The craze of the keto diet won’t be going off the grid very soon, you know why? Because it keeps offering variations in its diet to suit people’s needs. Such a variation is a lazy keto diet. If you are lazy enough to follow the keto diet strictly, you can opt for this variant of keto. But is it beneficial for everyone? Or is it just another flop diet plan? Let’s take a tour of this lazy keto diet to find out everything about it.
What is lazy keto?
A popular variation of a keto diet, but less restrictive in nature. It only requires its followers to watch their carbs intake and limit it to no more than 10%, while keeping their protein and fat intake unchecked. That’s why it is named a lazy keto diet. It gives you the liberty to eat whatever you feel like eating without even the restriction of it being unprocessed, except carbs.
What does it include?
Just like any other diet plan, a lazy keto diet also puts some restrictions on certain foods and allows some to balance the nutritional value. Let’s see what you can have or not while being on the lazy keto diet.
| To Eat | To Avoid |
|---|---|
| Meat and poultry like chicken, pork, lamb, turkey, beef, and bacon | Whole Grains like oats, cereal, pasta, bread and pasta |
| Seafood including tuna, salmon, mackerel, lobster, shrimp, crab, and trout | Pulses like beans, pinto beans, peas, kidney beans and black beans |
| Seeds and Nuts like walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, peanuts, chia, flax, sunflower, and pumpkin seeds | Legumes including chickpeas, soybeans, lentils and others |
| Full-fat dairy products like butter, cream milk, different types of cheese, and greek yogurt; Eggs | Dairy products like flavored yogurts, ice creams, milk based desserts, and low-fat milk |
| Low-carb vegetables including broccoli, leafy green veggies, tomatoes, and others | Starchy veggies like potatoes, peas, sweet potatoes, corn, butternut squash and parsnips |
| Healthy plant-based oils including avocado oil, olive oil, coconut oil, and others | Sugary foods like pastries, cakes, candy, cookies, biscuits, chocolates and muffins |
| Low-carb fruits usually berries, including blueberries, strawberries, and blackberries and others like avocado and watermelon | Sugary drinks including sodas, cold drink, sweetened fruit juices, and sports drinks |
| Drinks & Beverages (Unsweetened) including tea, coffee, and water | Trans-fat foods like chips, pizza, burger, deep-fried snacks and others |
Benefits of lazy keto
Though the lazy keto diet is the cousin of the keto diet, it’s not a pure diet, that’s why it does not offer much of the benefits. However, some long and short-term benefits can be seen after following this diet:
- It might help in reducing your appetite due to limited intake of carbs
- Due to less intake of carbs, the fat loss rate increases which helps in weight loss
- The restricted carb intake can help in improved blood sugar regulation
- It can act as a sustainable diet option for the people who don’t want to compromise on their protein intake
- It is a more convenient diet than a keto diet as it does not require the calorie counting and tracking
- Just like keto, a lazy keto diet has also been followed to manage the symptoms of epilepsy
- According to the studies, a lazy keto diet can be a helpful component to lower the risk of heart diseases
- Due to no tracking of protein and fats and moderate intake of carbs, a lazy keto diet might not cause nutrient deficiencies
Demerits of lazy keto
As we said, it’s not a pure diet plan, so it definitely does have some demerits which might make you reconsider your decision of following this diet plan.
- The most important thing is it does not achieve the state of ketosis due to a non-tracked intake of proteins and fats and more carb intake than the keto diet
- As it does not require you to count every calorie intake, it’s not suitable for weight loss. As unchecked calorie intake can hamper your weight loss process
- Due to low carb intake, the lazy keto diet is a favorite diet plan for diabetic people but it might not work for the people with hypoglycemia
- For the short term, it might feel like a good option but in a long term, it causes adverse effects on the body like mineral and vitamin deficiencies that can harm the organs of our body
Should I follow a lazy keto diet?
The lazy keto diet is definitely not for everyone. As simple as it sounds, it does not mean it’s an easy or effective diet plan to be followed. It solely depends on your fitness goals and your current health condition. If you think you are not someone who can take the pressure of a highly restrictive keto diet then lazy keto could be your option. But keep in mind, if you are aiming for weight loss, lazy keto might not be able to help you with that. It does not achieve the true state of ketosis, and thus cannot burn enough fat to help your weight loss process. If you just want to eat better and maintain your health, you can try this diet, but then again rather than eating anything you need to add whole foods to stay healthy.
Conclusion
The title lazy suits this kind of keto perfectly, as it does not focus on the overall quality of your meals. While it could be a great option for people looking for an alternative to the traditional keto diet, which is quite restrictive, it does not go a long way. If you are looking for long-term fitness and weight loss goals, you should look for other healthy options instead of limiting yourself to keto or its variations.
I look up to fitness as a lifestyle and love to pen down about it. I have 2 years of experience in content writing and I am here to share my research and knowledge on health and fitness.
