Eating nutritious meals and snacks on the keto diet is essential for getting the energy your body needs. A low-carb high-fat ketogenic diet focuses on eating healthy proteins, vegetables, and fats while avoiding heavily processed foods and refined sugars.
When choosing meals or snacks on a keto diet, it’s important to consider your ratio of carbs, proteins, and fats to ensure you are meeting your nutritional needs. For lunch on the keto diet, look for dishes that have healthy protein sources like fish, chicken , or eggs. Also try adding healthy fat sources such as avocado or nuts as well as plenty of vegetables like spinach or bell peppers. Having flavorful condiments like hot sauce can also help make lunchtime varied and satisfying. The following are some ideas to help you get started with nutritious and delicious lunch options on the keto diet.
What to eat for lunch on keto diet
If you’re following the keto diet, you know it’s important to be mindful of what you’re eating for lunch. Fortunately, there are plenty of delicious lunch options which are low in carbs, high in healthy fats, and full of flavour. Let’s take a look at some tasty keto-friendly lunch ideas.
Egg-based dishes
Egg-based dishes are a great way to eat a nutritious and filling lunch on the keto diet. Depending on your calorie and macronutrient goals, you can easily add in other ingredients like cream, vegetables, cheese and bacon to create more flavour or even increase the ingredients into a bigger meal. Below are some of the most popular egg-based lunch ideas for those following the keto way of eating.
-Keto omelette: A mini omelette made with eggs, cheese, vegetables (like onions and peppers), meat (such as bacon or sausage) and herbs.
-Scrambled eggs with avocado: Take two whole eggs, whisk them together and then scramble in diced avocado with seasoning of choice.
-Spinach egg muffins: Beat six eggs together with salt, pepper and spinach; divide mixture between muffin tin pans that have been greased with butter; top each “muffin” with shredded cheese; bake at 350°F for 20 minutes or until set.
-Deviled eggs: Boil some large eggs; cut each egg lengthwise in half; scoop out yolks into medium bowl; mash yolks together with mayonnaise (or Greek yoghurt), mustard powder and salt & pepper to taste – combine lightly until creamy consistency is achieved; spoon mixture back into egg white halves; sprinkle generously with paprika before serving.
-Egg salad wraps: Hard boil four large eggs then remove their shells; place them in a bowl filled cold water so they can cool off quickly without running off their yellow centres when cracked open; tear four lettuce leaves each into small bite sized pieces – these will serve as your wraps; mix boiled egg whites together with mayonnaise until creamy texture is achieved – season this mixture to personal taste preference using salt and fresh ground pepper. Fill up lettuce leaf “wraps” using this mixture by placing ¼ cup of it in each wrap before folding over one edge onto another making a pocket filled meal!
Salads
Salads make a great choice when looking for good keto-friendly lunch options. Make sure to focus on leafy green salads with healthy fats like avocado, nuts, and oils like olive or avocado oil. Additionally, adding in proteins like grilled chicken, shrimp, steak or fish will round out your meal. Some great ingredient ideas are:
-Mixed greens (romaine, spinach, arugula etc)
-Tomatoes
-Cucumbers
-Bell peppers
-Avocado
-Jicama
-Radish or cabbage
-Sunflower seeds or slivered almonds
-Cheese (feta or goat cheese)
-Cold cuts (turkey slices or ham)
-Artichokes/hearts of palm
When it comes to dressing, look for a low carb option made from healthy fats such as olive oil and avocado oil. Avoid anything with added sugars and too many preservatives. To spice up your salad try adding herbs and spices such as oregano, cilantro, thyme, garlic powder and black pepper!
Soups
If you’re looking for a filling option that’s light on carbs, soups are an excellent choice. Many traditional soup recipes are made with carbohydrates such as potatoes, rice, or pasta. But with a few modifications and swaps, these staple dishes can fit into the ketogenic diet. Keto-friendly soup options include low-carb vegetable purees like cauliflower and broccoli, cream-based soups like mushroom Keto-friendly soup options include low-carb vegetable purees like cauliflower and broccoli, cream-based soups like mushroom bisque, and thinner broths made with bone broth or chicken stock. Keto-friendly soup options include low-carb vegetable purees like cauliflower and broccoli, cream-based soups like mushroom.Consider adding fats like coconut oil or butter when slow cooking to increase the keto content of your meal. Here are some popular keto-friendly soups:
-Zucchini Soup
-Faux Potato Soup
-Low Carb Tomato Soup
-Easy Zuppa Toscana Soup
-Cauliflower Cheese Soup
-Bacon Cheddar Cauliflower Chowder
Sandwich alternatives
Traditional sandwiches might not make it onto the menu for those on the high-fat, low-carb keto diet. But that doesn’t mean you have to forgo delicious and satisfying lunches! A few creative changes can help you enjoy unique replacements for sandwiches that are just as tasty, if not more.
If you’re searching for a delicious sandwich alternative on the keto diet, here are some great ideas:
-Wraps made with lettuce leaves instead of a traditional tortilla or wrap. Or try shirataki wraps that are made with yam flour. Fill them with protein and low-carb veggies such as cucumber, peppers, spinach and tomato.
-Salad boats made with halves of large tomatoes instead of bread or wraps. Stuff them full of hard boiled eggs and avocado slices or mix tuna salad with olive oil mayo and top it off with some pickles and lettuce leaves.
