Ketogenic diet – Simple recipes and daily diet plan for losing weight
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If you’re thinking about an effective diet or weight loss, you’ve probably heard about the ketogenic diet. The Keto Diet has become one of the most popular methods for reducing weight and health improvement worldwide. Research has shown that using this high-protein low-carbohydrate diet can promote fat loss and even improve certain medical problems such as type 2 diabetes and cognitive impairment. In this article, we’re trying to explain what you should eat and avoid during the period of keto diet. In addition, we also offer a one-week Ketogenic diet plan with great recipes that can make your start easier.
Ketogenic diet – what do you need to know about the basics
The keto diet is usually very low in carbohydrates, high in fat and moderate in protein. If you want to follow a ketogenic diet, carbohydrates are usually reduced to below 50 grams per day, although there are stricter and liberal versions of the diet. Fats should also replace the majority of reduced carbohydrates and provide about 75% of your total calorie intake. Proteins should provide about 20% of the energy requirement, while carbohydrates are usually limited to 5%.
This reduction of carbs forces your body to rely on fats as a main source of energy rather than glucose. This is a process called ketosis. During ketosis, your body uses ketones – molecules that are produced in the liver from fats, when glucose is limited, as an alternative fuel source. Although fat is often avoided because of its high calorie content, studies show that ketogenic diets support weight loss much more effectively than low-fat diets. In addition, keto diets reduce hunger and increase satiety, which can be especially helpful in losing weight.
Ketogenic diet plan
Moving to a ketogenic diet can be overwhelming, but not too difficult. The focus should be on reducing carbohydrates while increasing the fat and protein content of meals and snacks. In order to reach and stay in ketosis, you must limit the consumption of carbohydrates.
While some people may only get into ketosis by eating less than 20 grams of carbohydrates per day, others with a much higher intake may be successful. In general, the lower the carbohydrate intake, the easier it is to reach and retain ketosis. Therefore, sticking to keto-friendly foods and avoiding high carbohydrate products is the best way to successfully lose weight with the ketogenic diet.
The following menu contains about 50 grams or a little more carbs per day. As mentioned above, some people may need to decrease the carbohydrates even more to achieve ketosis. This is a general one-week ketogenic daily menu that you can change depending on your individual nutritional needs. As you will see below, ketogenic meals can be varied, aromatic and delicious.
Although many ketogenic meals are based on animal products, there is a wide variety of vegetarian options. If you follow a more liberal ketogenic diet, adding a cup of berries to your breakfast or a small portion of starchy vegetables to your dinner increases the number of carbohydrates in that diet.
Ketogenic Diet: Day 1 (Monday)
Keto breakfast with coffee
Ingredients:
250 ml hot coffee
25 g of butter or
25 g of coconut butter
1-2 drops of vanilla / coconut flavor without sugar (optional)
1-2 drops of rum (optional)
Directions:
Prepare the coffee.
Add the ingredients in a blender except the vanilla flavor.
Mix for 30 seconds to emulsify well.
For a more pleasant taste, add a touch of vanilla, coconut or rum.
Pour into a glass and enjoy.
Keto lunch with burger meatball and salad
Ingredients:
1 chopped steak
2 slices of mozzarella
1 handful of chopped onion
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Iceberg lettuce leaves
Mustard
Directions:
In a well-heated skillet, cook the chopped steak for 3 minutes on each side.
Add 1 handful chopped onion with 2 tbsp. of olive oil.
Place a lid if you want the meat to be well done.
Remove the onion from the pan.
Arrange the mozzarella slices and cover with the lid.
Once cooked, remove from heat.
Add the green salad and the onion.
Garnish with mustard.
Keto dinner with lamb chops
Ingredients:
Lamb chops
1 handful of raw pistachios
50 gr of rocket leaves
5-6 radishes
75 g of butter
Salt and pepper
1 clove of garlic (for meat)
1 sprig of thyme (for meat)
Directions:
Chop the raw pistachios finely.
Season the meat with salt and black pepper and put it in a cold pan, fat side down.
Turn to seal.
Rub the meat with butter and garnish with pistachios.
In a small roasting pan, put the remaining butter, a little vegetable oil and 1 sprig of thyme.
Add the chops and bake for 20-30 minutes at 200 °C.
In a salad bowl, mix radishes and rocket.
Season to taste and serve.
Ketogenic Diet: Day 2 (Tuesday)
Keto breakfast – toast with eggs and avocado
Ingredients:
2 eggs
4-5 slices of bacon
Half avocado, sliced
1 handful of rocket
Parmesan cheese
Directions:
In a well-heated skillet, cook the bacon slices.
Use bacon fat to prepare the eggs.
