Strategically Reintroducing Carbs: A Guide For Keto Dieters

The keto diet is a high-fat, low-carb diet that can be effective for weight loss and managing certain medical conditions. However, due to its restrictive nature, it is not recommended as a long-term diet. When transitioning off keto, it is important to do so slowly and gradually to avoid negative side effects and make a healthy switch. Here are some tips to safely add carbs back into your diet after keto:

1. Start with unprocessed carbs: Begin with whole grains, beans, legumes, fruits, and non-starchy vegetables instead of processed carbs like pasta, doughnuts, and cupcakes.

2. Take it slow: Introduce carbs slowly, adding them to one meal per day for a few weeks before gradually increasing. This will help your body adjust and avoid gastrointestinal issues.

3. Focus on complex carbs: Opt for carbs that are high in protein and fiber, such as beans, crackers with seeds, and sprouted breads. These take longer to digest and will keep you feeling full for longer.

4. Avoid simple carbs: Stay away from sugar, soda, candy, and other sweets, as well as highly processed foods. These can cause blood sugar spikes and leave you feeling hungry.

5. Increase lean proteins: Make lean proteins a staple in your diet to help you stay full and avoid weight gain. Salmon, turkey, chicken, Greek yogurt, nuts, and eggs are great choices.

6. Maintain healthy fats: Continue including healthy fats like olive oil, nuts, and avocados in your diet. They can help combat hunger and provide essential nutrients.

7. Listen to your body: Give your body time to adjust, as you may experience weight fluctuations, bloating, blood sugar spikes, and increased hunger during the transition.

8. Seek professional guidance: If you're unsure about how to transition off keto, consider consulting a dietitian to create a plan tailored to your needs.

Gradually increase your carb intake

Week 1-2

As a general rule of thumb, try to limit your intake of new carbs to 1 or 2 servings, or about 10 g of carbs per week for the first 2 weeks. This will give your body time to adjust and help you avoid gastrointestinal issues.

You can also try increasing your intake of carbs by 10% each day for the first 2 weeks.

Week 2 onwards

After the first two weeks, start eating the daily amount recommended by your doctor or generally recommended for your age, height, weight, and level of activity. It is recommended that carbs make up 45 to 65 percent of your total calories per day.

If you eat about 2,000 calories per day, for example, about 900 to 1,300 of those calories should come from carbs.

Tips

• Focus on carbs that are high in protein and fibre, such as bean-based pasta, crackers with seeds, or sprouted breads.
• Avoid carbs that are high in sugar, such as cookies and doughnuts, until your body has had at least 2 weeks to adjust.
• Add more carbs with probiotics, such as yogurt and fermented foods, to combat bloating.
• Give your body about 14 days to adjust to your dietary changes.
• Transition to a paleo or Mediterranean diet to help monitor your intake.
• Eat most of your carbs right before or after exercise.
• Get plenty of sleep to help your body process carbohydrates.

Focus on complex carbs

When reintroducing carbs to your diet after keto, it's important to focus on complex carbs. These are found in whole, unprocessed foods, such as vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, leafy greens, and fruits.

Complex carbohydrates have more nutrients and are higher in fibre than simple carbs, which means they take longer to digest. This can help you feel fuller for longer and avoid blood sugar spikes.

• Gradually increase your carb intake: Start by adding carbs to one meal per day and see how your body responds. Continue adding carbs to additional meals or snacks until you're comfortable eating them throughout the day.
• Choose complex carbs: Opt for whole grains, beans, legumes, fruits, and starchy vegetables. These foods provide essential nutrients and fibre, which can help improve digestion and overall health.
• Avoid simple carbs: Simple carbs, such as sugar, soda, candy, and other sweets, are short chains of sugar molecules that can cause a spike in blood sugar and leave you feeling hungry. Steer clear of these and choose complex carbs instead.
• Stick to unprocessed carbs: Instead of reaching for pasta, doughnuts, and cupcakes, go for plant-based, unprocessed carbs. This will help your body adjust to the new diet and avoid digestive issues.
• Get familiar with portion sizes: After restricting carbs on keto, it's easy to overdo it when reintroducing them. Check the serving size and stick to that amount to avoid overconsumption.
• Pair carbs with protein and fat: To slow down digestion, boost fullness, and limit blood sugar spikes, pair your carbs with protein and healthy fats. This can help smooth your transition and avoid weight gain.
• Choose high-quality carbs: Just because you're adding carbs back into your diet doesn't mean you should reach for refined grains and sugars. Choose complex carbs that are nutrient-dense and provide your body with the fuel it needs.