-Zucchini boats loaded up with sautéed mushrooms and onions, tomato sauce and shredded cheese make an excellent lunchtime meal on the keto diet.
-Flavorful zoodle bowls constructed from zucchini noodles (zoodles) work great as an alternative to sandwiches when topped with stir fry sauce, shrimp or chicken chunks, fresh herbs and roasted vegetables.
-Keto burrito bowls using cauliflower rice tossed in your favourite Tex Mex spices taste delicious when topped with crispy bacon bits, green onions, sliced jalapeños shredded cheese, sour cream or guacamole.
Tips for Preparing Keto-Friendly Lunches
Eating a healthy, balanced lunch is key if you are following a keto diet. But with all the restrictions of the diet, it can be tough to figure out what to eat for lunch. Fortunately, there are plenty of delicious keto-friendly lunch recipes that are quick and easy to make. In this article, we will discuss some meal ideas and tips to help you prepare a nutritious, tasty lunch while sticking to your diet.
Stock up on keto-friendly ingredients
Stocking up on keto-friendly ingredients can make preparing keto meals easier and faster. Choose high-fat ingredients such as avocado, coconut oil, olive oil, and avocados instead of low-fat alternatives like vegetable or canola oils. You can also include healthy fats from sources like nuts and seeds. Purchase quality meats like grass-fed beef, pastured chicken, and wild-caught fish to pair with your favourite vegetables.
In addition to stocking up on the right foods for a ketogenic plan, it’s important to shop for pre-prepared items that are low in carbs and sugar such as high-fibre breads, plain yoghourt, canned tuna or salmon packed in olive oil, lump crabmeat in water or other fatty fish such as mackerels and herrings. Frozen seafood options are great because they are easy to prepare without adding extra fat or carbs. Consider stocking up on frozen vegetables without added sauces which make awesome side dishes for lunch if you’re looking for an easy grab-and-go meal idea.
Finally stock up on healthy proteins that keep you full throughout the day such as eggs (preferably organic), organic deli meats (such as nitrate free ham) natural nut butters (such as peanut butter made without added sugar) hummus – ideally homemade – almond milk Greek yoghourt tempeh chunks of hard cheese like cheddar slices of pepper jack cheese boiled eggs boiled edamame edamame starch beans cubes of firm tofu cubed tempeh etc. It is also recommended to invest in appropriate portion containers to ensure you eat the right amount of food each day
Make use of leftovers
Using leftovers to make a Keto-friendly lunch is convenient and can save time in the kitchen. Leftovers also have an added bonus of already-prepared ingredients that don’t need to be cooked. Examples of Keto-friendly leftovers to have for lunch include: roasted chicken, stir fry, quiche, soups and stews, cauliflower “rice” and mashed potatoes. If you are meal prepping for the week, double up on dinner ingredients so that you can easily use them in your lunches during the week. Additionally, feel free to make extra vegetables or meats while cooking so they can be reheated and used in your lunches throughout the week.
When using leftovers make sure you are following any food safety guidelines when reheating as this will reduce your risk of foodborne illnesses. To keep meals feeling fresh and exciting when using leftovers, experiment with adding new flavours through spices, dressings or other condiments to provide different tastes throughout the week.
Meal prep for the week
Meal prepping is the key to success when it comes to following a ketogenic diet. Planning and preparing in advance helps you stay on track with your macros, as well as ensure that you have nutritious, delicious, and keto-friendly meals and snacks available throughout the week. Taking the time to prepare healthy meals for the week doesn’t have to be hard or time consuming. Here are a few tips for making meal prep easier:
• Have a plan for each day: Before you go grocery shopping or start cooking, decide what items you’ll be eating throughout the week so that you know what ingredients you need to purchase and which recipes you will make. Make sure to include breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks that will keep your appetite satisfied while staying in ketosis!
• Use common ingredients: Choosing recipes with common ingredients can help cut down on grocery costs during meal prep and simplify ingredient shopping down the line. Look for recipes using staples like almond flour, avocados, eggs, spinach and cheese. These items are nutritionally dense and can fill up any dish quickly!
• Batch prep proteins: A lot of proteins can be cooked quickly in larger batches – such as ground beef or chicken breast – without adding too much volume to any one dish. When possible, cook proteins in batches so that they’re ready when it’s time to assemble your lunches.
• Prep condiments: Mayo-based sauces such as tartar sauce or ranch dressing tend to last longer than others like pesto sauce or olive oil-based dressings. Prep ahead of time sauces with mayonnaise so that they’re ready later when packing up lunch containers.
• Think creatively: Prepare healthy alternatives using common pantry items like almond flour instead of wheat flour or zucchini noodles instead of wheat noodles to pack more nutrition into these dishes without sacrificing flavour!
Conclusion
These are only a few of the many delicious and nutritious dishes you can enjoy for lunch on a keto diet. Eating out or packing your food to take with you is easy when you focus on high-fat, low-carb options like eggs, beef, fish, poultry, peanut butter sandwiches, and salads with nuts, cheese and other sources of healthy fat. Additionally, hearty soups made with bone broth are an excellent choice as they provide essential nutrients like magnesium and calcium to keep your body running efficiently. Opting for unprocessed foods will help you stay in ketosis while allowing your taste buds to explore the variety of flavours available. With these ideas in mind, you’ll be able to make your own tasty lunches that fuel your body throughout t
