Where can I buy Keto friendly food?

(Daniel Crispin) #1

Hello everyone,

I am in the process of transitioning from the Mediterranean diet to the Keto diet.

I have been watching videos about Keto for about a week and made lists of food items I should stop eating and food items I should use. Some of that stuff I have never seen in the grocery store.

So how should I search for items like XCT/MTC oil, coconut flour, bone broth, grass-feed meats and butter and so on?

I did a google search for Keto food, for my city and nothing came up. So what type of stores normally carry those?

Daniel

(Allie) #2

Bone broth is most often made at home. MCT oil, coconut flour - I get these online generally although Costco sells coconut flour now. The other things mentioned are normally available in various stores.

(Allan Misner) #3

Typically, you find these foods along the outside sections of the grocery store (meat, eggs, butter, veggies). The only thing I go into the aisles to get are sardines, coconut oil, and spices.

Check to see if your town has a farmer’s market. That is where I like to buy most of my meat (locally farmed by a family I trust) and locally sourced, in-season vegetables.

You may have a butcher/meat store and/or a fish market.

You can also find local health food stores that will carry more high-quality foods.

In short, keto food is just food. If it is in a package, it was processed, which does not fit in my WOE.

(Anne) #4

I find MCT oil at my Local GNC store. I’m not sure where you are located, but where I live we have a Wegman’s and they sell all types of nut flours, xanthem gum, and most of the stuff you are looking for. If you don’t have a high end grocery store that sells unique items try Amazon. Kerrygold butter is grass fed butter that is sold in most grocery stores and at Costco.

(Arlene) #5

Like Allan said, keto food is just real food; no processing or additives needed. You can buy many meats at your local grocery store, or you can buy local, grass-fed meats from a trusted farm in your area. If you have the money, support your local farms and buy the bulk of your food from them, or grow the food yourself. Extra items like XCT/MCT oil, and nut flours are things you can read about and decide if you want to add those to your cooking experience.
If you’re just getting started, I would keep things simple with meats, vegetables, and dairy, such as cheeses, butter, cream. It’s pretty easy to make yourself a quick hamburger or steak, then add in a salad or your favorite cooked vegetable with lots of butter on it. Bacon and eggs for breakfast will provide you with bacon grease you can use for other cooked items at another meal, such as the burger or sauted veggies I already mentioned.
I love my slow cooker for large roasts or whole chickens. Dinner is ready when I come in from a long day, and I have lots of left over meat for several days, plus plenty of bone broth for soups or just a savory hot drink.

(VLC.MD) #6

Spend your starter Keto money on meat and butter not MCT oil. Although MCT oil is a laxative for me so it makes my morning weight lower.

(KCKO, KCFO) #7

Make your own bone broths google it to finds heaps of recipes for chicken, beef and even fish.

MTC oil is not required, I use coconut oil instead, available at all the grocery stores in my area.

Neither are grass feed meats, not everyone can afford that.

Kerrygold is available at most grocery stores, same with heavy whipping cream.

Organic veggies are in most grocery chains now as well. If they are too high priced, you can use this list to decide what to buy organic vs. nonorganic

Amazon is the back up plan for anything not offered locally.

(Brian) #8

It can be pretty amazing to find a lot of what you’re looking for right there on the grocery store shelves along side of stuff you’ve bought for years. At least it was that way for me.

At my local Walmart, there are lemons, avocados, wild caught fish (canned and frozen), olive oil, coconut oil, dark chocolate, and numerous pretty good cheeses. There are some veggies and some red meats but I tend to find better stuff elsewhere.

We have a local coop that puts together a bunch of producers where we can get really good veggies and some very high quality organic/grass fed meats of just about anything you’d want. It’s expensive but the stuff I’ve gotten is really top shelf.

We have numerous places around the countryside that sell eggs from chickens out running around. Interestingly, the best ones I’ve found, the guy doesn’t even advertise for them, feeds them a true organic mash (what they eat, they’re outside on pasture) and only gets $1.50/doz. They’d be a bargain at twice the price, they really are that good.

