How to Create Easy Recipes which are Low Carb for Breakfasts on the go.
Breakfast: the most important meal of the day, right? Well, one thing for sure is that a good breakfast should keep you energised and satisfied right up until lunchtime – and beyond! A Keto breakfast packed with healthy fats and sustainably released energy can be the perfect start to your day, but what does this look like? And what should you add to or leave off your Keto breakfast plate? Read on for everything you need to know about how to create the perfect low carb, sugar free Breakfast!
Principles of a Ketogenic Breakfast
The key principles of a Keto diet are that meals should be high in fat, low in carbs and contain a moderate amount of protein. It’s this Holy Trinity of macronutrient ratios which creates the desired fat-oxidising, naturally energising, ketogenic effect of a Keto diet.
Whatever your dietary preferences, a Keto breakfast like every Keto meal should be:
- High in Healthy Fats
- Low in Carbs
- A Good Source of Protein
This balance of macronutrients encourages the body to burn fat for fuel, rather than its natural go-to of glucose. It is this process (called ketosis) which underlies most of the benefits of a Ketogenic Diet. To learn more about the Keto Diet as a whole, check out our blog post A Beginner’s Guide to Keto.
What Does a Low Carb Breakfast Look Like?
Breakfast for most of the western world consists of high-carb foods such as breakfast cereals, toast and porridge. With many kinds of cereal containing multiple teaspoons of sugar, this is a no go for a Keto or Low carb lifestyle (unless of course, you are able to find some tasty Keto-friendly Granola!).
Trouble is that the energy provided by high-carb breakfasts creates a glucose spike which causes a slump in energy an hour or so after the meal is eaten. So, whether you’re Keto or not, these aren’t the best breakfast choices if you want a sustainably released source of energy that will keep you going all morning. That’s what a Keto breakfast doesn’t look like!
What it does look like is a combination of Real Food ingredients which don’t rely on solely one macronutrient such as carbs. So, you’ll find sources of healthy fats, good quality protein and even low carb fruits and veggies on your Keto breakfast plate. This makes breakfast far more nourishing and enjoyable in the process as well as avoiding those insulin spikes!
Read on to discover what a nutritionally balanced Keto breakfast looks like.
What’s A Balanced Breakfast to stay in Ketosis?
A balanced Keto breakfast goes back to the three golden rules: low carb, moderate protein, high fats. Let’s take a closer look in the context of a perfect Keto breakfast:
Low Carb
A good aim when starting keto is to keep your daily carbohydrate intake below 50g, which you can work on reducing to as low as 20g once you get into the swing of things. So, logically thinking you would presume that your intake of carbs at breakfast time would be a fraction of this – maybe somewhere between one quarter to a third (10-15g).
Without getting too maths-y, you should make sure all the foods you eat as part of your Keto lifestyle are low-carb, that way any carbs you get will be incidental and low enough to keep you within your daily target. In other words, don’t intentionally include a source of carbs in your Keto breakfast and completely avoid inflammatory oils and grains, such as rice, wheat, corn - goodbye sugar puffs and hello real food!
Moderate Protein
You should have a source of quality protein with every meal and Keto breakfast is no different! Good sources of protein include meat, fish, eggs and dairy. If you’re vegetarian, egg-free or vegan, plant-based protein sources include cashew cheese, coconut yoghurt and nuts and seeds.
High Fat
The general consensus with a Keto lifestyle is that healthy fats should provide around 70% of your daily energy intake, so you should be sure to include a good variety of healthy fats within your breakfast. These should provide the bulk of calories for your morning meal. The good news is that lots of Keto breakfast foods are energy-dense, meaning they’re good sources of healthy fats without having to eat too much.
Read on for some specific examples of high fat, low carb and moderate protein Keto breakfast foods.
What Ingredient Staples should you have in your cupboards or Fridge?
