a catch most consumers don’t realize.

The organic farming standards, even more so outside of the EU, are open to interpretation. You probably assume your grass-fed beef and cage-free organic eggs come from animals that get to move freely outdoors in the sunshine, breathe plenty of fresh air, and experience a reasonable quality of life. Sometimes they do, but it isn’t always the case.

The reality is, there are certified organic farmers who are raising animals in conditions that are not that much different than what goes on in a factory farm. The sheer number of terms – organic, pasture-raised, grass-fed, cage-free, free-range – also makes the discrepancies between industrial and organic even grayer.

And, it’s also important to note, there are non-organic farms, even industrial large scale producers, who practice a hybrid mix of techniques, using fewer chemical inputs and providing healthy living environments for their animals. There are also smaller farms who follow biodynamic, sustainable, organic practices, but who aren’t certified simply because getting certified is expensive for the farmers themselves.

Let’s take a deeper look into modern farming practices to help you learn how to source clean, healthy, humane protein.

“When you truly weigh the choice – is healthy, clean eating more expensive? Or is there a higher price to pay for purchasing and consuming foods from factory-farmed animals?”

Unraveling Cage-Free and Free-Range Terminology

Cage-free specifically means, the birds do not live in a cage. That doesn’t mean they ever go outdoors, breathe fresh air, soak in the sun, or enjoy fresh growing foliage and buzzing insects around the farm. Hens that live in a barn and never go outside are still defined as cage-free.

Even free-range eggs don’t always come from happy, content birds, wandering through lush fields as we imagine. Free-range regulations only require the birds to have access to outdoors.

When you break it down, the terms cage-free and free-range are misleading. It is a step up from nothing, but unless you know the conditions of the farm where you buy your eggs from, or your chicken, ‘better’ may be a negligible difference.

Take for example, the 2016 investigation into a cage-free Costco facility. The investigators found that the birds were actually attacking and cannibalizing each other. In 2017, Snowdale, one of Australia’s largest egg producers, was fined over $1 million for falsely claiming free-range status. When it comes to modern animal farming, what we read on the package, isn’t always what we get. 

In Australia, the government just recently passed a law, in 2017, loosening standards for free-range status. This means, consumers are left to search for the stricter accreditation schemes like Humane Choice and Free Range Farmers Association, which require more space and more time outside in order for an egg producer to wear their label. 

In the EU, regulations are stricter. Eggs labelled as organic must also be free-range and the birds must have constant daytime access to vegetation.

Free-range, organic eggs aren’t just more ethically sound, they are also more nutritious. Studies have found higher amounts of vitamin D (when the birds are exposed to sunlight), omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin A, and beta-carotene.

This isn’t surprising when you think about it. When hens are outside, their diets include a greater variety of vegetation and insects.

You can see the difference yourself. Crack open a commercially farmed egg and an organic, free-range egg from a trusted producer. You can see the difference in the richer, bright yellow-orange yolk.

Just keep in mind, color doesn’t always mean more health benefits. Some producers include additives like dried algae, marigold petal meal and alfalfa meal in the feed to achieve that oranger color.

Pasture-Raised, Organic Pork

In factory farms, pigs are raised in large warehouses with unhealthy conditions, like close quarters and manure build-up – creating a toxic environment that can cause the animals to become ill, so they are regularly given antibiotics to prevent disease. For sows, it is extremely unpleasant – they are often kept in metal cages with limited space to prevent movement and are subject to regular breeding via artificial insemination.

These conditions also are horrific for the environment. In the warehouses, factory farmers have to do something about the tons of created waste. In conventional farming, it may be drained into a large lagoon, which then has to be regularly emptied. It’s also common, and totally legal, to blast the manure into the air in a sort of manure cannon over the farm’s crops. This serves to get rid of the manure and to fertilize the crops – with old, putrid pig manure. This airborne fecal matter then also contaminates the nearby air and water sources and impacts the people living nearby.

Pasture-raised, organic pigs on the other hand, have to spend some part of their lives outdoors. As with cage-free and free-range eggs, you want to look for more information to ensure the animals have more than minimal time outdoors and aren’t subject to other unhealthy or inhumane conditions. Look for Animal Welfare Approved meats (granted to independently owned family farms that provide plenty of outdoor time and only use antibiotics when recommended by a vet) and Global Animal Partnership Steps 4 to 5 and 5+.

