Some athletes widely use the keto diet, but it has recently become very fashionable for its positive results in weight loss. This diet consists in eliminating or reducing as much as possible those foods that contain a lot of sugar and starch. In addition, carbohydrate-rich foods such as bread, pasta, rice and potatoes should also be avoided.

The richness of Puerto Rican gastronomy not only stands out for its flavor, texture and color, but it also has many dishes that will serve your Keto diet. The variety and wonderful tastes of Puerto Rican dishes will make you not even know that you are doing a weight loss diet. So, here are five ideas of Puerto Rican keto recipes for you to try.

Puerto Rican Keto Foods

Ketogenic meals allow the body to have a metabolic state in which the main energy source comes from fat and ketone rather than glucose. 

In a state of ketosis, the body can oxidize fats, including the individual’s reserves. These are some of the Puerto Rican foods that can be useful for ketosis:

1- Sofrito

To start with Puerto Rican keto recipes, you need to know the preparation of the basic ingredient in the meals of this country: sofrito. And luckily for you, it is suitable for a ketogenic diet as long as you take care of the quantities of vegetables that can have a lot of starch, such as carrots. 

The main ingredients you need for its preparation are onion, tomato and oil. More vegetables can be added depending on the tastes of the person preparing it and the time available. In this case, a third factor influences the ketogenic diet. Therefore, only a clove of garlic and a little bell pepper will be added. 

For the preparation, you must first heat extra virgin olive oil. Then, when the oil begins to heat, you must add the garlic. 

After the garlic cooks for a minute or two and begins to brown, it is time to add the onion and the peppers and cook them over low heat until they are almost caramelized. Then, finally, it is time to salt the sofrito.

The next step is to add the diced tomato. Keep in mind that if you add it at the same time as the onion, it will not be able to caramelize and will not be a sofrito anymore.

2- Fish Soup

Different types of fish are suitable for keto dishes. Oily fish such as salmon, sardines, mackerel and tuna are excellent choices. To prepare this delicacy, choose the fish that best suits your tastes.

To make it, you only need to heat the oil over medium heat and add sweet peppers, carrots and ½ teaspoon salt. Then, add and crush the anchovy fillets to the pot with a garlic paste. After one minute, add the tomatoes and mix well with the other ingredients. Next, add 1 liter of water, the spices and salt and leave on low heat for 15 minutes.

Add the fish fillets of your choice and cook until they flake easily when pierced with a fork. 

This soup also usually contains potatoes, but it is better to avoid it if we want a ketogenic meal. Keep that in mind when calculating the measures of the ingredients that have carbohydrates, such as tomatoes.

3- Pork Meatballs

Unlike other diets, the keto diet does not avoid consuming fat because by controlling the intake of carbohydrates, blood glucose levels remain stable and without ups and downs. Just the opposite of what happens when we consume a lot of carbohydrates. That’s why you can afford to eat delicious meatballs of the meat you like the most.

In this case, the pork meatballs for Puerto Rican keto recipes should be without breadcrumbs, but there are alternatives that you might even like better. For example, one option with only three ingredients is to make it with cheese, chili and ground beef. 

To prepare these keto meatballs, mix the three ingredients in a large bowl, add salt and pepper to taste, assemble the meatballs and fry them in butter or oil. 

It will surely be an option that will get you out of trouble, and everyone in your house will want to try it.

4- Onion Steak

Another traditional keto food from Puerto Rico is the Bistec de Carne vacuna encebollado (beef steak with onions). Undoubtedly this is one of the star dishes in Puerto Rican gastronomy. To prepare it, you will need the following ingredients: 

• 3 steak fillets
• 1 onion 
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 bay leaf
• ⅓ cup white vinegar 
• 4 cloves garlic 
• Salt 
• Pepper sauce or pepper powder

For its procedure, you must marinate the fillets with salt, pepper and garlic or with the spices you like the most. Then, a few hours later, add the water, vinegar and olive oil to a frying pan together with the chopped onion, garlic and bay leaf. Finally, when the onion softens, you can add the fillets. In this step, you should put it over low heat and wait until the meat is cooked and tender.

Undoubtedly this dish is a delight. Therefore, think about making this meal in abundant quantities because everyone will surely want to try it when they see or smell it.

5- Pork Leg

This cut of meat consists of the rear end of the pig. It is available with and without bone and can be obtained whole or in halves. Here are the steps to prepare it to make the best Puerto Rican-style pork leg. 

You will need 1 pork leg, a teaspoon of salt for each pound that your pork leg weighs, a clove of garlic, oregano, ground pepper, olive oil, and kosher salt or sea salt for the leather. 

The procedure will consist of 9 steps:

1. Mix all the ground garlic, salt, oregano and pepper together and add olive oil until a paste is formed. 
2. Place the pork leg on a baking sheet. With a long sharp knife, peel off all the leather, almost from one side of the leg to the other. Leave a part of it stuck on.
3. Lift the peeled-off hide, and underneath, with a thin knife, make holes all over the meat.
4. Spread all the mixture on the leg, underneath the hide and enter the holes with your fingers.
5. Make shallow lines with the knife and dry well with a paper towel to spread the salt over the hide.
6. Store uncovered in the refrigerator for at least overnight. 
7. Half an hour before starting to cook, remove the pork leg from the refrigerator.
8. Dry the hind leg skin with a paper towel and brush a little olive oil on the skin.
9. Cook for 5 hours until the skin is crispy but not burnt.

A delicious and crunchy pork leg is ready! When it’s time to serve it, you can accompany it with a Caribbean sauce to make your experience with this meal perfect.

Beverages 

It is important to take into account the beverages to get into ketosis. Refrain from spoiling your entire diet by neglecting this aspect. Even many drinks we consider healthy are not ketogenic because of their amount of carbohydrates. Here are some Puerto Rican Keto drinks that are tasty and easy to get.

Tea

Tea, besides being ketogenic, has many health benefits that our body will appreciate, such as reducing cellular aging, eliminating toxins and improving the immune system. Undoubtedly, the varieties you will find in Puerto Rico will make tea the most awaited time of the day.

Coffee

For many, eliminating coffee from their diet is almost impossible. If this is your case, it should not be a concern. Coffee will not be a problem for ketosis. Coffee without sugar or milk is a ketogenic drink. If the idea of not using milk does not convince you, you have some alternatives since a spoonful of cream has less than one gram of carbohydrates. There are even cream substitutes with flavors specially designed for those who miss this component in their coffee or tea. The good thing is that Puerto Rico coffee is one of the most famous in the world. You can choose among its many varieties and choose the one you like the most. 

Lemonade 

Unlike orange juice, lemon juice, in addition to having excellent properties for the body, has only 2 grams of carbohydrates per 25 grams of juice. That is, a minimum amount will not get you out of ketosis. 

Take advantage of this easy-to-prepare option for hot days since it is a refreshing and satiating drink. In addition, if you consume it, you can enjoy its benefits: obtaining vitamin C and reducing uric acid and kidney stones.

Conclusión

Now you have more ideas for a diet based on ketogenic foods. Consider consulting a professional when changing your diet and inform yourself about the benefits and precautions you should take when doing a ketogenic diet.

These tasty keto recipes are sure to be the easiest keto diet of your life. However, if you are not looking for a diet, these recipes will still be an incredible and different option to make at home.