You’ll soon get used to spotting and swerving high-carb foods in favour of those which are good sources of protein and healthy fats. Here are some examples of Keto breakfast food favourites:
- Nitrite-Free Bacon
- Free Range Eggs
- Avocado and Avocado Oil
- Quality Sausages and Ground Beef – Grass Fed and Pasture for Life
- Nuts and Seeds
- Dairy Produce - cheese and cream
- Mayonnaise - Avocado Oil
- Coconut Yoghurt
- Oily Fish like sardines (in olive oil)
- Keto Supplements like MCT Oil and Collagen Protein Powder
Needless to say, ruling out high-carb foods will mean a lot of conventional breakfast foods are off the menu. The good news is that you can get busy in the kitchen by learning to reinvent your breakfast favourites with a low-carb upgrade.
A great example of this is our very own Low-Carb Grain-Free Keto ‘Bread’ recipe, we’ve used Low-Carb, Real Food ingredients to recreate ‘bread’ that’s Keto friendly and the perfect foundation for any Keto breakfast – see ya toast, hello light, fluffy, low-carb goodness! These can even be made in batches and frozen in the freezer so that you can just pop them in the toaster for a quick keto breakfast. Eggs on toast anyone?
Quick Breakfast to Go Options?
Our busy lifestyles sometimes demand speed and convenience, especially during the week when we’re heading out to work. So, you may need to get your thinking cap on when it comes to breakfast ideas that are Keto friendly but portable and suitable for on-the-go eating. Here’s a couple of ideas:
Grain-Free Breakfast Muffins
Mini omelette muffins are packed with flavour thanks to bacon, meat, veggies and cheese. They’re the perfect Keto breakfast you can make the night before and pack into a Tupperware to eat on your commute, when you get to the office or later in the morning for a Keto brunch. Here’s 9 Delicious and Easy Keto Egg Cup Recipes.
High Fat Nutrient Dense Breakfast Smoothie
Blend the ingredients, add in some Keto supplements for a Real Food boost and decant into your favourite BPA-free drinks bottle, what could be simpler? There’s nothing easier, quicker or more convenient than a breakfast smoothie. Try our Keto Chocolate, Raspberry, Collagen, MCT and Vitamin Smoothie to get started.
EVOLVE ‘Bulletproof’ Coffee
Bulletproof coffee is perhaps the best-known way to start any Keto day! This brew is packed with healthy fats and quality coffee to keep you energised throughout the morning. We’ve added our own spin by creating our very own EVOLVE coffee which is fortified with healthy fats and premium protein courtesy of our MCT Oil and Collagen Protein Powder. Whizz up, pour into a flask and you have the perfect Keto breakfast drink to take with you on the move! What's even better is that the carbohydrates on this morning brew is only 1g whereas the fat is 20g - so it is a great way to increase your healthy fats whilst keeping your carbs low!
Keto Breakfasts that help you to Lose Weight
As an overall lifestyle, Keto will help you to maintain a healthy, stable, natural weight. For many who are overweight before starting Keto, one of the many benefits is weight loss. Your body when in Ketosis utilises fat for fuel.
By adjusting your macro intake to become high fat and low carb, you will encourage a state of ketosis which has been shown to boost fat oxidation and help with weight loss. Put simply, by fuelling your body with fats and not carbs you can help it to adapt to using dietary or stored fats for efficient energy!
If you’re trying to lose a few pounds then you may want to track your calories as well as your macronutrients. Achieving a calorie-deficit (burning off more calories than you consume) will mean that your body will utilise both the fat you consume but also stored body fat - aiding in faster weight loss.
Although healthy fats are great for us and crucial to a Keto diet, they are energy-dense and if you are utilising Ketosis to lose weight - it is worthwhile trying to choose foods lower in calories if you want to shed some pounds by encrouaging your body to utilise stored body fat.
Free-From, low carb Breakfasts
It’s a common misconception that Keto is all about bacon, eggs and cheese galore or all things carnivorous! Yes, these are all Keto-friendly but it’s not essential that you eat these all of the time to follow a Keto lifestyle. Let’s take a look at some Keto breakfast ideas for specific dietary preferences and intolerances.
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Keto Breakfast Without Eggs
Living Egg Free doesn’t have to mean missing out on the amazing benefits of a Keto lifestyle. Eggs are a Keto staple and that’s because they’re carb-free. But if you are allergic to eggs or just simply don’t like them, there are plenty of alternatives. Meat, oily fish, nuts, seeds, coconut yoghurt, cheese and collagen protein powder are all great egg-free breakfast alternatives.