What to Look for in Dairy and Beef

With dairy cows, you want the animals to be grass-fed, pasture-raised, as well as organic. Cows naturally eat grass. However, in the US, over 80% of lactating dairy cows are not kept in pasture to graze on grass and move around freely in the sunshine. They are housed indoors and fed soy, corn, and hay, in order to increase their milk production.

With beef cattle, one of the major problems is the heavy use of antibiotics. The US Centers for Disease Control have found that the use of low doses of non-therapeutic antibiotics is partially behind the “emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in food-producing animals.” The CDC then goes on to explain that when we consume these foods, guess what? We can develop antibiotic-resistant infections as well. It can also be transmitted through the water supply and the environment. It is estimated that 2 million are infected, and 23,000 people die each year from antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Choosing organic, humanely raised, grass-fed meat isn’t just about better health, it’s about supporting the farmers who are using sustainable, healthy practices, rather than those who are harming not just the animals and our health, but the environment we all share.

Look for certified organic beef, and other meats – which means chemicals or sewage sludge isn’t a part of the food chain, hormones and antibiotics aren’t used, and the animals have access to pasture. You also can look for Animal Welfare Approved, as with your pork, and American Grassfed Certified, a certification for beef, bison, goat, lamb and sheep that means the animals are able to forage and are never confined to a feedlot. Also, they aren’t ever treated with antibiotics or hormones.

Biodynamic certification is another level to look for that indicates a high quality of life – and therefore a healthier protein source for you. Established in 1928 and managed by Demeter International, it requires the entire farm to be certified. Animals are treated humanely, crops and feed are organic. Biodynamic preparations are regularly used and a portion – at least 10% – of the farm is designated specifically for biodiversity.

But, All These Certifications Raise the Price of Food!

But, when you look at what is going on in farms all over the globe, how it impacts human health in terms of increased health risks to you and society and the reduced nutritional value, and the environmental impacts, you have to look at value, not price.

You are getting a greater value when you shop for clean, organic, humanely raised protein sources. Not just in that one meal – when you sit down to your free-range, nutrient-packed poached eggs and avocado or your epic steak salad, made with biodynamic beef and organic veggies – you’re supporting your health in the long run, the health of your family, that of your community, and the global community. Your grocery bill may be five or six dollars more each week, but what about your lifetime health costs – or the burden we all bear in the health and environmental costs to society as a whole?

When you truly weigh the choice – is healthy, clean eating more expensive? Or is there a higher price to pay for purchasing and consuming foods from factory-farmed animals?

Sustainability

Why local food is beter

Reading time 7 min

Every time you buy local food, you’re making a choice that benefits your health, your community and the environment. When you think about it, buying local is one of the most impactful and rewarding steps we can take to make the world a better place. It’s a simple lifestyle shift that can change everything.

Buying local as an individual choice forms the foundation for a culture that supports everyone. This includes you and your family, local businesses and the people who devote their lives to bringing whole, organic, sustainable foods to your table.

You become more connected to your food

When you learn more about where your food comes from, you develop a deeper connection with the food you put into your body and serve to your family. Knowing the story behind the farm and understanding the ethos of the producer, the whole experience of cooking and preparing food takes on a whole new level of meaning.

You pay more attention to what you’re putting in your body

It’s so much easier to learn the details of the food production process when you’re getting your food from local farmers. On local producers’ websites, usually everything is transparent so you know what livestock are fed, how animals are treated and how crops are grown and managed. Contrast this to national and even global food production companies that offer more marketing information on their websites than actual details about how food is produced and processed.

You’re sending a message every time you shop

With every local food purchase, you’re essentially voting to support sustainable food production and small artisan growers and sellers. As you learn more about local growers and even interact with these amazing people, you’ll find the ones who you believe in — then, by buying from them, you are keeping them in business and keeping their vision alive.

When you buy local, you put more money into your community

When you spend most of your food budget at a large supermarket, your money is going to various businesses along the supply chain, most of which are big businesses located outside of your area. Buy local, and you put more money back into your community. This creates a positive ripple effect. When local farmers and their employees thrive, they have more money to spend locally and they contribute more money to the community through paying taxes.