Avoid simple carbs

When reintroducing carbs to your diet after keto, it's important to be mindful of the two different categories of carbs: simple and complex. Complex carbohydrates, found in whole, unprocessed foods, are more nutritious and higher in fibre, which means they take longer to digest. On the other hand, simple carbs are short chains of sugar molecules that are quickly absorbed by the body. While fruits, vegetables and other whole foods do contain simple carbs, the fibre content in these foods mitigates the effects of sugar spikes.

• Steer clear of sugar, soda, candy and other sweets, as well as highly processed foods. These fall under the category of simple carbs and can cause a spike in blood sugar levels, leaving you feeling hungry.
• Focus on lean proteins, healthy fats and complex carbs. The Mediterranean diet is a good model to follow, as it emphasises the consumption of whole grains, beans, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds.
• Opt for unprocessed carbs when reintroducing carbs to your diet. Whole grains, beans, legumes, fruits and non-starchy vegetables are great choices.
• Be mindful of portion sizes, especially when it comes to carbs. After restricting carbs for a long period, you may be more likely to overindulge once you start allowing yourself to have them again.
• Gradually increase your carb intake. Start by adding carbs to one meal per day and see how your body responds. Continue adding carbs to your meals one by one until you're comfortable eating them throughout the day.

Eat more lean protein

Lean protein is an essential part of a healthy diet, and it becomes especially important when you're transitioning off the keto diet. Here are some reasons why you should focus on eating more lean protein:

Weight Loss and Muscle Maintenance

Lean protein is associated with weight loss and a leaner body composition. When you're coming off keto, increasing your intake of lean protein can help you maintain your weight loss results. This is because protein helps to keep you feeling fuller for longer, and it also burns more calories during digestion due to the thermic effect of food. Additionally, getting enough protein while losing weight can help prevent muscle loss, which keeps your metabolic rate up and makes it easier to continue losing weight.

Health Benefits

Protein is a vital macronutrient that plays a crucial role in various bodily processes. It is broken down into amino acids, which are used by the body to build new tissues, heal wounds, recover from injuries, and promote muscle growth. Adequate protein intake also supports healthy bones and joints, healthy skin, hair, and nails, and helps maintain stable blood pH levels. It is also important for immune function.

Preventing Blood Sugar Spikes

Consuming carbs with a source of lean protein can help minimize the blood sugar impact of those carbs. This is particularly important when transitioning off the keto diet, as your body is adjusting to a higher intake of carbohydrates. Lean protein can help prevent blood sugar spikes and crashes, which can lead to jitteriness, mood changes, hyperactivity, and fatigue.

Safe and Gradual Transition

When transitioning off the keto diet, it's important to make gradual changes to your diet. Lean proteins, such as beans, tofu, chicken, fish, and lean cuts of red meat, should be a key part of this transition. By focusing on lean proteins, you can ensure that you're getting the nutrients your body needs while also slowly increasing your carbohydrate intake. This gradual approach will help your body adjust and reduce the risk of gastrointestinal distress that can come with reintroducing carbs.

Continue eating healthy fats

While reintroducing carbs into your diet after keto, it is important to continue eating healthy fats. This is because the keto diet is a high-fat, low-carb diet, and fat remains an essential part of your diet even as you transition out of keto.

Healthy fats include unsaturated fats, such as:

• Avocados and avocado oil
• Nuts and nut butter
• Olive oil
• Chia seeds and flaxseed
• Oily fish, such as salmon, tuna, anchovies, and sardines
• Olives and cold-pressed olive oil
• Coconuts and unrefined coconut oil
• Full-fat Greek yoghurt
• Eggs

On the other hand, it is recommended to limit your intake of saturated fats, such as:

• Bacon and sausages
• Butter
• Cheese
• Heavy cream or half-and-half
• Whole milk
• Red meat, such as beef, lamb, and pork
• Processed meats, such as bacon, sausages, ham, deli meat, salami, and hot dogs

How to incorporate healthy fats into your diet

• Add fats to hot drinks, such as coffee, matcha, green tea, or hot chocolate
• Use vegetables as a vehicle for healthy fats, such as a high-fat dip for broccoli, zucchini, or celery
• Make fat bombs, which are ball-shaped snacks that are high in fat and low in carbohydrates
• Eat oily fish, such as salmon or tuna, which contain more healthy fats than white fish, such as cod or haddock
• Choose fatty cuts of meat, such as poultry with the skin left on
• Eat fatty snacks, such as olives, boiled eggs, nuts, and avocados

Frequently asked questions