14 THINGS EVERY KETO BEGINNER NEEDS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING

The ketogenic diet is a high fat, low carb, moderate protein diet. It can feel a bit overwhelming at the start because it goes against what you may already know about food and nutrition, and against how the majority of us were raised to eat. 

The most important thing before starting a keto diet is to do your own research to decide if this is the right diet for you. The main goal of a keto diet is to enter a state of ketosis where your body uses ketones for fuel, and not glycogen from carbohydrates. Unlike most “diets” which are often used as a temporary, “quick fix” solution to lose weight, the ketogenic diet is the most effective when it is adopted as a true lifestyle change to maintain any weight loss results.

GRAB YOUR FREE STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO KETO MEAL PLANNING ON A BUDGET BELOW!

So what sort of things should you know before starting the keto diet? How do you set yourself up for success, and make the transition as easy as possible? If you’re considering a keto diet to lose weight or manage any health conditions, here are some top tips to help you get started!

1) KNOW WHAT FOODS TO AVOID

For a ketogenic diet it is required to drastically reduce your carbohydrate intake. For most people starting a keto diet the ideal carb range is about 20-25g net carbs per day. Net carbs = Total Carbs - Fiber. This will cut out most processed carbs, but also includes natural sourced carbohydrates such as beans, rice, whole grains, legumes, and starchy vegetables.

Another big component for keto is eliminating sugar. This definitely means no refined and processed sugars, but also includes sugars from natural sources such as maple syrup, agave, and most fruits (berries, some citrus & avocados are acceptable). 

2) KNOW WHAT FOODS TO EAT

What the keto diet lacks in carbs and sugar, it makes up for in delicious fats and protein. Foods that contain zero carbs include meats, and pure fats such as olive oil, coconut oil, and butter. Other foods that are acceptable on keto include cheese, full fat dairy, nuts and seeds, non-starchy vegetables such as mushrooms, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, leafy greens, and many more. Instead of sugar, sweeteners such as stevia, monk fruit, and erythritol are allowed on keto. There are countless keto food lists online that you can print out, or save to your phone to make sure you’re eating the right foods.

3) CONSIDER YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH FAT

If you’ve ever been on a diet before, there’s a good chance it involved restricting calories, and avoiding fat. It can be an adjustment and a little uncomfortable at first to fully trust the idea that eating fat will help you lose weight. But this is one of the best things about the keto diet!

Being able to enjoy foods that seem indulgent while helping you feel full and satisfied are the hallmarks of what makes keto so enjoyable. Say goodbye to boring chicken breasts with salad, or eating bland vegetable soup for days on end. If you’re uncomfortable with eating fat, then keto simply isn’t for you. Start by making adjustments like adding more fats to your meals by topping with an avocado, fatty condiments, adding butter, or using more oil when cooking. 

4) CALCULATE YOUR MACROS

Macros are short for macronutrients and are the components that make up the foods we eat - carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. While you may want to simply eat keto-friendly foods for the first week or two, at some point you may want to consider tracking your macros. Tracking macros takes into account your height, weight, age, and activity level and is the only way to know with certainty that you are eating the appropriate amounts to burn fat, and fuel your body properly. 

You don’t have to track your macros forever if you don’t want to, but it is recommended at the beginning of your keto journey so you can gain a better understanding of the carb count in foods and portion sizes. There are numerous free macro calculators available online.

GRAB YOUR FREE STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO KETO MEAL PLANNING ON A BUDGET BELOW!

4) BE READY TO HONE YOUR COOKING SKILLS

The healthiest and most sustainable way to be successful on a keto diet is to focus mainly on whole foods. This will require you to cook the majority of your own meals, and will really help when it comes to tracking your macros since you will know every ingredient going into what you eat. Check out a variety of keto websites, Pinterest or keto cookbooks for inspiration, and make a list of at least 5 keto recipes with foods you know you’ll enjoy. That way you’re not standing around in your kitchen unsure of what you can eat, and turning to carbs by default.