Buying local food supports other local small businesses

In communities with thriving local food producers, other businesses benefit as well. Restaurants, coffee shops, ice cream shops and others are more inclined to use fresh local ingredients in their products to attract customers who are in tune with local food culture. This then supports local growers even further.

Choosing local food brings the community together

When you look at cities that already have a thriving local, sustainable food culture, from Amsterdam to Austin, Texas, you’ll find something really special brewing — a strong sense of community. Individuals have more opportunities to make a positive difference every time they buy food. Along the way they learn. They connect. And the goodwill, the great flavors, the good health — it keeps spreading and enriching the local culture and the local economy.

WHY LOCAL FOOD MAY BE BETTER FOR YOUR BODY

The other huge reason to buy local food as much as possible is your health. Buying fresh, locally grown produce that doesn’t have to travel far to reach your table may offer your body more nutrients and a more nourishing experience with every meal.

More enzymes

The fresher your food, the more active enzymes that are still readily available when you sit down to eat. These enzymes are what make a whole food diet so important — they are literally the life force we receive from the food we consume. Enzymes are proteins that determine the speed of chemical reactions in the body responsible for key functions such as digestion, healing and growth. Eating a diet high in heavily processed foods means you’re not getting as many enzymes, which can slow these critical processes down.

Seasonal variety

When you buy local, you eat seasonal food, which is always the highest quality produce in the market. You’ll enjoy a variety of fruits, veggies, herbs and more that are at their freshness peak, which means optimal flavor and nutrition.

Greater nutrient density

Traditional, earth-friendly farming methods tend to produce foods that are higher in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. For example, organic production helps to protect the soil and water, ensuring more nutrients in both crops and livestock. Commercial farming focuses more on producing high yields at low prices. As a result, you end up losing a lot of the nutrients along the way from the use of chemicals, because the soil isn’t as rich, and because livestock aren’t allowed to live and grow in a way that encourages their health.

Fresh tastes so much better

When food is picked at the peak of freshness, you’ll taste the true flavors as nature had intended. Compare the sweet, sunshine-bright flavor of a homegrown tomato to the dull taste of out-of-season supermarket tomatoes and you’ll understand the pure joy of eating local.

You can avoid pesticides

Generally, local food producers strive to use organic methods and they don’t use pesticides on their crops. This means you can keep these chemicals out of your body.

Food is safer

When you buy food at the supermarket that was grown in one area, processed somewhere else, then packaged and transported, it has to pass through different businesses, all of which may have their own standards for health and safety. With local food, you can check the specifics of what a local producer does to ensure food safety, giving you peace of mind.

This is also critical for anyone on a special diet or who has food sensitivities or allergies. When you buy local, you can ensure your food is free from any chemicals, hormones or factors that could trigger an allergic reaction.

Eat preservative-free

Because your food isn’t traveling long distances to reach your table — and isn’t likely to be stored for weeks or months before purchase — there’s no need to add all the preservatives and other chemical ingredients that a lot of mass-produced food contains to keep it fresh.

What Is the Keto Diet?

Reading time 5 min

These days it’s rare not to know someone following the keto diet. This popular eating regimen has taken the world by storm because of its many benefits. If you’re wondering if the keto diet is right for you, keep reading. We’ll discuss exactly how this diet works, tell you what you can and cannot eat, and offer tips for keto diet success when you’re just starting out.

How does the keto diet work?

The keto diet restricts carbohydrates and focuses on acquiring energy primarily from fats. “Keto” is short for “ketogenic,” which shows how the diet got its name. The fats you consume in this diet are oxidized in the liver and broken down in a process called “ketogenesis.” The resulting free fatty acids fuel your muscles for daily activities and exercise.

In addition, acetoacetate forms and transforms into ketones. Ketones can replace glucose as a fuel source for your brain and nervous system instead of glucose, which you would otherwise get from carbohydrates. Eventually, your body becomes “ketoadapted,” also known as being “in ketosis.” As a result, it becomes highly efficient at using fats for energy.

Can you lose weight with the keto diet?