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Keto Breakfast Without Dairy
Some dairy is a good source of healthy fat (butter, cheese and double cream) and most dairy products are low carb, so you do see lots of dairy foods on Keto meal plans. But again, you can switch dairy out for something else if you choose not to include dairy in your diet. Try using plant-based dairy alternatives, ghee (lactose-free), nuts and seeds for a source of dairy-free protein in your Keto breakfast.
Traditional Milk is generally high in lactose. Lactose is a sugar and therefore milk is commonly avoided on the Ketogenic Diet. Good alternatives are double cream (watered down slightly), butter in coffee or utilise a sugar-free, dairy-free milk like almond or coconut cream.
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Keto Breakfast Without Meat
Whether you’re vegetarian, pescatarian, vegan or just don’t fancy eating meat in the morning – your perfect Keto breakfast can absolutely be meat-free! Switch it out with nuts, seeds, fish, dairy or eggs for a vegetarian Keto breakfast. If you’re vegan, trying pairing nuts and seeds with avocados to get a double dose of healthy fats and protein.
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Sugar Free Keto Breakfast
The best way to have a sugar free Keto breakfast is to make it yourself and use 100% Real Food ingredients that are as minimally processed as possible. Most real food ingredients are naturally free-from or very low in sugar. Sugar is a non-nutritive, carb-dense food (not to mention a complete health nightmare) so should be avoided at all costs.
Tip: beware fruit smoothies and fresh fruit juice, these classic breakfast favourites are extremely high in natural sugar that will wreak havoc with your blood glucose and jeopardise your ketosis. Instead, opt for low sugar fruits and veggies like berries and leafy greens in any meals.
Keto Supplements
A Keto diet demands a pretty much constant stream of healthy fats. As much as we aim to plan and prepare our meals, sometimes things don’t go as swimmingly as we hope and it can be hard to supply our bodies with the fat and protein they need.
To help with this, we have developed a range of Keto friendly supplements designed to provide nutrient-dense, convenient and reliable sources of healthy fats, protein and vitamins and minerals that can be added to your regular meals and drinks for a nutrient-boost and to keep that Optimal Health going full speed!
Check them out:
- 100% Coconut Derived MCT Oil
- Pure Bovine Collagen Peptides Protein Powder
- Organ Support Nutritional Supplement Capsules
What’s the Best Keto Breakfast?
There is no best ever Keto breakfast! As long as you follow the basic Keto principles and use Real Food ingredients, there are endless possibilities when it comes to creating the perfect Keto breakfast. Be sure to include variety each week to keep things interesting and make time for brunch if you didn’t have time for a Keto breakfast. A great Keto breakfast will keep you energised, satisfied and focused throughout the day – so you won’t want to miss it!
Some more recipes for a sugar free, low carb meal
If you’re feeling inspired to create your own Keto breakfast, why not try your hand at some of our favourite Keto breakfast recipes?
- Keto 90 Second Low Carb Grain-Free ‘Bread’
- EVOLVE ‘Bulletproof’ Coffee with MCT Oil and Collagen Protein Powder
- Keto Chocolate, Raspberry, Collagen, MCT and Vitamin Smoothie
- Smoked Mackerel Chicory Boats
- Warm Smoked Pepper Mackerel with Garlic and Caper Mayo
- Soft Boiled Eggs with Asparagus Tips and Truffled Mayo
- Salmon Tartare
For some more recipes and ideas for meals beyond breakfast, download our free 3 Day Keto Meal Plan. Happy eating!
All information provided on our website and within our articles is simply information, opinion, anecdotal thoughts and experiences to provide you with the tools to thrive.
It is not intended to treat or diagnose symptoms and is definitely not intended to be misconstrued for medical advice. We always advise you seek the advice of a trained professional when implementing any changes to your lifestyle and dietary habits.
We do however recommend seeking the services of a trained professional who questions the conventional wisdom to enable you to become the best version of yourself.
