The Keto-Friendly Meal Plan

Why eat Keto

Here at Sunbasket, our top priority is to help you become the healthiest version of yourself. If you prefer to go big on veggies, protein, and fat while staying lighter on the carbs, this is the plan for you. On the flip side, if you dabble in this Keto-Friendly meal plan and find it’s not for you, that’s totally cool! Remember that any diet can support your health so long as it’s rooted in high-quality, wholesome foods. In fact, some of the most nourishing foods on the planet––fruits, vegetables, beans, legumes, whole grains––are rich in carbohydrates in addition to having a collection of health-promoting nutrients, so there’s no reason to fear them. There’s plenty of delicious meals in our sea.

What to Eat: Platefuls of Protein, (Good) Fat, and Plenty of Produce

A keto-friendly diet promotes high-protein recipes with responsibly raised, antibiotic- and hormone-free meats and poultry, and wild-caught sustainably sourced seafood. Getting plenty of good fat is also important, with sources like nuts, seeds, coconut oil, avocado oil, and extra virgin olive oil as stellar choices. Vegetables are also clutch, as long as they’re not too starchy.

Keto for Breakfast

We’ve all seen Rocky Balboa pounding his pre-dawn raw-egg-smoothie delight, so it comes as no surprise that eggs are an excellent foundation for keto breakfasts. Over easy, scrambled, poached, baked, hard-boiled, soft-boiled, made into an omelet—it’s all good. Add cheese, breakfast links, bacon, or ham for extra protein and healthy fats. Flaxseed porridge, macadamia nut pancakes, and greek yogurt parfaits with keto-friendly granola have also been known to pack a punch. Yo, Adrian, your breakfast is ready!

Suggestions for Smart Keto Substitutions

If you're just getting started with the keto diet, you may want to have a few tricks up your sleeve to imitate your old favorites.

Replace:

• rice with riced cauliflower or broccoli
• store-bought sauces with homemade keto ones
  (there are plenty of online resources to find your favorite) or one of our Signature Sauces
• toast with keto-friendly bread
• pasta with zoodles or other spiralized vegetables (spaghetti squash also works nicely here)

Approaches to Keto

There's no one "right way" to do keto. It may take some time to figure out what feels best for you. Some people only eat keto on weekday afternoons; other people are so hardcore that even just looking at pasta makes them feel guilty. (Keto pros call this “mission im-pasta-ble.” No, not really.) Most of us fall somewhere in between. Here at Sunbasket, we believe that as long as you embrace nutrient-rich whole foods most of the time, it doesn’t matter which meal plan you follow. Countless studies show that overly restrictive diets backfire, as they create guilt and shame around eating, cultivate cravings, and trigger a restrict–binge relationship with food. For this reason, we are advocates for an all-foods-fit judgment-free zone that allows for flexibility to live and enjoy life. Guilt is not an ingredient in our recipes––keep it off your plate!

The Keto Persona

While keto’s most vocal advocates include committed athletes and fitness-first juggernaut types, that doesn't mean that the benefits of eating keto are limited to hardcore workout junkies or gym rats. Keto can be a great meal plan for anyone who can roll with somewhat simple guidelines and feels their best on a diet rich in protein, fat, and greens. No matter what, we will always recommend that you eat the way that works best for you; there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all approach. Keto is a great way to dip into clean eating, and with some trial and error you should be able to decide if it's an approach that works for you.