Frequently Asked Questions
Clean Keto -Is focused on eating whole, nutrient dense foods but staying within the macros discussed above. People who follow this food plan reduce their carb intake to 20% of their overall foods or less, generally have a moderate level of protein of 15-20% of their daily calories and a high fat intake depending could be 70% or more. It consists of whole fresh foods from quality sources, for example, free range eggs, wild caught seafood, non starchy vegetables and low carb fruit. In this lifestyle, Clean Keto does not include traditional grains, rice, potatoes, or typical wheat flour based pastries, bread, or pasta. However, anything one used to eat before can be made Keto style - we have proven that here at Keto SuperHeroes, so no one really has to give up their favorites. The Keto foodies of the world and many people who have successfully lost weight on Keto have created literally thousands of recipes (Please see 60 days KetoSuperheroes NO NONSENSE NO BOREDOM FUN food plan and top pix recipes for inspiration). The internet and cookbooks are teeming with amazing delicious foods that incorporate every nutrient needed for health and abide by the MACRO guidelines for Clean Keto. BUT without self love and self care a willingness to invest a few minutes (we mean like 15) to prepare food for oneself, with no interest in planning and the like, Clean Keto will not work. Of them all, this type of Keto forces us to focus on ourselves at least a little, A person on clean Keto especially when varying his or her foods, and trying new things, getting enough green leafy vegetables and some fruit will need to track his or her macros every day (this which includes their daily carbs, protein and fat). Again some on the journey do not want to take the moment everyday to do this, even with the help of a handy app like MyFitnessPal.com or CarbManager.com which would risk failure. Based on our experience and stats so far, Clean Keto has two additional clear advantages over the others. First, in a mixed household with children and others on Keto and not, Clean Keto is the most flexible and desirable because it easily can feed a mixed crowd. The Keto sweets, snacks and desserts are highly popular with most humans regardless of if they have adopted Keto or not. Second, Clean Keto is sustainable - there is an army of people out there that have lost weight on Clean Keto and adopted it as a forever lifestyle because at home, at work, at play, on vacation, business trips and in any other situation they can continue to do what's right for themselves without falling back into old habits.
Dirty Keto - This is designed for those who want to achieve Ketosis without having to spend lots of time cooking, yet still adhering to the macros of Keto and losing weight super fast. For example, someone who is following Dirty Keto might have a grilled double beef bacon burger with cheese or butter without a bun for dinner instead of a grilled chicken and may even opt to eat a small wedge of lettuce with high fat dressing or just olives. The nutritional value of foods like this is not optimal based on what healthy bodies need. Many Dirty Keto meals are very high in sodium based on options within the range of ready to eat, frozen, or store bought foods. High sodium foods have been found to be linked with high blood pressure and potential heart disease so reliance on them is a risk factor to be considered (especially as one gets older). Also the nutritional value, the minerals, vitamins and such that come from more balanced diets based on fresh foods are often missing in the diet of those on Dirty Keto. To find out more, see this link: Dirty vs. Clean KETO: All You Need to Know (healthline.com). Some foods are often a part of Dirty Keto because they are convenient and require no prep, also contain more or hidden carbs. But perhaps the great irony of it all, is the sugars and carbohydrates found in some processed foods utilized by people on Dirty Keto. actually get in the way of reaching and maintaining Ketosis.Based on this evidence, it is no surprise that people who follow “Dirty Keto” often go on and off of it - it can be boring and some suffer digestion issues because the combo of hidden or known carbs and high fat is challenging sometimes. People who adhere to Dirty Keto still would need to check their carbohydrate, fat and protein intake every day, and would need to track their macros, but it is not as great a focus as on Clean Keto. Without planning and monitoring your intake of food, it's hard to stay on course on any Keto. Again, taking a moment for yourself every day is essential no matter what to lose weight and keep it off, and the truth is, you are worth it.
