
Kickstart Your Health with a 7-Day Keto Diet Plan
Getting Started with a Keto Diet: Basics and Weekly Meal Plan
If you want to lose weight without harm to your health, then a ketogenic or keto diet will suit you. You may have heard of the keto diet before, but still don't understand its essence. In this article, we will talk about the basics of the keto diet and give a keto diet plan for the week to make it easier for you to start.
What is the keto diet?
A ketogenic diet is a diet plan that leads your body to ketosis, a condition in which the body uses fat as the main source of fuel (instead of carbohydrates).
During the diet, most of the calories you consume come from fats, low in protein, and low in carbohydrates. Ketosis also occurs with a low-calorie diet.
Doctors recommend a ketogenic diet in three cases: for the treatment of epilepsy, type 2 diabetes
and weight loss
According to a study published in the journal Advances in Nutrition in June 2020, the keto diet can also help improve the short-term and long-term cognitive abilities of people who live with Alzheimer's disease and experience mild cognitive impairment.
One of the disadvantages of a ketogenic diet: keto flu. One study published in March 2020 in Frontiers in Nutrition found that in 43 different online forums for people following a keto diet, about a third of commenters reported this short-term side effect of keto. According to Harvard Health Publishing, in the first few days of a keto diet, you may experience headaches, muscle cramps, fatigue, nausea, constipation, and other flu symptoms. These symptoms usually go away within a few days. To eliminate the symptoms of keto-flu, you need to drink plenty of fluids with electrolytes, according to StatPearls.
Basic principles of the keto diet
If you decide to try a keto diet, you should follow the basic principles of nutrition. About 60 to 80% of calories come from fats. This means that the main diet is meat, fats, oils, and a limited number of non-starchy vegetables.
The remaining calories in the keto diet come from protein - about 1 g per kilogram of body weight. As for carbohydrates, most people maintain ketosis by consuming 20 to 50 g of pure carbohydrates per day.
It should be remembered that ketosis is easy to get out of. This means that if you break your diet, your body may return to burning carbohydrates as fuel, not fat.
List of permitted foods on the keto diet
It is important to know which foods are allowed in a ketogenic diet and which are strictly prohibited. Before you start sticking to a keto diet, make sure it is right for you.
Protein
The ketogenic diet is not rich in protein (they focus on fats), so it should be consumed in moderation.
Allowed
- Beef grass fattening
- Fish, especially fatty, such as salmon
- Dark chicken meat
Limited
- Bacon
- Low-fat proteins such as skinless chicken breast and shrimp. They can be included in the keto diet as a supplement to fats
Forbidden
- Purchased sausage, sausages, ham, balyk, and other processed products
- Meat marinated in sweet sauces
- Fish or chicken nuggets
Oils
Allowed
- Avocado oil
- Olive oil
- Coconut oil
- Butter
- Thick cream
Limited
- Sunflower oil
- Safflower oil
- Corn oil
- Forbidden
- Margarine
- Artificial trans fats
Fruits and vegetables
Allowed
- Avocado
- Leafy greens, such as spinach and arugula
- Celery
- Asparagus
Limited
- Leek
- Zucchini
- Eggplant
Forbidden
- Potatoes
- Corn
- Raisins
Walnuts and seeds
Allowed
- Walnuts
- Almonds
- Flax and chia seeds
Limited
- Unsweetened nut oils (almond or peanut oil)
- Cashew
- Pistachios
Forbidden
- Dried fruits
- Sweetened nut or seed oils
- Walnuts in chocolate
Dairy products
Allowed
- Cheddar cheese
- Blue cheese
- Feta cheese
Limited
- Cottage cheese
- Greek yogurt
- Ricotta cheese
Forbidden
- Milk
- Sweetened low-fat yogurt
- Ice cream
Sweeteners
Always exercise moderation with sweeteners.
Limited
- Stevia
- Erythritol
- Xylitol
Forbidden
- Agave
- Honey
- Maple syrup
- White and brown sugar
Seasonings and sauces
Allowed
- Guacamole
- Lemon-butter sauce
- Homemade mayonnaise (make sure it has no sugar)
Limited
- Garlic
- Tomato sauce (look without added sugar)
- Balsamic vinegar
Forbidden
- Barbecue sauce
- Ketchup
- Honey mustard
Drinks
Allowed
- Water
- Almond milk
- Bone broth
- Tea without sweeteners
Limited
- Black coffee (watch caffeine consumption)
- Unsweetened carbonated water (limit only if the bubbles cause bloating)
- Diet soda
- Zero-calorie drinks
Forbidden
- Soda
- Fruit juice
- Lemonade
- Latte, cappuccino, and other coffee drinks
Herbs and spices
Allowed
- All herbs and spices are suitable for the keto diet, but if you eat them in large quantities, we advise you to consider carbohydrates.
- Salt (salt products to taste)
- Pepper
- Thyme, oregano, pepper, and cayenne pepper
Limited
- Ground ginger
- Ground garlic
- Ground onion
Forbidden
No herbs or spices are forbidden in the keto diet. Everything can be used in small quantities to flavor food.
Nutritional supplements
- Dietary fiber
- Multivitamins
- MCT oil
- Exogenous ketones
Keto diet plan for 7 days
Day 1
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs fried in butter and avocado salad
Snack: Sunflower seeds
Lunch: Spinach salad with grilled salmon
Snack: Celery and bell pepper sticks with guacamole
Dinner: Pork chop with cauliflower and purple puree
Day 2
Breakfast: Bulletproof coffee (butter and coconut oil), hard-boiled eggs
Snack: Almonds
Lunch: Tuna salad with tomatoes, celery, and greens
Snack: Roast beef and sliced cheese rolls
Dinner: Meatballs with zucchini noodles, topped with cream sauce
Day 3
Breakfast: Omelet with cheese and vegetable salsa
Snack: Greek yogurt with chopped nuts
Lunch: Salad with turkey, arugula, avocado, and blue cheese
Snack: Smoothies made of almond milk, almond oil, and protein
Dinner: Grilled salmon with spinach fried in coconut oil
Day 4
Breakfast: Smoothies made of almond milk, almond oil, and protein
Snack: Two hard-boiled eggs
Lunch: Chicken cutlets with almond flour with a salad of greens, cucumbers, and goat cheese
Snack: Slices of goat cheese and bell pepper
Dinner: Grilled shrimp seasoned with creamy lemon sauce with asparagus
Day 5
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with bacon and herbs
Snack: A handful of walnuts with a quarter cup of berries
Lunch: Caesar salad with chicken
Snack: Celery sticks in almond oil
Dinner: Rice with tofu, cauliflower, broccoli, and pepper, seasoned with homemade peanut sauce
Day 6
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with avocado
Snack: Nuts
Lunch: Grilled salmon with avocado and cucumber
Snack: Fatty cottage cheese with berries
Dinner: Grilled beef skewers with broccoli puree and bell peppers
Day 7
Breakfast: Omelet with vegetables
Snack: Sunflower seeds
Lunch: Cobb salad of greens, hard-boiled eggs, avocado, cheese, and turkey
Snack: Smoothies made of almond milk, almond oil, and protein
Dinner: Baked trout with stewed cabbage
If you decide to follow a ketogenic diet, you should understand that you need to think carefully about your daily diet. The main products of keto food are nuts, avocados, salmon, and berries. These products are quite expensive, but you can't do without them. Therefore, the keto diet is not suitable for everyone.
We have prepared for you a special list of keto products for the week. You can use the Costless app to estimate the cost of the grocery cart and choose the best deals.