Food: Feeling the love with Keto meals

For the longest time, since the Littlest Inspiration was born, I've been striving for body acceptance but falling short of the mark. Between lack of sleep, a family with multiple food needs, allergies and preferences, fuelling my body the way that suits me dropped to the bottom of the pile.

I'm not talking about extreme dieting or even necesarily losing weight, although that's a happy byproduct, but just avoiding the lethargic, bloated for days feeling I get when I eat too many carbs and portions that are too large.

I've tried to adapt my meals but cooking for a family that have their own likes and dislikes (hello toddlers), the littlest being egg and dairy free, plus the carnivore liking some meat and big portions, and myself being vegetarian, almost vegan, it can get quite complicated and time consuming.

When bellies are rumbling at tea time, I really don't want to be holding things up and the meal planning is already pretty horrendous. We've finally hit upon a number of meals we can all eat, so then to add in a new way of eating for me is not in my psychie.

However, I really want to see change and that has to start with me. I've been aiming for 30 minutes of exercise 3 x a week, and I'm already very active with the kids, but that alone is not enough.

I have have had good success in the past with intermittent fasting and dirty keto/ low carb eating. My body just does not love high carb, processed foods. I feel more energetic, lighter and healthier, eating more protein and fats.

I've heard a lot lately about Keto diets which are high fat and no carb, and the amazing results people say they have had, but I know that I want to keep some treats in my diet so I've been loosely following it with a couple of cheat meals.

When I heard about Love Yourself and their ready meals delivered to the door I saw it as an ideal opportunity to nourish myself and maybe give me a little head start.

They offer a variety of different meal plans but the one that caught my eye was the Veto Keto plan. It's vegetarian and keto, so ideal for my body. It replaces traditional ingredients like flour and milk with high protein nut alternatives. 

I had several meals to try out including breakfast, snack, lunch and dinner, which were ample and filling when combined with a few veggies or salad.

The meal plan was:

Coconut yoghurt and chai nut granola

Lemon and blueberry muffins x 2

Poppy seed crackers and lemony cottage cheese

Choco nut bites

Mushroom soup

Cauliflower tempeh with walnuts

Courgette and mushroom frittata

Veto pitta with cheese, spinach and tomatoes

I was really surprised by how filling they were - I never felt hungry or limited in any way. They were also really tasty with plenty of seasoning. Some of the meals are a bit of an acquired taste like those with coconut flour but it's not unpleasant and you soon get used to it. We are so used to processed, sugary foods that eating clean is a lifestyle shift.

I honestly felt a stone lighter within a couple of days, mostly eliminating bloating and inflammation, and could definitely get used to eating like this all the time. It's not a meal recipe box, so no cooking and faffing, just a quick warm up and it's ready to serve with the family meal.

It meant I wasn't tempted to cheat or just give in to foods that make me feel bad, as I had a tasty alternative waiting for me. So many people now buy recipe boxes to make life easier but for me, ready meals, on the meal plan that is good for my body, was so much more convenient and worth the investment. 

As I say, I'm not one for promoting diet culture or even weight loss, but for me, to aceept and love my body, I want to feel healthy and energetic and this meal plan certainly started me off on the right foot. I can imagine after a month of eating like this I would be hitting my goals no problem.

I'd love to hear whether you face any barriers to eating the way that suits your body best? Do you know what foods make you feel good?