The All-Inclusive Guide to Keto Diet – 2021

So, you want to start a Keto Diet, that’s amazing. There are so many out there that use the Keto diet to lose weight and it works.

Studies back up the claim that you’ll see significant results in the first 3 months. 

As you probably already know, a keto diet is all about taking carbs out of your life and sticking to sources of fat and protein.

Sounds easy right? Well, at first it is, but you know what the real issue is?

Consistency.

I’m telling you, as someone who loves bread, rice, and beans, a Keto diet can become extremely challenging over long periods.

Keto Meals

Who doesn’t love bread by the way? Oh, and did I mention that you should also avoid sugar?

 

But worry no more, on this page you’ll find different food and drinks to make your keto diet as enjoyable as possible.

  • 16 Keto Diet Meals
  • 10 Keto Diet Breakfast ideas
  • 11 Keto Diet Cheese
  • 24 Keto Diet Snacks
  • 5 Keto Diet Desserts
  • 7 Keto Diet Drinks
  • Keto Diet Books

In the end, we’ll also number 8 Keto Diet Health Benefits and how keto compares against other diets such as 

  • Intermittent Fasting
  • Paleo Diet

Table of Contents

16 Keto Diet Meals Ideas

1.Keto Chicken Cordon Bleu

 

To make this cordon bleu Keto you’ll have to avoid the breading and make sure you use a keto cheese such as swiss cheese with each high-fat and low-carb.

2. Keto Ribeye Steak And Gorgonzola Bacon Gravy

This is perfect for dinner time, the sauce is super creamy without using high carb ingredients like flour or cornstarch and gorgonzola cheese is Keto friendly. As for the stake, it is high in proteins and low on carbs.

3.Keto Swedish Meatballs

 

Another case where the breading is what makes this a no keto food, but you can easily get around that by using Keto Bread Crumbs or pork rind, which has 0% carbohydrates.

4.Keto Tuna Plate

 

This could be the easiest Keto Meal to prepare, all you need is a can of good quality tuna, open it up, put it on your plate, throw in some kale and cherry tomatoes, some boiled eggs perhaps, and you have a complete keto meal.

5.Low Carb Philly Cheesesteak Skillet

To make it keto forget about the bread, that’s it. Your main ingredients will be steak, mushroom, green bell pepper, and some keto cheese like provolone.

6.Keto Caesar Salad

 

Another easy keto meal. Bake the chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and olive oil, and put them on top of lettuce. Use a keto cheese such as cheddar for topping and tiny bits of crispy bacon.

7.Lemon Chicken with Couscous

 

While most grains are not keto, couscous is one that is relatively low in carbs, so don’t be afraid to have some with your meals, lemon chicken is a good pairing.

8.Keto Moroccan Spiced Couscous 

 

Lemon juice, garlic, onions, tomato paste, will all help you get a more flavorful couscous.

9.Low Carb Chicken and Bacon 

 

You can use chicken breast or chicken thighs, pan fry your bacon until crispy, and accompany it with some greens.

 

Easy keto meals

10.Big Mac Salad

 

Ground pork, that’s the main ingredient, choose some keto-friendly cheese like cheddar. Lettuce and tomatoes and you’re ready to go, this is my favorite salad.

11.Lowcarb Meatloaf

 

It’s like any other regular meatloaf but make sure you use keto bread crumbs, pork rinds, or almond flour. Choose a keto-friendly cheese.

12.Keto Chorizo Shakshuka

 

Everything in this dish is keto, you need chorizo, bell pepper, tomatoes, eggs, and onions, and just make sure you choose a keto-friendly cheese

13. Butter Chicken Salad

 

This is easy, you cook the butter chicken and put it on top. Most ingredients in butter chicken are keto-friendly, the only one I’d be concerned about is the heavy cream for the sauce, you can swap it for coconut milk though.

