The ketogenic diet or keto is now one of the most popular ways of dieting. In fact, it even got the top spot on Cook Smart’s top 10 list of most popular diets in 2018. In a nutshell, the keto diet is eating foods that are low in carbohydrates.
This diet heavily relies on your fat intake to help you lose fat. Now, this may sound a bit doubtful, but keto is a very effective way to lose those unwanted fats. When you’re on this diet, your body will undergo ketosis. This happens if you’re already eating more fats rather than carbs.
Your body will switch to burning fats rather than carbs or sugar. There are quite some rules to follow when you choose this type of diet, but the general rule is to avoid carbs and sugar. If you’re a keto beginner and you’re worried about following strict rules and restrictions, SideChef suggests starting with a more relaxed version of the clean keto diet, the lazy keto diet. This beginner-friendly version provides an easy way to stick to your diet and enjoy variety, since it doesn’t require you to count macros or restrict certain types of food. Whether you’ve already started with this diet or are planning to just start, here are the keto must-haves that you should include in your grocery list.
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Eggs
Eggs are packed with protein, fat, and other nutrients that are perfect for this type of diet. In fact, this has to be your holy grail when it comes to this diet. You can cook this in different ways and so you won’t easily get bored with it.
There are even times when you can choose to egg-fast. This means heavily relying on eggs during ketosis. Experts even say that you can consume 36 eggs at most in a day.
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Keto-friendly sweeteners
This is good news if you are one to always crave for sweets. There are keto-friendly sweeteners out there like Stevia, Sucralose, Erythritol, Xylitol, and Yacon Syrup. The most popular ones are Stevia and Sucralose, and they’re the easiest to spot in a supermarket.
If you are shopping for products, snacks, or desserts that claim to be low in carbohydrates and are keto-friendly, make sure you check the ingredients and only look for those sweeteners.
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Black Coffee
If you’re a coffee person, then you don’t have to worry about having to lose your favorite for this diet. Black coffee alone has a very low calorie count and there’s no way for this to spike up your sugar level. However, if you like your coffee creamy, you still shouldn’t be sad about this.
You can still enjoy a cup of creamy coffee as long as you only use heavy cream, almond milk, or coconut milk. Sweetness can still be achieved by using stevia and other sweeteners mentioned above.
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Meat and Poultry
This is the staple food when you’re on the ketogenic diet. Chicken, pork, beef, or any type of meats are great, but it’s best if you choose organic ones too. You can have any types of meat cooked in different ways and this won’t even make you feel like you’re on a diet.
Any types of meat can be easily found in groceries or supermarkets. You can even order these online. Mercato.com is a good place for you to purchase fresh meats online. You can even purchase your other keto essentials here too.
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Food Containers
This is a non-food must have because who has the time to cook different meals every day for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, right? The best way to stick to your diet is to prepare your meals in advance. So you can simply have a cooking fest during your most free day and prep your food for the next three days or even the whole week.
When shopping for food containers, make sure that they are food-grade and even BPA-free. Since you’ll be preparing meals that you’ll store in your fridge, make sure they’re also microwave-safe. It also is best to get containers that come bundled to save you a few extra bucks.
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Certain types of cooking oil
Speaking of cooking, even the oil that you use matters. The most popular choices when it comes to oils that you can use in your cooking are olive oil, coconut oil, and MCT oil. These can be easily seen in supermarkets too, and so you shouldn’t have any problems with it.
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Chia Seeds
This has become a staple to most type of diets out there because of how beneficial it can be. Chia seeds contain protein, calcium, fiber, and other nutrients that could keep your body healthy. This has very low carb content, but to be sure, it’s best to only have two tablespoons of this in a day.
You can easily add chia seeds to your drinks and even on water alone. You can also add this to your vegetable salads. This will help make sure that you remain healthy while on this diet.
