Part 1: The Right Kind of Fat
The Ketogenic Diet places great emphasis on healthy fats as the main part of your diet. The simplest way to put it is high fat, high protein, and low carb.
Here’s a list of suggested fats to consume while on a ketogenic diet.
Healthy Fats
Some of the healthy fats that should be a priority in a ketogenic diet include:
• Coconut oil: Ideal for baking, roasting, and adding to coffee.
• MCT Oil: Coconut-based, but more volatile when exposed to heat and light. Add to salad dressings and coffee without cooking.
• Red palm oil: Ideal for all types of cooking, even on high heat. It has a distinct flavor, so be sure to try it first. Ensure to buy sustainably harvested red palm oil, as the improperly grown and purchased varieties are harmful to the environment.
• Avocado Oil: Avocados are rich in fats and fibers, making them ideal for this diet. Use avocado oil for all types of cooking except for very high heat. It is also excellent in salad dressings and homemade mayonnaise.
• Ghee: Ideal for all types of preparation, even on high heat. Ghee is clarified butter, so the more delicate sugars and proteins have been removed to cook over high heat. Ensure you buy ghee from grass-fed cows to avoid chemicals associated with large-scale farming and agricultural practices.
• Butter: Ideal for medium to low heat cooking and for baking coffee and greasy coffee.
• Coconut Butter: Made from pressed and ground coconut pulp, including oil. This is a great additive to baked goods or a tasty alternative to sweets on the ketogenic diet.
• Extra virgin olive oil: Ideal for cooking over medium-low heat and for dressing salads.
• Omega-3 fish oil and flaxseed oil – both are useful as a supplement or to add to salad dressings or smoothies (you’ll probably stick with fish supplements unless you like fish smoothies). These oils are very volatile and should be stored in the refrigerator and protected from excessive light.