Because the keto diet relies on fat as a fuel source, it is possible to lose weight on this eating plan. In addition, experts have clinically studied the short-term effects of keto on obese patients. In fact, many people start the keto diet with weight loss in mind.

Ketosis helps make this process easier, and of course, the significant reduction in carbohydrates means you’re not converting more unused calories to fat either. Once you lose the weight you want, you can tweak the keto diet and remain on it to stay at the weight you like.

What can you eat on the keto diet?

What you can eat

It’s helpful to think of the keto diet as a food pyramid. The base of the pyramid is all the foods you eat most often on this plan:

• Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and organ meats
• Fats and oils, such as butter, coconut oil, and olive oil
• Herbs, spices, and carbohydrate-free flavorings
• Vegetables and fruits that contain no starch, like asparagus and avocado

The next tier consists of low-carb fruits and vegetables:

• Tomatoes
• Broccoli
• Peppers
• Pumpkin
• Mushrooms
• Cauliflower

Full-fat dairy foods, like milk and cheese, occupy the next level on the pyramid, followed by nuts, seeds, low-carb fruits, and berries. Which fruits are considered low in carbohydrates?

• Oranges
• Kiwis
• Lemons
• Watermelon

You can drink water, coffee, and tea on this diet as you usually do. In general, alcoholic beverages are discouraged (they have carbohydrates, plus they lower your willpower). However, you can occasionally indulge in low-carb liquor.

Bone broth is an excellent beverage to sip or add to your keto recipes, like homemade soups and stews. Bone broth is high in collagen, one of the body’s most essential building blocks.

What not to eat

The following are the foods you should not eat on the keto diet. You’ll notice that many of these foods are not recommended on other diets as well, as they’re simply unhealthy for you:

• Processed foods
• Vegetable oil
• Soda
• Items made with sugar, honey, or agave nectar
• Bread, tortillas, cereals, and grains
• Crackers and chips
• Pasta
• Rice
• Potatoes
• Soy
• Legumes and beans
• Dried fruits
• High-carb fruits (pineapple, bananas, mango, etc.)
• Most low-fat or “diet” foods (high in carbohydrates)

The good news is that today there are many new substitutes for keto’s “forbidden” foods. For example, you can make or buy crusts made from cauliflower that let you enjoy pizza without guilt. And there are keto-friendly carb-free breads and baked products available too.

Is the keto diet dangerous?

Although it may seem new, the keto diet was actually developed in the 1920s by Dr. Russell Wilder at the Mayo Clinic. It wasn’t originally designed as a weight loss diet but for children resistant to other epilepsy treatments to prevent seizures. Unfortunately, once anticonvulsant drugs came on the scene in the 1940s, most people forgot about the keto diet.

However, it came back into the spotlight in the 1990s when a Hollywood producer used it successfully for his epileptic child. The weight loss and other benefits (see below) were examined in greater detail, and the diet grew in popularity, not just for youngsters with epilepsy.

Because it has been around for so long and was created for children, the keto diet is one of the most well-studied eating regimens of all time. The diet is completely safe for most people, but it’s always wise to consult with your healthcare provider when starting any new diet. For some people, the keto diet may not be ideal. For example:

• People with type 1 diabetes
• People using treatment (in ways other than keto) for epilepsy or seizure disorders
• Pregnant or nursing women
• Those with a history of eating disorders
• People with kidney, liver, or pancreatic conditions
• Those who have had their gallbladder removed
• People with a history of cardiac disease or at high risk of heart disease
• Those who have some types of digestive disorders
• People who have undergone gastric bypass surgery
• People with metabolic disorders

Keto is also hard to follow if you’re a vegan or vegetarian due to the limitations in non-animal proteins, in which case another diet may be best for you.

Is the keto diet helpful for health conditions besides being overweight?

Experts are still researching the keto diet today, especially since so many people have embraced it. Some people have anecdotally found the diet helpful for other health issues, such as:

• Insulin resistance
• Type 2 diabetes
• Mood disorders
• Dry skin and hair
• Brittle nails
• Joint pain

You should never discontinue any prescribed medications when you start the keto diet. However, you and your healthcare practitioner may decide together to adjust your treatment plan for certain conditions based on success over time with the keto diet.

What is a typical keto diet plan?

