11 Things I Wish I’d Known Before Going Keto

2. If not carbs, then what can I eat?
When first contemplating changing from a standard western diet (in my case one guided by the Australian “healthy” food pyramid) I was horrified. My favourite foods, hands down, were potatoes (in any form – chips, fries, mashed, baked, scalloped…I could go on), white bread and pasta. And I had to give these up. For reals?! #waytoputmeoffadietdude.

The concern of course is that if you give up carbohydrates as your primary food source then there’s basically nothing else tasty to eat, right? After all, for the past 40 years dietary advice has been founded on eating 6 serves of grains, 5 serves of vegetables, 2 serves of fruit and 2.5 serves each of protein and dairy each day. So if you significantly reduce your carbs by cutting out grains, many vegetables, most fruits and some dairy then the cupboard is bare, Mother Hubbard! Actually, it’s really not.

A keto kitchen is full of foods such as almonds, asparagus, avocado, bacon, beef, beef tallow, broccoli, butter, capsicum, cauliflower, cheese, chicken fat, coconut butter, coconut oil, cream, eggs, fish, ghee, herbs, lard (non-hydrogenated), macadamia nuts, mayonnaise, mushrooms, olive oil, peanut butter, pork, poultry, sausage, shellfish, sour cream, spices, spinach, squash, sweeteners (stevia, sucralose, erythritol, xylitol) and walnuts. Phew – bet you couldn’t say all that in one breath!