Keto Diet Challenge Day 8 - Artichokes & Nu-Salt, What I Ate, & Nutrition Analysis!!!!
Hey there everyone!! Hope your second week into the new year has been full of adventure, growth, and lots of fun!!
My first week of keto was a massive success in my opinion! It has been tricky, but I am proud to say that as I write this, I have been on the keto diet for 2 weeks (yes, I am a whole week behind on my blogging! What can I say, I'm a busy lady)! I hope that your new years resolutions are coming along nicely, and you are having fun with your own personal goals and adventures!!
What I Ate- Day #8
BREAKFAST:
For breakfast this day, we had our usual Morning Green Power shake. This shake is a great way to start any day, regardless of your diet!
My fiance and I have been incorporating this shake into our daily routine for the better part of 6 months, even before I went keto! It is a great way to get some of your greens in, and kickstart your nutrition goals :)
This morning, I also went to my favorite local coffee shop and had my lovely barista make me a keto coffee! I was so excited for this, and it was flipping delicious!! She made it with half and half and sugar free flavoring. This is probably still not a super healthy choice, but after a week on keto, I was dying for a refreshing frozen coffee. On a personal note, I have been working a LOT on multiple projects, so the extra kick of energy was super appreciated this day!
As for supplements, this day I only took my vitamin D and trace minerals.
LUNCH: For lunch this day, I had bratwurst and cottage cheese :) This was a tasty and delicious lunch. My fiance chose a cheesey bratwurst, and I really enjoyed this meal. It was light but still very satisfying. It was quick and easy to prepare, and worked in a cinch!
DINNER:
For dinner on day 6, we had a tasty trio of artichokes, radishes, and mushrooms. This was an amazing vegetarian meal,and artichokes are one of my very favorite foods. My parents used to make them when I was a kid,and I have prepared them regularly throughout the years :) They are very easy to cook, and fun and tasty to add to any meal! They are a unique dish to try if you are entertaining, and are always a hit!
These are also a great addition to any keto diet , because you can dip the leaves in melted butter with seasonings , which is a great way to get your fat intake up for the day :) You'd be surprised how much "meat" is in the leaves of this splendid plant !! I was even able to handle eating radishes, because on keto I can smother them in dressing!! (I have never been a huge fan of radishes, so this is a great discovery!)
This day I also had a keto capuccino cheesecake mousse cup as an after dinner snack. I managed to do very well on my water intake this day, coming in at 98 fl ounces !! We also discovered this day that we have not been tracking our Nu-Salt, which my fiance adds to most of our cooked meals .This is a potassium supplement :)
SUMMARY:
Macronutrients for day 8 are showing 76% of calories from fat, 10% from protein, and 14% from carbohydrates. The carbohydrate count is a little bit high for this day, with net carbs coming in at 64g. This is not ideal for a keto diet, but also not completely unreasonable.
For this day, nutrition looks pretty good, coming in at 93% according to cronometers tracker. We are a little bit low in calcium and iron for this day, hitting those at about 65% each.
For this day, my overall caloric intake is a little bit high, but I also taught classes this day, so I am not too worried about this number, as my activity is higher than reflected . I don't enter my workouts into cronometer, although that is an option that they offer. While the tracker may show I overate, I did not feel that way personally, as I burned a lot of calories with my workout . Sugars are coming in pretty high for this day, at 27g. I will have to watch to keep that number as low as possible, as this is almost twice as much as some previous days. Omega 3 and 6 lipids are also a little bit low for this day.
Vitamin levels for this day look excellent, with the exception of Vitamin E. This could easily be supplemented naturally with almonds or seeds, I just need to make an effort to eat more foods rich in vitamin E, or buy a supplement, because this category is low often.
Mineral levels for this day are respectable, coming in just a little low in calcium and iron. You will remember that I also took my trace minerals supplement , which is not reflected in the nutrition analysis, as the labels for this specific supplement do not give precise mg of each mineral. So these numbers are actually a little bit low compared to reality :) For this reason, I am not overly concerned with these numbers :)
Protein nutrition for day 8 looks perfect!! I am pleased with these numbers, and considering that I only ate the two bratwurst for meat this day, it shows that you do not need to eat too much meat on a keto diet! Had I eaten more meat this day , it may have brought my numbers closer to the 70/20/10 ratio, but overall, I am pleased with the nutritional outcome of this day :)
CONCLUSION:
Day 8 was a pretty well rounded day! I enjoyed my first keto coffee, hit most of my nutrition goals , and had one of my favorite dinners !! I have been feeling very energized and optimistic on this diet, and managed to resist temptations ( which I am still getting, even now, two weeks in!). I know that with time, my cravings will be less frequent and easier to resist :)
I don't keep a scale in the house or manage my weight in any way, but visibly, I feel as though I have probably lost a few pounds. I definitely have noticed less issues with bloating and water retention, which is great. My mood has been very stable, as has my overall energy and drive :)
Thanks so much for sticking through to the end of my blog!! I have been thinking about dividing each day into two sections, a What I Ate blog, and a separate one for the nutrition aspect. What do you think?? Are these blogs too long? Or do you like having the full day's information all at once? Please leave your comments and questions below, and I will get back to you as soon as I can!!
Thank you so much for taking the time to support my blog! As always, follow me here on Steemit to check out my health, nutrition and diet posts, and more! Let me know what you'd like to see more of ! :)
Brightest Blessings!!
SO MUCH LOVE!!
Evening Star
Haha, nice photo at the end, with the unicorn horn on your head. Glad the diet is working for you, keep it up! Absolutely love reading your blog :)
aww thanks!! The unicorn horn was made by a shop called idolatre on etsy! This headdress with the horn and ears is one of my prized possessions ! They are very high quality and detailed in person!!
Looking good @eveningstar92! My only advice would be to up the C and D, especially throughout winter :)
Blue looks real good on you :) and that top is very nice! Wow ;)
Check out my latest post if you have the time; its a timelapse of fog rolling over Stanley Park and Downtown Vancouver. I think you and you're fiancé would like it :)
I don't mind one long post, but whatever works best for you :)
Thanks so much for your input and the kind compliments ! I really appreciate hearing your feedback :)
Best of luck for Keto Diet Challenge, Really informative, motivational and helpful for me, Thanks fro sharing @eveningstar92
Thanks! I appreciate your support :)