14. Steak, mushrooms, and salad

This one is simple, cook your steak the way you want it, add some mushrooms and greens and you’ve got yourself a keto meal. For a full recipe visit Food Faith Fitness

15. Seared salmon and vegetables

This one is for seafood lovers, very simple to accomplish, and tasty. Just sear that salmon fillet and stir fry some veggies and you’re ready to go, you’ve got a low carb amazing keto meal.

You know what’s great about this keto meal idea, you can swap the salmon for tilapia or cob and use any vegetables of your preference, and you’ll still have a perfect keto meal.

Cauliflower crust Pizza Keto Recipe

16. Cauliflower Pizza

As you know, we don’t do regular bread while on keto, so having pizza is not easy, but with a Cauliflower crust, we’ll be good to go.

If you wanna go the easy and fast way, you can get that keto-friendly cauliflower pizza crust on amazon.

Or you can do it yourself using 3 ingredients only, cauliflower, eggs, and parmesan cheese.

10 Keto Breakfast Ideas

Oh, what’s better than starting your day with a nice and healthy keto breakfast? Just remember, it’s all about avoiding bread, grains, legumes, and flour.

Here are 10 keto breakfast ideas that are easy and quick to make.

1. Low Carb Cali Breakfast Salad with Vinaigrette

Avocado, baby carrots, lettuce, spinach, and carrots, oh and the vinaigrette, of course, that’s what you need for a Keto Breakfast that’ll get you closer to your ideal weight.

 

You can buy vinaigrette at the supermarket or make your own with olive oil, Apple Cider Vinegar, dijon mustard, garlic, and salt and pepper.

2. BAT Omelet

 

Another fast keto breakfast idea, it’s pretty much an omelet with bacon, avocado, and tomato on top.

 

It’s gonna take you around 15 minutes to get it done and is high in protein – 25g, perfect post-workout breakfast.

3. Keto Spanish Omelet

 

A Spanish tortilla is potatoes, onions, and eggs. Swap the onions for radish and BOOM, keto Spanish omelet.

 

I’d go into more details but Gnom Gnom already did an amazing job at it.

4. Low Carb Baked Eggs

 

It’s low carb and keto-friendly because you should use keto cheese. What’s also great about this keto breakfast idea is that you can use leftover ground pork and any veggies you have in the fridge.

 

Don’t let those tomatoes and bell peppers die in your fridge.

 

Cook the ground pork with chopped veggies and then break open two or four eggs on top, put it in the oven for 10-15 minutes with some keto cheese on top.

5. Avocado with Soft Boiled Eggs

Pretty straightforward right. You get some avocados, you slice them, and put some boiled eggs on the plate too.

The trick here is to get those boiled eggs soft, 5 minutes in boiling water usually do the trick.

6. Low Carb Macadamia Nut Coconut Milk Yogurt

Breakfast doesn’t get any easier than this. Get some Greek Yogurt, mix it with some coconut milk and then top it with macadamia nuts and some berries if you wish.

Keto Breakfast Meal Ideas

7. Keto Meat Lover’s Egg Scramble

 

Another easy-to-make keto breakfast idea packed with 20g of protein – and 1g of carbs, a perfect post-workout breakfast.

 

You can use chicken, beef, ground pork, ham, turkey, or breakfast sausage, I prefer to go with a combination of three.

 

Dice all the meat and put it in a skillet for 7 minutes, whisk the eggs and pour the eggs into the skillet and cook until done, crumble some keto cheese on it and enjoy.

8. Keto Chili Egg and Guacamole Breakfast Stack

 

Portobello mushrooms, this is the key.

 

Doing the chili eggs and guacamole is easy, what most people would do is put it on top of a toast, but we’re doing things keto here, so that’s why we need the Portobello mushrooms.

 

You need to remove the big stems coming out of the mushrooms and brush them all over with olive oil, cook them on the grill for 7 minutes.

 

Assemble everything on top of the mushrooms.

9. Goat Cheese and Vegetable Frittata

 

This is one of our favorite ones, veggies, eggs, and goat cheese. 

