A Low-carb and high-fat diet, also called Keto, is known for many benefits – weight loss, health improvement, and even can serve as a remedy against such diseases as cancer or diabetes.
The main idea is to maintain the diet and, as a result, to reach a metabolic state called ketosis, which makes your body burn fat for energy. It also reduces blood sugar and insulin in the body, which has a positive impact on health.
There are many ways to maintain the keto lifestyle by receiving the required nutrients from specific keto-friendly products and avoiding high sugar and carbs. One of the methods is through juicing.
1. 3 Rules of juicing on Keto
Juicing enthusiasts love squeezing various fruits to enrich their homemade juices with taste; however, it is not all about the taste anymore if you are on the Keto diet. You have to keep in mind several fundamental Keto rules to have your juice keto-approved. If the balance of healthy fats (70%), proteins(20%), low carbohydrate(10% together with sugar), and low sugar is maintained, then juicing can be a great way to get needed for Keto diet nutrients.
Rule 1: Avoid high in sugar fruits and vegetables
If you don’t want to exclude your favorite fruits from your daily ration, it is better to eat them instead of juicing. The reason is that the fiber found in whole fruits slows down the sugar absorption. However, when your juicer extracts the juice from the fruit leaving behind the fiber – all you get within your juice is sugar. It doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t consume sugar at all, but you have to make sure that the overall consumption of sugar together with other carbs is not higher than 50 grams daily.
Fruits are also known for high fructose levels, which can be heavy on the liver, so fruit juices’ abuse may lead to weight gain instead of a loss.
Below is the chart showing net grams of sugar per 100 grams of each fruit:
We recommed not to make juice from fruits as apples, citruses ( exept limes and lemons), pineapples, pears, grapes, mangos and peaches. Eating couple of apples per day will not send your body out of ketosis, but considering the fact that for one glass of a juice you most likely will need several fruits – the overal amount of sugar in your glass of juice can easily exeed 50 grams of daily limit.
Rule 2: Avoid high in carbs ingredients
Vegetables high in starch are the ones with the highest carbohydrates. As a rule, those grow under the ground – potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots. It is not recommended to consume more than 15g of carbs daily; for example, on average, a standard size beet contains 10-13g of carbs; hence, you can send your body out of ketosis with two of these.
Avoid:
- Carrots
- Beets ( one is fine; more than one is not recommended )
- Potatoes / sweet potatoes
Rule 3: Include healthy fats and proteins
Integrating a healthy amount of fat and proteins into your beverage is another crucial part of the Keto diet. Fat increases your physical and mental energy, while protein is critical for maintaining your muscle mass healthy. Coconut oil, olive oil, chia seeds are excellent sources of healthy fat. In ketosis, the liver will process these fats and burn off other fats stored in your body. These supplements will keep your diet balanced and nurture your brain with productivity. By healthy amounts of added fat, we consider no more than 4-5 teaspoons per day.
When it comes to proteins, the great plant-based sources of it are such products as spinach, bok choy (Chinese cabbage), asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, etc.
Include:
- Fats ( olive oil, coconut oil )
- Chia seeds
- Spinach
- Bok Choy
- Asparagus
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
2. What are the best ingredients for Keto juice?
Low in carbs vegetables should be the base of every Keto-friendly juice. Celery, leafy greens (spinach, kale ), cucumbers, bell peppers are great options for that.
Best Keto ingredients for juice:
Celery
Low carbs and high conent of water make celery one of the best ingredients for Keto juicing. One glass of celery juice (240ml/ 8 ounce ) contains slightly more than 3 net carbs, meaning that it is entirely safe for your Keto diet. Moreover, celery is rich in other nutrients such as calcium, vitamins A, K, and C.
Spinach
A glass of spinach has slightly less than 3 grams of carbs, which is also very low and perfect for Keto. It is rich in calcium, iron and packed with vitamins A and C. It is not that juicy as celery or cucumber, so out of one glass of spinach you will probably get just several drops of juice. While it is hardly possible to squeeze the full glass of spinach juice ( you will need tons of spinach), small amount of it can be a great addition to any other juice.
Kale
Another leafy green which has a low number of carbs ( 3.5 net gramm per glass ) and rich in vitamins A, C and K. What makes Kale unique is that it is also rich in protein – 3 net grams per glass. Same as spinach, it serves as a great addition to any juice.
Cucumber
Chopped into a glass cucumber contains about 4 grams of carbs. It doesn’t boast huge variety of vitamins, but with the advantage of high conent of water and its refreshing taste it can be a base of any Keto juice. It also has some anti-inflamatory benefits.
Bell pepper
One cup of chopped bell peppers contains 7-8 gramms of carbs. It is a bit more than previously mentioned vegetables, but considering other benefits this veggie has, we couldn’t exclude it from the list. One cup of it provides a daily norm of vitamins A and C. Also, it has anti-inflammatory and anti-canser properties. Adding it to the juice can add some sweet notes to your beverage.
3. Our favorite Keto juice recipe
This green juice is full of vitamins and nutrients which will clean your liver from toxins and improve digestion. All the ingredients mixed in this juice are not just Keto-approved but also boast dozens of other vitamins. Drinking this juice on a regular basis will result in higher energy and vibrant health. The overall preparation time takes no more than 5-10 minutes.
To prepare this juice, it is best to use a masticating juicer to make sure that it will squeeze all the nutrients from each leafy green till the last drop. If you don’t have one, we provide our insights on the best available masticating juicers on the market in these articles:
Ingredients:
- 2 celery stalks
- 1 medium-sized cucumber
- 1 cup of kale
- ½ lemon
- ½ cup of spinach
Instruction:
- Put all the ingredients into the masticating juicer. We recommend starting with leafy greens because if some leafy greens stay between the auger and the blade, further insertion of harder products (celery) will further push leafy greens.
- Once all the products are squeezed, pour them into the glass, and enjoy your drink.
Now, when you are equipped with the information on Keto juicing, you can continue your low-carb diet and enjoy healthy drinks. Correctly prepared juice can greatly supplement you with needed nutrients and make your diet more effective.
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