Stocking a keto-friendly kitchen
When you begin eating low carb or kitchen, the first and biggest obstacle can be, “What do I eat?”
Use this handy shopping list to help guide you through the grocery aisles. Don’t make it harder than it is, and skip every package labeled, “keto” or “sugar-free”. Trust me.
This list is taken from my book, Keto Living Day by Day, which is designed to help people learn the basics to be successful on a low carb lifestyle.
If you need meal planning or recipe ideas, please see the more than a dozen meal planning YouTube videos I have available. These meal planning videos give you meal ideas and focus on a budget approach to keto.
Full-fat Dairy
Dairy adds fat, flavor and some protein to each meal. It’s also quick food to grab while on the go. Stores often have cheese sticks in mozzarella or cheddar cheeses, which are easy to pack in lunches.
Enjoy full-fat dairy such as:
Butter Sour cream
Heavy cream Cream Cheese
Full-fat cheeses including:
Mozzarella
Fresh parmesan
Cheddar
Gouda or smoked gouda
Asiago
Havarti
Blue Cheese
Feta
Goat cheese
Meats and sources of protein
Look first for sources of protein. Purchase meats on sale. Used canned meats to make cold salads such as chicken salad or tuna salad by adding a little mayonnaise, chopped dill pickles, and salt. Canned meats can also be used to make a quick casserole.
Ground beef Pork shoulders or pork butts pork tenderloin
Ribs Stew beef Shaved steak
Steaks pork steaks shrimp
Chicken wings chicken thighs with skin salmon
Whole chicken turkey breast or whole turkey flounder or cod
Liver ground pork ground lamb
Chicken quarters chicken breasts beef bones for broth
Chicken feet (broth) beef roasts pork roasts
Eggs hot dogs pepperoni
Deli meat bacon sausage
canned tuna, salmon, pulled pork, ground beef, or chicken
Produce
Look for veggies that grow above ground. Lettuces are very low carb, so you can enjoy a salad with some meat and lots of fatty salad dressing. Just skip the croutons. Cabbage fried in bacon fat is another great side dish. Add some bacon for even more flavor! Jalapenos can be stuffed with cream cheese and cheddar cheese and baked in the oven, cauliflower makes a great substitute for mashed potatoes if you squeeze the moisture out and load it up with cream, butter, and salt.
Be sure to use veggies as a vehicle for fat, which will keep you from filling hungry.,
bell pepper cabbage mushrooms onion
cucumber spinach jalapeno broccoli
cauliflower avocado tomatoes brussels sprouts
Romaine lettuce asparagus green onions zucchini
olives sauerkraut pickles
Pantry Items
Once you clear the high carb items from your cabinets, you may want to gradually replace them with some shelf-stable items you can use for cooking low carb.
Fats Vinegars Condiments
Ghee Apple cider vinegar mustard
Avocado oil White vinegar siracha
Coconut oil mayonnaise
Sesame oil Worcestershire sauce
Olive oil hot sauce
Bacon fat (rendered from cooking bacon) lemon juice
Buffalo sauce
Nuts Canned goods
Macadamia tomato sauce
Almonds green beans
Walnuts sauerkraut
Pecans diced tomatoes
Seasonings and Spices
Garlic powder chili powder cumin
Onion powder Italian seasoning blend
Dried onions
A great list! I wouldn’t mind a gift basket made of these items. Forget flowers give me cheeses, nuts and a gift card to my favorite food store!
Thank you so much for posting this! This is so helpful! I am still learning and was wondering if radishes are ok for the Keto lifestyle or if it is best to stay away from them?
Radishes are fine!
What sugar subs?
I prefer Sukrin which you can order at http://www.SukrinUSA.com. Use code ketocook for a 10% discount.
Kristi I am just starting keto and had no idea where to begin. Thank you for your helpful tips this helps me so much. I appreciate you giving your time and sharing your wisdom to people like me 🙂
This list sure helps me know what to buy as I start this journey. It actually has all the foods I like, without the bread that I love. I now know I can even have bread. Thank you for helping me learn that I can do this.
Which Sukrin is used most? There are a number of them on their website.
I use the monkfruit blend or Sukrin :1 most often