Keto Quick Start: A Beginner's Guide to a Whole-Foods Ketogenic Diet

by Diane Sanfilippo

New York Times bestselling author and health and wellness pioneer Diane Sanfilippo brings her own experience with a ketogenic diet to Keto Quick Start, a comprehensive and easy-to-follow road map to transitioning to a keto lifestyle.

There’s a good reason keto has attracted so many followers: it’s an effective tool for fat loss as well as a way of eating with proven benefits for many health concerns, including unstable blood sugar, neurological conditions, and epilepsy, to name a few. But getting started with keto and sticking with it can be tough. That’s where Keto Quick Start comes in. 

In her signature practical style, Diane makes keto doable for everyone, whether you’re completely new to very low carb eating or you’ve tried it before and want to find a better way to make it work for you. Keeping the focus on real foods that nourish your body, she walks you through a gentle transition to keto and helps you figure out how to make it sustainable for the long term. Keto Quick Start targets everyday real-world concerns such as what to expect in the first few weeks and how to know if you’re on the right track, how to determine if you need more carbs and how to incorporate those carbs in a healthy way, how to customize keto for your personal goals (especially weight loss), and things to be aware of if you’re concerned about a particular health issue.

Keto Quick Start includes 100 delicious keto recipes, four weekly meal plans, more than a dozen easy meal ideas (no recipe required!), and troubleshooting tips and tricks. It also features a unique and easy-to-use template that makes tracking your food quick and simple. The recipes include:

- Lemon Blueberry Keto Muffins

- Kale, Bacon & Goat Cheese Frittata

- Spaghetti Bolognese Bake

- Powered-Up Bacon Cheeseburger

- Shrimp Pad Thai

- Pesto-Stuffed Mushrooms

- Chocolate Orange Fudge

- Creamy Peanut Butter Bites

Genres: Cookbooks, Nonfiction, Health, Food, Cooking

384 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2019

Reviews

[Julie Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

The style of writing is very straightforward and easy to understand, and the visual layout is very attractive. The recipes begin on page 165, and I read all those pages prior. which include some science/nutrition facts, information about ingredients, and meal plans. She also provides a worksheet for tracking of which she encourages you to print and bind multiple copies. The recipes look delicious.

The only problem is that I didn’t know a single thing about the keto diet before I read this and I don’t feel much better off. I went sugar-free months ago and wondered if this would provide some structure. I think one should really know what a keto diet is before doing a quick start, because this does not give you a really good overview of the how and the why of this diet really. I know she tried to do that, but it was not effective. I get from this that MAYBE there will be health benefits to eating lots of healthy proteins and fats and limiting carbs to whatever works for you, but maybe start with only 30 grams a day after 2 weeks but I’m not sure if I’d lose weight. I will be healthier, though. 🤔 I learned some useful facts about oils which are immediately applicable, and I will certainly use these recipes in my sugar-free lifestyle, but Keto seems way too complicated and for what reason I’d go to all that trouble, I’m not sure.

[Sherry Lipp · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good book for those who are interested in Keto with a whole foods focus. There are a lot of great recipes that I still make all of the time, particularly the Sloppy Joe Chili and the Peanut Butter candies. I would give this more stars except the author no longer believes in the science she talks about in this book and in Practical Paleo.

She believes this type of diet does more harm than good and leads to disordered eating. I understand people learn new things and change their viewpoints, but in the Full Plate podcast she used to co-host she says she already stopped believing in Keto and Paleo diet BEFORE this book was published. I'm sure there are plenty of business and financial reasons why she went ahead with the publishing, but it makes it hard to like the book as a whole.

Still there are some very good recipes and I like her whole foods approach to the diet so I still use the book for cooking.

[Debra]

Yet another diet!
It was been years since I have cooked meat and I discovered I had forgotten how. My husband is enjoying meat on the table again, but he is not embracing the KETO full plan. I feel that I am enjoying the rewards of the diet and Sanfilippo's cookbook is very well done. The photos are mouth watering and delicious. I just wish there was more recipes. The internet is awash in recipes, but they are often difficult to transfer to my home computer.
I need to spend some time in my 15 years of vegetarian dishes and select my favorites and think about how to incorporate the KETO rules.

