Avoid These 5 Keto Katastrophies This Summer
Being keto is no excuse not to have fun! Having fun is no excuse to go off keto.
Let’s talk about situations that we “find ourselves in” during the summer months that derails us:
Picnics
Vacations
Graduation parties
Holidays (Memorial Day, 4th of July and Labor Day)
Drinking
Warning: the below advice requires some mental effort and personal commitment! Nothing that’s hard to do is easy to do, but we know you can do it (👋🏼 subliminal Jedi influencing).
PICNICS
The usual food: burgers, hotdogs, potato salad, chips, baked beans, corn, pasta salad, watermelon, brownies.
What you can eat instead:
Burgers or hotdogs with NO bun or using a keto bun. Of course, we love the buns we created, here
Try this keto faux-tatter salad recipe that we wrote, here. You can also watch us prepare it in our cooking demo on Instagram, here.
Our favorite potato chip replacement are Quest chips which you can find in most stores. I grab mine at Target, click here to see what the packaging looks like.
If you want fruit, stick with berries and be careful not to over indulge, they still have carbs! Make them your dessert with no-sugar added whipped cream or just pour some heavy cream on them…mmmm.
Of course all of your desserts can be made by yourself, or let the katz help you out by ordering online with us!
VACATIONS
The usual food: fast food, gas station food, restaurant food, over-eating in general.
What you can eat instead:
Choose fast food locations like Panera for salads or Qdoba that has a lettuce bowl you can top with fats and proteins. You can also go to fast food places that have burgers and just not eat the bun- not always as exciting but remember, you get the taste and you get full without the carbs!
Gas stations- I have totally been starving at a gas station and made a meal out of nuts, beef sticks and cheese! 🤣 Most gas stations are improving their keto inventory so I’ve seen quest chips, EPIC meat bars, boiled eggs and so much more! Don’t give in to Zingers and slushies!
Overeating…this is a hard one. When you’re having fun it’s easy to not care about your diet. If you do still care but want to have fun, just overeat low carb/sugar-free foods to avoid feeling crappy the next day. It’s SO much better to overeat deviled eggs and keto cookies than it is to over eat deep fried appetizers!
GRADUATION PARTIES
The usual food: pasta, green beans, salad, roasted potatoes, meats, pasta salads, desserts, veggie tray, burgers
What you can eat instead: if you’re not sure what they’re serving, eat before you go! Don’t worry about offending the host, just tell them things like “I’ll get food in a minute” and they’ll stop badgering you 😉. Then if you find something like nuts, veggies and dip, salad, meats without breadings or sauces….have at it!
HOLIDAYS
The usual food: OMG it could be anything, totally depends on your culture or traditions. Obviously, avoid non-keto foods.
What you can do instead:
Find out what’s going to be served. See if you need to bring your own burger or hot dog buns. Maybe you just need to straight up pack yourself a meal and tell everyone to deal with it (if your family is like mine, they’ll notice this and give you shit about it).
Offer to bring a dish to pass. That way you can be sure it’s keto so that you and everyone else can enjoy it! It doesn’t have to be obviously keto, check out this blog with 21 keto apps you can choose from and don’t be suspicious, don’t be suspicious 🎶.
DRINKING
The usual drinks: beer, wine, champagne, sugary girly drinks.
What you can drink instead: low carb and sugar free options.
You’re always safe with liquor + soda or liquor + diet soda. Examples: vodka soda with lime, rum and diet coke (lots of issues with artificial sweeteners, but that’s up to you), or gin and diet tonic.
Low carb beers are available, read this blog for brand ideas.
Low carb wines like the ones listed in this blog are good options too.
And that’s it! The whole concept is to think ahead and plan for your success. It’s really not terribly difficult, but you do have to make it a priority. We know you can do it! Remember, if you need motivation we have our selection of “Italian Discipline Tools” in the bakery we are happy to apply….lmao.
All the love,
Lisa, your keto dietitian 💋