Going Keto – Kickstart Your Meal Plan With a Great Breakfast

By Staff Report
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Updated: May 16, 2017

High in fat, with a moderate amount of protein, and virtually no carbs, the ketogenic diet is proven to be great at building muscle and giving you that extra boost needed to hit your goals. But what is it, and how does it work? And most importantly, how can you successfully go keto and reap the benefits?

What is the ketogenic diet?

The name ‘ketogenic’ comes from the fact that this type of diet places your body in a state called ‘ketosis’, which means the body is burning fat to perform its daily functions, rather than ‘glycolysis’ which is when the body is burning sugars derived from carbohydrates. Ketosis maximizes your body’s ability to burn fat, a mechanism which gets lazy if you’re on a high carb diet. This means you’re not storing fat, and your body is getting rid of what it does have.

Know your portions

The recommended daily proportions of the diet are 5-10% carbs, 15-20% protein, and 70-80% fat. Because the ketogenic diet is probably really different to anything you’ve tried before, make sure you work out your daily quantities of fats, carbs and proteins carefully to give yourself the best chance of success. While you cut down on protein – which may seem odd if you’re used to maximising your protein intake – ketosis has a protein-sparing effect, so you only need to eat your daily recommended allowance, rather than making up most of your diet from it. One of the downsides is a loss in nutrients from a restricted carb intake, so make sure you take a good multivitamin to make up for this.

Breakfast Ideas

If you’re busy, breakfast is easy to overlook, but start as you mean to go on and indulge in some healthy ketogenic breakfast ideas to set you up physically and mentally for the day ahead.

Fry up two eggs with two strips of bacon, ½ cup of mushroom and ¾ cup of spinach for a tasty fat and protein hit, with dark leafy greens for those essential nutrients.
Mix some keto-friendly granola with ½ cup shredded coconut, 2 cups of coconut milk, nuts, flaxseed and 3-4 tsp of butter.
Try 1oz breakfast sausages, 1 cup of bell pepper, and 1 oz pepper jack cheese if you’re not into eggs.
If you’ve got a sweeter tooth, mix up 2oz cream cheese with two eggs, some sweetener and a pinch of cinnamon to make delicious keto-friendly pancakes.
Egg porridge is another great option – take two eggs and ⅓ cup cream, sweetener and seasoning, and heat in a buttered pan until the mixture curdles into grain-like porridge.

So with these tasty and power-packed ideas, why not make a start on your keto diet plan? Be aware that your body will go through a ‘metabolism shift’ when changing from a protein/carb diet to ketogenic and this may leave you feeling tired or with a few flu-like symptoms. Pack in the electrolytes and power through, and you’ll be hitting your goals in no time.

Learn more in these comprehensive guide to Keto Diet