This is probably the #1 question I hear about keto: What do you eat for breakfast if you don’t like eggs, or you’re just sick of eggs, or you’re allergic to eggs? Good news: There are plenty of keto diet breakfast options that don’t include eggs. But before we get into them, I’d like to address a few points:

  1. Eggs are considered a classic keto food, but you don’t “have” to eat eggs if you don’t want to. You don’t have to eat anything you don’t like or that doesn’t work with your body. Eggs are also a common cause of gastrointestinal distress, so if you’re having digestive issues on keto, you might want to omit them from your diet for a while and see if that helps. I love eggs, but I don’t eat them for breakfast very often just because I like starting the day with a green smoothie. (And also now I’m doing 16/8 intermittent fasting.)
  2. You also don’t have to eat “breakfast foods” just because it’s morning. Eat whatever you want, as long as it’s healthy and keto friendly.
  3. You don’t always have to eat breakfast. If you want to start doing intermittent fasting, your first meal of the day might be lunch. Nowadays, I typically just have coffee with a form of fat (like MCT oil or coconut oil). Just make sure to drink lots of water, as always.

Now, if you are hungry, and you do want a keto breakfast that doesn’t contain eggs, here are some easy options:

Easy keto diet breakfast options

  • Green smoothie. This is a great way to start the day off with lots of healthy greens. (Bonus: if you’re a little backed up, this will help!)
  • Yogurt with blueberries (berries are fine once you’re fat adapted). If you eat dairy, you can do whole-fat plain Greek yogurt with some stevia mixed in. Otherwise, look for coconut yogurt (I like CoYo). When buying yogurt, always read ingredients and watch for added sugars or other additives. I always buy plain because I have yet to find a flavored yogurt that isn’t loaded with sugar. Also make sure you don’t accidentally grab a nonfat or 0% version.
  • Bacon with avocado. This may not sound like a complete meal, but it meets your requirements for fat, protein, and plant compounds.
  • Breakfast sausage with bell pepper and spinach.
  • Chia pudding. So easy and packed with healthy fats. This is best if you soak the chia seeds overnight, but you can also make it in the morning and let it soak while you shower and get ready. Add 1/4 cup chia seeds to 1 cup liquid, such as coconut milk or almond milk (make sure you are using unsweetened). Add a bit of stevia, vanilla extract, cinnamon — whatever you want to give it a little flavor. You can also add some berries.
  • Non-breakfast foods. Eat leftovers. Eat a big salad with some salmon and avocado. Have some ground beef veggie hash. Eat whatever sounds good to you.
  • Ample K smoothies. These things are seriously delicious and they come in 2 sizes. Order them here and use coupon code LOWCARBSOUL to get 15% off!

A note about processed keto breakfast foods

A final note: Some people recommend eating processed, packaged foods like low-carb bagels or waffles for breakfast. I do not recommend this. A lot of these products are made with corn starch, wheat flour, wheat gluten, and corn flour. These are not actually keto-friendly or healthy foods, even if they are labeled “low carb.” The carb count on these products may even be inaccurate.

To truly get the benefits of a keto diet — especially if you’re trying to lose weight — I recommend avoiding any products made with wheat, gluten, and corn. Gluten is the biggest source of chronic systemic inflammation, which can cause numerous health problems, drive weight gain, and increase your risk of serious disease, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer. Inflammation can also throw your thyroid out of whack, and if your thyroid isn’t functioning properly, it can lead to all sorts of issues — including a sluggish metabolism, depression, memory problems, thinning hair, muscle pain — the list goes on and on.

The good news is, there are plenty of alternatives to these traditional grain-based foods. You can make pancakes with coconut flour, almond flour, or flax meal. This takes a bit more work but if you’re having a hard time giving up bread-like products, it’s worth trying these healthier options.

Need help with your low-carb diet? I offer personalized nutrition coaching. Contact me for more information!