10 Essential Items For Your Keto Grocery List
The must-have items to make your high-fat, low-carb eating lifestyle easier
2 September 2019
Keep this handy guide for your next grocery run
When you're on any kind of diet, a trip to the grocery store can be overwhelming. It's a hard enough task without the added work of shopping for specific items and avoiding other types like processed foods and refined carbohydrates. Your local supermarket or corner grocery store may not even have an aisle dedicated to low-carb options - navigating through the aisles to for a week's worth of high-fat, low-carb options make it even trickier.
To refresh your memory on what the ketogenic diet is about, it's replacing carbohydrates with fats. Limiting your carb intake to its minimal amount sends your body into ketosis, which is basically when your body burns fat for energy instead of carbs. For your body to maintain ketosis, you'll need a max of 50 grams of net carbs (subtract the grams of fiber from the grams of total carbohydrates) per day.
So what do you have to shop for when you're on a keto diet? To help you know what to look for, we've compiled a grocery shopping guide of the 10 essential keto diet foods.
For your convenience, take your pick from the freshest keto-friendly ingredients from QualityFood, the UAE's biggest online grocery store. Once you've got your groceries home and put away, a pantry that's stocked with all the essentials will make it easier for you to whip up a tasty, ketogenic meal.
1.) Spinach and arugula
Fresh veggies are the foundation of any healthy eating plan. Some vegetables are more suited for a keto diet than others. A typical ketogenic diet allows 20-30 grams of carbs per day - fill in that daily quota with low-carb leafy greens such as spinach, kale, cauliflower, broccoli, fennel celery zucchini, and bell peppers. A must-add to any grocery list, diet or not!
2.) Avocados
Avocados can kick up the potassium and are also high in fiber, which is often missing in most keto diet meal plans, and that can potentially lead to constipation. The best thing is that fiber helps make you feel full, so opt for adding avocado slices to your next salad or simply eat avocado on its own.
3.) Sardines
Canned sardines are high in omega-3 fatty acids and a fantastic source of protein, making them a keto diet staple. Consider picking up canned sardines with added olive oil for an extra healthy bonus of fat. If you're pressed for time, sardines are also quick and ready to eat.
4.) Salmon
If eating canned-anything is not your cup of tea, salmon is a great fish alternative. Salmon are also high in omega 3 fatty acids, has vitamin B12, in addition to selenium and choline. Plus, the healthy fatty acids found in salmon are proven to help improve your cholesterol, which reduces risks of cardiovascular disease.
Other fatty fish you can include in your shopping basket are tuna and mackerel.
5.) Flax crackers
Flaxseed crackers are a delicious superfood to include in your ketogenic diet grocery. Flaxseeds contain 71% of fat from omega-3 fatty acids, has only 3 net grams of carbs, and they add that one thing most people in a keto diet miss - a satisfying crunch.
When most crunchy foods are high in carbs, like nacho chips and biscuits, you might find yourself craving something to munch and crunch on every now and then. However, make sure to keep an eye on the ingredients when buying flax crackers. To add an extra kick of flavour, try topping them with ingredients suitable for a keto diet such as cheese, avocado, or cucumber.
6.) Olive oil
It's no surprise that olives and olive oil frequent many of the world's healthy eating plans. Olives are loaded with heart-healthy fats, Vitamin E, and various other nutrients to combat risks of chronic conditions like cancer, heart disease, and osteoporosis, including reducing inflammation.
Olives can easily be tossed into a salad, and cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil can be drizzled over sautéed veggies to boost fats or it can be used as a base/marinade for veggies, fresh salad, and roasted meats.
Olive oils can come in a wide selection of flavours - ranging from earthy to spicy. As a ketogenic diet tends to lack flavour sometimes, these olive oils can be used to healthily spice up a plate.
7.) Marbled steak
Ideally, you wouldn't want to be overeating protein while on a keto diet. When you're at the butcher, look for well-marbled cuts of meat as the fats help in contributing to you feeling full. You can also opt for other keto-friendly meats such as lamb, turkey, tuna, venison, and cod.
8.) Cream cheese
Cream cheese is another keto-friendly grocery item at just 1 gram of carbs per ounce. Enjoy them with celery stalks, berries, or flax crackers.
9.) Berries
Most fruits are forbidden while on a ketogenic meal plan as they tend to have high carb content. Berries, however, are an exception as they're high in fiber and low in carbs.
These tiny fruits are also packed with antioxidants that can help reduce inflammation and protect you against disease. 100 grams of berries - (blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, or strawberries) don't go higher than 12 grams of net carbs.
10.) Almond butter
Almond butter comes with a bunch of healthy vitamins and nutrients, including Vitamin E, potassium, zinc, iron, calcium, and more. They're a great addition to your keto diet as they can be an easy, fat-packed snack that you can enjoy in a number of ways.
Use almond butter to make snacks like keto chocolate fudge cookies.
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