July 1, 2026

Starting a Keto or Low-Carb Diet: Tips for Beginners

When you start a keto or low-carb diet, you'll constantly be thinking about what you can and can't eat. It's easy to feel restricted because there seem to be so many foods off the table. But here's one thing I'm absolutely sure of: thinking this way sets you up for failure.

If you limit your meals to just eggs, cheese, and avocado (my personal example), you'll quickly get sick of your keto or low-carb menu, and before long, you won't even want to look at it.

Don't fall into this trap.

There are actually so many options for what you can eat. Once you shift the way you think about food and build a menu around your favorite keto and low-carb foods, you'll see just how many possibilities are out there. Making your menu diverse and unique means you won't feel deprived by this new way of eating.

Set Yourself Up for Success

When you start your diet, it's best to stick to a meal plan. Plan ahead for what you'll eat tomorrow, and ideally, prepare your food in advance, at least two days ahead.

If you already cook often and prepare full meals, transitioning to a keto or low-carb menu will come easily. If you usually rely on ready-made meals or takeout for dinner, you'll need to invest some time and effort into building the habit of cooking regularly. If batch cooking fits your lifestyle, spend a few hours on Saturday or Sunday prepping meals for the week. It's a great way to buy yourself free time on the days you just don't feel like cooking.

In the beginning, the most important thing is forming the right habits, and eating is the main one.

If You Choose to Follow a Ready-Made Meal Plan

No meal plan is perfect for everyone. It may include foods you don't like or won't eat. It may call for ingredients you've never heard of or that are simply too expensive. Very often, ready-made plans won't match your personal macro goals either. Keep this in mind, and stay flexible. If you don't like chicken, don't eat chicken. There are plenty of other options.

For diets aimed at weight loss, the minimum recommended calorie intake is 1,200 for women and 1,800 for men. Going below that isn't healthy and can work against you.

In the first few days of keto, I'd advise against limiting your fat intake. In fact, keep eating fats until you feel satisfied. Staying full matters, since it helps you fight off cravings for old, familiar foods. Keeping your hunger in check makes it much less likely you'll reach for carbs without even thinking about it.

Adding Fats to Your Diet

Oils – Drizzle romaine or iceberg lettuce with olive oil, then top with cheese and eggs for a simple, satisfying salad.

Avocado – Delicious and naturally rich in healthy fats.

Almonds – A great way to curb hunger. I recommend weighing out your portion in advance to avoid overeating. Try not to go over 30 grams of nuts a day.

Hard cheeses – Keep an eye on your daily portions here too, since it's easy to overdo it.

Almond butter or avocado oil – Incredibly filling, and genuinely delicious.

Decoding Your Cravings

Your body is an amazing detective. Every day, it tells you what it needs through hunger, and since it can't just say it outright, it often speaks through cravings instead. Here's how to decode some of the most common ones:

Chocolate: A craving for chocolate can mean your body needs more magnesium. Getting at least two teaspoons of salt, plus a magnesium supplement, daily can help curb it. Raw nuts and seeds are also excellent magnesium sources. And if you really want chocolate, have a little! Just stick to dark chocolate only, 85% or higher, and sugar-free. The darker, the better.

Chips: Craving chips or pizza usually points to a need for more tryptophan or chloride. Reach for cheese, spinach, fish, or unsalted cottage cheese instead.

Soda: Even "healthy" flavored sodas can pack more carbs than your entire daily allowance. A soda craving often signals a calcium deficiency. Try cheese, or a solid serving of broccoli, kale, or other dark leafy greens to settle it.

General hunger: We've all felt hungry for no clear reason. If a big glass of water doesn't help, you might be low on key nutrients like silicon, tryptophan, or tyrosine. Nuts, seeds, fish, cheese, spinach, liver, and lamb can help replenish your stores.

Sweet or sugary cravings: This one is often about dehydration, so start with water. It can also point to a deficiency in chromium, phosphorus, sulfur, or tryptophan, which can leave you irritable and much more likely to reach for candy instead of a proper keto treat. To fight it, load up on dark leafy greens, nuts, liver, chicken, and beef, all rich in these nutrients, plus magnesium.