July 10, 2019

07/10/2019 | Comment

It’s notoriously difficult to adhere to the Ketogenic diet at Asian restaurants. All those yummy marinades and sides are full of sugar and other sneaky carbs! Luckily, Panda Express offers some less than 20g net carb options straight off their menu that will satisfy your craving for Chinese without derailing all your hard work. We’ve broken their menu down into the following major categories: Entrees, Sides, Appetizers, Desserts, Sauces, and Beverages. The Entrees category is also broken down by protein to make your low-carb meal search that much easier. Enjoy!

1.Entrees

Veggies

- - Super Greens (7 oz, 90 calories, 2.5g fat, 10g total carbs, 5g fiber, 6g protein) = 5g Net Carbs
  - Eggplant Tofu (6.1 oz, 340 calories, 24g fat, 23g total carbs, 3g fiber, 7g protein) = 20g Net Carbs

Chicken

- - Black Pepper Chicken (6.3 oz, 280 calories, 19g fat, 15g total carbs, 1g fiber, 13g protein) = 14g Net Carbs
  - Kung Pao Chicken (6.2 oz, 290 calories, 19g fat, 14g total carbs, 2g fiber, 16g protein) = 12g Net Carbs
  - Grilled Teriyaki Chicken (6 oz, 300 calories, 13g fat, 8g total carbs, 0g fiber, 36g protein) = 8g Net Carbs
  - Grilled Asian Chicken (6 oz, 300 calories, 13g fat, 8g total carbs, 0g fiber, 36g protein) = 8g Net Carbs
  - Teriyaki Chicken (6 oz, 340 calories, 13g fat, 14g total carbs, 3g fiber, 41g protein) = 11g Net Carbs
  - Asian Chicken (6 oz, 340 calories, 13g fat, 14g total carbs, 3g fiber, 41g protein) = 11g Net Carbs
  - Mushroom Chicken (5.7 oz, 220 calories, 14g fat, 11g total carbs, 1g fiber, 12g protein) = 10g Net Carbs
  - Potato Chicken (5.2 oz, 190 calories, 10g fat, 18g total carbs, 2g fiber, 8g protein) = 16g Net Carbs
  - String Bean Chicken Breast (5.6 oz, 190 calories, 9g fat, 13g total carbs, 4g fiber, 14g protein) = 9g Net Carbs

Beef

- - Broccoli Beef (5.4 oz, 150 calories, 7g fat, 13g total carbs, 2g fiber, 9g protein) = 11g Net Carbs
  - Shanghai Angus Steak (6.4 oz, 310 calories, 19g fat, 17g total carbs, 1g fiber, 19g protein) = 16g Net Carbs

Seafood

- - Steamed Ginger Fish (6 oz, 200 calories, 12g fat, 8g total carbs, 0g fiber, 15g protein) = 8g Net Carbs
  - Wok Fired Shrimp (6 oz, 190 calories, 5g fat, 19g total carbs, 1g fiber, 17g protein) = 18g Net Carbs

2. Sides

- - Super Greens (3.5 oz, 45 calories, 1.5g fat, 5g total carbs, 3g fiber, 3g protein) = 2g Net Carbs

3. Appetizers (includes Soups)

- - Chicken Egg Roll (1 roll, 200 calories, 10g fat, 20g total carbs, 2g fiber, 6g protein) = 18g Net Carbs
  - Chicken Potsticker (3 pieces, 160 calories, 6g fat, 20g total carbs, 1g fiber, 6g protein) = 19g Net Carbs
  - Hot & Sour Soup (1 – 12.2 oz cup, 120 calories, 5g fat, 14g total carbs, 1g fiber, 7g protein) = 13g Net Carbs
  - Hot & Sour Soup (1 – 17.4 oz bowl, 170 calories, 6g fat, 20g total carbs, 1g fiber, 10g protein) = 19g Net Carbs

4. Desserts

- - Fortune Cookies (1 serving, 20 calories, 0g fat, 5g total carbs, 0g fiber, 0g protein) = 5g Net Carbs

