What is it about French fries that have us hooked? Without a doubt, French fries are delicious. However, that magical deliciousness comes at a steep cost- pound for pound (or serving) French fries are taking a chunk out of our health unmatched by other foods. 

But Why? Here’s a quick overview:

• French Fries Are Made Of White Potatoes – Well, the thing is white potatoes are notorious anti-nutrients. What that means, in a nutshell, is that they prevent absorption of nutrients from beneficial foods into your blood, thus reducing the nourishment you get from a meal

• They Are Carbs And Fat- fat has been cast into an unfairly negative spotlight over the years, but it is largely due to the taint campaign undertaken by carbohydrates, especially simple carbs. In the human body, fats are not “easily” stored, except when there is an abundance of carbs in the blood at the same time, resulting in an insulin spike. Insulin, doing his job, shuttles as much nutrients as it can into cells, either fat, liver or muscle cells. The result? Enhanced storage of fat, much more than would occur in the absence of insulin.
• They Are Loaded With Preservatives- nothing lasts that long (in a freezer or otherwise) without the use of preservatives. Preservatives do play a role in our agricultural system, but the kind of French fries we typically consume are bulk variety- fast food chain kind. Those made from fresh potatoes are a little better, though still not acceptable enough for justification.

There are literally tons more reasons why French fries should not be consumed by people with an interest in their health. However, part of changing includes finding alternatives to take its place. 

Consider these healthy alternatives and be hooked!

Very Low Carb Options:

Parmesan Coated Zucchini Fries

If you’ve ever had Poutine, then you’ll love these! These are prepared in a much healthier fashion than French fries, as opposed to deep frying you coat in a layer of egg batter and parmesan, pop in the oven for about 20 minutes, the n sprinkle with a little salt and black pepper upon coming out. The taste of these will blow your mind unlike any other, and can quickly end your withdrawal from French fries

Kale Chips

While not exactly French Fry-esque, they do fit the bill for an excellent alternative to the unhealthy morsel, which acts as a sort of side dish or appetizer to your main meal and also makes a great snack and potato chips alternative.

Crispy Green Beans

These are prepared the same as the Kale chips, but using green beans instead. Bake until crispy and you have a very low carb French fry alternative. 

Cut kale leaves in small “chip” size pieces, toss in a bowl with a little bit of olive oil, add spices, salt and pepper, then bake for a few minutes until crispy. Indulge, and enjoy without the guilt!

Carrot Fries

Loaded with anti-oxidants and vitamins, carrot fries make perfect snacks for movie night. To prepare, slice carrot into thin strips, sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper, then bake for about 25 minutes. 

Not So Low Carb Options

Avocado Fries

The first time I had these it blew my mind. Different from the traditional “hard” crunchy nature of fries, these are made by compacting avocado meat into coated (with panko breadcrumbs and eggs) batters, then frying in oil until crispy. 

The result? 

A taste bud teasing combo that is crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside. Not to mention that it is loaded with healthy fat!

These alternatives are enough to keep you satisfied for months (hopefully longer) and finally break your addiction to the sinful French fry. 

Most of the options are also low-carb, perfect for when trying to lose weight. They are virtually preservative free, as you will buy the raw foods and make them yourself, opposed to buying mass-produced bulk fries in a bag. 

Your health will thank you for it, with many years added to your life

Sometimes people are concerned about what they can no longer eat when they start eating a Keto diet. And there are certainly some foods that will no longer be good choices for your long term success. But it’s also important to understand all the good foods you CAN eat. So we’re going to give an overview of good choices when eating Keto.

Seafood

Fish is an extremely keto-friendly food and protein source. Salmon and other fish like it are rich in potassium, selenium, and B vitamins, but are still virtually carb-free. Some fish contain a lot of carbs, like several types of shellfish, but some contain no carbs at all like shrimp and crabs. What’s important when determining what to eat is keeping track of your carb count with these items to ensure that you don’t go over your allotment. 

Vegetables

Low-carb vegetables are a crucial part of any healthy keto diet. Vegetables that aren’t starchy are low in carbs and calories, but high in nutrients including lots of minerals and vitamin C. When choosing your vegetables, you want to look at their net (or digestible) carb counts, which is the total amount of carbs minus the fiber present. Not only can you consume these veggies cooked or raw, but you can also use them to replace some of your favorite higher-carb foods like pastas. 

Cheese

Cheese is nutritious and delicious; there are hundreds upon hundreds of different types of cheeses available on the market and all of them are high in fat and very low in carbs, making them perfect for the keto diet. Cheese also has a decent protein source and conjugated linoleic acid which is a fat linked to improve body composition and increase fat loss, making it further perfect for the keto diet. 