5) BE READY TO COMMIT

If you’re thinking about starting a keto diet, just know that it requires you to fully commit. Since the goal is to enter a state of ketosis, you have to be prepared to drastically reduce carbs and sugar for an extended period of time in order to do so. In the beginning, even just 1 cheat like a slice of pizza can confuse your body and knock you out of ketosis - meaning you have to start the process all over again to get back into ketosis.

It can feel daunting and overwhelming to give up the carby foods you love, and you may be wondering before you even start - when can you have some non-keto foods again? How long until I can have a cheat meal? This is not the best mindset to have starting your keto journey. If you want to lose weight, feel better, and be healthier you need to fully commit to creating a keto lifestyle - not just a diet. It is recommended you go at least 3 months on keto to become fully fat adapted and see some incredible results before considering an “off-plan” meal. And by then - there’s a good chance you’ll be feeling so good you won’t even want to!

6) YOU WILL LOSE WEIGHT QUICKLY...AT FIRST

If you stick with your keto diet properly in the beginning you will likely lose some of your weight fairly quickly. This is super exciting and helps keep you motivated to continue! Some people have experienced up to 10-20 lbs of weight loss within the first few weeks (depending on how much you have to lose). It is important to realize that this weight loss is mostly water weight. 

When you drastically reduce carbs in your diet, your body will retain less water. This is why so many people lose weight right out of the gate on a keto diet. However, once your body has become accustomed to your new low carb, high fat way of eating the weight loss will slow down and that is totally normal.

7) BE READY TO STICK WITH IT WHEN WEIGHT LOSS SLOWS DOWN

Just like any other diet or healthy lifestyle change, there will be periods of time where your weight loss will plateau or stall. After you lose the initial water weight, your weight loss will probably slow down significantly. That’s extremely common and actually a good thing! This is when your body goes from just losing water, to actually losing body fat. 

As your body gets used to being in ketosis, you will lose weight more gradually over time vs quickly overnight. This is actually ideal because it is a healthier and more sustainable way of losing weight. After the initial shedding period, expect an average of losing 1-2 lbs per week.

GRAB YOUR FREE STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO KETO MEAL PLANNING ON A BUDGET BELOW!

8) TESTING KETONES

How will you know if you’re even in ketosis anyway? There are a few different ways that you can test your ketone levels if you need assurance that you’re on the right track. The 3 most common are ketone urine strips, a ketone breath analyzer, and a ketone blood meter. These options all vary greatly in accuracy and price.

It is not necessary to test your ketone levels at all. If you stay below 20-25g net carbs per day your body WILL enter ketosis. So if you’d rather save some money, just trust the process and stay below your carb intake every day. Check out this blog to learn 12 signs that you’re in ketosis!

9) THE CRAVINGS GET EASIER

When you first eliminate carbs and sugar from your diet, you may notice that you start craving them more for a short period of time. Our brains always seem to want what it can’t have - telling ourselves we can’t have something seems to just make us want it more. The good news is that these cravings usually subside within a week or two - and after that you’ll notice you don’t even care or want the high carb foods anymore. Seriously!

10) KNOW WHAT SIDE EFFECTS TO EXPECT

As you transition into a ketogenic diet there may be a few side effects. You are essentially adjusting how your body functions to burn fuel and create energy - that’s a pretty big task! Some common side effects include headache, increased urination, dehydration, dry mouth, lethargy, cramps and brain fog. Due to a change in fiber intake, constipation or diarrhea are also common.

The most well known side effect when starting a keto diet is called “keto flu”. This typically occurs within the first week, but can occur at any time during your keto journey. As it sounds, keto flu exhibits similar symptoms to a normal flu. The good news is that with proper supplementation of electrolytes, keto flu is completely avoidable.