5. Sauces

- - Chili Sauce (1 packet, 10 calories, 0g fat, 2g total carbs, 0g fiber, 0g protein) = 2g Net Carbs
  - Soy Sauce (1 packet, 5 calories, 0g fat, 0g total carbs, 0g fiber, 0g protein) = 0g Net Carbs
  - Potsticker Sauce (1 packet, 10 calories, 0g fat, 3g total carbs, 0g fiber, 0g protein) = 3g Net Carbs
  - Hot Mustard (1 packet, 10 calories, 1g fat, 0g total carbs, 0g fiber, 0g protein) = 0g Net Carbs
  - Plum Sauce (1 packet, 15 calories, 0g fat, 3g total carbs, 0g fiber, 0g protein) = 3g Net Carbs

6. Beverages

- - Coca-Cola Zero Sugar (22-42 oz, 270-510 calories, 0g fat, 0-1g total carbs, 0g fiber, 0g protein) = 0-1g Net Carbs
  - Diet Coke (22-42 oz, 0 calories, 0g fat, 1g total carbs, 0g fiber, 0g protein) = 1g Net Carbs
  - Glaceau VitaminWater Zero (22-42 oz, 5-10 calories, 0g fat, 2-3g total carbs, 0g fiber, 0g protein) = 2-3g Net Carbs
  - Gold Peak Premium Unsweetened Tea (22-42 oz, 0 calories, 0g fat, 0g total carbs, 0g fiber, 0g protein) = 0g Net Carbs
  - Minute Maid Light Lemonade (22-42 oz, 10-20 calories, 0g fat, 4-7g total carbs, 0g fiber, 0g protein) = 4-7g Net Carbs
  - Sprite Zero (22-42 oz, 5-10 calories, 0g fat, 0g total carbs, 0g fiber, 0g protein) = 0g Net Carbs
  - Black Tea (22-42 oz, 5-10 calories, 0g fat, 2-3g total carbs, 0g fiber, 0g protein) = 2-3g Net Carbs
  - Lemon Green Tea (22-42 oz, 10-15 calories, 0g fat, 0g total carbs, 0g fiber, 0g protein) = 0g Net Carbs
  - Passion Fruit Mango Black Tea (22-42 oz, 5-15 calories, 0g fat, 2-4g total carbs, 0g fiber, 0g protein) = 2-4g Net Carbs

Food

07/10/2019 | Comment

You may have heard the term “ketosis” thrown around and wondered what it is.

When your body does not have enough carbohydrates in your diet, it’s not able to make glucose, the primary source of energy for your body. When this happens, your body transforms stored fat into energy, releasing substances known as ketone bodies. This process is known as ketosis.

This process has given rise to a diet known as the ketogenic diet. It’s extremely popular among people who want to lose fat, and maintain their energy levels at the same time. Ketosis also helps decrease your appetite and helps you feel full longer, which may also help with weight loss.

Here are some of the ways you can reach the state of ketosis:

1. Intermittent Fasting

This is arguably one of the best ways to put your body in a state of ketosis, which will then help you lose weight.

Some scientific studies show that intermittent fasting can control the mitochondria in your cells in ways that are parallel to those of the ketogenic or low-carb diet, and that it can help you live longer.

The main premise of intermittent fasting is that you should not consume calories for a certain period of time. This results in less glucose available and hence your body turns to its fat stores as a source of fuel.

As you’ll see, there are a various methods of intermittent fasting that you can follow in order to get into a state of ketosis sooner.

If you’re a beginner, skipping breakfast can help you adapt to intermittent fasting. Once your body has become used to ketosis, you can then try “fat fasting”, which will accelerate your fat loss and break through pesky weight loss plateaus.

Fat fasting is phase when 80% – 90% of your calorie intake comes from fat. During this stage, you will also be limiting the intake of other foods. Because of this, your metabolism will speed up and you’ll be able to burn more fat in a shorter period of time. Fat fasting should not take longer than 3 to 5 days.

