A lot of people are now realizing the need to lose weight without compromising their health. Healthy lifestyles are on a high time rise and many are finding various diets, exercises and lifestyle habits that will make them fit, healthy, and happy. And the keto diet meal plan is a good way to start.
What is a keto diet?
The combination of a low-carb, high-fat, moderate-protein diet aids fat loss. It has numerous health, performance, and weight-loss benefits. The keto diet plan for weight loss burns fat for energy instead of the usual carbs.
Basics of a keto diet meal plan
The keto diet meal plan follows the principle of ‘maintaining ketosis’, a metabolic state that uses fat and protein to produce energy rather than glucose sourced from carbohydrates.
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Popular ketogenic sites recommend a total daily calorie intake of 70-80 percent fat, 5-10 percent carbohydrate, and 10-20 percent protein. This equates to around 165 grams of fat, 40 grams of carbohydrate, and 75 grams of protein in a 2000-calorie diet.
Here’s a keto diet plan for beginners who are in need of easy recipes to make their meals tastier and feel fuller.
For breakfast, you can try this easy to make Keto Egg Bowl recipe that will done so quickly and leave you feeling full and healthy. With a good amount of fat and protein, it’s a great start to your day.
You can also customize this with your own choice of toppings like bacons, bell peppers, avocado, sour cream or anything that is low-carb.
Keto Egg Bowl
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 25 mins
- Servings: 4
- Calories: 340 kcal
Ingredients:
- 8 eggs
- 1 12 oz roll breakfast sausage
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 cup chopped spinach
- 1 cup diced mushrooms
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup shredded cheese of choice
Instructions:
- In a large skillet over medium heat, cook and crumble sausage. Cook for 3-4 minutes more after adding the diced mushrooms and spinach to the skillet.
- Whisk the eggs and cream together in a large mixing dish. Add salt & pepper to taste.
- Melt butter in a separate skillet. Scramble the eggs until they are frothy.
- Combine cooked eggs and sausage mixture in a mixing bowl.
- Add the shredded cheese and mix well.
- Serve immediately or divide into meal containers.
For lunch, you can go vegetarian and try this mock potato salad which is low carb, keto, gluten-free, paleo. It is prepared with cauliflower and a delicious dressing that tastes as close to regular potato salad as you can get!
Since it is the middle of the day, you can keep your keto meal a yummy and healthy one that will boost your mood. This salad will make you feel energetic for the rest of the day!
Cauliflower Potato Salad
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 15 mins
- Servings: 4
- Calories: 227 kcal
Ingredients:
- 1 pound Cauliflower
- ? cup Mayonaise
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 2 tablespoon White Vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Paprika
- ¼ teaspoon Celery salt
- ¼ teaspoon Sea Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Pepper
- 2 Eggs Hard Boiled, chopped
- ¼ cup Red Onion Sliced
- ¼ cup Scallions chopped
Instructions:
- Cauliflower should be steamed until fork tender, about 10 minutes. Allow 20-30 minutes to cool to room temperature.
- Combine the next 9 ingredients in a mixing bowl, taste it, and adjust salt if necessary.
- In the same bowl as the cauliflower, whisk together the dressing, then add the onion, eggs, and scallions.
- Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or until ready to serve.
It’s dinner time! Whether you had a fun day with your family/friends or a busy work day, coming back home for dinner is the best feeling ever! To end your day on a good note, you can try this yummy keto shrimp scampi.
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Because anything can be turned into a pasta noodle, you can use summer squash instead of linguine noodles to keep the carbs low and make traditional shrimp scampi a nutritious dish. You might need a spiralizer tool to cut your squash into noodles.
Take the time out and prepare something fancy for yourself, you deserve it!
Keto Shrimp Scampi
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Servings: 2
- Calories: 334 kcal
Ingredients:
- 2 summer squash
- 2 tbsp butter unsalted
- ¼ cup chicken broth
- 2 tbsp lemon juice or white wine
- ? tsp red chili flakes
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 pound shrimp deveined
- 2 tbsp parsley chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
Instructions:
- Using a spiralizer, cut summer squash into noodle forms. Place the noodles on top of the paper towels. Set aside for 15-30 minutes after seasoning with salt. Blot or lightly wring out any excess moisture with dry paper towels.
- Melt butter in a saute or frying pan over medium heat and sauté garlic. Combine the chicken broth, lemon juice (or wine), and red chilli flakes in a large mixing bowl. Bring to a low boil before adding the shrimp. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook until shrimp turn pink.
- Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste. Toss in the summer squash noodles and herbs to evenly spread the shrimp and coat the noodles in the sauce.
- Remove the pan from the heat and serve.
