8 Ketogenic Foods that Can Help You Lose Your Weight

1. Peanut Butter

Peanut butter is not only tasty, but is healthy too. It contains lots of proteins, unsaturated fatty acids and energy boosting vitamins including vitamin B-6 and iron too. Jim White says that the most important point that you need to take care of, while choosing peanut butter is to go for the one with no added sugars or oils. Natural versions of peanut butter help you keep your carbohydrates and calorie intake on the healthier side. You can store your peanut butter in the refrigerator and use it for months.

2. Salmon

Salmon is a very rich source of polyunsaturated omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. According to Jim White, these fatty acids can only be consumed through food and they are very helpful in losing weight as the increased intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids reduces inflammation which, in return, speeds up the weight loss process. Salmon is full of Vitamin E that also helps a lot to reduce inflammation and lose weight. You should eat at least one salmon fillet a week.

3. Macadamia Nuts

Almonds and walnuts are very popular healthy nuts and have a lot of benefits but macadamia nuts are of a great benefit in so many ways. They are full of monounsaturated fatty acids, vitamin E and fiber. These contents make them a great food to improve the blood sugar levels in our body. According to Jim White, they also contain good amounts of thiamine and other B vitamins that are energy boosting vitamins and can prepare your body for workouts. A handful of nut has 200 calories in it and one tablespoon of macadamia nut oil has 120 calories. So, you can use them instead of other high fatty foods rather than adding them up beside them. They can be used as a replacement for meat, cheese and butter.

4. Eggs

According to Jim White, eggs are the best source of proteins for the human body as our body as our body absorbs digests and uses protein from eggs better than it does from any other food. This means that eggs are an amazing food that helps you build up your muscles and speed up your metabolism. The best part about taking in proteins is that they take more time to travel from your stomach to your intestine that makes you stay fuller for a longer time and get rid of hunger cravings. Another important thing that you need to know about eggs is that egg yolks are also very important and should be eaten as they contain vitamins and antioxidants that aid the weight loss process. And more than half of the fatty acids present in the eggs are unsaturated. According to a study published in American Heart Journal in 2015, eggs are so healthy that even heart patients can eat three whole eggs each day without causing any increase in their cholesterol levels.

5. Coconut Oil

Apart from hundreds of its other benefits, coconut oil also provides a great help in losing weight. Jim White explains the reason why coconut oil is healthier when it comes to lose weight. He says that the saturated fats in coconut oil are there in the form of medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) that might be more weight loss friendly than the fat contents in other vegetable oils that are in the form of long-chain triglycerides (LCTs).

6. Green Tea

We all know how popular green tea is, for aiding weight loss. Jim White says that green tea has a very high amount of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) in it, which is a substance having an antioxidant activity even stronger than vitamin C and E. This helps a lot in losing weight. Jim White suggests substituting green tea with your daily coffee intake. This will reduce the amount of calories that you intake daily and will help your body fight against inflammation.

7. Avocado

Avocado is basically a fruit but has an extremely low amount of carbs in it. Jim White says that one avocado has only 17 grams of carbohydrates and 13 grams of filling fiber in it. A research published in the Nutrition Journal found that adding half an avocado to you lunch can help lose weight by increasing the sufficiency levels and making you stay fuller for a longer period. It also reduces your cravings for time as long as three hours after your meal.

8. Aged Cheese

Here is good news for all the cheese lovers. According to a research published in the British Journal of Nutrition, it was found that if you eat cheese in one meal, it makes you eat less in the other meal. The reason behind this is that cheese is full of fats and proteins. However, if you want to add cheese to your low carb diet, you can go for aged cheese like Brie, Parmesan, Gruyere, manchego and blue. Jim White tells the reason why aged cheese is preferred for losing weight. He says that the aging process makes them lose carbs. You can also go for aged varieties of cheddar and goat cheese.

Whether It's Black or Green, Tea Is Good for Your Waistline

When it comes to health benefits, green tea gets all the glory. But according to research from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), black tea is just as good when it comes to losing weight.