2. Reducing Stress

The number one enemy that prevents your body from entering a state of ketosis is stress. When you’re under stress, more of the stress hormone cortisol is released. When this happens, more glucose is released into your blood, preventing your body from getting into a state of ketosis.

So, if you’re under stress right now, you’ll need to work on managing your stress levels first before going on a ketogenic diet, otherwise you won’t be successful on it.

Some of the ways to reduce stress are:

Engaging in regular exercise
Ensuring that you are getting enough sleep
Taking part in hobbies
Practicing meditation or even yoga

3. Getting Enough Sleep

When you don’t get enough sleep, your body releases more cortisol, and as described earlier, this prevents your body from getting into a state of ketosis.

So, it’s imperative to get enough sleep while you’re on a ketogenic diet. You should aim for at least 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night. Some of the ways you can ensure you’re getting enough sleep are by practicing good sleep hygiene habits.

These include:

Sleeping in a cool room with temperature of around 65°F.
Making sure that your room is dark since your natural melatonin “sleep hormone” levels increase in the dark.
Practicing mindfulness meditation to quiet your mind so you can fall asleep easier.
Taking melatonin supplements.

When you’re on a ketogenic diet, it’s important that you maintain a regular exercise schedule, because getting enough exercise will increase your ketone levels and help you to quickly adjust to a diet low in carbohydrates and high in fat.

When you exercise, your body uses up glycogen, which is stored carbohydrate. Once your body has used up glycogen, it has to rely on other types of fuels including stored fat. When you’re on a ketogenic diet, your body used stored fat to produce ketone bodies, resulting in ketosis.

Remember to include a workout routine that includes both high intensity and low intensity exercises. Examples of low intensity exercises are brisk walking or jogging. Such a routine stabilizes the sugar in your blood and helps your body enter the state of ketosis.

4. Exercising Regularly

When you’re on a ketogenic diet,it’s important that you maintain a regular exercise schedule, because getting enough exercise will increase your ketone levels and help you to quickly adjust to a diet low in carbohydrates and high in fat.

Remember to include a workout routine that has bothincludes both high intensity and low intensity exercises. Examples of low intensity exercises are steady state-like brisk walking or jogging. Such a routine stabilizes the sugar in your blood and helps your body enter the state of ketosis.

5. Drinking Enough Water

Whatever diet you’re on, it’s important to stay hydrated, but even more so, when you’re on a ketogenic diet. This is because on a ketogenic diet, your body expels water more as there is less carbohydrates. Carbohydrates tend to act as a sponge, and absorb water.

To ensure you’re drinking enough water, you should measure the amount of water you drink throughout the day. Generally, you should aim for about 2L of water for day, according to some authorities. However, if you’re sweating, you should drink more than this, in order to replace your sweat losses.

6. Getting Enough Carbohydrates From Non-starchy Vegetables

It is very important to get enough carbohydrates from non-starchy vegetables, in order to get enough fiber, which is very important for gut health.

Vegetables that are non-starchy are also usually low in calories, so if you are a person who likes feeling full, definitely incorporate more of these vegetables into your diet.

7. Maintaining Your Gut Health

Every system in the body is somehow linked to the gut. In fact, a lot of scientific studies have proven that the microbiome of our gut influences everything in our body, from our digestive health to even our mental health.

Research also shows that if you have a healthy gut, your hormones, your metabolism and even the sensitivity of your body to insulin is enhanced. Insulin sensitivity has an important effect on your ability to convert carbohydrates to fat.

Also, when your metabolism is not at its peak, your body can adapt better to the ketogenic diet. On the other hand, when it’s not, your body has a hard time using fat as an alternative energy source.As a result, it’s important to maintain good gut health in order to keep your metabolism in tip top shape.

One of the best ways to maintain gut health is to remove processed foods, and focus on whole foods instead.

8. Being Aware of Hidden Carbohydrates

While on a ketogenic diet, it is crucial to keep track of your carbohydrate intake. This can be tricky as some foods have hidden carbohydrates. These include low fat foods, breaded meats, and sauces. When in doubt, always look at the nutrition label!