Arrange grilled bacon and avocado on eggs.
Garnish with rocket.
Keto lunch with pork sausages
Ingredients:
2 sausages
A handful of fennel slices
A handful of green beans
1 stalk of celery
Salt
Pepper
Cardamom
Directions:
Pierce 6 times each sausage and cook them in a small oven dish.
Chop and add the vegetables in the dish.
Season and pour some olive oil.
Bake at 180 ⁰C for 20 min.
Keto dinner with salmon, spinach and mascarpone
Ingredients:
1 wild salmon fillet
100 g spinach
50 g mascarpone
1 avocado
Salt and pepper
Lemon juice and lemon zest
Crushed garlic
Directions:
Season the fish with salt and pepper.
Heat olive oil in a pan over high temperature and seal the fish fillet.
Place the washed spinach in the same pan, saute it for a while, add salt, pepper and garlic.
After about 5 minutes add the mascarpone and stir.
Place the spinach in a plate, top with sliced avocado and the fish, skin side up.
Sprinkle with lemon zest and a little lemon juice.
Ketogenic Diet: Day 3 (Wednesday)
Breakfast with Scrambled eggs, spinach and mozzarella
Ingredients:
2 eggs
A handful of spinach
A handful of mozzarella, cut in cubes
1 tsp of coconut oil
Half avocado
Two radishes
Directions:
In a frying pan, heat the coconut oil.
Add the spinach.
Add cubes of mozzarella and eggs and mix.
Serve hot and garnish with radishes and avocado.
Keto lunch with duck breast and spinach
Ingredients:
1 duck breast
100 g spinach
Salt and pepper
Directions:
Score the fat of the duck breast in a square pattern with a knife.
Season with salt and pepper. Put the duck breasts in a cold skillet, skin side down.
Fry for 3-4 minutes, then flip and fry the other side for another 3-4 minutes.
Transfer to roasting pan and bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius.
In the meantime boil the spinach.
Drain the spinach and put in a plate.
Take out the meat from the oven and cut into slices.
Arrange on top of the spinach.
Dinner with pork sausages, broccoli and stuffed mushrooms
Ingredients:
2 sausages
5 broccoli florets, halved
4-5 mushrooms
Mozzarella cheese
Directions:
Pierce the sausages, put them in a casserole, add the broccoli.
Place mozzarella in the mushrooms, sprinkle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and add 30 ml water.
Bake for 20 minutes at 180 degrees C.
Ketogenic Diet: Day 4 (Thursday)
Keto pancakes for breakfast
Ingredients:
3 eggs
50 g almond flour
10 g coconut flour
5 g baking powder
25 g melted butter
Directions:
Whisk the eggs, add the dry ingredients and then add the melted butter.
Add the mixture with a measuring spoon in pan over medium heat.
Bake for about two minutes on each side.
You can use a lid to help the pancake roast inside.
Garnish with agave syrup and berries.
Keto lunch – duck leg with green beans and rocket salad
Ingredients:
1 duck leg
1 cup frozen green beans,
Worcestershire sauce
A handful of rocket
Grated parmesan
Directions:
Make a few cuts of the skin of the duck leg.
Place the vegetables in a baking dish.
Place the meat on top, add 30 ml of water and a little olive oil.
Roast in an oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes or until the meat reaches 71 degrees internal temperature.
Vegetarian keto dinner with eggplant
Ingredients:
4 slices of eggplant
2 canned tomatoes
8 mozzarella slices
A handful of grated parmesan cheese
1/4 chopped onion
1 clove of garlic
Salt
Pepper
Marjoram or fresh basil
Directions:
Cut the eggplant and season with salt and let rest for a few minutes.
Dry the water with paper towel.
Heat olive oil and fry the eggplants on both sides.
In the same skillet fry the onion and garlic and add the chopped tomatoes.
Season your sauce with salt, pepper and marjoram or basil.
In a small tray, arrange a slice of eggplant, tomato sauce and two slices of mozzarella. Repeat.
Sprinkle with the grated parmesan.
Bake in an oven at 200 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes.
Ketogenic Diet: Day 5 (Friday)
Breakfast – Keto muffins
Ingredients:
4 eggs
50 ml milk
75 g of melted butter
100 g almond flour
30 g of coconut flour
5 g baking powder
150 g frozen berries
Directions:
Mix the ingredients in a bowl.
Add 2 tablespoons into a tray with cupcake liners.
Bake in preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes.
Garnish with mascarpone and lavender.
Lunch – Duck leg with mashed zucchini and ricotta
Ingredients:
1 zucchini
2 tbsp ricotta
1 duck leg
Worcestershire sauce
Directions:
Make a few cuts of the skin of the duck leg.
