If you intend to start keto dieting, then you must be well versed with what you should eat or not eat while on the ketogenic diet. Typically, a keto-friendly recipe is made up of meals which have a low carb, high fat, and average protein content.
When you go for keto diet grocery shopping, there are specific rules which you have to observe. You must only buy items which are keto-friendly so that you can strictly adhere to the ketogenic diet. These keto-friendly items usually have macronutrients that are deemed essential to any individual who is in ketosis.
Always Eat Meals Which Have Little Carbs
When you are keto dieting, you should always eat meals which have little carbs. The maximum amount of net carbs which you should take each day is 30 grams.
However, you should learn to distinguish high carb foods and those that are rich in fibre. Some foods are wrongly categorized as high carb yet they just contain too much fibre.
You should never disregard foods which are rich in fibre on the pretext of adhering to the ketogenic diet. Fibre is quite essential to your body system because it helps to prevent gut malfunctioning and constipation.
Avoid Grains and Legumes
When you are keto dieting, you should always refrain from eating grains and legumes. This is because legumes and grains usually have high carb content and the ketogenic diet should be low carb. For example, one serving of white beans may contain at least 20 grams of net carbs; and one slice of black forest cake may even have 50 grams of net carbs.
Eat Berries and Low Carb Fruits
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Most fruits are usually rich in carbs, and they may not be the best fit for your keto diet plan. These fruits have high carb content because they contain sugars which are in the form of fructose and glucose.
Berries contain little carbs, and they are the best fruits to eat while on the ketogenic diet. If you don’t like berries, you can purchase other low carb fruits such as avocados, olives, coconuts, and lemons.
Take Foods Which Have High-Fat Content
If you want to get into ketosis within a short period, you must increase your fat intake. Your keto diet grocery shopping should contain items which are rich in fat. For instance, you can buy grass-fed dairy and other dairy products such as cheese and bacon. If you are a vegetarian, you can purchase nuts and seeds since they also have high-fat content.
When you are keto dieting, your focus should be on consuming only healthy fats which do not contain cholesterol. Healthy fats are quickly absorbed and converted by the liver into ketones, and they cannot affect your health adversely. Moreover, you can also take MCT oil supplements to boost the level of fats in your body system.
If you take more fats, your body will have a constant supply of ketones, and it will rely on these ketones as the primary energy source. This way, you will get into ketosis faster.
Foods to Avoid When Keto Dieting
Besides legumes, grains, and high carb fruits, there are certain foods which you should avoid when you are following the keto diet plan. Most of these foods are quite common, and perhaps they were even your staple meals before you started keto dieting.
When keto dieting, you should avoid taking fast foods in a restaurant. Some of these fast foods include French fries, noodles, pizzas, hot dogs, and buns. Most of these fast foods are typically rich in carbs, so they are not keto-friendly.
Moreover, you should never purchase non-keto friendly snacks from a hawker just because you are hungry. As illustrated by US News, you should make it a habit to carry your keto-friendly snacks when moving around so that you won't be tempted to buy non-keto friendly snacks to satisfy your hunger pangs. Some of the snacks which you should avoid are biscuits, cakes, crisps, and popcorns.
If you have foods such as potatoes, wheat flour, beans, onions, and chocolate bars in your kitchen pantry, you should get rid of them. When you dispose of such foods, you will have cleared your kitchen pantry and gotten it ready to be stocked with keto-friendly items.
What your Keto Diet Grocery Shopping List Should Contain
Now that you’ve known all the rules of the ketogenic diet, you should get ready to go shopping for keto-friendly items which can help you to get into ketosis quickly. When you are doing keto diet grocery shopping, you should buy items which can last you for at least one week; so that you won't be visiting your local grocery stores frequently. Here is what your keto diet grocery shopping list should contain;
Butter
Butter is keto-friendly since it has high-fat content. You can use butter for frying, baking, and as a spread. If you are a vegetarian keto dieter, you can substitute butter with coconut butter or coconut oil.
Fatty Cuts of Grass-Fed Meat
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The lean stake may look quite attractive, but if you are keto dieting; you should purchase the fattier meats instead of the lean ones. This is because your body relies on fats as the primary energy source when you are keto dieting. Therefore, you should add to your shopping list enough ribeye steaks, salmon, T-Bones, mackerel, strip steak, sardines, chicken thighs, and ground beef.
Low-carb Vegetables
There are many low carb vegetables which you can add to your keto diet grocery shopping list. Some of these vegetables include cucumbers, cauliflower, kales, and spaghetti squash. As illustrated by Health Magazine, you can use these low-carb vegetables as a substitute for your high carb foods. For instance, you can eat cauliflowers as a main course meal instead of potatoes.
Almond and Coconut Flour
You don't have to forego your pastries when you are keto dieting. You can purchase coconut and almond flour instead of wheat flour and use them for baking your favorite pastries.
Conclusion
Most keto-friendly foods are readily available. Moreover, these foods are nutritious and delicious. It is quite easy to adhere to the ketogenic diet when you include these foods in your grocery shopping list.
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