What Do You Eat in the First Week of Your Keto (Ketogenic) Diet Plan?

The ketogenic, or keto, diet is a strict, low-carb, moderate-protein, and high-fat diet plan that helps people lose weight, cleanse their bodies of extra sugars, and improve their overall health. In the first week of your ketogenic diet plan, eat less than 50 grams of carbohydrates daily.

The goal of a keto diet is to reduce carbs in your body and rely on fats as an energy source instead of glucose. This process is called ketosis. Keto diets can decrease hunger, facilitating weight loss.

However, since the diet includes a high-fat content, it may also raise “bad” cholesterol (LDL) levels in your body, increasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, consult a professional dietician before starting a keto diet.

Starting a ketogenic diet is straightforward. Focus on curbing carbohydrate intake and increasing fat and protein content. The lower your carbohydrate consumption, the easier it is to achieve your goals.

A keto diet includes specific foods rich in fats and low in carbs. Following this strict routine is necessary for faster weight loss.

Keto-friendly foods

The best and most effective keto-friendly foods include:

• Avocados: Add mashed or whole avocados to any meal or snack.
• Non-Starchy Vegetables: Broccoli, mushrooms, tomatoes, peppers, and greens
• Meat: Beef, venison, organic meats, pork, and bison
• Fatty Fish: Salmon, sardines, herring, and mackerel
• Poultry: Chicken, ducks, turkey, and geese
• Eggs: Organic, pastured, or normal
• Full-Fat Dairy: Butter, Unsweetened yogurt, and cream
• Full-Fat Cheese: Cheddar, mozzarella, goat cheese, brie, and cream cheese
• Oils Rich in Healthy Fats: Olive oil, avocado oil, peanut oil, canola oil, and sesame oil
• Nuts and Seeds: Almonds, macadamia nuts, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, peanuts, and flaxseeds
• Nut butter: Non-sugary peanuts, cashew butter, and almond butter
• Condiments: Vinegar, salt, pepper, lemon juice, spices, and fresh herbs

Foods to avoid

While planning your keto diet, watch out for specific foods rich in carbohydrates and limit their intake. Foods to avoid include:

• Baked Items: Whole wheat bread, crackers, doughnuts, white bread, cookies, and rolls
• Sugary Foods: Maple syrup, ice cream, sugar, candy, coconut sugar, honey, and all sorts of sweets
• Pasta: Macaroni, spaghetti, and other wheat noodles
• Grain-related Products: Tortillas, rice, wheat, and breakfast cereals
• Starchy Items: Sweet potatoes, butternut squash, potatoes, peas, corn, and pumpkin
• Legumes: Black beans, lentils, chickpeas, and kidney beans
• Fruit: Grapes, citrus fruits, bananas, and pineapple
• Sugary Beverages: Sweetened teas, sodas, carbonated drinks, sports drinks, and sweetened juices
• Alcoholic Beverages: Beer and sugar-containing drinks
• Carb-rich Sauces: Honey mustard, barbecue sauce, sugary salad dressings, ketchup, and dipping sauces

You can include low glycemic fruits in your keto diet plan as long as you maintain the correct percentage of carbs, fats, and proteins. These fruits include strawberries, blueberries, oranges, tomatoes, apples, etc.

Replace all processed foods from your pantry with whole foods.

Keto-friendly beverages

Sugar is an essential part of various beverages such as coffee, juice, iced tea, and sodas. Since a keto diet plan is about curbing carbs and sugar, avoid specific types of beverages.

Sugar-containing drinks are associated with health issues such as type 2 diabetes and obesity.

Opt for delicious sugar and carb-free options to make the most out of your keto diet plan. Keto-friendly beverages include:

• Water: Consume it in higher amounts when on a keto diet.
• Sparkling Water: An excellent replacement for soda.
• Unsweetened Green Tea: Detoxes your body and aids weight loss.
• Non-sugary Coffee: Use heavy cream for flavor instead of sugar.
• Keto Smoothie: Made with cocoa, coconut milk, and avocados.