Place the vegetables in a baking dish.
Place the meat on top, add 30 ml of water and a little olive oil.
Roast in an oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes or until the meat reaches 71 degrees internal temperature.
Put the zucchini and ricotta in a bowl and mash them with a fork.
Top with lemon zest.
Dinner – Stuffed zucchini with ricotta, cottage and parmesan cheese
Ingredients:
2 zucchini
2 tbsp ricotta cheese
2 tbsp cottage cheese
Grated parmesan for sprinkling
Thyme and garlic, optional
Directions:
Scoop out the seeds of each zucchini half with a spoon.
In a bowl, mix cottage and ricotta cheese and add spices of your choice and some olive oil.
Divide cheese mixture between four zucchini halves and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Bake in an oven at 200 degrees Celsius for 40 minutes.
Ketogenic Diet: Day 6 (Saturday)
Breakfast – Keto Buddha bowl
Ingredients:
2 tbsp SKYR
1 tbsp mascarpone
1 tbsp ricotta
Vanilla essence
Matcha tea powder
Directions:
In a bowl, mix skyr, mascarpone, ricotta, matcha and vanilla essence.
Mix until mixture is homogeneous.
Transfer the mixture to another bowl and garnish with frozen berries.
Add hemp seeds, ground almonds and a few slices of kiwi.
Serve with a cinnamon stick.
Lunch – Broccoli soup with parmesan chips and duck breast
Ingredients:
1 duck breast
300 g broccoli
1 tbsp mascarpone
Grated Parmesan cheese
Directions:
Place broccoli in a pot and boil them.
Puree the boiled broccoli, add the mascarpone and a handful of Parmesan in the soup.
Score the fat of the duck breast in a square pattern with a knife.
Season the duck with salt and pepper, put it in a cold skillet, skin side down and cook for 8 minutes.
Turn and cook for another 5 minutes.
Transfer to a small tray and bake in the oven for another 10-12 minutes.
In the same tray, put parmesan besides the meat and until the meat is cooked, it will become crusty.
Slice the duck breast thinly.
Decorate the soup with parmesan chips and duck breast slices.
Pour a drizzle of olive oil.
Dinner – Keto steak with fresh salad
Ingredients:
1 beef steak
1 egg
3 slices of bacon
3 mushrooms
Iceberg salad or other fresh vegetables
Butter
Thyme
Garlic
Salt and pepper
Directions:
Season the meat.
Cut the mushrooms in four.
In a frying pan, cook the steak with the slices of bacon.
Add a little butter, thyme and garlic.
Remove the meat and fry the mushrooms and the egg in the same pan.
Cook on both sides.
Serve steak on a plate and cover with bacon.
Add the egg and mushrooms.
Ketogenic Diet: Day 7 (Sunday)
Breakfast – Keto eggs benedict
Ingredients:
4 eggs
125 g butter
A few drops of lemon juice
Rocket
½ cucumber
Salt and pepper
Bacon, optional
Directions:
Put a pot of water and bring to a simmer. Make sure the water is not boiling.
Divide the egg yolks from the egg whites of 2 eggs in separate bowls. Set the two yolks aside.
Grease a piece of cling film, place it in a bowl and add one egg plus 1 of the egg white.
Seal the cling film up at the top by twisting together and tie with twine.
Place the eggs into the simmering water and cook for 7-8 minutes.
In the meantime, melt the butter.
Whisk the egg yolks and slowly drizzle butter into eggs, whisking constantly.
Season with salt, pepper and a few drops of lemon.
Cut the cucumber, top with rocket.
Add the bacon.
Carefully take the poached eggs and place them on top of the rocket
Spoon Hollandaise sauce over the eggs and serve.
Lunch – Steak Wellington
Ingredients:
1 beef fillet
4-5 mushrooms
4 slices of bacon
Directions:
Chop the mushrooms and cook them in a heated pan with olive oil, some dry dill, salt, pepper.
Arrange the bacon on cling film, place the steak over and spread the mushrooms on top of the meat.
Roll and tie with a cotton thread
Bake in the oven for 30 minutes at 200°C.
Cut the thread and remove it.
Serve with green salad.
Dinner – Keto sushi
Ingredients:
1 salmon fillet
2 tbsp mascarpone
1 avocado
Cucumber
Olive oil
Lemon juice
Salt
Pepper
Directions:
Cut the avocado and arrange the slices on cling film.
Season the mascarpone with salt, pepper and olive oil.
Spread mascarpone over the avocado slices.
Sear the fish in a pan with lemon juice and a little olive oil.
Place the fish on top of the mascarpone, add cucumber and roll.
Cut like sushi.
Serve with wasabi and marinated ginger.