[Michelle C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy read; great recipes

This book is so approachable - not a bunch of science to get through. I love the approach she takes to make the eating plan sustainable, along with advice for customizing the ‘diet’ for your needs. The recipes I’ve tried have been quite delicious. I look forward to using this book regularly in the future.

[Listenupcupcake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything you need to know to jump in! It is from a paleo perspective, FYI. No “cloud bread” recipes in here. The science of it is clearly spelled out, so some people may not be into the first half. It is a dense read.

[Craig Childs · Rating 5 out of 5]

An awesome reference for Keto beginners. Great explanation behind the science. Excellent practical tips and high quality pictures of meals & recipes. Highly recommended all-around reference!

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clear, concise, and written in a way that's easy to understand. This is my guidebook to starting keto and now I can't wait to get rolling!

[Susie Weller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful health information and great basic recipes that are simple and delicious.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very good book to read to begin a Keto lifestyle.

[Sylvie Daigle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful pictures for each recipe. Great menus you can follow.

[Catherine Mullaney · Rating 5 out of 5]

E

[Jeanette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed reading the book and look forward to trying out the recipes.

[Rachel Breslin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice pictures. Good recipes. Tends to present opinion as fact.

[Chris Paine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read Diane's 'Practical Paleo' several years ago, and the information and recipes were good and I made several of the suggested recipes. I remember when she wrote this in 2019, it was blasphemy because she was paleo. But reading this book she says she was mostly ketogenic for her diet at the time. I am experimenting with this type of eating due to autoimmune diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis. So far, I am enjoying the diet, and will be making recipes from this book next. I bought it used off amazon.com for about $9 shipped, and is in perfect condition. I recommend this book if you have questions about a ketogenic diet.

[Stephani Halderman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Note: I received an advanced copy of this book as part of the author's launch team. All opinions are 100% mine.

If you are keto curious, new to keto, or even have been doing keto for a while, you need to get your hands on Keto Quick Start. This is a resource that you will learn so much from and come back to again for reference. As always, Diane has done an amazing job to be thorough with information on both keto and basic nutrition. This book goes further than giving the basics of keto. It is a truly in-depth book that will help you as you begin (or continue) your keto journey. I loved that it addressed various ways to do keto to make it work for your body and health/wellness goals.

In addition to the basics of keto & nutritional information, the book guides you through a quick, but simple start to keto. It includes various trackers and logs for keeping track of your progress and macros, and it provides 4 weeks worth of full meal plans to get you started.

Even if you don't think you want to jump into trying keto, get this book for the amazing recipes!! There are over 100 delicious recipes in this book. I've made a bunch of them over the last couple weeks and we have loved them all! You can see one of the recipes and my full review on my blog.

[Tia Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book so much more than the other I read about keto. This book is pretty comprehensive for a "quick start", but that made me like it all the more. This book is written by a long time nutritionist who started on the diet before it became a fad and she really brings a lot to the table.

This book is very comprehensive and answers almost any question you could think to ask. The layout is easy to read and well organized. One thing I really appreciated about this book is that it really breaks down the science behind the diet.

[Rachelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Keto Quick Start... first half of the book discusses reasons for trying the Keto diet, and introduces possible benefits to people suffering from various diseases. The science behind the plan, including amounts of carbs, fats, macros, protein, and suggested exercise is well explained. Meal plans and weekly shopping lists are included. Second half explores recipes and Keto ingredients to make complete, balanced meals.

[Devin · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easy read for Keto beginners. Diane distills hard to understand concepts very succinctly. She gets into the science, but limits it to only what you really need to know. Some good recipes to get started, too. Just like her previous books, there are a lot of great pictures of recipes, charts, and designs that makes it easy to follow, apply, and read through.

[Sierra Calete · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book. I knew a lot about the keto diet already, but I really liked the way Diane spent so many pages giving knowledge and guidance on how to be successful using this approach. I have cooked about 25% of the recipes so far, and I enjoyed them all.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, since this book contains recipes, I did not read every word. But I did make a couple of copies and am trying to eat more protein, and less bread. Bread or potatoes (or PIZZA!) is a treat, not a commonplace thing.
Recommended

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the pictures and visuals in the book. I look forward to trying some of the recipes. Best keto book I’ve read so far.

[Jacki Leach · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great introduction to the Keto diet. Full color photos, great recipes, and information. I loved it.

[Portia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of good rececipes and tips and recipe with pics like sheet pan dinners