A Complete Meal Plan on A Ketogenic Diet

A keto meal plan is one of the best plans to reduce weight and stay fit. But, jumping into keto diet without a solid plan can lead you to failures and disappointments only. Make a proper approach after discussing with experts, follow it wisely, and get the best out of your efforts. In the present time, more and more athletes are preferring to follow a high fat or low carbohydrate diet plan. Switch from using carbs to using fat or ketones for fuel, you will feel healthier, leaner, healthier, and mentally focused.

It can be difficult to follow a healthy ketogenic diet plan, especially when you are new to this plan. This low-carbohydrate diet plan can help you in adding the right food to your diet menu or making the right and healthy choices. A ketogenic diet approach is simply a very low approach where the whole focus is on eating nutritious and real foods, not just foods high in fat or low in carbs. Are you new to keto diet? Here you will find a complete guide to keto meal plan and supplementation. In this post, you will find few meal plans that will help you in sticking with keto diet plan. Let’s check them out:

1. Eat Freely

Non-starchy vegetables

Leafy greens (Bok choy, swiss chard, chard, spinach, chives, lettuce, radicchio, endive, etc.)
Cruciferous vegetables such as radishes, kohlrabi, and kale (dark leaf)
Celery stalk, cucumber, asparagus, bamboo shoots, and summer squash (spaghetti, squash, zucchini)

Healthy fats

Saturated (tallow, lard, duck fat, chicken fat, ghee/clarified butter, coconut oil, goose fat)
Polyunsaturated omega 3s fat from seafood and fatty fish
Monounsaturated (macadamia, olive oil, and avocado)

Wild animal and grass-fed sources

Wild caught seafood and fish, pastured poultry and pork, grass-fed food or meat (lamb, venison, goat, beef) gelatin, butter, pastured eggs, ghee. All these food are rich in omega 3 fatty acids (remember to avoid meat and sausages covered in hot dogs and breadcrumbs, and meats come with starchy and sugary sauces)
Grass-fed, offal (heart, kidneys, liver, or other organs)

Condiments and beverages

Mustard, mayonnaise, pickles, pesto, bone broth, fermented foods (kombucha, kimchi, or sauerkraut)
Water (still), tea (herbal, black), coffee (black or with coconut milk or cream)
All herbs and spices, line or lemon juice, or zest
Whey protein (beware of artificial sweeteners, additives, soy lecithin, and hormones)
Gelatin and egg-white protein (grass-fed or hormone free)
Fruits
Avocado

2. Foods You Need to Avoid Completely

Foods come into this category are factory-farmed meat, foods high in carbs, and processed foods

Factory-farmed fish and pork: They may include PCBs and rich in inflammatory omega 6 fatty acids, avoid to eat fish rich in mercury

All grains: Whole meal (rye, corn, wheat, oats, millet, barley, rice, sorghum, buckwheat, amaranth, sprouted grains) and white potatoes. This contains all items made from grains (like bread, cookies, pizza, pasta, crackers), sweets and sugar (ice creams, table sugar, cakes, agave syrup, sugary soft-drinks, and sweer puddings)

Processed foods: Foods that store carrageenan, for example, almond milk items, sulphites (in gelatin and dried fruits), MSG (in few whey protein items), and wheat gluten

Low-fat or zero carbohydrate products: Diet drinks and soda, Atkins products, mints, chew gum can contain high carbs or gluten and artificial additives.

Artificial sweeteners: Equal, Splenda, sweeteners including Acesulfame, Aspartame, Saccharin, Sucralose, etc. and may result in cravings or other problems

Refined oils or fats: It includes products such as sunflower, cottonseed, safflower, corn oil, soybean, canola, grapeseed and trans fats like margarine

Alcoholic and sweet drinks: Drinks like sweet wine, beer, and cocktails come into this category

Milk: A little amount of full-fat and raw milk is permitted. Milk is not a better option for few reasons:
Milk is hard to digest as compared to other dairy items
High in carbs i.e. 4 to 5 grams of carbohydrates per 100 ml

Tropical fruits: Banana, mango, papaya, pineapple, and few high-carb fruits like grapes and tangerine. Also, ignore to have fruit juices. (Smoothies are better option than fresh juice, but only a limited amount). Fruits like raisins and dates also included, if taken in high quantity.

3. Food You Can Have Occasionally

Seeds and nuts

Almonds, walnuts, pecans, pine nuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, flaxseed, hazelnuts, hemp seeds, sesame seeds
Macadamia nuts, rich in MUFA and low in carbs
Brazil nuts, don’t intake in large quantity

Fruits, vegetables, and mushrooms

Fruits like blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, mulberries, cranberries, etc.
Few cruciferous vegetables (green, red, and white cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, turnips, fennel, Brussels sprouts, swede/rutabaga)
Nightshades (peppers, tomatoes, and eggplant)
Bean sprouts, wax beans, water chestnuts, okra, French or globe artichokes, sea vegetables
Root vegetable, onion, leek, garlic, pumpkin, mushrooms, etc.
Olives and coconut

Full-fat dairy and green-fed animal sources

Dairy products such as cottage cheese, full-fat yogurt, sour cream, cheese, etc.
Poultry, beef, ghee, eggs (ignore farmed pork, very high in omega 6s fatty acids)
Bacon, beware of extra starches and preservatives

Condiments

Sugar-free tomato items including passata, ketchup, and puree
Carob and cocoa powder, dark chocolates
Healthy zero carbohydrate sweeteners like Swerve, Stevia, Erythritol, etc.

Fermented soy items

Black soybeans and green soybeans (Edamame), unprocessed
Only fermented and non-GMO products like Tempeh, Natto, and tamari

Alcoholic

Dry red and white wine, unsweetened spirits, ignore if looking to reduce weight, good for weight maintenance

Other products

Some nuts, fruits, seeds, and vegetables with limited carbs
Watermelon, Galia/cantaloupe/honeydew melons
Chestnuts, cashew nuts, and pistachio
A very little amount or it is best to avoid totally: dragon fruit, apricot, peach, apple, kiwi berries, plums, figs, pears. Orange, and more

Here, we’ve listed down what to eat and what to not while on a ketogenic diet. Keep everything in your mind while on a keto diet to get the best results. All in all, ketogenic diet plan is not just for reducing weight or fat at any cost, in fact, it is all about adopting a better and healthier lifestyle.