 

It really is a keto breakfast that’ll make you feel full for many hours, especially good for those days when you know you have a lot to do.

 

Dice all your veggies, whisk the eggs, put them in a pan, cook them, crumble the goat cheese on top and then put it in the oven at 400f for 8 minutes, and done.

Greek Egg Scramble Keto

10. Keto Greek Egg Scramble

 

13g of protein and 3g of carbs only, this is a tasty keto breakfast idea.

 

And it’s like doing any other scramble eggs you’ve done in your life.

 

You’ll need red bell pepper, spinach, basil, eggs, salt, and pepper. Feta cheese, oh, and eggs.

 

This is a no-brainer, dice the veggies, whisk the eggs in a bowl, throw in the veggies, salt, and pepper, and scramble them in a pan.

 

Just when you’re about to finish, crumble the feta cheese on top, turn off the stove and cover it for a minute so the cheese melts a bit.

Keto Diet Cookbook Reviews

We know doing all of this Keto diet cooking is not easy, especially when you’re just starting, that’s why we have looked for the best keto diet books.

 

We found the books with the best reviews and have put them together here.

The 5 Best Keto Diet Cookbooks

Stars

Keto Diet Cookbook For Beginners: 550 Recipes For Busy People on Keto Diet (Keto Diet for Beginners) 

Reviews: I bought this keto recipe book as I have put the pounds on during lockdown and this book is great it gives me ideas of meals I can have for breakfast, lunch and dinner while keeping the calories in line with recommended daily allowance.

review keto 1

Michael McEvers

Stars

The Complete Ketogenic Diet for Beginners: Your Essential Guide to Living the Keto Lifestyle Kindle Edition

Review: Great guide for beginners, has lots a info, and well researched material to help you reach your goals. (lost 30lbs in under 3 months)

user

Amazon Customer

Stars

Southern Keto: 100+ Traditional Food Favorites for a Low-Carb Lifestyle

Review: My husband and I are fairly new to Keto (4-5 months) and previously ate food that tasted great, but was horrible for us. Since we started, he’s lost 60lbs and is no longer diabetic, I’ve lost 30lbs, and am no longer hypoglycemic

user

Nicole Zorzi

Stars

The DIRTY, LAZY, KETO No Time to Cook Cookbook: 100 Easy Recipes Ready in under 30 Minutes

Review: LOVE, LOVE, LOVE DIRTY LAZY KETO! STEPHANIE LASKA has hit another one out of the ball park with this cookbook! I’m working my way through the cookbook page by page. She is funny, informative and motivational. You’ll love it.

user2

Bearskate

Stars

Keto Meal Prep Cookbook For Beginners: 600 Easy, Simple & Basic Ketogenic Diet Recipes

Review: This is a good book if you’re looking for some Keto meal prep ideas. It’s quite compact and the recipes are easy to make.

user keto book

Luiza 1088

The 11 Best Keto Diet Cheese 

The reality is that most cheeses are keto-friendly, they’re high in fat and low in carbs, which makes them fit into the keto diet perfectly.

 

Here’s our top selection of keto cheese, whether it is for snacking or as an ingredient for a keto meal, each one provides you with a particular taste.

  • Manchego
  • Mascarpone
  • Mozzarella
  • Muenster
  • Blue cheese
  • Brie
  • Camembert
  • Cheddar
  • Chevre
  • Parmesan
  • Swiss

We just want to mention that Parmesan and Swiss are the keto cheese that has the highest percentage of protein, keep that in mind if you’re trying to build muscle

24 Snacks for Keto Diet – Easy Snacks 

Ah, an important part of our day, snacking, you know what the beauty of snacking is, that it is fast, or at least that’s how it should be.

 

So when I read, Snack for Keto Diet, half avocado with stuffed chicken salad… I’m like no!! I don’t have time for that, I’m in the middle of work, and no I didn’t meal prep.

 

That’s why here’s a list of snacks for the keto diet that are easy to get or prepare and eat.