11) KNOW THE IMPORTANCE OF ELECTROLYTES

While a whole food based ketogenic diet contains many of the essential vitamins and minerals required for optimal health, there are a few that you may include to ensure your electrolytes are balanced to avoid keto flu and feel your best. The 3 main minerals that make up your electrolytes are sodium, potassium and magnesium. You will want to consume these daily through either your diet, or with supplementation to avoid keto flu and other symptoms such as fatigue, heart palpitations, dizziness, and muscle cramping.

12) STAY HYDRATED

We all know that drinking water is an important part of any diet, but it is absolutely essential on keto. Since you lose a drastic amount of water weight in the beginning, you must drink a ton of water to compensate. Dehydration is the number one side effect of a keto diet. Yes, increased urination and trips to the bathroom which is a good thing as your body flushes out toxins and water weight from your body. It is recommended to drink 1 gallon or 3-4 liters of water daily.

13) TALK TO YOUR FAMILY ABOUT YOUR GOALS ON KETO

Be sure to tell your family about your plans to start a keto weight loss journey. You may not be able to eat the same meals as your family while on keto, so they should be informed about what your new eating habits will look like. Having the support of your family makes it easier to stay on track, and you will be more likely to be successful on keto. Always remember that it’s your decision to live a keto lifestyle, and if your family isn’t on the same page with adopting this lifestyle change for themselves, they are entitled to that decision too. 

GRAB YOUR FREE STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO KETO MEAL PLANNING ON A BUDGET BELOW!

14) CONSULT WITH A DOCTOR/ NUTRITIONIST

If you have pre-existing medical conditions it may be best to check with your health care professional before starting a ketogenic diet. Keep in mind that most doctors are not trained on nutrition and may not know enough about a ketogenic diet to make recommendations. 

It is a big commitment to start a ketogenic diet. You are drastically changing how you were likely raised to eat, and that should not be taken lightly. It’s important to do your own research to find the best way to make a keto lifestyle simple and sustainable for you.

That being said, do not let the “research” phase hold you back from starting! You won’t do keto absolutely perfectly and probably make a few mistakes along the way - but that’s the best way to truly learn and improve. If you need any support along the way - join the free Keto Weight Loss for Women facebook group! Or if you’re feeling totally overwhelmed by starting a keto diet you can click here to learn more about how coaching can not only get you started, but make keto simple and sustainable to get you results that last!

How to Stop Emotional Eating And Lose Weight On Keto

Food has so many ties to our emotions. For our entire lives, food has been a way to celebrate, a reward for a big accomplishment, a way to cheer up when we’re sad, a way to be distracted from disappointments, a way to occupy us when we’re bored. When you really think about it, no wonder so many people have issues with using food as a way to cope with emotions - it’s been happening our whole lives. They’ve been tethered together from the very beginning.

Emotional eating involves seeing food not as a source of fuel for your body to function, but instead as a comfort that can be used to improve your emotional state. If you see food as an instant cure-all for your struggles in life, it can make weight loss on keto (or any diet) extremely difficult. Not taking the time to honour your feelings, or silencing your emotions with food to stay numb, can make it feel impossible to get out of a negative diet cycle. 

GRAB YOUR FREE 30 DAY JOURNAL PROMPTS FOR EMOTIONAL EATING ON KETO BELOW!

Everyone eats outside of body fuel or pure hunger from time to time, like at a celebration, and that’s totally normal. Some people may not understand what it feels like to be chained to this vicious cycle of emotional eating. They don’t understand that “just don’t eat as much” isn’t great advice because it’s just not that simple.

When eating becomes your primary way to cope with unwanted negative and stressful emotions, it leads to a series of addictive behaviours. The original painful emotion still remains, but now there’s additional guilt, shame and regret piled on top. This excess eating can cause you to derail any progress on your keto diet, stall any weight loss, or may even cause weight gain.

WHY DO SOME PEOPLE USE FOOD TO COPE?