Our local Kroger store does have a pretty good selection of stuff, too… organic veggies, organic meats (maybe not as good as the coop but not as expensive, either), and a few more specialty items. Things like almond flour, coconut flour, flax meal, psyllium husks, and vanilla cream stevia drops (for my coffee) were all right there on the shelves even though a few of them I ended up finding by accident.

I hope to be able to grow a lot of my own veggies at some point. We’ve been trying to buy a place with a few acres for years, and I think there might be something happening soon. (fingers crossed) I’d also like to have enough chickens to share or sell some eggs, too. There are a number of small farmers markets and roadside stands around these parts, too, some of which are better than others. That can be quite unique from place to place so all I can suggest there is to try to get to know the people selling to see whether they’re just hustling produce they buy from wherever or whether they’re actually growing it themselves, and if the latter, how they grow it. People talk, and casual conversation can glean a lot of information. :wink:

Good luck!

(VLC.MD) #9

I started Keto by shopping at Walmart at 9:30pm after work. Only store open. As you get more refined, you can branch out elsewhere. But the basics are more important. I doubt Wally World has MCT oil in the food section :slight_smile:

(Daniel Crispin) #10

Thank you for all the comments and suggestions !

I will go do a shopping spree tonight starting at Wal-Mart and then hit the 3 supermarkets around my house for items I can’t find at WM.

I did a search on Amazon and was able to find pretty much everything. So if I can’t find it locally, it is a good alternative.

Now I have to decide if I want to add protein powders into my diet. I know they can be useful to make some keto desserts. But I heard they can spike insulin, which I don’t want since I am type 2 diabetic. How does that work anyway? Protein powders contain almost no carbs… why would they spike insulin production?

I have also been looking at protein bars for meal replacements. I usually like to use them after going to the gym. Right now I use Clif Builder’s bar that have 270 Cal, 9g fat, 29g carbs and 20g proteins. These don’t really fit into a Keto diet so when I run out I will replace them with something else. I have been looking at Quest Hero bars. Any other brands I should use?

#11

I buy stuff on Ebay. Sometimes the prices are really good. MCT oil just over $18 and recently got 36 cans of organic coconut cream for $24 with free delivery. Here’s where I get my MCT and its a $1 cheaper than going to my store http://www.ebay.com/itm/NOW-Foods-MCT-Oil-32oz-Thermogenic-Coconut-Oil-Bullet-Proof-Coffee-EFA-07-2020-/281464779903?epid=1200202826&hash=item41889bb47f:g:QPwAAOSwO~hXIXv0

(Todd Allen) #12

Protein also stimulates insulin production as insulin is needed to allow cells to take in amino acids. But if carbs are low the insulin response to protein should be brief.

(VLC.MD) #13

Protein powder isn’t very Keto.
I would skip it for now.

Proteins are absorbed as amino acids and those are converted to glucose in the body. It is a slow process so no glucose spike really but it does prevent your insulin from going really low for hours. I would also say it doesn’t spike insulin but rather insulin stays medium for hours.

In general protein increases insulin production about 50% of what carbs do … more than you thought I bet !

(Khara) #14

Keep it simple at first so you don’t get overwhelmed. Get staples like eggs, meat, butter, avocados. You can live off of staples and learn as you go. Test new recipes that need hard to find ingredients when you have time and energy but make sure you always have the easy staples on hand to whip up quick if you’ve no time to try recipes. Best wishes!

#15

Been LC for almost 6 months and never bought MCT oil, although may at some point. I buy a lot at Trader Joe’s if you have one. Good prices on raw nuts especially brazil, pecans and walnuts. Note some nuts are higher in carb and should be avoided

I would not use protein powder. As others have explained excess protein turns to sugar in the liver by a process called gluconeogenisis. If you are still hungry, eat more fat not protein. The general recommendation for protein assuming you are not an athlete is 1 gram per kilo of ideal weight or lean body mass per day. So if my ideal weight was 120 lbs, I would eat 60 grams of protein per day total. Especially avoid whey protein because it is supposed to be insulingenic, not sure why more than other types

(Daniel Crispin) #16

I had no idea protein affected insulin at all. I was under the impression insulin’s job was only linked to carbs. You learn new things every day!

