I was explaining keto to a friend of mine, and she wrinkled up her nose and said to me, “Don’t you miss normal food?” I was a little taken aback. What do I eat that she didn’t think was “normal” food? I had to come home and think about that question. Do I miss normal food on keto?
What is Normal Food?
What did she mean by “normal” food? Did she mean processed food? I certainly don’t miss the high sugar and salt content in processed food. I do miss the convenience a little bit. We used to eat a lot of take out. Pizza and burgers were easy when I was feeling tired and didn’t want to cook. Last weekend, I was feeling under the weather and still I made desserts and snacks to eat for the week. That sucks sometimes. But, overall, the food I make tastes better than the crap I used to eat.
Breakfasts I Used to Eat Before Keto
Before I started keto, if I ate breakfast, it would consist of cereal that was loaded with sugar. I’d try to be “healthier” and pick cereals like Honey Nut Cheerios that boasts on the packaging that it can lower cholesterol and is a part of a healthy heart diet. One cup of these has 27 net grams of carbs, 12 grams of which is sugar. The second, fourth, and fifth ingredient listed is a type of sugar. I’d pair this with my coffee which was filled with French Vanilla creamer (which has 6 grams of sugar).
If I was being really health conscious, I would eat some plain vanilla yogurt with berries and granola on top. This combination hosts 41 net grams of carbs, including 19 grams of added sugars. Of course, I’d have a coffee with that, so that’s an extra 6 grams of sugar.
Breakfasts that are Normal Food on Keto
Today, I have a cheesy biscuit or a French toast bite with a slice of bacon to start my day. There is not one gram of sugar to be found in them. I add coffee with heavy cream to breakfast – no sugar. The food is filling and delicious and has a grand total of 2 grams of carbs. Even more exciting, I can pre-cook everything on the weekends so it takes 20 seconds in a microwave to get breakfast ready. For someone who likes to sleep as much as I do, that is very important.
Lunches I Used to Eat Before Keto
When I took lunch with me to work, which was not that often, I would usually just slap together a peanut butter sandwich. Of course, this was on white bread. Most often, I would just pick something up at a store or a fast-food restaurant. I can’t even imagine how many carbs, let alone calories, I took in.
Lunches that are Normal Food on Keto
Today, we eat most of our meals at home. We usually make extra so we can take leftovers for lunch the next day. The amazing part of this plan is that we really enjoy the meals we make, so we are happy to eat the same thing the next day. When we don’t have leftovers, we use Mr. Tortilla wraps and have a roast beef wrap with cheese and mayonnaise.
Dinners I Used to Eat Before Keto
I would be so tired when I got home from work, the last thing I wanted to do was cook. Well, let’s be honest, Bill is the cook in the family, and he wasn’t up to cooking either. So, we’d either order out pizza or burgers, or we’d do something really easy like pasta in marinara sauce (with added sugar), rice with sweet and sour sauce, or Kraft Dinner and hot dogs. Nothing in this list is in any way healthy.
Dinners that are Normal Food on Keto
We have learned so much since the days before keto! The recipes we have gathered are quick, easy, and healthy. We do up raw vegetables in serving sizes for the week, so we simply have to take them out of a baggy and put them on a plate. We have an air fryer, which makes cooking meat super easy. And we have sauces we can whip up in minutes, like cheese sauce and alfredo sauce.
A Final Thought on Normal Food on Keto
Does it take a bit more time and effort to eat the foods we eat on keto? Yes. Do we miss “normal” food? Absolutely not! The idea of normal food means that we eat things that everyday people don’t eat. Unfortunately, it’s true that many times people don’t eat these foods, and that is why our population is so unhealthy. We are eating healthier now that we ever did. Not only that, but we are enjoying the foods we eat. Hopefully, someday, the foods we eat will become the “normal” foods and the world will be a healthier place.
Wendy
