Low Carb Diet Meal Plan for a Week

14-day keto diet meal plan

Are you looking for a keto diet plan? You've come to the right place. A keto diet limits carbohydrate intake to below about 20 grams per day.³ This results in increased fat burning and potential benefits like rapid weight loss.⁴

Get started

If you are new to keto, make sure to read the advice below before starting a keto diet plan.

Who is a keto diet plan for?

A keto diet plan is for people who want to simplify their lives while getting all the benefits of keto eating: appetite suppression, weight loss, better blood sugar control, and other health improvements.

Keto diet plan basics

On a keto diet plan, your meals contain less than 20 grams of net carbs (total carbs minus fiber) per day. They also provide enough protein to meet your needs and help you feel satisfied.

Following a diet plan can help simplify your keto journey and set you up to succeed, because all of the planning is done for you.

Simplify keto tips

Breakfast: Choose one keto breakfast to eat every day, like scrambled eggs.⁵Not hungry? Skip breakfast and sip a coffee instead.⁶ This saves time and money.
Prep your meals: Cook at least two servings for dinner, eat one — and refrigerate the other — for tomorrow's lunch. Freeze other portions for later. Full meal prep guide.
Try no-cook plates: Sliced deli meats, cheeses, and veggies make an easy lunch. Here are many more.

Risks

Following a keto diet appears to be safe for most people.⁷

However, before starting a keto diet plan, make sure to check with your doctor if you take medication for diabetes or high blood pressure. If you're breastfeeding, you should not follow a keto diet.

Start fresh

Use our kitchen clean-out list to help you make sure your kitchen is keto-friendly before starting your keto diet plan. This can dramatically increase your chances of success.

Avoid keto flu

Drink lots of fluids and get enough salt, especially during the first week of the meal plan, to minimize symptoms of the initial "keto flu."⁸ For example, a cup of bouillon daily and salting your food 'to taste' really helps.⁹ Full guide

Week 1

Here are two weeks of delicious, easy recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And you don't even need to count carbs! Each week features a variety of keto dishes that will automatically keep you below 20 grams of net carbs per day.

In the first week, you'll get to feast on some of our all-time most popular keto recipes. Note: If you don't like certain recipes or don't have the ingredients on hand, you can always replace them with recipes that fit your preferences. Choose from the recipe links in "Are there different types of meal planning?".

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Week 2

We hope you really enjoyed the first week. For the second week, we've selected even more of our most popular and effective keto recipes.

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Shopping lists and more

With shopping lists, your trip to the grocery store doesn't have to be time-consuming or frustrating. Get all the healthy keto foods you need for the following week or two — and spend less time at the supermarket every month.

Access your shopping list on any device. Using a digital shopping tool can be even more beneficial than old-school pen and paper. You can access your shopping list straight from your smartphone, print it out, or even share it with family and friends when you don't have the time for grocery shopping yourself.

How to create your own keto meal plan

Can you design your own keto meal plan that suits your unique preferences and lifestyle?
Absolutely!

Once you've created your plan, you won't have to spend time figuring out what to eat every day. Plus, you may be more likely to achieve your weight loss and health goals by planning keto meals in advance.

Save time with a keto meal plan

How can you maximize the amount of time you save when following a keto meal plan? Here are several ideas:

Make simple, no-cook meals with foods like hard-boiled eggs (already prepared and waiting in the fridge), canned fish, cheese, cold cuts, and pre-chopped veggies.
Cook double portions for dinner. Save time preparing, cooking, and cleaning up by making two dinner servings. Refrigerate half to enjoy for lunch the next day.
Use shopping lists. If you don't have time to make your own shopping list, use our basic keto diet food list. It's the perfect way to stock up your fridge and pantry with healthy foods. View it on your mobile device while grocery shopping, or print it out beforehand.

How to build your keto plate

At each meal, include the following:

A generous portion of protein, such as meat, fish, eggs, or tofu
One or more servings of keto vegetables, such as leafy greens, cauliflower, and green beans
As much fat, such as olive oil or butter, as needed to prepare food and add flavor

Keto meal planning can be easy, once you know the basics.

Foods to eat on a keto diet plan

There are many delicious foods you can – and should! – include on your keto diet plan:

Meat: beef, pork, lamb, and game
Poultry: chicken and turkey
Seafood: fish and shellfish of all types
Eggs
Soy: tofu and tempeh
Cheese
Plain Greek yogurt
Non-starchy vegetables: spinach, asparagus, cucumbers, and many others
Fats: butter, olive oil, and coconut oil

See the complete list of foods to eat, or add delicious keto recipes to your meal plan. Below you'll find our latest additions.

New keto meals

Foods to avoid on a keto diet plan

Make sure that your keto diet plan does not include these high-carb foods:

Sugary foods, such as cakes, cookies, ice cream, doughnuts, and similar foods
Starchy foods, such as bread pasta, rice, potatoes, corn, and beans
Sugar-sweetened beverages like soda, sweet tea, punch, and sports drinks
Fruit juice, including 100% unsweetened juice
Most fruit

See the complete list of foods to avoid

High-carb substitutes

Don't worry, there are substitutes for many high-carb classics. Below you'll find three popular keto recipes for cookies, bread, and pasta.

Are snacks allowed on a keto diet plan?

When you follow a keto diet plan that provides adequate protein and energy at meals, you're unlikely to need snacks.¹⁰ However, if you do become hungry in between meals, feel free to eat a keto-friendly snack, such as:

Hard-boiled eggs
Cheese
Cold cuts
Macadamia nuts

See our complete guide to the best and worst keto snacks

What to drink on a keto diet plan

The best keto beverages are carb-free or nearly carb-free. Include these drinks on your keto diet plan:

Water: still or sparkling
Coffee (black, or with a splash of cream or milk)
Tea, black, green, or herbal (unsweetened)
Broth: chicken, beef, or vegetable

See our complete guide to the best and worst keto drinks

Keto-friendly beverages

Are there different types of keto meal planning?

A keto meal plan can be tailored to fit your food preferences, budget, how often you like to eat, and more. Here are just a few examples of different types of keto meal plans:

1. High-protein keto meal planning

Combining keto with high protein can be a winning strategy for losing weight and improving body composition. See our high-protein keto recipes to choose quick and easy recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

2. Intermittent fasting and keto meal planning

If you prefer to skip breakfast, that's fine. Just make sure your lunch and dinner provide enough protein and energy to meet your needs. Here's a sample day of how to plan keto meals when intermittent fasting:

3. Keto meal planning on a budget

Are you concerned that following a keto diet plan might be too expensive? Good news: A keto meal plan can be affordable — if you make the right food choices. Use our collection of budget-friendly keto recipes to design a meal plan that's healthy, delicious, and cost-effective.

4. Meal planning for lazy keto days

Yes, elaborate meals cooked from scratch can be wonderful. But sometimes, you need simple meals that can be put together in minutes. Here's a sample day of a lazy keto meal plan:

5. Family meal planning

How can you plan nutritious meals for your family while staying keto? It's easy when you choose tasty, easy-to-prepare recipes that both kids and adults will love. Create your meal plan using our collection of low-carb meals for families.