Emotional eating is generally brought on by feelings of stress, loneliness, sadness, fear, or even deeper issues like depression, major life events, relationship conflict or chronic health issues. These negative emotions often leave a person feeling empty or like there is a void in themselves or their life. Food is then believed to be able to fill that void, and give them a false sense of temporary wholeness. 

Other factors include:

• Retreating from social situations when in a state of emotional need

• Not participating in activities that may otherwise relieve that stress

• Not understanding the difference between emotional and physical hunger

• Using negative self talk to create a cycle of emotional eating

• Changing cortisol levels in the body related to stress, causing cravings

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EMOTIONAL & PHYSICAL HUNGER?

One of the first things to understand in order to address your emotional eating, is learning how to identify the difference between what is true, physical hunger vs perceived, emotional hunger. 

Emotional Hunger:

• Comes on suddenly

• You crave only certain types of foods

• You may binge on food without ever feeling full

• You eat mindlessly, eating without any awareness until that food is gone

• You feel guilt or shame about eating
  
  

Physical Hunger:

• Develops slowly over time

• Desire to eat a variety of foods

• You feel the sensation of fullness, and use it as a cue to stop eating

• You eat mindfully, and are aware of what you’re eating

• You have no negative feelings about eating

GRAB YOUR FREE 30 DAY JOURNAL PROMPTS FOR EMOTIONAL EATING ON KETO BELOW!

HOW TO MANAGE EMOTIONAL EATING

1) Face Your Feelings Head-On

When we use food to cope with our emotions, we are really only temporarily numbing ourselves from our negative feelings. Then once we’ve binged on something, we are left feeling even worse because the original emotion hasn’t been dealt with, as we pile on guilt, shame and regret from overeating. 

This cycle will never stop until we can address our feelings head on. It becomes a default pattern in our behaviour to the point where we aren’t even sure HOW to feel, or what those feelings even are. We are resisting and avoiding what we actually feel because we’re afraid of discomfort, and that resistance can trigger us to use food to cope.

Next time you feel an urge to use food as a way to cope with stress or a negative emotion, give yourself 10 minutes. Set an alarm if you have to and just sit with that emotion for 10 minutes, and feel it. Name it. Identify it. Notice how that emotion feels within your body. 

This may feel extremely awkward at first if your default response is using food, but just sit without judgement and allow yourself to feel the emotion fully. It will be uncomfortable, but nothing REALLY bad is going to happen. What’s 10 minutes of sitting in an emotion, to feel your feelings fully, compared to the amount of guilt and disappointment you may feel after a binge? And once you have a better understanding of what the emotion even is, you’ll have made the first major step to overcoming emotional eating. 

2) Identify Your Triggers

Think about the times you tend to emotionally eat. How were you feeling? What was going on in your life? What happened just before eating? Does it happen at a specific time of day? When you are better able to identify a pattern in what triggers you to emotionally eat, you will be able to find alternative methods to cope that do not involve food.

3) Journal For Discovery

We’re not talking about the “Dear Diary’s” of our youth, but using the writing process to help discover what’s really going on in our conscious and MORE OFTEN, subconscious mind. Sometimes we can get so deep into our own thoughts, that the act of simply writing it out makes it more real. Suddenly your feelings and emotions are not just circling around your mind, but sitting right there in front of you in black and white, ink on paper, in the real world.

One of the best ways to truly connect our heads with our hearts, is through our hands. Again, this may feel awkward and uncomfortable at first but it can be such a powerful tool to uncover what’s really going on, instead of using food to stay numb. Set aside a specific time each day for a journal practice. There is no right or wrong way to do it. Just let whatever flows naturally come out, without judgment or worrying about punctuation or grammar.

GRAB YOUR FREE 30 DAY JOURNAL PROMPTS FOR EMOTIONAL EATING ON KETO BELOW!

4) Be Kind To Your Mind

As with anything truly worth it in life, it takes practice. This is no different when it comes to our eating patterns and behaviours. Our brains are designed to be efficient and do what’s easy. If you’ve been using emotional eating as a way to deal with your feelings for a long time, that becomes your default coping mechanism. And your efficient brain will want to continue that cycle, because that’s all it knows.

