30 Ketogenic Thanksgiving Dinner Recipes (2024)

FAQs

How do you survive Thanksgiving on keto? ›

"With a keto diet, the breakdown is approximately 75 percent fat, 20 percent protein and 5 percent carbohydrates." For example, a woman who weighs 150 pounds and is moderately active is recommended to eat 25 grams of carbs (think one medium sized apple!), 86 grams of protein (a little over three 3 oz chicken breasts) ...

If you're unfamiliar with a keto diet, here's the quick explanation: It's extremely low in carbohydrates and high in fat. Meat, including turkey with skin, is fine to consume, but other Thanksgiving staples aren't. Mashed potatoes are off limits, along with bread stuffing, rolls, sugary cranberry sauce and desserts.

Here are the main foods that are high-in-fat, low-in-carbs and are great starting place for anyone wanting to dip their feet into keto diet: Meat: Steak, ham, sausage, bacon, turkey, and chicken. Cheese: Cheddar, cream cheese, goat cheese, mozzarella, or blue cheese (always unprocessed).

Cutting carbs cold turkey means there's suddenly an overload of insulin in the blood. This can lead to physical changes, such as headaches and shakiness, and emotional changes, such as irritability and depression.

Without carbohydrates to build up glycogen stores, or muscle fuel, muscles will run out of gas. And when you don't have the energy to work out, muscle loss can occur. This is especially true since carbs are necessary to renew and repair muscles.

“If the patient can maintain a steady calorie deficit, I expect them to lose one to two pounds per week,” says Dr. Seeman. So after 12 weeks, her clients are usually down around 20-25 pounds.

Following a low carbohydrate diet that involves consuming roughly 50 g of carbs a day, such as the keto diet, may help with weight loss. Before changing the diet to help with weight loss, a person may wish to consult a dietitian.

Ketosis is a popular method for fat and weight loss which is partly due to the appetite-suppressing effects associated with it. Consuming 800 calories a day or less on a very low-calorie diet (VLCD) such as our Exante 800 plan will help you enter ketosis as well as lose weight through being in a calorie deficit.

If potato chips are one of your favorite foods, here's a bit of unfortunate news: All forms of potatoes, including chips, are off-limits on keto.

What happens if you eat too many carbs on keto? ›

The bottom line. You should avoid cheat meals and days on the keto diet. Consuming too many carbs can kick your body out of ketosis — and it takes several days to 1 week to get back into it. In the meantime, your weight loss may be disrupted.

Yes, even just one carb-rich meal can quickly get you out of ketosis. The carbs eaten on a cheat day will halt the production of ketones immediately until they are all metabolized by the body. It's not that complicated to achieve ketosis, but it does take time and effort.

Short answer: Turkey. Fat content in turkey is much less than that in chicken, pork, and beef. Plus, it's typically made with less salt because it's already #blessed in the flavor department.

Some of the best meats for keto include beef, pork, chicken, salmon, and bison. Still, all plain, unprocessed meats are keto-friendly and low in carbs — so there are plenty of options to choose from. However, you may want to choose your meats based on other factors in addition to carb count.

Ground chuck is often the most popular as it's tender and juicy, and has 80% protein and 20% fat. It's an excellent choice for those who want more fat in their keto diet. If you prefer less, choose 85/15 ground beef.

The reality is, you're probably not consuming that many calories—and even if you did, “consuming more than the needed amount of calories in one day due to a holiday meal will not negatively impact your health in any way,” says Kage.

People following the keto diet should be eating foods like fatty fish, eggs, dairy, meat, butter, oils, nuts, seeds and low-carb vegetables. “Fat bombs” like unsweetened chocolate or coconut oil can help people reach their daily goals for fat intake. Keto-compliant foods like red meats and nuts can be costly.