Example Keto Diet Meal Plan for Diabetics + 15 Recipe Ideas

This Ketogenic Meal Plan is simple, quick to prepare, and optimized with the right macro ratios already calculated for you so that all you need to do is make your meals. Each of the 4 meals in this meal plan take a total of 25 minutes or less, require minimal (if any) cooking, and taste amazing!

How the Ketogenic Meal Plan works

The meal plan includes four daily meals with full recipes, and each meal is calorie-distributed evenly for optimal enjoyment. Because of the common appetite suppression brought on by a ketogenic lifestyle, the rationale for 4 meals rather than the normal 6 meals found in other diabetic meal plans.

When you follow a ketogenic diet, your body switches to fat as its primary fuel source instead of glucose. The hunger hormone, Ghrelin, is lowered as a result of this fuel source swap, causing your appetite to drop. Because of the decrease in appetite, it's easier to follow an intermittent fasting plan or one that teaches you how to stop eating when you're not in the mood (AKA curbs the late night munchies). As a result, on a Ketogenic Meal Plan, I propose eating four larger meals rather than six little meals.

To compensate for the two less meals, the four meals are evenly divided in terms of total calories (400 calories +/- per meal for a 1600 calorie meal plan). As a result, each meal is more satisfying, and eating four meals takes significantly less time (think about it, you prepare 2 fewer meals each day).

How to Start a Keto Diet: A Detailed Keto Diet Plan for Beginners

Only 5% of the calories in this Ketogenic Meal Plan come from carbohydrates, 20% from protein, and the remaining calories come from healthy fats, making the ketogenic adaption a smooth transfer from your present eating lifestyle.

Every meal has 5 net grams of carbs or less (for the 1600 calorie plan), yet there's nothing "diet" about this meal plan because every mouthful feels like a treat (you even get a chocolate dessert!)

How to find your daily calorie need

Each of us has varied calorie requirements. Your daily calorie requirement is determined by your weight, fitness level, daily activity, gender, and other factors. When making a healthy ketogenic meal plan, the first thing you should do is figure out your "calorie balance," or how many calories you need each day to maintain your present weight.

You can alter your daily calories up or down to meet your goals once you know your calorie balance. If you want to reduce weight, I recommend eating 300-500 calories fewer per day than your daily equilibrium (but no less than 1,200 per day). This should result in a healthy and sustained weight loss.

If you want to grow muscle, start by increasing your daily caloric intake by 300-500 calories and observe what happens. Reduce your calorie intake slightly if you see that you're gaining weight as well.

Ketogenic Meal Plan recipes

The following are the calories and macronutrients in the recipes in this Ketogenic Meal Plan.

Meal 1 – Keto Egg Muffins

Servings: 3

Serving size: 2 egg muffins

Ingredients:

4 cherry tomatoes
¼ cup red onion, chopped
1 cup mixed greens (Spinach is great too!)
8 egg yolks
⅓ cup bacon, crumbled
1 ⅕ cup cheddar cheese, shredded
3 tbsp. unsweetened almond milk (optional)
½ tsp garlic salt

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
Separate the egg yolks from the whites into a large mixing bowl. Discard or save the egg whites for another occasion.
Wash and finely chop the mixed greens, tomatoes, and onion. Add to the egg yolk mixture.
Add bacon, cheese, unsweetened almond milk, and garlic salt to the large mixing bowl with the veggies (personal recommendation: Keep out about 3 tbsps. of cheese to sprinkle on top once muffins have baked). Mix well.
Grease the muffin tin with oil and pour a ¼ cup + 1 tbsp. of the egg mixture evenly into the muffin slots, which should yield 6 muffins. NOTE: You can use muffin cups to line the muffins to save time during clean up.
Pop the muffin tray into the oven for about 12 minutes or until the edges are slightly a toasty brown.
Immediately after taking the egg muffins out of the muffin tin, sprinkle tops of muffins with remaining cheese.
Let cool for 2 minutes before serving.

Meal 2 – Keto Cobb Salad

Servings: 1

Ingredients:

4 cherry tomatoes
½ avocado
1 hardboiled egg
2 cups mixed green salad
2 oz. chicken, shredded
1 oz. feta cheese, crumbled,
¼ cup bacon, crumbled

Instructions:

Dice the tomatoes and avocado, and slice the hardboiled egg.
Place 2 cups of mixed green salad into a large salad bowl or plate.
Measure out 2 oz. chicken, 1 oz. feta cheese, and ¼ cup bacon.
Place tomatoes, avocado, egg, chicken, feta, and bacon in horizontal rows on top of the mixed greens.
OPTIONAL: You can add 1 tbsp. of Ranch dressing for 73 calories and about 8 grams of fat (NOT included in the nutrition facts).
Enjoy the whole serving.

How to Start a Keto Diet: A Detailed Keto Diet Plan for Beginners

Meal 3 – Pepperoni Pizza Bites

Servings: 1

Serving Size: 6 pepperoni pizza bites

Ingredients:

6 Slices (34 g), sandwich sliced pepperoni
2 tbsp. pizza sauce
3 oz. fresh mozzarella
1 tbsp. fresh oregano

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400 F (200 C). Using kitchen scissors, snip three ½-inch cuts around the edges of each pepperoni slice, leaving the center uncut (like a 3-leaf clover).
Press each pepperoni slice down into a regular sized muffin pant. Bake slices for 5 minutes, until edges are slightly crispy, but still bright red. Remove from oven, and let the slices cool in pans to harden (this helps the bites hold their shape).
As pepperoni cups are cooking, finely dice fresh oregano.
To remove excess oil, after the bites have cooked, place them on a paper towel for about 10 seconds.
Wipe the grease out of the muffin pan with a paper towel, then return the cups to the pan. Place ½ tsp. of pizza sauce then ½ of an oz. of mozzarella in each cup. Sprinkle with fresh oregano.
Place bites back in the oven for 3 minutes, or just until the cheese melts.
Allow pepperoni bites to cool for about 3-5 minutes.

Meal 4 – Chocolate Keto Fat Bombs

Servings: 6

Serving Size: 2 balls

Ingredients:

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (or cacao powder)
5 tbsp. natural chunky peanut butter
6 tbsp. shelled hemp seeds
½ cup, coconut oil
2 tbsp. 10% heavy cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tbsp. Stevia
4 tbsp. unsweetened coconut flakes

Instructions:

Mix together cocoa powder, peanut butter, and hemp seeds in a large bowl.
Add room temp coconut oil and mix until it becomes a paste.
Add cream, vanilla, and stevia and mix until it becomes a paste again.
Roll into balls. You should be able to make about 12 balls total, which equals 6 servings (2 balls = 1 serving).
Roll into shredded coconut (coconut included in nutrition facts, but optional if you are not a fan).
Place balls on parchment paper on a baking tray.
Freeze for 10 minutes.