Will you get it right 100% of the time as you work to overcome emotional eating? Maybe not. But you need to be willing to learn from any setbacks, identify triggers, and be aware of what you can improve on next time. As you develop this awareness, the easier it will get. The more you practice, the easier it will get. So remember to be patient with yourself, and don’t give up!

5) Practice Mindful Eating Habits

Being more mindful can help us differentiate physical hunger vs emotional hunger. Creating more awareness around your meals in general and focusing on eating when you are actually hungry can help the impulse of emotional eating. Give those appetite signals some time. If you are willing to sit for 10 minutes with your feelings, you will know if you are truly hungry to fuel your body, or if you are just eating out of impulse cravings, and can use a healthier coping alternative.

Avoid eating with distractions such as the television, phones, or in your car. Don’t rush through your meal, rather slow down and enjoy smaller bites. Try putting your cutlery down between each bite if that helps. Slowing down will allow hunger signals to reach your brain before you overeat. After you’ve finished eating, wait 15 minutes before you get seconds or dessert and really assess if you’re still hungry. And despite what you may have been told, you do not have to clear your plate.

GRAB YOUR FREE 30 DAY JOURNAL PROMPTS FOR EMOTIONAL EATING ON KETO BELOW!

6) Eat A Healthy Keto Diet

If you struggle with emotional eating it may be difficult to distinguish between true hunger and perceived hunger. Making sure your diet is full of nutrients that your body requires to feel it’s best is key to overcoming emotional eating. The ketogenic diet is an incredible tool to help you along this journey. Many other diets often leave you feeling hungry and miserable all the time, which only triggers cravings, overeating, and binges. Keto focuses on high fat, and lots of protein which helps you feel full and satisfied for longer. Keto has been shown to suppress appetite and hunger, while decreasing the intensity of cravings that trigger emotional eating. 

A diet that is high in carbohydrates or sugars also has a huge effect on our appetite hormones such as insulin, leptin and ghrelin which have a direct impact on our blood sugars. After eating carbs our blood sugar spikes, then eventually crashes and the constant fluctuations cause us to crave even more food, even if we’ve just eaten. Keto helps keep these hormones and our blood sugar stabilized. This allows us a unique opportunity to TRULY understand our physical hunger cues, and develop more awareness for when we’re actually hungry.

7) Seek Support

When we are experiencing negative emotions we often isolate ourselves away from others, and our loved ones. We feel like they may judge us, they may not understand, or we feel like a burden, so we just keep our feelings to ourselves. 

In doing so, we turn to emotional eating as a way to cope, then feel intense amounts of shame and guilt afterwards. Emotional eating tends to occur behind closed doors. When no one else is around. When no one else can see you. We do it in secret because of the shame and disappointment we know we will feel, and want to spare ourselves the embarrassment of doing it in front of others. But that cycle can end if you are willing to face your feelings head-on, and share what you’re going through with others. Find an accountability buddy that truly understands, and lean on them when you feel an urge to emotionally eat. If you don’t want to discuss this with friends or family, consider hiring a coach to help support you.

If you’re tired of emotional eating derailing all your weight loss progress, click here to learn more about how I can help you to overcome this obstacle. We can identify what’s really going on, get to the root cause of what’s triggering your emotional eating, and develop healthier coping mechanisms that work for you. Together we can develop healthier eating habits, and a better understanding of yourself to give you peace of mind, and the keto weight loss results you deserve. You can also join the free Keto Weight Loss for Women facebook group full of supportive women from around the world!

ARE KETO DIETS HEALTHY?

The ketogenic diet is so vastly different from what society deems “normal” that many wonder if it’s really a safe and healthy way to eat. It goes against how we were raised to eat, outdated food pyramids, and what we were taught, that at first glance it may seem like the least healthy pattern of eating out there. But new research is constantly emerging to reveal a different story.