A keto diet plan starts with smart shopping. First, make a list of all the things you can eat on the keto diet and jot down some recipes to try. Then, shop with your weekly meal plan in mind, using the list. Be sure to read labels carefully if you’re unsure if something contains ingredients you shouldn’t be eating.

Many keto devotees like to post a weekly menu and keto diet schedule on the fridge so they know what they’re eating when. This lets them prep food in advance, such as chopping up meat and vegetables to take for lunch. And it helps prevent straying from the diet. Once you go into ketogenesis, you don’t want to go out of that state and have to start all over by eating too many carbohydrates.

A typical daily plan might look something like this:

• Breakfast – crustless quiche made with eggs, ham, cheese, and spinach, plus a cup of coffee
• Lunch – a salad of mixed greens, bell peppers, tomatoes, and tuna in an olive oil-based vinaigrette dressing, plus an unsweetened iced tea and a slice of watermelon
• Snack – mixed berries and a handful of raw almonds
• Dinner – Grilled chicken with a portabella mushroom pizza (using the mushroom as the base), plus sparkling water with lemon juice and a dessert such as chocolate mousse made with cream, cacao powder, vanilla extract, and a natural carb-free sweetener (e.g., stevia)

As you can see, you don’t have to give up snacks or desserts to follow the keto diet. And there’s no calorie counting either! Be sure to drink plenty of water with and between meals. Carbohydrates hold water in the body, so it’s easier to become dehydrated on the keto diet.

What are the best keto diet recipes?

There is no one best keto recipe. The best keto diet recipes are the ones that are right for you. That means:

• You like the foods and will eat them regularly
• You can find the ingredients readily near you or order them online
• The recipe components work with your budget
• You know you will prepare the recipes as needed (not outside your culinary skillset) and will not be tempted to substitute with non-keto foods
• The ingredients are healthy and not merely packaged and processed versions of low-carb foods

So, it doesn’t matter if all your friends on keto are eating bacon with every meal. If you don’t like bacon, you can enjoy chicken legs, salmon, steak, or eggs in your recipes.

Fortunately, there are tons of great keto recipes to be found online today if you don’t feel like buying a keto cookbook. Pinterest and Instagram, in particular, have thousands of delicious recipes, and you can see how well-liked they are by people who have tried them in the comments. You can also learn how to prepare keto recipes on YouTube.

What are some keto diet tips for beginners?

For most folks, starting the keto diet is the hardest part. However, once they’re on it for a while, it becomes second nature, and it’s easy to stay on track. Here are some tips for beginning the diet that will get you off to a good start:

• Keto diet experiences vary in the beginning. Expect to feel different or a little tired for the first few days. Don’t make big plans during the first week of the diet, and you may want to skip heavy workouts for three or four days as you commence.
• Some people like to start with a fast for a few days rather than switching diets cold turkey. This lets them ease into the keto diet more efficiently, with fewer side effects. In addition, you can sip bone broth when you fast, which will help support your body and offer nourishment without putting excess strain on your digestive system.
• Plan how you will deal with situations like work luncheons, dining out, holidays, and the like. For example, you may want to bring your own dishes or keep keto-friendly foods on hand.
• Keep a water bottle handy so that you can stay fully hydrated.
• Carry some mints or gum with you in case “keto breath” strikes when you’re in a heavy ketone-burning phase (usually when you haven’t eaten in a while).
• Remember to consume plenty of fiber (not just meats and dairy) for your digestive motility.
• Focus on eating as cleanly as possible. This means healthy, minimally processed foods that are close to nature and densely packed with nutrients.

At Babs Bone Broth, we’re here to help you feel and look better with the best diet for you. In addition, we want to support you with fasting and starting the keto diet. To learn more about the many benefits of bone broth and how you can have the best quality bone broth shipped directly to you, visit our webshop.

This content is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to provide medical advice or to take the place of such advice or treatment from a personal physician. All readers/viewers of this content are advised to consult their doctors or qualified health professionals regarding specific health questions. Neither Babs Bone Broth nor the publisher of this content takes responsibility for possible health consequences of any person or persons reading or following the information in this educational content. All viewers of this content, especially those taking prescription or over-the-counter medications, should consult their physicians before beginning any nutrition, supplement or lifestyle program.