What to eat in the first week of your keto diet

Your first week of the keto diet plan should contain the least amount of carbohydrates. Every person must put in different levels of effort to achieve ketosis.

The meal plan we have developed incorporates less than 50 grams of carbohydrates daily.

You can adjust this 1-week ketogenic diet plan based on your dietary needs.

Monday: 1st day

• Breakfast: Fry two eggs in butter and serve them with sauteed greens.
• Lunch: Go with a bunless burger, top it with vegetables (mushrooms, tomatoes, or peppers), cheese, and avocado.
• Dinner: Have pork chops with sauteed spinach or beans, using olive oil.

Tuesday: 2nd day

• Breakfast: Make mushrooms or cheese omelets.
• Lunch: Opt for tuna salad and pair it with broccoli, celery, or tomato topped with greens.
• Dinner: Roast a chicken breast or whole chicken and serve it with cream sauce and sauteed beans or broccoli.

Wednesday: 3rd day

• Breakfast: Have bell peppers filled with cheese and eggs.
• Lunch: Make a salad of your choice and add mashed hard-boiled eggs, avocado, turkey, and blue cheese.
• Dinner: Grill salmon with sauteed spinach, using olive or sesame oil.

Thursday: 4th day

• Breakfast: Opt for full-fat yogurt topped with Keto granola.
• Lunch: Have a steak bowl with cauliflower rice, herbs, cheese, avocado, and spices of your choice.
• Dinner: Enjoy a bison steak with cheesy beans, broccoli, or peppers.

Friday: 5th day

• Breakfast: Bake avocado egg boats and pair them with roasted cauliflower.
• Lunch: Prepare a caesar salad with chicken and top it with your favorite veggies.
• Dinner: Serve pork chops with greens of your choice.

Saturday: 6th day

• Breakfast: Opt for cauliflower or spinach toast topped with cheese and avocado.
• Lunch: Take bunless salmon burgers and top them with pesto.
• Dinner: Prepare meatballs and serve them over zucchini noodles and Parmesan cheese.

Sunday: 7th day

• Breakfast: Treat yourself to coconut milk and chia pudding topped with coconut and walnuts.
• Lunch: Prepare a cobb salad with greens, avocado, hard-boiled eggs, cheese, and turkey.
• Dinner: Enjoy coconut chicken curry.

You can include and exclude meals of your choice depending on their total fat, carb, and protein content. An ideal ketogenic diet plan contains both animal-based and vegetarian options, so experiment with your low-carb, high-fat meals.

QUESTION

Following a keto diet plan

If you like to snack, you can include some keto-friendly snacks in your first week of the keto diet plan. These can be unsweetened coconut, nuts, seeds, coconut chips, sliced salami, berries with whipped cream, fruit roll-ups, keto smoothies, etc.

Consult a nutritionist to get a diet plan with the proper nutrients and calories based on your daily activities, age, fitness goals, and gender. This will help you achieve your weight loss goals healthily.

References:

– Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health: "Diet Review: Ketogenic Diet for Weight Loss."

– National Library of Medicine: "A Ketogenic Low-Carbohydrate High-Fat Diet Increases LDL Cholesterol in Healthy, Young, Normal-Weight Women: A Randomized Controlled Feeding Trial," "Glycemic index: overview of implications in health and disease," "Review of current evidence and clinical recommendations on the effects of low-carbohydrate and very-low-carbohydrate (including ketogenic) diets for the management of body weight and other cardiometabolic risk factors: A scientific statement from the National Lipid Association Nutrition and Lifestyle Task Force," "The Potential Health Benefits of the Ketogenic Diet: A Narrative Review."

– Nutrition & Diabetes: "Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and type 2 diabetes incidence in Thai adults: results from an 8-year prospective study."