Is Steak Keto Friendly?

If you're someone who has been a loyal follower of the keto diet, then this article bears good news for you because steak is, in fact, keto. However, there are many aspects to this since there are different types of steaks available, and the end product might not always be keto friendly.

We have put together some recipes and also some personal tips about what sort of steaks are keto and which are not.

Let's dive right in and take a look at whether is steak keto or not!

What is Keto?

Before we go ahead, I believe that first understanding the true motive behind the keto diet is essential. To understand, the Keto diet is basically a low-carb diet where you focus more on consuming fats along with proteins and then the least amount of carbs in a day.

This again varies according to what your need is and what you aim to achieve through your specific diet. For example, some keto diets believe in a 50/40/10 ratio whereby you consume 50 percent of fats in a day, 40 percent of proteins, and 10% of carbs. This specific diet, however, is primarily adhered to by people who want to build muscle.

On the other hand, there's another form of the keto diet, and this type is most prevalent where you consume 75 percent of fats, 25 percent of proteins, and 5% of carbs. This is so you can focus solely on losing weight and not gaining excessive muscles. This diet is the one you will find most trending nowadays.

Essentially, the keto diet is a low-carb diet that was created to help people lose weight in a healthy and effective method. Before we begin with what the keto diet is and the benefits that it entails, you must understand that there's a difference between healthy weight loss and damaging weight loss. Some diets are created to make you internally weak, for example, and the conventional rule is that in order to “diet,” we must only consume “greens” and nothing else.

This type of diet is harmful and can make you weak internally, causing more issues in the future. Remember, only eating vegetables will make you lose weight in an unhealthy manner. The Keto diet, on the other hand, eliminates carbs entirely or brings it to the lowest number and relies primarily on healthy fats and proteins.

The science behind this mechanism is that generally, our body uses carbs as fuel to build energy and move; however, when carbs are going in limited amounts, then the body is forced to shift to stored fat in our body and starts to burn that fat in order to sustain. Now generally, dieticians recommend slowly eliminating carbs, for example, starting with 50 grams of carbs and then reducing it to 20.

Here's where a steak comes into the picture. Essentially, one should follow a 2000 calorie count in a day, so by that definition, you would need to consume around about 75 to 78 grams of proteins in a day, and luckily a conventional steak is about the same amount.

This makes steaks an ideal dish to be eating if you're on a low-carb diet, but remember that this might not always be the case. Some steaks are overly coated with breadcrumbs, and potatoes are added as a form of stuffing, so the end product might contain more carbs than you require.

It's best to go for a traditional steak if you're on a keto diet rather than eating more carbs than you would typically need.

In terms of carbs, one should consume only about 40 to 50 carbs a day but remember this is only to get you started. Usually, dieticians will always ultimately start lowering this count so that you fully function on fats.

If you've had an excellent juicy fillet of meat and now you're wondering whether steak is keto friendly or not, well, my friend, today is your lucky day because I come with good news! Steak is, in fact, keto friendly.

If there's nothing added to it, for instance, bread crumbs or any form of external coatings like fried crumbs or bread crumbs along with some creamy potato filling, then there's a sure chance that the steak that you've just had or are about to have holds zero carbs.

Raw meat itself holds zero carbs, and even frying it in some garlic, rosemary, and oil's only going to increase the fat concentration and not add more carbs to it, so it's safe to consume steak if you're on a keto diet or a low carb diet.

Do make sure, though, that you have not exceeded your protein intake; for example, if you had smoked chicken fillet or smoked salmon for lunch, then maybe skip the steak unless you do rigorous exercise and plan on developing muscles.

If you're someone who has aimed to lose weight and not develop any muscles, then here's what I would recommend:

If you've already had smoked salmon for lunch, then you can save the steak for tomorrow's dinner night and have some Champagne along with it (Yes, champagne is another low-carb drink that Keto diet followers can consume but do adhere to the daily carb count).

What if you add eggs with Steak? Will it still be Keto?

Eggs do have carbs in them, but it amounts to around about 0.6 grams, while an average carb count in a day should be approximately 40 grams, or even if you're following the minimum carb count, then it should be 20, so having eggs with steak will not disrupt your diet significantly as opposed to having a slice of bread.

Hence, eating eggs with steak, I honestly can't think of a better keto pairing than the two. I mean, obviously, there are better pairings, but if you have the two items in your fridge, then I would suggest going for it.

Why Can't I Have Fried Steak?

There are two issues with this statement.

One, you can have fried steak, but you need to make sure you are not exceeding your carb count. An average fried steak will contain around 14 to 15 grams of carbs in total.
Two, if you've already had your carbs count for a single day fulfilled, then eating a fried steak is adding to it, which will only hinder your weight loss process.

I know it's hard to fight against cravings but if weight loss is your priority, then think about how all the hard work you put in will go to waste over a simple craving for fried steak.

There's no written statement that you can't eat fried steak but let's assume you've had one slice of bread in the morning (6 grams) and one oz of popcorns for snacks (21 grams); you've already eaten 27 grams of carbs so if you go beyond that by eating fried steak you will be eating more carbs than required.