Lazy Keto - This methodology is considered the least restrictive version of all the Keto food meal plans. Lazy Keto, like Clean Keto, encourages one to restrict one’s carb intake to 5-10% of daily calories around 20-50 grams per day. Unlike the other two Keto types, though there are no guidelines regarding the tracking of one’s fat or protein. So while this may sound great (for those who want to continue to eat large portions of protein) and may work for some individuals, the reality is that Lazy Keto can be quite dangerous to a person’s overall health and sadly also ineffective in one’s hope of weight loss: The first problem is that Lazy Keto makes it very hard to enter and stay in Ketosis (the process whereby you become a fat burner rather than a carb burner). The reason why is that it’s simply not enough to reduce your carbs. You need to limit the amount of your protein intake and increase your fats to become an efficient fat burner over the long term. This involves tracking all of your macros, not just carbs- it is way too easy to overdo protein!. Your body, if offered too much protein will be happy to convert protein into glucose through gluconeogenesis, thus converting it into more carbs - not the goal here! The second is that calories although not the focus of Keto like carbs DO matter. ! Lazy Keto, actually poses a significant risk for one to have nutrient rich foods found in fresh fruits, veggies, and can deprive one of needed vitamins, minerals and fiber...all needed for healthy bodies.
IF or Intermittent Fasting is the plan for timeboxing eating specifically and allowing your body to enjoy a period when it has no or little work to do to support digestion. Why? First, it often gets your body out of a slump or plateau if you are experiencing one, Secondly because it triggers autophagy (when your body conducts a kind of internal housekeeping that reduces the number of unneeded, old, corrupted and unnecessary cells by digesting and absorbing them). Old fat cells, for example, that have been emptied of their contents and no longer needed because you have not refilled them by overeating are absorbed in this way, which is great on multiple counts. Since cancers are simply overproduction of unneeded cells, there are theories that regular autophagy can be a hedge against unwanted cells that can contribute to cancerous growths as well. If there is even a chance that this is true - I am in! Also IF, to many, just feels great - for many it is a cleansing and energizing experience they enjoy,as a new facet of a new healthy life. There are several ways to do it: Some follow the 5:2 rule, wherein five days of the week, a person will eat “normal” meals and the other two will eat extremely small ones of around 500 calories. Others may choose not to eat for twenty four hours. We do not under any circumstances recommend this unless ordered by a physician for some reason. Remember Keto = Self Love, not self harm! Others may practice time-restrictive eating such as eating for eight hours and fasting for six. Others do “switch off”days”, where they fast in the morning (drinking bullet coffee for breakfast) and then start eating at lunch or snack after they finish exercising for four days a week...three days a week, where they eat “normal” meals. Intermittent fasting choices should depend on a person’s health, level of activity and his or her comfort level. Some simply fast for 16 hours daily and eat only during an 8 hour window. FYI, there are some individuals who should not do intermittent fasting without consulting a doctor, people who are diabetic, hyperglycemic, etc. So if you feel this is something you want to try, please have a conversation with your doctor before attempting to do any version of intermittent fasting. If you can do it and want to, it could be something to incorporate into your life that will support your weight loss and your sustainment of that ideal weight and level of fitness, that makes you happy and healthy forever. Your Keto Superheroes Coach can discuss options with you in more detail and get you started.
OMAD- One Meal A Day is a different type of intermittent, but more restrictive fasting. An OMAD individual might fast for twenty three hours a day, and then for one hour eat all necessary daily calories for the day. Now before you say, “That is crazy!” Please remember that people who follow this methodology would still need to consume their daily required amount of water or other liquids to be fully hydrated, and could enjoy Keto coffee (some do Bullet Coffee every morning fasting or not). They would just consume their daily calories at one meal. Depending on the person’s health, level of activity, preferences, work schedule and comfort levels some can and some should not attempt this fasting methodology. Examples of this would be the elderly with certain conditions, children, and others with certain health challenges who should probably consider another Keto type. To understand more about OMAD, the positive and negative aspects of it from a research basis, and general rules about OMAD, please click on this link: What You Need to Know About OMAD — Diet Doctor. All the Keto SuperHero Coaches here are intermittent fasters and can share their experience with you and help you make your choice if you like.
