The Truth About Cauliflower And The Keto Diet

If you've ever been on a diet, then you know success is all about following the rules. Of course, some rules (wearing your seatbelt) are much easier to follow than others (driving 55). To follow a keto diet, though, there might be some hope for those of us who have a hard time going by the book. According to Eat This, Not That!, the key to success in following a keto diet is focusing on what you can eat rather than what you can't, and there are a lot of keto-friendly foods to enjoy. 

The ketogenic diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet that involves reducing the number of carbohydrates you eat and replacing those carbs with fat (via Healthline). The goal is to put your body into a metabolic state known as ketosis at which point your body becomes good at burning fat for energy instead of carbs. But, vegetables, like cauliflower, contain carbs, so that must mean a keto diet means avoiding vegetables, right? Not exactly.

In a myth-busting effort by Mashed, we interviewed an expert in the keto arena, Heidi Skolnik. Not only does Skolnik have an impressive list of acronyms after her name including MS, CDN, FACSM, but she's also a nutrition consultant for the protein brand Protein2o and a regular consultant to Hollywood A-listers. Skolnik took the time to explain to us how the standard ketogenic diet works. 

Basically, it's made up of the following breakdown of your daily calorie intake: 70 percent to 75 percent from fat (think avocados, walnuts, and almonds, according to Eat This, Not That!), 20 percent from protein (the outlet recommends grass-fed beef as an option), and 10 percent from carbs, which equals about 20 to 25 grams of carbs a day.

Getting back to those veggies, Skolnik says it is a good idea to spend much of your carb intake on vegetables. But, what about cauliflower? According to Healthline, one cup of cauliflower has only five grams of carbs, making it a good substitute for starchy foods like mashed potatoes or rice. 

If you prefer to dress up your cauliflower, there are some scrumptious-sounding recipes available that can safely be incorporated into your keto diet like Low Carb Maven's Loaded Cauliflower, which is complete with butter, sour cream, chives, cheddar cheese, and — as if the recipe couldn't get any better — bacon. Now, if that dish is keto-friendly, then so are we!