Can You Eat Bacon Everyday on Keto?

Say yes to fat, but don’t binge on unhealthy sources like bacon and butter. Instead, opt for these nutritious choices when following keto.

The keto diet is all about fat. It is important to remember that this diet calls for up to 80% of daily calories to come from fat, so that is what you will focus on the most. But not all sources of fat are equally healthy.

“A lot of people think they only need to eat a lot of fat and stay away from carbs,” says Kendra Whitmire, a nutritionist and dietitian with Sunshine Nutrition and Wellness in Laguna Beach, California, who specializes in functional and therapeutic nutrition. “But you can quickly eat too much unhealthy fat on the keto diet.”

Keto’s leap onto the scene as a trendy diet is unique. “A high-fat diet has never been pushed before,” says Scott Keatley, RDN, of Keatley Medical Nutrition Therapy in New York City. As a result, research on choosing fats in the context of a high-fat diet is scarce.

Keatley makes it clear that sources of unsaturated fat are still better than sources of saturated fat, even though both are keto-friendly. The American Heart Association (AHA) says that saturated fats can make your LDL. or “bad” cholesterol, level go up, while unsaturated fats can help lower it.

These unsaturated fats have been shown to be anti-inflammatory and heart-healthy. One study, which came out in May 2020 in Cell, found that people who followed the ketogenic diet for eight weeks had a change in their gut microbiome that made inflammation go down. The gut microbiome is made up of bacteria, microbes, and other things that live in the gut. It may impact many body functions, including immunity, metabolism, and disease risk. Researchers said this is probably because of the ketone bodies that are made when your body is in ketosis, a state in which it burns fat for energy instead of carbs.

That said, some of the research on the keto diet is conflicting. A small study published in June 2019 in the journal Obesity found that going on a keto diet was linked to higher levels of inflammatory markers and cholesterol. Researchers need to gather more information to fully understand how a keto diet and the fats that are eaten affect health.

You can eat high-protein, high-fat foods like bacon and sausage, but Keatley says it’s easier to control how much fat you add to foods. And bacon and sausages have a lot of calories, protein, and saturated fat. It’s likely that you’ll gain back any weight you lost if you stop eating these foods and start eating carbs again. Also, eating a lot of saturated fat, which is easy to do when you eat these kinds of foods, raises your LDL (“bad”) cholesterol. LDL cholesterol boosts your risk of heart disease and stroke, according to the American Heart Association (AHA).

Also, keep in mind that pure fat sources, like olive oil or coconut oil, don’t have any carbs. But sources that are mostly fat, like nut butter or avocado, do have carbs that you need to add to your total. Still, studies like the one published in January 2020 in the journal Circulation show that eating coconut oil raises LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels, which raises your risk for heart disease and should be limited. This makes it even more important to choose the right kinds of fat, even if you’re on a diet that’s low in fat.

Last but not least, Jill Gullotta, RDN, founder of Jill Gullotta Nurition in White Plains, New York, says that fat portions still matter even if you are on keto. “Your calorie needs and goals will determine how much you eat,” she says. “But eating too much fat can make you gain weight.” After all, compared with protein and carbohydrates, fat is the more dense in calories. Also, since fat is the main fuel source for your body on a keto diet, she says to eat fats at different times of the day.

Net carbs are total carbs minus fiber and sugar alcohols (because fiber goes through your body without being digested). A lot of people on the keto diet count them. Both are taken into account here.

The 6 Best Fats to Eat on the Ketogenic Diet

Though technically a fruit, avocados offer a rich source of heart-healthy monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs). Theyre also packed with fiber, which bolsters digestive health, as Mayo Clinic points out. Half an avocado contains 114 calories, 1. 3 grams (g) of protein, 10. It has 5 grams of fat, 6 grams of total carbs, and 5 grams of fiber, which makes it 1 gram of net carbs. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Add avocados to a keto-friendly salad, smoothie, or breakfast plate to reap the benefits of this keto-friendly favorite.

“We know that when we have fats in our diet like MUFAs, they not only fill us up but keep cholesterol levels lower,” says Keatley. Olive oil is a staple of the heart-healthy Mediterranean diet and fits well into a keto diet, too; it’s great for light sautéing, using in dressings, or drizzling over cooked meats or vegetables as a finishing oil. One tablespoon (tbsp) offers 119 calories and 13.5 g of fat, only 2 g of which are saturated fat, per the USDA.

Like olive oil, avocado oil is rich in anti-inflammatory MUFAs, but one of the biggest benefits to using avocado oil is that it stands up to high-heat cooking. It has a smoke point of 520 degrees F, according to What’s Cooking America, meaning it’s ideal for stir frying and searing. Per the USDA, 1 tbsp of avocado oil has 124 calories, 14 g of fat (of which 1.6 g is saturated), and 0 g of carbohydrates.

Chia Seeds and Flaxseed

Whitmire recommends these seeds because they both offer omega-3 fatty acids. “Getting more of these fats will improve the ratio of omega-6s to omega-3s you consume, which some research suggests optimizes health,” she says. American diets tend to be higher in omega-6s than omega-3s, as Mount Sinai, points out, but it’s important to strike a balance. For example, a past article cited research that linked consuming more omega-3s and fewer omega-6s led to a lower risk of insulin resistance — the hallmark of type 2 diabetes — and obesity, among other protective health benefits. The USDA says 1 oz of chia seeds has 138 calories, 4.7 g of protein, 8.7 g of fat, 11.9 g of carbs, and a whopping 9.8 g of fiber (so only 2.1 net carbs). And 1 tbsp of ground flaxseed has 37 calories, 1.3 g of protein, 3 g of fat, 2 g of carbs, and 1.9 g of fiber (basically 0 net carbs), per the USDA. Just be sure to buy ground flaxseed so your body can absorb the omega-3s.

If you’re not fitting fish into your keto diet, now is the time to start. The AHA recommends consuming fish at least twice per week, emphasizing fatty fish, such as salmon, sardines, mackerel, and bluefin tuna, which are packed with heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Research shows that consuming 20 g of fish per day (just under 1 oz) is associated with a 4 percent lower risk of heart disease and heart disease-related mortality, per a meta-analysis published in Nutrients in August 2020. However, fewer than 1 in 5 people eat the recommended amount of fish per week, according to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. A 3-oz serving of salmon (about the size of a checkbook, per University of Rochester Medical Center [PDF]) offers 118 calories, 19.9 g protein, 3.7 g fat, and 0 g carbohydrates, according to the USDA.

Can You Eat Unlimited Steak & Bacon On The Ketogenic Diet?