I’ve looked into Keto for months … maybe a year and i still don’t know what I should and shouldn’t be eating. All I basically eat is chicken anyway so I suppose its an OK start for me. I was looking for some advice on what I can put on chicken flavour wise so it isn’t so bland! As all the pre bought spices in the UK seem to have carbs and sugar in them! Any help about anything would be greatly appreciated.
Started today and I'm so confused
Keith_Bronsdon
(Keith Bronsdon)
#4
Highly suggest chicken thighs. I slow pan fry them (very low heat long longer) so the juices caramelize to a golden brown. Adds a lot of flavor when you caramelize like that. I suppose you can add fat to help too. Dark meat is always juicier and has more fat.
PaulL
(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing)
#5
Don’t get chicken with the skin off. The skin adds a lot of flavour. If you don’t like meat, try other poultry, such as duck and goose. There are also sometimes other birds available, depending on where you live, so try them for some variety. Cooking with fats such as butter/ghee, lard, tallow, and bacon grease adds a lot of flavour as well.
Personally, I like pork a lot, and pork shoulder joints (picnics) are inexpensive here in the U.S. You get a lot of meat, and it’s practically self-basting. Just pop it in the oven, wait 20 minutes a pound, and it’s done!
Shinita
#6
Good chicken is quite tasty IMO but you can add spices of course, sauces, vegetables and so much more. You can eat other meats.
Of course spices have carbs, they are dry plants and plants are carby and without the water, quite so. But you use them in moderation… Even if I use truly sugary condiments on everything (not a lot), the carbs are nothing compared to what I get from my animal products 
Maybe count and figure out what you can afford. For many of us, spices and condiments are worth it 
Keep your carbs low, it’s the main thing. You can do it with the IIFYM attitude, If It Fits Your Macros. I like that you can eat anything on keto, it doesn’t ban anything, directly at least 
Some carby items are tricky on it But it’s up to you if you eat them in tiny amounts of skip them. We should have our own personal style. I did low-carb before keto, close to paleo and I had my own blacklist (no heavily processed stuff, no added sugar, no grains and so on but I mostly had it years before keto too). But I ate anything else if I wanted. Now I am choosier or more like I want carby stuff way less frequently…
It’s a good start. Keep your carbs low, eat until satiation. But you may know something isn’t good for you. Lactose or fruits or sweeteners. Or your body is fine with them but you find it better to skip them. But for ketosis… You just keep your carbs low. For health, get your nutrients and then you will see… It’s a journey for some of us, we don’t do keto perfectly since day 1… We realize things, experiment, circumstances may have some effect too…
Keto6468
(Karen)
#7
Mustard. Check the ingredients though. I like mayo. Again check the ingredients.
Eggs, basically chicken. 
Chantarella
#8
I could give you my Ceasar salad dressing recipe which is keto and better than any other I have ever had. I eat that with chicken, and lots of other goodies. Its good with tuna too from the water based can.
Just the other day I made a swiss chicken casserole with gruyere cheese in it. It is in the recipe section of this forum.
Go to YouTube and put in keto chicken and see what they come up with. Headbangers keto kitchen is great. He has a wonderful “keto mac and cheese” - but there are many many more keto cooks.
I also make thai curry with unsweetened coconut milk. I make that with chicken too, among other meats.
There are so many many options! Maybe buy a cook book that is keto?
Check out “chaffles” here.
Keep track of your carbs with cronometer.com and keep them under 20g/day. Have FUN cooking new things. Even keto versions of your old favourites.
Oh and I buy pork rinds and pulverise them in a mixer and use them to “bread” meats and then deep fry or bake them. The pork rinds become like breadcrumbs. And eggs are eggs and I used spiced up mayonaise in the eggs to give a punch of flavour - like I add salt and pepper and paprika powder. Then roll the meat in the pork rind crumbs. I make chicken Kiev this way too with lot of butter and Estragon herb- plus garlic of course. YUM!!!
The possibilities are really endless. So WELCOME and I wish you success!
