Keto Lunch Ideas

Lunch without Bread? “I can’t give up bread,” you say.  Yes, you can. 

I am talking ALL bread here – even Keto bread made with almond and coconut flours…for now. No bread? Yes you can have lunch without bread - I promise!  It is best to get bread out of your system, not look for substitutes.  

Once you are very comfortable with Keto, you may have Keto bread if you want to.  However, as with the sweeteners, some people will never rid themselves of cravings if all they do is substitute one type of bread for another. If you are eating Low Carb the same warning applies, although you do have some leeway to add foods to your eating program as long as you can eat reasonable quantities.

Tendencies toward carb addiction

I have written a bit about carb addiction. If you find that you generally cannot control yourself around higher carbohydrate foods, you would do well to stay away from bread, even if your carbohydrate allowance has room for it. 

“Whatever you do, never run back to what broke you” (Frank Ocean).  

When you cut out sugar and wheat flour, a lot of the physical cravings will subside, but if sweets and baked goods are triggers for you, you will have no relief from “head cravings” if you continue to eat all the foods that you were out of control with in the first place.

For example, what happens if you allow yourself Keto versions of bread because you don’t consider Keto baked goods “real” baked goods because Keto breads contain no grains?  

What happens is that when you are looking for bread you won’t have learned to tell yourself NO, and you will reach for what is available.  Trust me on this: NO BREAD OF ANY KIND.

Think outside the box

“OMG,” you ask, “how do I take lunch to work if I can’t take a sandwich?”  

Again, think a little bit outside the box. For instance, take a filling with you (deli meat, tuna salad, etc.) and bring lettuce (not iceberg: it is too stiff) and make yourself rollups.

(A side note: I have found from experience that any lettuce rollup made with a mayo filling gets soggy in transit. Bring the lettuce and filling separately and make your rollups when you are going to eat them.)

“Can I have low carb wraps?”  NO, you cannot.  They are baked goods and the same as bread.  Be creative. Use lettuce or cheese rollups or be even more creative and get out of the sandwich habit.  

“HUH? No sandwich for lunch?”  

Well, first of all, anything travels without bread – use baggies and small containers and bring a fork.  

There are tons of grab-and-go foods too:  

• Beef jerky

• hard boiled eggs

• salami and cheese (slices or rollups)

• cut veggies and ranch dip.  

Come on – you didn’t get overweight by not understanding the concept of how to get food into your mouth.  

YOU DO NOT NEED BREAD.

Can you do me a favor though? 

• If you are taking casseroles with you for lunch, limit yourself with “starchy” things: ONE potato per day – and please make it a sweet potato more often than a white potato if you must have one (the carb count is a bit higher but so are the fiber and nutrients). 

• Have ONE cup of rice or ONE cup of pasta or ONE cup of corn per day (not per meal).  

• And remember, a cup is about the size your fist. 

• Measure these things out the first dozen or so times you eat them but then you can begin to eyeball the quantity and probably be spot on with it. 

• You want to make this as much of a comfortable lifestyle as possible. 

• Fill up on non-starchy vegetables (cooked or raw), fresh salads and non-cream soups.  

• Enjoy proteins, plain or with sauces made with no added sugar.     

No bread? No problem!

• Enjoy casseroles and soups, as long as they do not have breading and items made from flour (yes, that’s pasta!).

• Green salads with toppings such as 

  • olives

  • cheese

  • seeds and nuts

  • pepperoncini

  • bacon bits (real ones, please) 

  • protein of your choice.

• Any “mayonnaise” salads such as 

  • tuna salad

  • chicken salad

• Double up on crunchy diced vegetables

  • celery

  • radishes

  • bell peppers

  • onions

• Make your own coleslaw using a sugar substitute or leave off the sweetener altogether.

• Rollups: 

  • deli meat

  • tuna salad 

  • chicken salad

  • left-over sliced chicken or beef. 

  • If you use lettuce keep the filling separate and roll up the sandwich when you are ready to eat. 

  • No wraps with flour or corn, but there are wonderful cheese wraps called “Folios”.

• Look through some Keto cookbooks to get ideas of wonderful casseroles that travel well and even taste good cold if you don’t have a microwave to heat your lunch. 

• I’ve made a Reuben casserole that makes a perfect lunch – no bread!

• Think a little bit outside the box and you will be having lunch without bread and not even missing it!

Freestyle Your Eating Options

If you have take-in at work or are going out, look for your best options. 

• If they are ordering Chinese food, ask for a chicken and vegetable (no sauce) dish for yourself. 

• Tacos? Enjoy but don’t have the shell. 

• Deli? Enjoy all of it without the bread and chips. 

• But honestly, if you bring your own lunch have that and just enjoy a sparkling water or diet soda that will sure to have been ordered.

LUNCH WORKSHEET

“Holders”

• Keto Breads and rolls

• Cheese Wraps

• Soft-leaf lettuce for rollups

Fillings

• Tuna salad

• Egg salad

• Deli meat

• Cheese

• Other proteins (that don’t need heating)

  • Canned fish like sardines, trout, herring, mackerel

  • Hard-boiled eggs

  • Sliced chicken, sliced steak

• Salad toppings

  • Any of the above

  • Nuts and seeds

• Dressings

  • Olive oil/vinegar

  • Bottled dressings that fit your plan. Blue cheese and Ranch are great for Keto.

• If heating or thermos is available

  • Soups

  • Stews

  • Any leftovers that are best hot or warm

• Snacks

  • Bouillon (with butter)

  • Celery sticks and radishes

  • Pickles

  • Salami and cheese

  • Salsa or guacamole with cheese “wisps”

  •  Your Favorites:

Take these suggestions and add foods to round out your meals. This would be something like adding carrot sticks and cheese wisps to a tuna salad plate. Believe me, if you follow this advice you will be free from Diet Prison forever! 

Thank you for taking the time to read this blog, Keto Lunch Ideas, and I hope it will help you navigate your journey. Don't forget to subscribe to the mailing list (below) so that you don't miss the next blog! If you are interested in my course, Keto Fundamentals, please take a look at it here.