Studies have shown that reducing carbohydrate intake and increasing healthy fats can help with the severity of illnesses such as obesity, diabetes 2, and heart disease. Ketogenic diets have also been shown to decrease overall inflammation in the body, which is an underlying issue for many chronic conditions. Even if you do not suffer from any of these, there are many ways that living a keto lifestyle can improve your health and wellbeing.

GRAB YOUR FREE DAILY KETO HABIT CHECKLIST BELOW!

The ketogenic diet was originally designed for children suffering from epilepsy, and studies found it to be a highly beneficial treatment. Nowadays, the majority of the people who want to try a ketogenic diet are doing so with the main goal of losing weight. Keto has been shown to help people lose weight faster than other plans such as a low-fat diet, but it is by no means a “quick fix” diet. Once you lose the weight on keto, if you go right back to how you were eating before, there’s a good chance you’ll gain the weight back.

Other health indicators aside from weight loss include improved triglycerides, cholesterol, blood sugar, A1C and blood pressure from eating a ketogenic diet. While there are no long term studies, there are countless success stories and anecdotal evidence from individuals who have been living a keto lifestyle for years who have lost weight, decreased medications, and improved their overall health.

Just like any diet, keto still needs to be implemented correctly without going to extreme measures to improve your overall health. For some, high fat and low carb may not be the best choice. So instead of asking if the keto diet is healthy, a more poignant question to ask is if the keto diet is healthy for YOU. It should also be noted that just because a diet works for some, doesn’t mean it will work in the same way for everyone.

HOW TO KNOW IF YOUR KETO DIET IS HEALTHY:

Body Composition

If keto is helping you see progress in the right direction to reach your body weight loss goals, that’s great! If you’re not getting the results you want, it may be time to switch things up. Keep in mind, everyone loses weight at different rates. Be mindful of your own weight loss, and don’t compare that to anyone else. It is customary to lose 1-2lbs per week once you’ve become fat adapted on your keto journey. Even on keto, you still need to be in a caloric deficit to lose weight and that deficit needs to be continually adjusted as you drop pounds.

Essential Nutrients

It is critical that your keto diet meets your daily vitamin and mineral requirements. Focusing on a whole food based approach will help you to meet your nutritional needs to keep you feeling your best. Sure, it’s possible to lose weight without meeting those needs, but it’s not great for your overall health and you may not feel so great doing it.

GRAB YOUR FREE DAILY KETO HABIT CHECKLIST BELOW!

Overall Wellbeing

It is important to eat in a way that improves your overall wellbeing and quality of life. It seems obvious, but a healthy diet should make you feel healthy while you’re on it. If eating a ketogenic diet is causing you an unnecessary amount of stress or suffering, then maybe it’s time to try something else. Even if you may feel great, your blood tests may report otherwise. There are many health care practitioners who are on board with a keto diet, and many who aren’t. That’s why it’s imperative for you to track your own personal, subjective experience as well as objective evidence (such as weight, blood sugars etc) to get a clear picture of your overall health and wellbeing.

Long Term Sustainability 

Just like any other diet, keto can get you short-term results, but is it something you can sustain indefinitely? The best dietary approach for you is one that you can truly adopt into a lifestyle change. It is the healthiest diet for you if it replaces your previous way of eating, while meeting your nutritional needs, maintaining your body composition, and improving your general wellbeing. If you’re struggling to stay on your keto diet, and only thinking about it as a short-term “quick fix”, there’s a good chance you will go back to your old habits and eating behaviours, and gain the weight back.

HOW TO CREATE A HEALTHY KETO LIFESTYLE

The main reason people start a ketogenic diet is for weight loss. Keto is highly effective at getting people results beyond what they even thought was possible. That being said, just because you’re losing weight doesn’t necessarily mean you’re doing it in the healthiest way possible. 

