5 WAYS TO EAT YOUR FAT!
In an Instagram post this week (Check it here!) Coach Jon reminded us that fat is not a macronutrient we should track if our goals involve weight loss or gain, but is an essential nutrient that “supports cell membranes, nerve protection and sex hormones!” When approaching a ketogenic diet with a fat percentage above 70% it can often be difficult to find ways to increase your fat intake in a way that is palatable and does not feel like you are simply chugging butter. (Remind me to tell you about the time I did a shot of bacon fat some time!)
This week I wanted to share with you my top 5 ideas for increasing your fat intake in a healthy sustainable way.
Drink it! I am not suggesting you melt a cup of coconut oil or butter and sip from it. Instead I am talking about adding fat to a coffee, tea or even a cup of bone broth. Great additions include grass-fed butter, mct oil (take this one slowly, trust me!), coconut oil, heavy cream, mct powders, and pre-made ketogenic creamers. If you’re a hot beverage person, all of these ingredients are great. If you’re like me and enjoy a cold coffee, I like to use heavy cream, mct powders and collage protein powders as well, blended with ice & coffee to make a mocha of sorts! And if the broth idea sounds weird, it is actually delicious! For all of these ideas a blender or frother will make mixing easier!
Top those vegetables! In the ketogenic sphere we often discuss how carbohydrates are not actually essential to function but many of us still enjoy incorporating them into our diets, usually as fresh green vegetables. One great reason to do so is they are a great “vehicle” for your fat. Of course we think about adding butter to steamed or roasted vegetables or adding a homemade vinaigrette to a bowl of greens. I like to think outside of the box and use the pan drippings from a steak or your morning bacon on a salad instead of a dressing. Then warm fat slightly wilts the greens and adds a fantastic pop of flavor. Don’t be afraid to experiment!
Use you eggs as sponges! One of the lessons Coach Jon taught me is that when you’re scrambling eggs (already an awesome food on a keto diet!) you can add up to one tablespoon of butter or animal fat to the eggs when cooking and they will absorb it creating a fluffy egg scramble, not a pile of greasy eggs. It may sound like it will not work, but believe me it does! Try it and let me know what you think!
“Ground Beef Soup.” This is a phrase coined by Aaron Duprey and Coach Jon when discussing cooking your fatty ground beef and not draining off the fat and drippings before eating it. If you purchase a 73/27 or 80/20 ground beef and track it raw versus cooked you will see the fat macro is significantly higher. With some added seasoning this can be a pretty delicious way to pump up the fat! I find that you can add some bone broth to make it more like an actual soup or add a serving or cauliflower rice to soak it up. Both are tasty variations!
Homemade Mayo! I know it may sound daunting to make your own mayo but it is actually as relatively simple and a great way to avoid the less than ideal oils most commercial mayo utilize or avoid the increased price for store-bought avocado oil mayo. I suggest you use avocado oil if you’re going to make your own, but a light olive oil will work as well. A very simple recipe from the Healthy Foodie for mayo made with a stick blender can be found here! Once you have a basic batch made, you can start flavoring your portions as you like! My favorite additions include chili powder, hot sauce, ranch seasoning, Italian herbs, garlic, dijon mustard, etc. I could probably write an entire blog on my love for homemade mayo! It goes great with proteins, and also can be a great dip for bell pepper strips or other veggies.
I will cap this at 5 ideas for now but if you need more suggestions let me know in the blog comments. If you’re intrigued by how a higher fat ketogenic diet could benefit you as it has me on my journey, message me today and we can discuss one on one coaching options.