While many food delivery services have Keto food-friendly options on their menus, we at Keto Superheroes do not actively support or recommend any of them. You may ask, “Why can’t I use a meal delivery service, as long as I adhere to the Keto ‘rules’?” Well, the answer is very simple, all of the Keto meal delivery services are just too expensive. Most families following a Keto lifestyle will spend on average $400-500 per week for food, and eat like royalty, including decadent snacks, meals and desserts. The cost when ordering from a food delivery service can range from $7.14 to $19.00 per serving. This price range does not consider ordering more than one serving per meal or whether the service will even deliver to your local area. While some might say, “Yeah, but isn’t this price of inconvenience worth it especially if I can adhere to the requirements of Keto?” It should be pointed out that because of the rules surrounding COVID and food delivery services, There is no assurance that the order will arrive as scheduled or be correct. If delayed it could no longer be fresh. Do you want to take the chance that it doesn’t arrive on time? There is also no assurance that the food being ordered is as advertised. Do you really know if the food is actually Keto? We at Keto superheroes have discovered hidden carbohydrates in many items marketed as being Keto. Unless nutritional facts including a full list of ingredients are provided for each dish, the likelihood is that the products you buy could unintentionally knock you out of Ketosis. In other words, what is called Keto on the menu may not be accurate based on the ingredients used.
Another important point is that many food delivery services require someone to sign for it, meaning someone has to be home. The service could lose money if delivery is delayed for some unspecified time period and no one is home to receive it. Therefore, the cost of a food delivery service advertised as Keto-friendly may be worth the investment of time and money. We want consumers to have the best experience possible. One which meets or exceeds our high standards for customer service. For us, there is no delivered meal that is as beautiful or pleasurable as the ones made at home for ourselves. For us, Keto is self love. We believe that everyone from young to old deserves better. If it is a matter of planning ahead, we have coaches that would love to help you, just reserve a coaching session today!
Keto baking is the creation of bread, rolls, pies, cookies and other amazing baked goods with low carb ingredients such as the following:
- dried fruit (like cranberries)
- fresh fruit (strawberries, lemons, raspberries, etc)
- nuts (almonds, pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, cashews, macadamia nuts or pistachios)
- wheat gluten
- coconut flakes
- coconut flour
- Lily's unsweetened chocolate chips
- Baker’s unsweetened chocolate
- flax meal
- sunflower/pumpkin and sesame seeds
- fresh garlic
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- cumin
- almond flour
- low carb protein powder
- Xanthum gum
- collagen
- eggs
- soft cheeses (mozzarella, cheddar, cream cheese)
- whey powder
- Half and Half
- Whipping Cream
- Butter
- Cream of Tartar
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Swerve or Monk Fruit sugar substitute
And these are just the ones we can remember or found on this website: Keto Baking | Baking Processes | BAKERpedia! Can you imagine all of the delicious, decadent dishes that you can make with these ingredients, and all of them are completely healthy for you? Kind of makes you want to get started baking, don’t you think?
There are many drinks you can have everyday which are completely Keto and very healthy. By the way, Keto Superheroes will not be endorsing carbonated soda, juice alternatives or energy drinks (why would you need an unnatural energizer when you are on Keto?) These can be classified as Keto, but are extremely unhealthy and can cause some dangerous health effects later in life. This is not what Keto Superheroes is about! Anyway, here are some cool Keto drinks that one can have:
Water is essential to the Keto lifestyle, where you have to drink at least half of your body weight in ounces anyway. The way to calculate it is to divide your body weight in half and drink the water weight equivalent of that amount. So why not make it fun? You can add lemons, limes, basil, strawberries, mint, rosemary, and blueberries, the list goes on and on….As you can see the possibilities of adding fruit or herbs to water are as endless as one’s imagination….Before you know it, you will have finished your daily quota of water.
Sparkling water-For those that are craving something different, you cannot choose a better drink than sparkling water. They come in all different flavors like black cherry vanilla (for those craving cherry coke), lemon/lime (for those craving sprite), blackberry, raspberry, coconut, grapefruit. They are sugar, calorie and sodium free (This means zero carbs). They can also use them to make Keto alcoholic drinks. One of our favorites is diet tonic water (no sugar). Sparkling water is refreshing and since most seltzers and tonics come in cans, you can have the experience of drinking a soda. There are many brands to choose from and are readily available at your local grocery store, so go try a refreshing sparkling water on us today!
Coffee and Tea are both excellent Keto drinks. They contain no sugar and give you a boost of energy that is all natural! To make it really Keto, no real sugar is added (instead use swerve or monk fruit sugar substitute) and also use either coconut milk, almond milk, half and half, heavy cream or whipping cream. Try any of these and it makes a standard cup of coffee or tea taste like a luxurious, decadent drink.
You will never go back to regular coffee with sugar and milk again.
Keto Smoothies are a wonderful drink alternative to have with or between meals. They almost look like a 1950’s diner milkshake. They are absolutely delicious and most are under five or six net carbs. Keto Superheroes have many different smoothies on our fun recipe list for you to try. Try any and all from the list and your taste buds will thank you! Go take a look!