9. Avoiding Diet Sodas

Sodas that are labeled as “Zero Calories” use sugar substitutes that can also give a signal to our body that a massive amount of sugar is entering our body. This results in your blood sugar rising, which is not good for ketosis.

Also, if you are using a lot of “zero calorie” sugar substitutes, you will have the urge to eat sweet foods, which definitely isn’t good for ketosis. By avoiding these sugar substitutes, you retrain your taste buds to crave healthy foods instead of sugar-laden foods

So, the next time you see a soda drink that is label as “Zero Calories” or “No Sugar”. think twice as these alternatives to traditional sugar seem to be just as bad for our health!

10. Investing in a Food Scale

When you’re a beginner, it can be hard to judge exactly what the correct portion size is. And portion size is extremely important. Just one extra tablespoon of peanut butter could throw you out of ketosis.

That’s why you should invest in a food scale to help you judge quantities. Once you get used to proper portion sizes, then you can put more emphasis on refining your diet even more.

11. Using Exogenous Ketones

Using exogenous ketones in the form of ketone supplement is the easiest way to get into a state of ketosis. The most popular exogenous ketones on the market is beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), which is an active form of ketones that moves in our blood and are easily consumed by our body.

Taking a ketone supplement will help you a lot when you first start on a ketogenic diet, because you’re training your body to using ketones for energy instead of carbohydrates.But to benefit fully, you still have to eat a diet that is high in fat and low in carbohydrates. On the other hand, exogenous ketones can come in handy to bring you back into a state of ketosis if you’ve indulged in a meal that is high in carbohydrates.

Taking exogenous ketones is also an effective way to prevent the keto flu, which is quite common in newbies. The keto flu is a defense mechanism that our body mounts when we’re entering a state of ketosis. Some of the symptoms include fatigue, vomiting, and headaches.

12. Measuring your Ketones

You can actually monitor if your body is in a state of ketosis. One of the best ways to do this is to use a glucose meter. However, this is expensive, so a common alternative is to use keto sticks.

Keto sticks are an excellent alternative because they are inexpensive. However, it appears that the longer you’ve been on a ketogenic diet, the less accurate they are.

13. Carrying Keto Friendly Snacks

A big factor when it comes to implementing a strict ketogenic diet is time. Because of the many home-made meals you have to make, many people fall off track.

The solution to this is to meal prep as many keto friendly snacks as you can, so you won’t be tempted to eat carbohydrate laden snacks when you are short on time.

Some examples of keto-friendly snacks that are handy include:

Slices of bacon
Hard-boiled eggs
Nuts

14. Removing Non Keto-Friendly Items from your Home

Let’s face it. It’s much easier to avoid temptation when it’s not lurking in your kitchen, or pantry, or elsewhere in your home. As a result, you’re more likely to be successful in following a ketogenic diet if you only have keto-friendly items in your environment.

It may sound extreme to rid your home of all non keto-friendly items, but to ensure success, it’s necessary. This is because you’ll definitely have urges to eat non keto-friendly items. And when that urge happens, it can be hard to resist. By keeping your house keto friendly, you’ll have no other choice but to eat keto friendly items.

Some of the carbohydrate loaded foods that you should get rid of include

Breads
Pasta
Sodas
Candies
Rice

15. Being Mindful of What You’re Eating in a Restaurant

At first it will be hard for you to figure out what foods to avoid when you’re eating out.

However, with time, it will get better.Almost every restaurant you will go to, will have keto options. You just need to be creative.

Here are some points you should remember when going out to eat:

Breakfast – Always choose eggs and bacon. Do not be tempted by the pancakes and cake. If you’re feeling hungry, you can always ask for more eggs and bacon.
Lunch – Dressing are loaded with hidden sugars. Opt for olive oil and vinegar for your salads.
Dinner – If you are going out for dinner, ask for more steak or chicken, and swap the potatoes for some non-starchy veggies.