Elvianna
#11
Thank you all for your replies they were very helpful!!
i really want to stick with this. But I can already feel myself obsessing over every little thing. Hopefully today is a better day!
Arbre
(Doing a Mediterranean Keto)
#12
Indian spices tend to be quite good in keto, and especially for chicken, and in the UK tend to be widely available. Buy a big package, they tend to have high quality. Mustard also is good (the one with small yellow and dark balls).
KCKO!
MommyJill2005
(Jill F.)
#13
Welcome @Elvianna! Keep things very simple, keto does not have to be complicated! Keep carbs under 20 grams a day, eat a lot of fat, moderate protein, green veggies.
The key when you start is to stay hydrated, adequate salt intake, and lots of fat. Incorporate olive oil, coconut oil, avacodos, fatty meats, eggs, bacon, butter, all if the things that “traditional” diets tell you to avoid, lol.
Sounds crazy but it works! The fat keeps you full, and your body learns to burn the fat as fuel versus carbs. Good luck and welcome!
meckeard
(Mark)
#15
I think you’ll find most info says high fat, medium protein and low carbs. No sugar too. Too much protein seems to be counter productive for me so I would suggest adding good fat so you aren’t eating all protein.
Amazon has some good keto shakes. Use water or almond milk and add MTC oil for extra fat. Some of it is flavorless and mixes OK with shakes.
Good luck!
David_Stilley
(Full Metal KETO AF)
#17
I recommend avoiding processed food like shakes even if it says KETO on the label. You want to eat real food and avoid processed stuff and drinking ‘meals?’ As was said earlier everything you need is at the store usually around the outer walls, meat, dairy, fresh vegetables, eggs. I use regular condiments and just account for the carbs often as long as harmful seed and vegetable oils aren’t ingredients. I avoid making most complex KETO recipes and have found my own adaptation of dishes I used to cook is usually more satisfying. Recipes are more like suggestions to me. I’m almost two years in and went from obese to a healthy weight during the first year. I’ve been at maintenance level for almost a year now.
You will find your way with the food in time. The fact that you’re the one eating it is why everyone does things a little differently and finds their own way, after all I hope this will be a lifestyle change and not a temporary diet, find what works for you and makes you happy and satisfied to keep it sustainable. You will find your tastes change given time. I eat pretty much like I used to just eliminating or minimizing carbs as I can. 
gingersmommy
(Marianne)
#18
Oh, boo, I’m sorry you are having trouble. 
What do you like to eat? Do you like rich food? I took to keto immediately and have had no trouble sticking to it mainly because I love what we can eat - bacon, butter, heavy cream, eggs, sausage, chicken/tuna/egg salad with mayo (store mayo can have carbs, but I don’t sweat it. I think it is pretty minimal for the amount I use), etc. If you make chicken, top it with a nice cheese sauce, or cook the more succulent pieces like the thighs and legs. Save your bacon grease and put a tablespoon on your vegetables with salt - delicious! - or butter - or both! Cole slaw with mayo is delicious.
We don’t make anything elaborate, but if you take a pound of hamburger and mix it with cole slaw or broccoli slaw and sautee, it is delicious. Keto pizza made with the four-egg and 6 oz. cheese crust could not be easier, and it tastes just like pizza. Dinners are usually a piece of meat (pork, chicken, beef), and a steamed veggie in butter or bacon grease. We look forward to dinner every night.
I think you need to identify what foods you enjoy. Don’t be restricted as with conventional dieting about how much fat is in things or calories. You want to eat full fat foods.
Good luck. I didn’t read through the responses, but I’m sure this community has already given you a ton of suggestions and support. Best.
kjgeraci
(Kenneth)
#19
Three Easy favorites … For all three of these you can buy a five dollar rotisserie chicken from Walmart and pull it apart for your chicken.
Buffalo chicken dip from ketoconnect, with pork rindid instead of chips
Lettuce wraps… Chicken, Cilantro and avocado mixed together with a little salt and pepper (Mix into a mash)
BLT lettuce wrap … Bacon, avocado, diced tomato, chicken, mayo (You might get one or two carbs max from the tomato.)