Minimalist Keto Meal Planning: Meat, Fish, Green Vegetables, Done

2020-01-22

In this recording

A six-minute explainer from January 2020 for people who don't want the biology or the baking. They just want to know what to eat.

[0:00] I usually get into insulin, lipase, BHB and acetoacetate, or erythritol and almond flour. Plenty of people get lost in that, or don't cook much anyway.
[0:58] Minimalist meal planning: no special flours, no stevia, no special products. Aim for cruciferous and green vegetables: broccoli, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, any leafy green, mushrooms. Skip beans and starchy roots like white and sweet potatoes.
[1:47] Fill the plate with meat, fish, eggs, bacon, green vegetables, and fats like olive oil and butter. Leaner proteins especially: chicken breast, tuna, white fish, pork, sirloin, London broil. Cauliflower is "having a resurgence".
[2:38] Add hard cheeses like parmesan and lower-fat ones like part-skim mozzarella or cheddar. Combine as soups, salads or entrées.
[3:31] When in doubt, log a typical day or two in a tracking app to spot check. You don't have to track every day.
[3:31] Watch this video, add a multivitamin, and you're pretty much on your way. Keto brownies and the rest can come later.
[4:15] Carbs are usually empty calories, so source your nutrition: supplements, fiber from greens. Leaner proteins help weight loss; eggs, bacon and ribeye are still keto but slower.
[4:55] Fewer carbs means less insulin response, more normal hunger, and less frequent and intense hunger at mealtimes.
[5:36] Stick to a keto-approved food list. Add variety once you're comfortable.

Watching this in 2026

"Stick to that little wheelhouse" is basically my whole approach in one sentence, and it's the same move I've always made: cut it down to one rule because simple is what people stick with. In 2018 I said keep carbs under 50, mostly vegetables, and take a multivitamin (video UygKGoP_BtA). In 2017 I spent a whole video telling people they didn't need MCT oil, grass-fed butter or specialty products to start (video DWI8qQl5BbY). This 2020 clip is the plainest version of that.

The shift I notice is leaner proteins. In 2017 a lot of keto talk was "push fat", and I was already pushing back on too much fat for weight loss (video NUJNFG6lLWw). Here, two and a half years later, I'm pointing beginners at chicken breast, tuna and white fish first, and calling ribeye and bacon "a little bit slower". I'd keep that emphasis.

One wording note: "keto-approved food list" sounds like I'm banning foods. In 2017 I argued the dose makes the poison and no food is banned (video ffwBPoKxlDI). Read it as "a short list of easy defaults", not a rulebook.

The claim worth unpacking: "add a multivitamin"

This is where my advice and the literature are worth reading side by side.

My position (2018 and 2020): take a multivitamin as a simple safety net on keto (videos UygKGoP_BtA, IMG_0998).

What the evidence pages say:

On low-carb diets specifically, there is a real shortfall risk. In the A TO Z trial, women on Atkins had shifted toward inadequate intakes of thiamine, folate, vitamin C, iron and magnesium by 8 weeks (Gardner et al., 2010). The other diets had shortfalls of their own. A menu-modelling study found none of four popular plans, Atkins included, met every micronutrient target from food alone (Calton 2010).
For preventing heart disease or cancer in the general population, the US Preventive Services Task Force (2022) found the evidence on multivitamins insufficient to weigh benefits and harms.

So both are true. A multivitamin isn't proven to prevent disease, but restricting a whole food group can leave gaps, and a basic multivitamin is a cheap way to cover them while you learn to eat a wider range of vegetables. I'd add: food first, and tell your doctor what you're taking, especially if you also take other single-nutrient supplements. Do you need a multivitamin on keto? goes into more detail.

Why leaner protein helps

I said leaner proteins help weight loss and that this way of eating reduces hunger. The protein evidence backs the protein half. When protein went from 15% to 30% of energy with carbs held constant, people ate 441 kcal/day less on their own and lost 4.9 kg over 12 weeks (Weigle 2005). Across 24 trials, energy-restricted high-protein diets gave modestly more fat loss and kept more lean mass (Wycherley 2012). See protein and fullness. If you have kidney disease, ask your doctor about your protein target first.

Key points

Meat, fish, eggs, green and cruciferous vegetables, a little cheese and fat. Skip beans and starchy roots.
No special flours or products needed to start.
Leaner proteins first if weight loss is the goal; fattier cuts are still fine, just slower.
Spot-check a typical day in an app instead of tracking forever.
A multivitamin covers likely low-carb gaps (Gardner 2010) but isn't proven to prevent disease (USPSTF 2022).