In the ketogenic diet one of the basic concepts is to never skip meals. This also includes substitutions: eating a snack for lunch is not allowed, even if you are away from home and don't have time to cook.
Following your weekly planner is essential for the success of the dietary path and for obtaining targeted results on time. Otherwise the risk is to regain weight easily and slow down the goals which then become more and more difficult.
So what can you do to respect a ketogenic lunch even if you have little time or few ideas?
Follow us and we will accompany you in the discovery of dishes that are easy to prepare, even when you are forced to eat outside the home. You will find that taking care of your diet is not that difficult if you plan everything well.
Ketogenic lunch: what to cook
Lunch, compared to dinner, is a meal that can allow itself some exceptions. Since we usually sit down at the table in the middle of the day, we have plenty of time to burn off the calories, digest and metabolize without rushing.
This doesn't mean that you have to go overboard with the quantities or with the elaborate recipes, but only that you can allow yourself the luxury of taking your time for lunch and inserting some low-carb dishes, to be avoided in the evening.
Those who don't work certainly have more time both to go shopping even during the day and to prepare even longer and more complex recipes. On the other hand, those who work and have limited minutes must organize themselves first. Choosing a quick salad just to hurry up and then be able to go back to the office is not a healthy choice and goes against the principles of the ketogenic diet.
Getting organized means getting ready in the morning if you have the time, or the night before. Alternatively, opt for quick but strictly keto recipes.
And if lunch is away from home?
For those who are forced to have lunch away from home, the situation changes. The first question you are asking yourself is inevitable: can I eat at the restaurant?
It is certainly not excluded from the keto regime, but only from time to time and always respecting the permitted foods and without overdoing it. You can therefore have lunch with a slice of grilled meat with baked or grilled fish, letting yourself be conquered by the side dishes of vegetables and salads. Obviously avoid pasta, bread, sweets and french fries!
But since it's not possible to go to a restaurant every day (it wouldn't be healthy either for the diet or for your pocket!) it is necessary to prepare the meal first to be eaten then during the lunch break.
first of all immediately discard the idea of bringing a sandwich or a sandwich. The ketogenic lunch, even if outside the home, must be healthy.
The most practical and fastest idea is the mixed salad. You can dress it with tuna, eggs and cheese, but without bread or croutons as an accompaniment.
Alternatively, bring slices of bresaola with rocket and parmesan flakes into your container: a nutritious and light meal.
Or how about soy noodles? They also sell them in handy single portions for on-the-go lunches.
Ketogenic lunch examples and easy-to-prepare recipes
Do you still have doubts about what to cook for a strictly ketogenic lunch?
You are in the right place: here are our recommendations that you can choose according to your preferences and tastes.
Steamed cod with zucchini cream
Let's start with a good and nutrient-rich fish-based recipe. We chose cod for its properties and because it is among the most sought after in the keto diet.
The recipe is so simple as to seem trivial, especially as regards the first phase which concerns the steaming of the cod. But the original touch is given by the zucchini cream that surrounds it. It can be prepared with a blender or food processor by blending the already peeled and boiled green courgettes, salt and basil. In a few minutes you will have a delicious but also very light and digestible dish.
Baked lasagna with meat sauce
If you have guests and you want to surprise them with a special dish, here is the ketogenic lasagna for you. You will not have to deviate from the diet and above all you will be able to indulge in an elaborate and tasty dish without leaving ketosis. The trick is to choose an absolutely keto type of lasagna. You can prepare it at home using the right (and allowed) ingredients or buy it ready-made in retailers that deal with products like the ketogenic pasta.
Meat sauce is a keto friendly food and therefore you can easily prepare it to season your lasagna, to which you can also add cubes of mozzarella and parmesan if you like.
Chicken strips with mushrooms
Chicken strips with champignon mushrooms are a creamy dish to bring to the table for a child-proof ketogenic lunch.
It can be prepared in no time, all you need to do is already have the ingredients at home. You have to clean the mushrooms, cut them into slices, and cook them in a pan with very little oil. Then add the chicken strips, blend with a glass of white wine, and finally add a little milk to create the cream that will accompany the meat. After a sprinkling of parsley, the dish is ready to be served hot on the table.
Low carb focaccia stuffed with broccoli and provola
Low-carb foods are allowed in the ketogenic diet. If you want to bring a focaccia for lunch, you must therefore choose it strictly low carb.
Then how to fill it will depend only on your imagination and your tastes. A recipe that we would like to recommend is the one that combines the goodness of friarielli with the creaminess of stringy provola. Of course, the top would be the addition of sausage, but we leave it up to you to decide whether to dare with a processed food and not recommended in keto or replace it with minced meat seasoned with oil and salt.
This is just one example: the recipes for filling a focaccia are endless and you can really change it day after day without ever getting tired. There low-carb focaccia it can also be a good idea for lunch outside the home or on days in the countryside or at the beach with friends.
And then? All we have to do is wish you a good lunch.. ketogenic!
