Need help starting

(Cherylyn Hinton) #1

Hello all please forgive me because I am very out of my element here I have made the conscious decision with my husband that we are going to start keto to not only lose some weight but to help better our health in general. I actually have no idea really where to begin I did research and I understand what needs to be cut out and what foods to avoid but I really don’t know where to begin on what to buy what to eat Etc. If anyone has any Information and advice for me on what I could stock up in my house what meals I can eat and what not I would be highly appreciative I’m just trying to get myself off the ground in this area. Thank you all so much for your time.

(Scott) #2

It’s not as hard as you think.

The easy stuff is eggs, bacon, cheese, heavy whipping cream.

Don’t fear saturated fat. do use vegetable oils.

No bread, pasta, potatoes.

No fruit (some like berries)

Tree nuts and avocados are okay.

Look at your salad dressings for carb content. I have fallen back in love with blue cheese dressing

(Cherylyn Hinton) #3

Thank you! Trying to start off simple to get into the groove and that was definitely helpful.

(Charlotte) #4

If you haven’t already. Clean out your kitchen of starches, sugar, breads, pastas, and fruit. Donate it all to a food bank. They could always use the help.

Me personally I keep on hand religiously as staples:

  1. Eggs
  2. Meat (any/all types)
  3. Heavy Whipping Cream
  4. Coconut oil (i use liquid for my coffee, and solid for cooking)
  5. Avocado oil & EVOO
  6. Cheese (i have tons because I LOVE all types of cheese)
  7. Leafy Greens
  8. BUTTER (I buy Kerrygold in bulk from Costco)
  9. Ranch & Vinaigrette dressings
  10. liquid stevia, erythritol, and truvia
  11. alfredo sauce
  12. broccoli

Stuff I like to buy that are non-staples

  1. guacamole
  2. cream cheese
  3. parmcrisp crackers (0 carb)
  4. Super fine almond flour (baking)
  5. Coconut flour (baking)
  6. pecans
  7. cottage cheese
  8. almond milk & coconut milk
  9. bone broth

Just try different things that you like that are keto friendly. Its a lot of trial and error and figuring out what works for you. For instance, faux sweeteners can be a problem for some people, but I can use them with no trouble. I also have kids, so I keep keto friendly treats and sweeteners on hand. I use a lot of broccoli to substitute for pasta. My family loves chicken alfredo, and I’ll put it over freshly steamed broccoli instead of pasta. I cook a lot of deviled eggs too.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #5

As for vegetable oils, I would recommend staying away from them, because they are usually very rich in omega-6 fatty acids, which in quantity cause inflammation. Omega-6’s and omega-3’s are essential to the human diet, but we don’t need very much at a time, and we want them in pretty much 1:1 ratio, because they compete for the same cell receptor.

Oils such as coconut, olive, and avocado, however, are very keto-friendly, and the solid fats—butter, lard, tallow, bacon grease, ghee (clarified butter)—are all great for cooking, not to mention tasty. As Scott suggests, don’t fear fat. Keto is a low-insulin diet, and the effect of fat on insulin secretion is so minimal as to be practically non-existent. You can eat enough so as not to go hungry.

Avoiding carbohydrate enough to get your insulin down (we recommend eating less than 20 g/day, by the way) is the key aspect of the diet, the rest of this stuff is more in the nature of tweaks. So relax and do your best, and keep the questions coming! Good luck!

(Cherylyn Hinton) #6

This was very helpful thank you I also have children so the thought of the chicken Alfredo over the broccoli is an amazing idea. All the things you listed have really given me a good idea of what I should go out and grab just too start. I love cheese to him for some crazy reason I didn’t think that I would be able to have an on keto silly me that made me super excited to know that I can get a ton of the cheeses I still like to incorporate in meals just have to keep it low and lactose I believe correct? I’m also really interested in the idea of creating my own bone broth which is supposed to be super good for you.

(Cherylyn Hinton) #7

This was amazingly helpful as well thank you so much I’m starting to get a good understanding of what I should start with and what I should avoid.

(Scott) #8

noodling zucchini (there is a tool for that) is a great pasta replacement. Mix some cream cheese with riced cauliflower for some mashed potatoes. The possibilities are endless.

(Charlotte) #9

I have kids ranging from 20 months to 18 years and they all love my keto food. I even have a great pancake recipe that everyone loves. I keep milk for my kids because I would go broke trying to keep almond milk in the house because they love it so much. The only dairy I use is heavy whipping cream which is very versatile, cheese, and butter. I buy a lot of stuff from costco because I can get a big bag of real bacon crumbles for cheap and put it in anything. When I started my husband bought me some keto cookbooks which I love and have been fantastic for ideas. My favorite is Keto Comfort Foods. The front of the book has a ton is really helpful information like what good staples to have are and what to avoid, conversions, and all sorts of miscellaneous good information. The recipes are really good too! This book was my bible in the beginning while I got comfortable with keto. You can do a dairy free keto really easy. There are substitues you can do to make it absolutely doable.

https://www.amazon.com/Keto-Comfort-Foods-Favorite-Low-Carb/dp/1628602570/ref=nodl_

(Carl Keller) #10

Hi Cherylyn.

I find that shopping for keto is easy if I stick to single item, whole foods. It’s not only easy to prepare a moderately fatty protein with a side of vegetables, the result is quite enjoyable. To keep things from being boring, I like to have either beef, pork or poultry twice a week and salmon once. Vegetables make up the bulk of my carbs and I will have 1-2 cups per day of leafy greens, broccoli, cauliflower or brussels sprouts and sometimes cabbage or green beans.

I would advise against loading up on snacks or diet drinks. If a fatty snack keeps you from relapsing, then have a few pork rinds or boiled eggs but you should try to eat larger meals so that you don’t get hungry between meals. I know breaking the habit of snacking at certain times can be difficult but you can free yourself of this with practice.

Also, it might be good to invest in some quality salt like Pink Himalayan or an unprocessed sea salt. The importance of sodium is amplified when we restrict carbs since we excrete sodium at a much greater rate. Low sodium is often the cause of “keto flu” and that is something we can prevent most of the time.

(Scott) #11

I might add that it saves time shopping. No need to hit all the aisles produce, dairy, meat and done.

(Bunny) #12

Most important to know when you go shopping; rule #1 lower and limit the sugar intake (from whatever source) and you will eventually transition into a natural ketosis even if you cannot see it on a urinalysis stick or blood ketone meter!

That’s keto, plain and simple!

Less Carbohydrates (sugar)===> More Protein & Fat

Stay away from starchy veggies eat more cruciferous and leafy greens.

Keep magnesium, potassium and sodium intake a little higher (need to supplement will be reduced once your metabolism re-adjusts).

Eat eggs to keep liver in good shape.

If you have acid reflux get more digestive bitters (anything bitter).

(Cyndi Rowley Braun) #13

What does 1:1 ratio look like?