Yes, both drinks are technically Keto-friendly….Coke Zero does not have any carbs or calories and uses artificial sweeteners instead of sugar. However, the artificial sweeteners and other artificial ingredients used are extremely unhealthy and are known to have negative health effects. For this reason, Keto Superheroes would never endorse any of these products to our friends, family members, teachers, post office workers, accountants (you get it right). To understand why Coke Zero is so unhealthy, see this link: Is Coke Zero Keto-Friendly? (healthline.com)
As for Sprite Zero….Like its darker counterpart, Coke Zero, it is technically Keto, but would fall into the category of “dirty Keto.” Although it falls within the Keto guidelines, it contains unhealthy ingredients such as aspartame, potassium benzoate and acesulfame potassium. So like Coke Zero, this is not a drink we would recommend. Please see above for more Keto-friendly drinks. As you can probably guess, Sprite Zero is also something that we would not suggest to friends, family members, employees, book store owners, teachers (you get the idea). As to why you should say “NO!” to Sprite Zero, see this link: Is Sprite Zero Keto? | Sure Keto - The Food Database For Keto
It depends on where you are having cocktails, whether at home or at a restaurant/bar. So if you’re having an alcoholic drink at home to celebrate the end of a work or school week or some other celebration (girls night in, losing ten pounds, etc), then there are Keto versions of some very popular drinks. These recipes can be found in the following delish.com article, “To maintain Ketosis while on the Keto diet”-see link here: 10+ Best Low Carb And Keto Alcoholic Drinks - Easy Low Carb Cocktails (delish.com). For example, we have listed five delicious, decadent and fun alcoholic drinks that are under five net carbs:
Easy Keto Vodka Mojito: This minty, delicious, refreshing, classic drink has only five net carbs! Have a drink to celebrate your big and small victories or that it is Friday (even if it isn’t)! Click here for the recipe: Vodka Mojito: Low Carb & Sugar Free [Recipe] | KETOGASM
Keto Tequila Sunrise-This very fun, classic drink has only one net carb! (Although I would recommend the use of sparking orange infused water as an alternative to orange juice which will taste the same and not knock you out of ketosis). Give it a try and see if it tastes as good as it looks, click this link: Keto Tequila Sunrise - Step Away From The Carbs
Strawberry Daiquiri-This creamy, alcoholic drink made of rum, ice, lime juice, three strawberries, five drops of liquid stevia and erythritol has only five net carbs! Don’t let this amazing drink pass you by and click here to try it yourself- Strawberry Daiquiri - Low Carb and Keto Alcoholic Beverage (lowcarbcupboard.com)
Keto Margarita: This delightful, celebratory drink will refresh you after a long day and has only 3.9 net carbs! Click here to make a drink that will help you “detox” after a long day” : Keto Margarita Recipe | Allrecipes
Vodka Mojito: Having a girls or guys night at home with your friends and want to have a mojito? Well, with this delicious recipe you absolutely can...and it is only two net carbs! Click here to enjoy: Easy Keto Vodka Mojito | Dr. Davinah's Eats (drdavinahseats.com)
As you can see from the above, there are many recipes that were once considered “no-no” , but now have been converted into ones more congruent with the keto lifestyle. As keto becomes more and more popular, this will become the norm. If you are going to a restaurant or a bar, you should avoid cocktails and mixed drinks like margaritas, bloody mary’s, whiskey sours, Pina Colada, Sangrias and Cosmopolitan’s. According to one Healthline article, “Keto Diet and Alcohol: The best and worst to choose” (see link: Keto Diet and Alcohol: The Best and Worst Drinks to Choose (healthline.com), these drinks are often filled with fruit juice, soda, sweeteners (natural) and energy drinks. Want some examples? One margarita contains thirteen and a bloody mary has ten net carbs. A small (3.4 ounce) whiskey sour contains fourteen grams of carbs! Popular alcoholic drinks like Sangria and Cosmopolitan contain 49 carbs between the two! Finally a pina colada served at a bar or restaurant contains thirty two carbs! So, if you feel like having an alcoholic cocktail and still adhere to the keto lifestyle, it might be best to have a coffee at a bar and restaurant, go home and have one of the fun, keto friendly ones mentioned above.