So yes, I guess protein would have to be in check. But the thing is, eating only fat is pretty much impossible to do. So besides fat, you have either carbs or proteins, between the two I guess I would choose protein every time.

I was interested in the protein powder for 2 reasons: 1) Post workout supplement to help rebuild the muscles, and as an ingredient for desserts such as brownies or cake without the use of carbs.

But I guess I will have to be careful how it is used once I complete the switch to Keto.

(Allie) #17

This is partly why true ketogenic diets specify moderate protein, this and gluconeogenesis.

(VLC.MD) #18

You can use protein powder but to keep your fat high you generally need to get fat with your protein … i.e. Meat.
I do Kale protein smoothies sometimes but learned I like eggs better.

Figure out how much protein you need and don’t go over … Keto macro calculator

(Michelle) #19

If you are into podcasts at all, I would highly recommend listening to the 2 Keto Dudes. Start at the beginning. You will learn soooo much. Especially being T2D, this info will be invaluable as you start your keto journey.

#20

I find great deals on Ebay and Amazon - the “Anthony’s” brand of coconut flour and almond flour is so economical and handy for making quick batter w/ egg and salt to add to any saute to give it a sort of bready, crisp, interesting dimension. I make the simple keto crepes based in the recipes in the book Keto Power.

I do one trip a month to Costco, it’s all I can take (hate those giant stores), they sell a high quality virgin coconut oil tub, and their avocado and lamb prices are the best around (I buy a large hunk of lamb shoulder and divide it into two or three smaller hunks and freeze some of it). The rest of the time I shop at smaller stores like Trader Joe’s and Natural Grocers, which often have most things needed - and happily - more and more grassfed animal products (which have healthier fats).

For those who live in places where Wal-Mart is the only “choice” - I hear that WM is increasing its organic and grassfed products.

And for those who can get to a farmer’s market at the short time windows when such markets are selling - the freshest most amazing herbs and eggs/meats can be found (though pricier than the big stores, I like to support small farmers when I can afford it).

Plenty of keto lifestyle weight-training folks use quality protein powders for practical reasons - for those of us who do Slow Burn free weights or a similar style, ensuring you get enough protein to restore/increase muscle mass while also being well satiated with high fats is made easier with quality powders if you are at risk of not eating enough actual protein otherwise because you’re adapting to satiation and find it hard to eat as much as you used to! There are a lot of nuances related to this subject if you read Volek & Phinney, and Vlad.

I use undenatured grassfed whey - whey in its most natural dried form - which I buy from Amazon for an amazing deal for 5 pounds. Making exciting smoothies (with plenty of good fat) is an art - I use about a tablespoon of erithrytol to bring out whatever flavors I’m using (cocoa, berry, green tea powder, cardamom) - and practice makes perfect. I’ve resigned myself to less-sweet smoothies than I prefer from my pre-keto days… but the fat makes it all better :smiley:

Though I’m a big fan of homemade bone broth, my current circumstances make it quite a hassle/stress to do - so I buy grassfed non-GMO bone broth in powdered form (hydrolyzed collagen peptides, which is highly processed, but super handy for making keto coffee with egg yolks & oils), from Ebay or Amazon. Am super happy that cartons of liquid bone broth (lamb, chicken) is now being sold in the soup section in a number of stores and online.

For the collagen peptide powder get a big tub of it on Amazon, the brand is Zen Principle - half the price of all the other “Paleo” brands.

Around month 3 of keto I got better at making more of an effort to pay attention to aromatic SPICES (sold most anywhere these days) in order to diversify my cooking again after having gotten a handle on how to eat! imho, Keto-friendly is happier with savory spices and plenty of good sea salt… and there are so many variations possible. It’s amazing what a little saute base can do to make a meal splendid … garlic and fresh shredded ginger… fennel/garlic/red chili (sausage taste)… garlic and thyme - with a big dollop of sour cream on the side!