These were three keto meals for all three times of the day. They are healthy, tasty and keeps you feeling good all day. Starting with rich proteins for the day, having a high-fat and energy-giving salad in the middle and finally ending with fulfilling shrimp noodles is a great keto diet meal plan that will work wonders!
To make your ketogenic diet more interesting and wholesome, here are bonus recipes for a beverage and a dessert that you can add to your daily meal plans during intervals.
For the beverage, here’s the recipe of Keto Peanut Butter Smoothie. This is a light and refreshing recipe which is dairy-free, low-cab with only 4.7g of net carbs per serving. This keto smoothie recipe is great for a sweet keto snack, a post-workout drink, or a quick breakfast.
Keto Peanut Butter Smoothie
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Total Time: 5 mins
- Servings: 2 smoothies
- Calories: 172 kcal
Ingredients:
- 1 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk
- 2 tablespoons Natural Peanut Butter, no added sugar
- 3 tablespoons Erythritol, erythritol or xylitol or monk fruit
- ¼ cup Heavy Cream or canned coconut cream if dairy-free
- 1 cup Crushed Ice or more for a frothy/icee smoothie
- 1 tablespoon Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
Instructions:
- Put all of the ingredients in a blender; the order doesn’t matter.
- Blend on high until completely smooth. Add a couple more ice cubes and blend until smooth if you want a frothier/icy smoothie.
- One large or two tiny smoothies can be made.
STORAGE
Keep leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, or in a glass mason jar that is airtight. You can combine the smoothie with 2 more ice cubes before serving to give it a frothy texture without adding carbs, or you can serve it right away. Refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
Moving to dessert, you must definitely try this Keto Mug Cake that can be done as fast as possible. This five-minute sweet treat is a great snack that will leave you craving for more.
You can make this with either almond flour or coconut flour and also try three different (vanilla, chocolate, peanut butter) versions of it.
Keto Mug Cake
- Prep Time: 4 mins
- Cook Time: 1 min
- Total Time: 5 mins
- Total Servings: 1
- Calories:
Chocolate- 312 kcal
Vanilla- 303 kcal
Peanut Butter- 395 kcal
Ingredients:
- 1 Tablespoon Butter, melted
- 1 Tablespoon Coconut flour or 3 Tbsp Almond flour
- 2 Tablespoons Granular Sweetener
- 1 Tablespoons Cocoa powder
- 1 Tablespoon Sugar free Peanut butter
- ½ teaspoon Baking powder
- 1 Egg, beaten
- Splash of vanilla
- 1 Tablespoon Sugar free Chocolate Chips
Instructions:
For Chocolate
- Melt the butter in a coffee mug in the microwave for 10 seconds. Combine the coconut or almond flour, sweetener, cocoa powder, baking powder, vanilla, and beaten egg in a mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly.
- Microwave for 60 seconds on high, being careful not to overcook. It will be dry if you overcook it. If desired, top with sugar-free chocolate chips.
For Vanilla
- Melt the butter in a coffee mug in the microwave for 10 seconds. Combine the coconut flour or almond flour, sweetener, baking powder, vanilla extract, and beaten egg in a large mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly.
- Microwave for 60 seconds on high, being careful not to overcook. It will be dry if you overcook it. If preferred, top with sugar-free chocolate chips or stir them in before baking.
For Peanut Butter
- Melt the butter in a coffee mug in the microwave for 10 seconds. Combine the coconut flour or almond flour, sweetener, baking powder, vanilla extract, and beaten egg in a large mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly. Blend the peanut butter in a swirling motion.
- Microwave for 60 seconds on high, being careful not to overcook. It will be dry if you overcook it. If desired, top with sugar-free chocolate chips.
While we’re at it, you should also know what kind of keto diet foods to avoid. Here are some:
- Sweet treats: Any food that contains sugar is a big no-no.
- Starchy food: All types of bread, bagels, pasta, popcorn, pizza, rice, corn, cereals, oatmeal, crackers, potatoes, muesli, granola, chips, French fries.
- Legumes: Black beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, chickpeas, lentils, etc
- Condiments: BBQ sauce, ketchup, hot sauces that contain sugar, and also a few salad dressings
- Almost all fruits: Bananas, apples, mango, plums, grapes, oranges, pineapple, watermelon and more.
So this was the keto diet meal plan for your diet needs. Instead of searching keto-friendly foods in restaurants, you can learn these simple and yummy recipes so that you can make them yourself whenever you want.
Also Read: Chocolate Recipes: A Sweet Therapy For Your Weight Loss
This keto diet plan for beginners is a great way to work around your weight loss journey without having the need to give up health and fitness.