  • Kale Chips
  • Coconut Chips
  • Assorted Nuts
  • Hard-Boiled Eggs
  • Carrot and Almond Butter
  • Olives
  • Greek Yogurt and Honey
  • Keto Cookies
  • Keto Granola
  • Tortilla Chips
  • Strawberries
  • Blueberries
  • Cranberries
  • Raspberries
  • Pomegranate
  • Cherry Tomatoes
  • Keto Bread
  • Pepperoni
  • Salami
  • Prosciutto
  • Compound Butter Roll-Ups
  • Cheddar Cheese
  • Hazelnuts
  • Brie Cheese

5 Easy Keto Desserts

The truth when it comes to Keto Diet Desserts is that you have to do them yourself to make sure they are low in carbs.

 

Well, there are some Keto Cookies out there you can buy for an easy sweet keto treat.

 

But, if you want a more elaborate dessert at an affordable price, I recommend you to get the following basic ingredients for Keto Diet Desserts.

 

  1. Almond Flour
  2. Coconut Flour 
  3. Sugar-Free sweeteners
Ingredients for keto dessert

Those three are the basis for many keto diet desserts. Here’s a list of 5 easy to make keto desserts.

 

  1. Keto Carrot Cake
  2. Keto Chocolate Mousse
  3. Keto Sugar-Free Chocolate Pie
  4. Sugar-Free Chocolate with Almonds
  5. Low Carb Blueberries Crisp
keto carrot cake
keto chocolate mousse
keto sugar free chocolate with almonds
Keto Blueberry Crisp

Jennifer Banz has a really good blog post about how to make keto diet desserts, check it out.

Ketogenic Diet Drink List

Yes I know, even drinks can mess up your keto diet, why? Because many drinks are packed with sugar and sugar and carbs go hand in hand.

Remember, we’re trying to avoid carbs and sugar here

8 Drinks you can have in a Keto Diet

 

  1. Sparkling Water
  2. Diet Soda
  3. Green Tea
  4. Black Tea
  5. Coffee (Adding Almond Milk is okay) 
  6. Almond Milk
  7. Coconut Water
  8. Berries Juice with no artificial sweeteners 

Don’t worry, we have something on the keto diet and alcohol.

Keto Diet Alcohol Drinks

Okay, drinking alcohol is not a healthy habit, we all know what it can do to your health especially if you’re a heavy drinker.

 

But let’s face it, at the end of the week we all want to relax and have a drink with friends, family or just by ourselves watching Netflix.

 

Can you fit alcohol into a keto diet? The answer is yes

  • Wine
  • Whisky
  • Gin
  • Tequila 
  • Rum 
  • Vodka 

All of those are keto diet alcohol.

Low Carb mixers include

  • Seltzer
  • Tonic Water
  • Diet Soda
keto alcohol wine
keto alcohol whisky
keto alcohol gin
keto alcohol tequila
keto alcohol rum
keto alcohol vodka

In my humble opinion, a Gin tonic should be your go-to drink while on keto, it’s the easiest drink to make, you can do it yourself and any bar or restaurant will have it.

What not to eat in a Keto Diet?

There’s food that is a clear no when you’re on keto and is pretty much because they’re high in carbs, it’s as simple as that.

 

Here’s a list of the most common food you should avoid while on a Keto Diet.

  1. Bread
  2. Rice
  3. Banana 
  4. Mango
  5. Potatoe
  6. Sweet Potato
  7. Beets 
  8. Pasta
  9. Most Cereals
  10. Beans
  11. Legumes
  12. Beans 
  13. Chickpeas

Keto Diet vs Paleo Diet

 

paleo diet vs keto diet

Okay you already know what the Keto diet is, you’re not allowed to eat carbs or you have to keep it to the minimum.

 

We showed you a Keto diet list of foods you can eat and keto diet foods to avoid.

 

So now, what is the Paleo diet? And we’re talking about it because according to Google, it’s common for people to search Keto Diet vs Paleo Diet.

