The Keto Diet Explained

I’m sure you’ve seen or heard the word “keto” popping up everywhere lately. Perhaps when scrolling through social media, or amid the chitter-chatter of your girlfriends. You’ve probably heard rumors that it’s unhealthy, a “fad” diet, unrealistic, or that it literally means eating only bacon and butter for every meal (gross). Fortunately, keto is none of those things. So, what IS keto exactly? 

The Keto Diet, short for the Ketogenic Diet, is a very low-carb and high fat way of eating, where the goal is to put your body into a state of ketosis. Ketosis is a completely natural state in which your body burns fat instead of glucose (from carbohydrate) as its primary source of fuel. It is a unique physiological state that our bodies have effectively and successfully utilized over the past hundreds of thousands of years as a means of survival. This ability to enter nutritional ketosis is literally built into our DNA.

Think of it this way: You are a hybrid car. You can either run on gasoline (carbohydrates) or on electricity (ketones) depending on whatever source is available. Cutting down carbs and sugar from your diet forces your body to use up its stores of glucose in the liver and muscles, and after a few days of low-carb eating, the liver starts breaking down the body’s fat-stores and making ketones for energy.

All I can say is that the body is super cool and intuitive. Though some people may claim keto is an impossible diet to maintain, others may beg to differ. Keto incorporates vegetables, meats, dairy, and healthy fats and oils for a way of eating that keeps you satisfied and energized throughout the day with the end goal of becoming “fat-adapted”, enabling your body to readily burn your own fat reserves for fuel. As someone who was once addicted to carbs and sugar, I can confidently say the lower-carb way of eating has my changed my life. 

I won’t go into too much detail, but I’ve struggled with my weight my entire life. My mother is a registered dietitian and always provided me with the means and knowledge to make healthy food choices, but I found myself wanting to eat like the other kids at school. I call it “The Forbidden Fruit” Syndrome. Their parents packed them lunches chock full of sugary treats, and I was so envious. My lunches were balanced and nutritious and to me, no fun at all. I’d go over to friends’ houses and completely pig out on all the junk food stocked in their pantries, knowing that I could get none of it at home. This was the start of my addiction to sugar, and it continued throughout my life. I loved healthy foods, but when given the option to eat poorly, I felt like I couldn’t control myself. My whole family saw the effects on me, and my mother couldn’t understand what she was doing wrong. Little did she know it wasn’t her doing at all. It wasn’t until the end of college that I realized I no longer felt like myself. I had been poisoning my body for so many years and I wasn’t living up to my full potential. I was beyond ready to love myself again, say goodbye to the insecurity and jealousy I possessed, and fearlessly make a change. 

That’s where Fearless Keto came to be. My mother and I joined forces this past summer to create a non-judgemental Keto Community dedicated to help support and guide women on their low-carb journies. Our website features scientific and lifestyle blogs written by my mother and I, keto recipes, and a detailed guide for beginners. We also released a Keto Collagen Supplement in December and have plans of launching some delicious “real food” products in the coming months.

Low-carb eating transformed me into the best version of myself, and gave me the confidence and motivation to pursue a career in not only modeling, but health and fitness. It has also allowed me to spend more time in the kitchen experimenting with recipes and tweaking them to make them healthier and keto-friendly. Don’t worry, there is always a way to make your favorite foods lower carb.

Since we’re in Nashville, land of the comfort foods, I figured I’d share one of my all-time favorite home-made #Fearless Keto Recipes, our Cheesy Cheddar Biscuits:

Cheesy Cheddar Biscuits

Yield: 24 biscuits – serving size 1 biscuit

Net Carbs: 1 gram, Fat: 9 grams, Protein: 3 grams

Ingredients:

• 3 cups almond flour
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp xanthan gum
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 4 large eggs
• ¾ cup sour cream
• 8 Tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup packed shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. In a large bowl: combine flour, baking powder, xanthan gum, onion powder, garlic powder and salt
3. In a separate small bowl: combine eggs, sour cream and butter until smooth
4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and blend well to form thick batter
5. Stir in the cheese blending it evenly into the batter
6. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper
7. Using a heaping tablespoon, shape as desired and place each portion on the baking sheet
8. Bake biscuits for 14 to 15 minutes until tops are golden brown

Follow along on Facebook and Instagram @fearlessketo for more!