Low Carb Keto Thanksgiving Recipes | Peace Love and Low Carb (2024)

FAQs

How do you survive Thanksgiving on keto? ›

A lazy keto diet consists of low-carb foods like meat, fish, full-fat dairy and non-starchy vegetables, but limits high-carb foods such as bread, potatoes, sugary snacks and some fruits. If you've tried the keto before and found it too tedious, lazy keto could be a good compromise.

The basic rules of keto are eating few carbohydrates and emphasizing fat with a moderate intake of protein. In order to be in a state of ketosis, you will likely have to track the amount of carbohydrates you eat by weighing out your food.

As you can see, bread is by far the food people miss the most, followed by dessert/sweets and beer. Below are our best suggestions for low-carb versions of these foods.

Olives, nuts and charcuterie plates are brilliant keto-friendly nibbles to kick off your meal. Then stick with high protein mains like a chicken Ceasar salad, steak, or grilled fish, and swap out starchy, carb-heavy sides for vegetables if possible.

The ketogenic diet typically reduces total carbohydrate intake to less than 50 grams a day—less than the amount found in a medium plain bagel—and can be as low as 20 grams a day. Generally, popular ketogenic resources suggest an average of 70-80% fat from total daily calories, 5-10% carbohydrate, and 10-20% protein.

Without getting into true ketosis, dieters risk ingesting an enormous amount of fat—and potentially a lot of saturated fat, if you're eating animal meat—without any of the fat-burning effects of ketosis. “The fat is the thing that's problematic for a lot of people on keto,” Fung says.

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.

A few general tips for making your Thanksgiving keto-friendly: Swap out mashed potatoes for mashed cauliflower, nix adding any flour to thicken recipes like green bean casserole or creamed spinach, and load up on the low-carb veggies like Brussels sprouts, spaghetti squash, and mushrooms.

Generally, the body is used to the regular consumption of carbohydrates, so the sudden change in diet can cause the body to react. The most common side effects of suddenly stopping a keto diet include fatigue, headaches, nausea, digestive issues, increased appetite and cravings, sugar cravings, and mood swings.

How can I go on keto without starving? ›

Make sure you are eating enough fat. Being much more energy-dense than carbohydrates, fats are also more satiating. They will also ensure that you stay in ketosis. Increase the size of your meals with nutrient-dense foods.