Here are a few guidelines to ensure you create a healthy keto lifestyle:

• Maintain a calorie deficit no higher than 35% (or lower). You will lose weight by eating fewer calories than your body needs to maintain its current weight. However, drastically decreasing calories more than 35% of what you’re currently used to eating is a surefire way to feel hungry, slow your metabolism, and make your weight loss harder to maintain in the long run.

• Lose weight at 1-2lbs per week. After your initial water weight loss when you first transition to a keto diet, the standard rate for true fat loss is 1-2lbs per week. There is no reason to feel discouraged if you’re not losing weight fast enough. Losing this amount per week will increase your chances of maintaining that loss without fighting cravings or hunger. Just remember - slower weight loss is more sustainable weight loss!

• Eat adequate protein. When you meet your daily protein requirements you are more likely to feel full for longer, burn more calories, and prevent a decrease in muscle mass. Eating enough protein is crucial for keto weight loss success, while looking and feeling healthier.
  

GRAB YOUR FREE DAILY KETO HABIT CHECKLIST BELOW!

To answer the overall question, YES - keto diets are healthy. Especially if you compare it relatively to how you were eating before. You may find yourself more likely to eat whole, nutrient dense foods, healthy fats, and the right amount of protein on keto compared to a typical “Western” diet. If you follow the guidelines above, you are well on your way to achieving a healthy keto diet that meets all your dietary needs while helping you achieve your body goals. If you are still feeling unsure, and want additional guidance on your keto journey click here to learn about how coaching can help! There are many strategies that can help you adopt a ketogenic diet as a true keto lifestyle change. It may take some experimenting, self awareness, and a shift in your eating habits to find what truly works best for you, to get you weight loss results that last.

HOW TO LOSE WEIGHT ON KETO - EVEN ON A BUDGET

You may feel hesitant to even start a ketogenic diet because you’re worried about how much it will cost. You want to be healthier, lose weight, and feel your best, but you can’t afford to break the bank in the process. Luckily, that doesn’t have to be the case! It’s easy to make a high-fat, low-carb plan work for you, without “keto friendly” products, pricey supplements, or trips to expensive, specialty grocery stores. 

GRAB YOUR FREE STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO KETO MEAL PLANNING ON A BUDGET BELOW!

Not only is keto a totally affordable way of eating on a daily basis, think about the bigger picture and what it can mean down the road. Eating a nutrient dense keto diet may improve your health in the long run. This may not only improve your quality of life, but save you money from potential medical costs in the future. Sounds great, right? 

But for now, let’s focus on how to save money in the stores, and make a healthy keto lifestyle work for any budget.

SKIP PACKAGED KETO-FRIENDLY PRODUCTS

There is no question that keto is one of the latest trends in the diet world. When something becomes trendy, food manufacturers hop on the bandwagon and create products to suit that diet, and make a ton of money in the process. Meal replacement bars, cookies, fat bombs, shakes, breads, pastas, chocolates - you name it, there’s a keto product for it. 

While these items may be fun to incorporate into your diet from time to time, they are still all processed foods. Keto, especially for therapeutic purposes, should still be centered around nutrient dense, whole foods - not packaged ones. Not to mention these products are often exorbitantly pricey, and not even necessary on a keto diet. A handful of nuts will always be more cost and health effective than a keto bar. For more keto alternatives to high carb foods check out this blog for a long list of substitutes!

ADD VEGGIES TO YOUR PLATE

In the keto world, not all vegetables are created equal due to their carb and sugar content. But there are still many inexpensive, non-starchy vegetables you can add to your meals. The keto diet is mainly focused on healthy fats and protein, but adding some keto-friendly veg to your meals can really help bulk up your plate. They allow you to eat a greater volume of food, while providing fiber for heart and digestive health, as well as essential vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. 

Keto friendly vegetables include mushrooms, cauliflower, lettuce, leafy greens, zucchini, spaghetti squash, peppers, onions, garlic, broccoli, and many more. Be sure to buy the whole ingredient vs pre-cut packaged vegetables to save even more money. 