It is also a good idea to look at the menu ahead of time if possible, so you can choose the right options. And you can also ask your friends to go to restaurants that are more flexible for people following the ketogenic diet.

16. Batch Cooking

By cooking foods in batches, you will give yourself no opportunity to fall into the temptation of eating foods that are loaded with carbohydrate. That’s because you’ll have your own stash of keto friendly meals on hand

Cooking in batches forces you to plan and cook your food ahead of time so you never run out of good options. Also, cooking your own food puts you in control of what you’re putting in your food, ensuring better compliance to your ketogenic diet.

17. Adding Coconut Oil and Limiting Alcohol

Coconut oil has been proven to help you enter the state of ketosis because it contains medium-chain triglycerides which are a type of fat that are keto-friendly.

Coconut oil is particularly rich in lauric acid, a type of fatty acid found in some medium chain triglycerides. Several studies indicate that sources of fat with a higher percentage higher of lauric acid may maintain ketosis level better.

To incorporate it in your diet, you can cook with coconut oil. You can also put one teaspoon of coconut oil a day in your meals to get used to the taste, and increase it accordingly.

On the other hand, you want to watch your intake of alcoholic drinks since they may contain high levels of carbohydrates. If you’re going to drink, be sure to research your drink options ahead of time.

18. Being Watchful of your Intake of Protein

In order for you to enter ketosis or if you are in a ketosis state already to stay in that state you should be mindful of your protein intake.

The traditional ketogenic diet that is used in epileptic patients limits both carbohydrate and protein intake to maximize their levels of ketones.

However, for most people, decreasing protein intake in order to increase the production of ketones is not a good idea.

First of all, it is crucial to consume the right amounts of protein to give the liver some amino acids that can eventually be used for the creation of new glucose. This glucose is then used as energy by cells and organs that cannot use ketones as energy. These include your red blood cells and brain.

Second of all, your body needs enough protein in order to maintain your muscle mass. When you lose weight, it is normal to lose both muscle and fat. So, by consuming enough protein, you help preserve muscle mass.

19. Skipping Breakfast

By skipping breakfast, you are engaging in intermittent fasting, which accelerate ketosis. Intermittent fasting also suppresses your appetite, resulting in you eating less throughout the rest of the day.

When you do skip breakfast, just make sure that you’re not eating dinner late at night, because some studies suggest that doing can lead to weight gain

20. Consuming a Lot of Healthy Fats

A large portion of any ketogenic meal plan includes healthy fats. If you are a newbie to this kind of eating, it may take some time to get used to this way of eating. Make sure that your intake of fat is 70-75% of your total calories. This way, your body will get used to fat as its primary source of energy.

Some foods that have healthy fats include:

Nuts
Egg yolks
Avocados
Olives

These foods are also beneficial for your overall health because they also contain vitamins and minerals that help nourish your body

You can drink keto friendly oils like olive oil; however, if you don’t like that, you can simply cook with them or used them on your salads and reap the same benefits.

21. Consuming Some Carbohydrates After Lifting Weights

To get optimum results from the ketogenic diet, you will want to engage in some intense weight training several days a week, and eat some carbohydrates right after.

To practice this technique, you will be consuming 100 to 200 grams of carbs after your weight training (in the evening).

This intake of some carbohydrates in order to temporarily remove you from a state of ketosis has some important benefits when it comes to performance.

Otherwise known as “ shocking the body”, it is usually performed by bodybuilders whenever they want to gain muscle mass on certain parts of their bodies.

22. Moving your body!

Avoid ending the day without engaging in any physical activity. Incorporate physical activity into your daily routine. For instance, use the stairs instead of taking the elevator or escalator.

By engaging in physical activity, you will maintain the state of ketosis that your body needs.

It’s so easy to fall into the temptation of watching television after a long day of work. By not moving your body, you will gain extra weight and lower your metabolism, which is not good for staying in a state of ketosis.

If you work in an office, it can be especially hard. To ensure you’re not sitting all day, make it a habit to take some time off every hour to stand or walk around. That small bit of physical activity accumulates over time for long term benefits.