Black, Green, And Everything In Between
Black tea and green tea — and white tea and oolong tea, for that matter — comes from the same plant. Both are derived from the leaves of a shrub called Camellia sinensis. The only difference is how they're processed. In both cases, the leaves are harvested and withered, but in the case of black tea, they're then allowed to oxidize and turn dark and pungent. Green tea leaves, however, are steamed or pan-fired to stop the oxidation process, which helps them keep their green color and delicate flavor.
Those differences also change them chemically. Both contain micronutrients called polyphenols, but the size of these molecules in green tea are much smaller than those in black tea. Studies have shown that the polyphenols in green tea get absorbed into the blood and liver to change the way the liver processes carbohydrates, fat, and protein. Black tea polyphenols, however, is too big to be absorbed, so it just hangs out in the intestine. Researchers thought that meant those molecules didn't have any effect on liver metabolism until a 2015 study from UCLA showed that black tea was just as effective as green tea at preventing obesity in mice. In 2017, UCLA researchers revisited this experiment to see exactly what was going on.

Cuppa Gut Bacteria
For the study, which was published in 2017 in the European Journal of Nutrition, they split mice into four groups. One group got a low-fat, high-sugar diet, another got a high-fat, high-sugar diet, and two others got a high-fat, high-sugar diet plus either green-tea or black-tea extract. Between the groups that didn't get the tea extracts, the high-fat, high-sugar group predictably gained more weight. But even though the tea groups consumed that same diet, after four weeks, their weight dropped to the same level as the low-fat group.
To find out why, the researchers measured the bacteria in the mice's large intestines and the fat deposits in their livers. Both tea-sipping groups had less of the kind of bacteria that's usually associated with obesity, and more associated with leanness. But only the mice that had the black tea extract had more of a type of bacteria called Pseudobutyrivibrio. That difference could explain how black tea can have the same effect as green tea, even though it's not absorbed into the bloodstream.
So black tea lovers, rejoice! Your drink of choice is just as good as the green stuff. Sip at will — and might we recommend giving it a good zap in the microwave?

How Much Olive Oil Can I Eat?

Olive oil is “drizzled” over the top of our Mediterranean Diet Pyramid to indicate that olive oil should be enjoyed as a highlight to a Mediterranean way of eating, but not to drown out the other healthy benefits. We did not specify actual amounts of oil to be consumed because the amount should really be based on individual calorie needs. Calorie needs are determined from your height, weight, activity level, and state of health. As you can imagine, this can vary greatly from person to person. We strongly suggest consulting with a registered dietitian or other health care provider for guidelines on your individual needs. In general, how ever, fat should be used in moderation (no need to limit fat intake for children under the age of four, as infants and toddlers need fat for their growth requirements, yet we would suggest avoiding trans fats for children).
And remember how many other spectacular and delicious foods are integral to a traditional Mediterranean diet. Just take a look at the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid if you need a reminder. If too many of the calories in your diet come from olive oil, you won’t have room in your calorie allowance for the other good stuff—the whole grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts, beans, and so on—that make up such an important part of a healthy diet.
Olive oil is certainly one of the highlights of the traditional Mediterranean diet and the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid, but it is not the only element. To get maximum health benefits that the traditional Mediterranean diet has to offer, enjoy olive oil in moderation.

Fat-Free or Free Fat is Really Fat Free?

What about “fat-free” or “low-fat” foods? How do they fit in with a Mediterranean-inspired eating pattern?

Most prepackaged “fat-free” or “low-fat” foods are often high in sugar and/or artificial ingredients, fillers, gums, and other ingredients meant to simulate the taste and texture fat would have provided. These products are often high in calo ries, expensive, and devoid of nutrients. In addition, many prepackaged low-fat foods are deceiving because they con tain trans-fatty acids. To eat in a true traditional Mediterranean way, limit the use of these foods as much as possible and opt for foods closer to their natural state. Dried fruit, nuts and seeds, and whole-grain crackers (those without partiallyhydrogenated oils—read the ingredients) are as convenient to grab on the go as prepackaged snacks. The Mediterranean way of eating is focused on whole, fresh foods.