If you eat more carbs, your body will automatically shift to using carbs as fuel, and all the fat that you are eating will end up building more, and rather than experiencing weight loss, you might end up gaining more weight.

But I can understand the craving of all my meat lovers out there, so I would recommend that if you really want to have steak, then just go for a traditional steak cooked in garlic, butter, and rosemary. Keto-friendly and delicious.

Steak: Nutritional Profile

To all my loveys who want to know the proper breakdown of a steak, then here's the answer. A traditional steak or raw meat typically includes:

Fat: 18 grams
Cholesterol: 165 mg
Proteins: 64.8 grams
Carbs: 0 grams

That zero gives you happiness, right? As a keto follower, seeing 0 carbs on any food item gives me immense joy, so if you felt as happy as I did, here's your sign of having steak in the upcoming days!

Steak is rich in proteins, and especially when you fry it in butter and keep on coating it with garlic and some rosemary or thyme for flavoring, it becomes the most exquisite dish that's rich in vitamin B, iron, and phosphorous.

On top of that, if you eat steak along with some cheese sauce, it's the best and most fulfilling dish you will eat.

Recipe: Sirloin Steak

You will need:

Sirloin steak
Unsalted butter
Sirloin steak marinade (made by mixing ¼ teaspoon of red pepper powder and 1 teaspoon of salt per pound of steak)
Chopped garlic gloves (2)

The first thing you need to do is to marinate the steak because we don't want to eat tasteless steak, right? Make sure your steaks and thoroughly washed under water, and then dry them out before you add in melted butter and seasonings.

Add everything in a ziplock bag and then massage the steaks properly so that all the flavors are properly soaked in. Add the chopped garlic at this point, too, and let it marinate for at least 30 minutes. I personally like marinating my steaks for over 2 hours but 30 minutes, so the least amount of time.

Once the marinating procedure is done and 30 minutes have gone by, preheat your cast iron grill pan. Once it's properly heated, put the steaks along with some butter onto the pan and sear on both sides to get those lines.

Sear both sides for 2 to 3 minutes at least.

Once that's done, put the pan in the oven to finish proper cooking but make sure you have preheated the oven at 400 F beforehand. Cook the steak according to your desired cooking time, and once it's done, let the steak rest and then serve!

It's that simple, and the best thing is that it contains just about 0 carbs!

Recipe: Thai Keto Salad

If you're looking to spruce your food palette with a bit of spice, this dish is the ultimate thing to go for.

The magic is all in the marinade!

Here's what you need to do:

First, you make the marinade, which is made of coconut oil, olive oil, lime juice, fish sauce, red curry paste, and black pepper.
Mix all ingredients according to your liking and spiciness.
Once the marinade is done, put your steak fillets in a separate dish and pour half of the marinade on it. Save the remaining half for the final salad dressing.
Marinate your fillets for at least 30 minutes, and then cook them on a cast iron grill for 2 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of the steak.
While that is cooking, prepare your salad. Cut up some cherry tomatoes, lettuce, cucumber slices, red onion, basil, and cilantro.
Use the remaining marinade to mix in the salad.
Once your steak is done, it is your choice if you want to eat it separately, but I would suggest slicing it up and mixing it in with the salad.

Your spicy keto Thai salad is all ready to be served and eaten!

Benefits of the Keto Diet

Following the keto diet allows you to lose weight in a healthy way without having to experience problems like iron deficiency or any other issues, for that matter. Some benefits are listed for our readers below.

Healthy Weight loss: The first benefit of following a keto diet is that it aids in immediate and fast weight loss. As opposed to other diets, the keto diet allows people to lose weight immediately.
Removes acne: Consuming processed food and unhealthy carbs is one of the primary reasons behind acne that many people experience, which is why the keto diet is recommended to people because it technically eliminates processed carbs and forces you to limit the percentage of carbs that you consume and increases the concentration of fats so that your body burns fat as fuel.
Reduces heart risks: Generally, people assume that the keto diet allows people to eat that greasy fried bacon along with pork chops or whatnot, but that could be far from the truth. The Keto diet asks its followers to consume healthy carbs, fats, and proteins; for example, eating avocado on almond bread is healthy and can be considered keto.
Since you're consuming healthy fats, heart diseases are reduced to a minimum, so the keto diet is perfect for those with high cholesterol levels.
Improves brain function: According to research done on the benefits of the keto diet and the release of ketones in the body suggests that adhering to the rules of the keto diet allows the body to generate ketones which aid in neuro-protective benefits; for example, strengthening the brain cells and the nerve cells. The long-term benefit of ketones is that it reduces Alzheimer's disease and helps the brain function more effectively.
Reduces PCOs Symptoms: Many women suffer from PCOs, which not only cause pain but also it causes hormonal acne and other hormonal issues as well within the women's body which is why following a low carb diet or a keto diet can help in preventing hormonal imbalance and levels of fasting insulin.
Reduces other risks and complications: Other complications like lower risk of diabetes are also complications that are reduced when following the low-carb diet. Other issues like kidney stones, vitamin deficiencies, and fatty liver are also eradicated.

We hope you found this article helpful, and do try the recipes as recommended! Happy dieting!

What is Keto?