Avocados

Avocados are a keto dieter’s best friend. There are only two grams of net carbs present in avocados. They’re also extremely high in several great vitamins and minerals, including potassium, which could help make your keto transition easier.

Meat

A variety of fresh meat and poultry is essential to a healthy keto diet. They contain no carbs and are rich in several minerals, including potassium, selenium, and zinc, and are rich in B vitamins. They’re a great source of high-quality protein, which is important to preserve your muscle mass while on a very low-carb diet. 

Eggs

In addition to being one of the healthiest and most versatile of foods on the planet, eggs also contain less than one gram of carbs and fewer than six grams of protein. This makes them ideal for those on the keto diet. As an added bonus, eggs have been known to trigger hormones that are responsible for increasing the feeling of fullness and help to keep your blood sugar levels stable, reducing your calorie intake for up to 24 hours.

Nuts and Seeds

Nuts and seeds are a great healthy, high-fat, low-carb snack. They’re also high in fiber which helps you to feel fuller while absorbing fewer calories overall. While all nuts enjoy low carb counts, they all differ and the range can actually be quite substantial. Do your research and take note of how many you’re eating; it’s way too easy to go overboard with these things.

Butter and Cream

Cream and butter are both excellent fats to include in your ketogenic diet. These products are high in fat and low in carbs, making them perfect for keto. They are also rich in conjugated linoleic acid which is a fatty acid we mentioned earlier that has the power to promote and encourage weight loss.

If you’ve been thinking about starting the keto diet, you’ve picked the right time. Thanks to the increased popularity in this diet, you can find more recipes for keto-friendly food than you could shake a stick at. We hope these suggestions have helped to guide your journey.

There are a lot of reasons for the increased popularity of the keto diet. It’s been known to help improve various functions of the body, quality of life, and cause rapid, mostly healthy weight loss. While most of us see those results as a no-brainer reason to jump on this new diet craze, others need a little more convincing. In this article, we’ll walk you through a few of the many reasons people are loving the keto diet.

You lose weight quickly

No one likes how long diets take to work, no one. In this day and age, we’re all far too accustomed to instant gratification and we just don’t want to work at something for a long time without the promise of guaranteed results. With keto, you don’t have that to worry about.

Once your body is in ketosis and stays there, the pounds just start to melt away. This means that it’s a shorter timeframe before you start noticing the results you desire. Achieving a more instant type of gratification with this diet also works to motivate you more and help you stick to it. 

Better cognitive health

The process of ketosis (which your body enters into during the keto diet – hence the name) helps to improve cognitive health by replacing the predominant fuel for brain metabolism with ketone bodies rather than glucose, which can result in some anti-inflammatory effects. 

Some have even seen success using the keto diet to help manage multiple neurological disorders, like epilepsy. They’ve found that it can even be useful in preventing the progression of alzheimer’s, reoccurring headaches, autism, multiple sclerosis, basically anything that involves brain inflammation. This is because of the anti-inflammatory effects of the keto diet.

Reduced appetite and cravings

Ketones, consumed for energy during ketosis rather than glucose, can also help to suppress your appetite. This makes it easier for you to stick to the designated limited number of calories you’re allowed during this diet. Many standard diets around today involve eating a considerable amount of carbohydrates which can increase your hunger and cravings.

Doing a low-carb, high-fat/protein diet can help to increase fullness and satiety more so than refined grains and sugary foods. This is because of the effect that proteins and fats have on our hormones that control our appetite, like ghrelin.

Reduced risk of developing diseases

Studies have shown that diets like keto that involve eating a very limited number of carbs, can actually help to improve some of your metabolic pathways, which then triggers protection against common chronic health issues 

Improved functioning of the metabolism

The keto diet can help to improve fat burning without reducing the resting rate of your metabolism. When you reduce your calories drastically, your resting metabolic rate slows down in an effort to conserve energy. However, when you reduce your carbs instead, you find the metabolism continues to work as it should, effectively initiating weight loss.

Improved and regulated hormonal health

The keto diet works to treat prevalent hormonal conditions by limiting both the proteins and the carbohydrates that you’re consuming while placing an emphasis on consuming healthy fats, making it even more effective at regulating glucose metabolism, insulin sensitivity, and improving hormonal imbalances than higher protein diets.

It’s relatively easy

The keto diet is actually a lot easier to stick to than other crazy diet fads out there currently. While you still have to watch what you eat and limit yourself, you can still have access to all your favorite foods. That’s right; thanks to the popularity of the keto diet, there are thousands upon thousands of delicious low- or no-carb keto recipes readily available all over the internet. Many of these recipes are healthier keto versions of all your favorite foods, meaning you don’t have to deprive yourself of what you lov