GRAB YOUR FREE STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO KETO MEAL PLANNING ON A BUDGET BELOW!

BE MINDFUL OF YOUR MEAT

Meat is often one of the most expensive items on any grocery list. When you follow a keto diet, it is important to ensure you get adequate protein, but there are so many factors when it comes to the varying costs of meat. Where you live, where you shop, the cut of meat, the type of meat (pasture, organic, etc) all play a significant role in the price. 

Be mindful of the cost of certain cuts of meat, and be strategic. For example, chicken thighs will always be cheaper than chicken breasts. Shop your local grocery store flyers for meats that are on sale, and stock up if you have space in your freezer. Also, don’t be afraid to try a cut you’ve never cooked before, just simply Google, Pinterest or YouTube a recipe and go for it! 

BUY FROZEN FRUIT

Since the options for fruit are limited on a typical keto diet, you’ll already be saving some money there. But you can still enjoy berries due to their high fiber, and low sugar content. Buying frozen berries is a great way to ensure they are at their peak in terms of nutrients, plus they won’t go bad in your fridge. You save money buying a big frozen bag of berries since they won’t go to waste, plus you can portion out a proper amount so you don’t overdo it.

SKIP ORGANIC, FREE RANGE, & GRASS FED

Many people living a keto lifestyle put a strong emphasis on eating only organic, grass fed, pasture raised produce, meats, and dairy products. In an ideal world, that’s really great advice. But if your budget doesn’t allow for these types of ingredients, it will not hinder your keto weight loss. If you can’t afford these things, just know that you can still make great strides in improving your overall health on keto compared to a typical “Western” diet. The bigger goal is to move towards eating whole foods, and you can always upgrade to more organic foods if and when your budget allows it.

OPT FOR EGGS

Eggs are one of the single most cost effective foods out there. They’re a great source of protein and healthy fats, and they go a long way in saving you money. Not to mention there are so many different ways to cook eggs, they can provide a lot of variety to your meals. Scrambled, fried, poached, hard boiled, soft boiled, frittata, omelette, egg cups, shakshuka, and so many more.

MEAL PLANNING

Proper meal planning can not only save your time - it can save you money. When you plan out your keto meals in advance, you are also more likely to stay on track to achieving your weight loss goals. Taking a bit of time to plan keto meals saves you money by not purchasing ingredients you don’t need. Plus, every ingredient you purchase has a purpose so you reduce your food waste, aka - money waste! When you have a meal plan, you’re armed with a well thought-out grocery list, so you’re also less likely to impulse buy at the store which saves you even more money.

GRAB YOUR FREE STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO KETO MEAL PLANNING ON A BUDGET BELOW!

FOCUS ON LOW-COST PLANT OILS

It is important to incorporate healthy fats into any keto diet. These fats replace carbohydrates as a way to help you feel full and satisfied, while also providing incredible heart healthy benefits. Olive oil, coconut oil, and avocado oils are all great cost effective options. You can also buy these oils in bulk, but be sure to store them in a cool dark place (ie - not in the cupboard right next to your stove) so they maintain all their health benefits, and don’t go off.

BUY NUTS IN BULK

Bulk stores are a great way to purchase a large quantity at a lower cost. If you have the storage space, keto-friendly nuts make a great snack, can be added to a salad, used in keto baking, or added to a charcuterie board. It is more cost effective to buy these items in bulk, but keep in mind they need to be stored properly to prevent food waste. Store any nuts you are not using in the freezer to keep the oils from turning rancid, and they’ll be good to go up to 2 years.

You don’t have to break the bank to live a healthy keto lifestyle. It allows you to focus your eating on whole foods which are a fraction of the cost of conventional processed foods, and infinitely better for your health. While some things may cost more upfront, when stored properly, they can save you big bucks in the long run. Always remember that you are not just buying food, you are buying the proper fuel for your body, and investing in your health. If you want additional help navigating your keto lifestyle, click here to learn more about how I can help support you to get some serious results!