23. Taking MCT Oils

This will be one of the smartest decisions that you can make if you want to enter ketosis or stay in a state of ketosis. MCT stands for medium chain triglycerides, and as mentioned earlier, they are great for keeping you in a state of ketosis.

There are many As with any health supplement, do your research to determine the right option for you.

24. Removing the Glycogen that is Stored in your Body

In order for your body to use the stored fat in your body instead of glucose for energy, you will need to remove your glycogen stores. You can do this through diet, exercise ant taking supplements. By doing so, you will get into a state of ketosis in no time at all.

25. Deep Breathing

This is also crucial in maintaining your state of ketosis state because high levels of stress can significantly affect your metabolism and even what you eat, which is crucial to being in a state of ketosis.

When you practice deep breathing, a lot of stress hormones are released from the body, helping you maintain a state of ketosis. And the best part is that you can practice deep breathing anywhere; on the bus, while washing dishes, or even while walking your dog.

You can find massage therapists that offer homes service so you don’t have to venture far to get a massage. Or, you could even do a self-massage.

Bonus Hacks

26. Having Regular Massages

Having regular massages actually also reduces cortisol, helping you maintain a state of ketosis. It also releases feel good hormones like serotonin, which helps you be in a good mood

And we all know how grumpy we can get when we start a new diet! So, having more feel good hormones may even help you stick to your diet and maintain your ketosis.

27. Avoiding Processed Foods

It’s a no-brainer that processed foods like instant noodles, burgers, chips, chocolates, etc. contain a lot of bad sugar, sodium and unhealthy carbs which can quickly kick you out of a state of ketosis.

Processed foods are not only bad for ketosis, but for your overall health as well, so it makes sense to avoid these foods as much as possible.

28. Keeping Notes

To keep yourself in a state of ketosis, it’s important to keep track of various things. Just get a note book and keep track of the following things.

First of all, you want to keep track of what you’re eating throughout the day in order to make sure you are staying on track. If you mistakenly consume something that is not keto, and become aware of it, you can prevent this from happening next time.

Second of all, you want to keep track of what types of exercise that you have done throughout the day and what tasks that have performed in order to keep you physically active.

Can Everyone Implement a Keto Diet?

Most probably yes, but there are certain factors that you must take into consideration.

For example, if you are pregnant or you have diabetes, you should consult with your medical professional first. If you have diabetes, the ketogenic diet may be beneficial to you, but your medications may need to be adjusted your doctor, both prior to and during your diet.

Almost anyone can implement this diet and with time, reap weight loss and health benefits. Contrary to popular belief, this is not a new diet. In fact it was created in the 1920’s to treat epileptic patients and was also found out to have benefits for weight loss as well.

How Can I Be Successful on a Keto Diet?

What you will need is a lot of patience and discipline because you will need to cook your own food. Since it is a strict diet plan, you need to persevere. So, if you get bored easily, this is not the diet for you.

Being on a keto diet is not a phase. It is a lifetime commitment. So, if you’re not willing to commit to it for life, it’s probably not the right diet for you. But if you persevere with this diet, you’ll reap lots of benefits. Here are some comments from those who have undertaken this diet:

I lost a lot of unhealthy weight

I became a better person (it really transformed me inside and out)
I am always full of energy
My overall wellness became the best ever
I managed to learn how to cook different kinds of foods
I became health conscious

These are some of the many benefits that can come from incorporating a ketogenic diet into your life.

Conclusion

So, there are many ways to keep you in a state of ketosis and stay there. By following these tips, you’ll not only lose weight but gain health as well.

And who doesn’t want good health? After all, they say health is wealth, right?

Many people have found success on the ketogenic diet including celebrities, fitness personalities and everyday people like me. It has not only helped us lose weight, but helped us gain a better understanding of our own bodies and minds, and to become better people in return.

So, why don’t you give the ketogenic diet a try? It may just be the right diet for you!

Keto Basics