 

Well, in this diet you’re supposed to eat like a caveman used to.

 

You’re supposed to stick only to food that was available to our paleolithic ancestors.

 

This means avoiding at all costs any kind of highly processed foods.

Here’s a list of food to avoid while on a Paleo Diet

 

  • Cereal grains
  • Legumes (peanuts, beans, lentils, tofu)
  • Refined sugar
  • Processed foods
  • Soda & sweetened beverages
  • Refined vegetable oils
  • Salt
  • Artificial sweeteners

Here’s a list of what you can eat in a paleo diet

 

  • Meat and fish
  • Eggs
  • Nuts and seeds
  • Fruits
  • Vegetables — except corn, which is a grain
  • Selected fats and oils, such as coconut oil, olive oil, avocado oil, lard, tallow, ghee/butter
  • Minimally processed sweeteners, including raw honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar, raw stevia

If you look carefully, you’ll realize that both Keto and Paleo diets share similarities, they focus on reducing the intake of carbs and increasing the intake of protein and healthy fats.

 

Here’s a chart to help you better understand Keto Diet Vs Paleo Diet.

 

list of food, paleo diet vs keto diet

Something to point out is that while both keto and paleo allow you to eat, let’s say salmon or beef, in Keto, it would be okay to get regular salmon or beef from the supermarket.

 

In a paleo diet, it would only be okay to eat those if it is wild salmon or the beef comes from grass-fed only cows because people in the paleolithic age didn’t do any farming, it was all about hunting and gathering.

 

Both diets promote healthy eating, but we prefer Keto as it is more realistic, while we have nothing against the paleo diet and we believe it promotes healthy eating, the premise that you can eat as our ancestors did is simply fake.

 

Fruits, vegetables, animals, all have evolved since the paleolithic era.

 

Have a look at this, what fruits and vegetable looked like before

 

All you see in this pic below fits into the paleo diet, but there’s no chance our ancestors ate any of that.

 

Keto diet vs Paleo diet, in short, both promote healthy eating and share similarities, whichever you choose will help you lose weight.

Keto Diet and Intermittent Fasting 

You know what the keto diet is and most likely what intermittent fasting is too.

 

Simply eat dinner at 8, skip breakfast and have lunch at midday, yes you can still have your cup of coffee or tea, and water of course.

 

Will intermittent fasting help you lose weight? The answer is yes, by eliminating one meal time you’re likely decreasing your caloric intake.

 

Should you combine the keto diet and intermittent fasting?

 

It is possible and most people won’t develop any health issues 

8 Keto Diet Benefits

 

Changing to a low carb diet forces you to eliminate highly processed carbs and sugary drinks, it is no surprise then that the Keto Diet then brings many health benefits.

 

  • Supports Weight Loss
  • Improves Acne
  • May reduce risk of certain cancers
  • May improve heart health
  • May protect brain function
  • It lowers triglycerides
  • Reduces levels of blood sugar
  • It makes your liver healthier

 

It’s all backed by science and you can read more about it on sites like Medicalnewstoday.com 

The Keto Diet Conclusion

Easy keto meals

The keto diet works, it’s been proven, by eliminating all those carbs you constantly put in your body you will lose weight, but, as someone who has been on keto on and off, the hardest part is consistency.

 

That’s why this article provided you with plenty of keto meals, breakfast, desserts, and even drinks ideas, and also some of the best keto cookbooks out there to help you get started because Keto can become boring quickly.

 

But here’s something I want you to remember, when it comes to losing weight, it really all comes down to a caloric deficit.

 

You have to find a long-term strategy to burn more calories than you consume every day.

 

That’s why working out is an important part of losing weight.

 

You could be on keto for months and months, but if you overeat, even though the food is healthy, you won’t see the weight loss you’re after, because healthy food such as avocado is still high on calories.

 

My advice would be, cycle between keto diet, paleo diet, intermittent fasting, and different workout routines, this will help you lose weight consistently over long periods.