Keto is all about being prepared. If you do not have the right foods or ingredients on hand, ready to go when you need them, there’s a great risk that you will cheat. This happened to me the first time I tried to do Keto… I failed miserably. The second time was a different story…
I finished watching some educational, Keto YouTube videos, got off my couch and said “THIS IS IT! I’ve had enough! I’m doing it for real THIS TIME!” I immediately went to my kitchen, threw away all my carby, sugary food that might tempt me, and I got all the things I needed to be successful.
This list will help you if you’re just starting keto, or if you’ve plateaued on your current plan. Go get these things now, and dive into our recipes so you’re ready!
Why Keto: A Basic Explanation
The goal of the ketogenic diet is to keep your blood sugar levels low (generally in a range of 80-100 mg/dL), which allows for your body to initiate a number of incredibly healthy processes:
- Burn fat to be used as energy
- Reduce inflammation
- Initiate autophagy, where your body recycles dead cells and cleans itself
- And of course, ketosis, where your body produces ketones to be used as very healthy fuel
Read more about the benefits of Keto
Certain foods raise your blood sugar levels high (high glycemic), such as potatoes, bread, and of course, sugar. We want to seek out foods that will keep blood sugar levels low so that our body initiates the processes described above. Keep reading to find out the foods you should seek out!
10 Keto Must Have’s
MCT Oil
MCT Oil is refined coconut oil, keeping the most energizing parts of it that help stimulate ketosis. This is a very healthy fat that will give you a boost in energy and mental clarity. You can mix it in your coffee or nut milk, and if you do that, I highly recommend using a milk frother to mix it very well, or else you’re going to have oily coffee or milk… gross.
I also recommend getting your daily MCT oil by blending up my Super Energy Keto Shake, which will provide you clean energy, and can serve as a meal replacement.
Chia Seeds
Chia seeds provide great energy, healthy fats (omega-3 fatty acids), antioxidants, iron, and calcium. It’s a good source of fiber and protein, contains no sugar, and has been known to improve weight loss, inflammation, diabetes, and heart risk.
The yummiest way to eat chia seeds is by making our Chia Seed Pudding Recipe. Simply mix the ingredients together, let the seeds soak overnight, and it becomes a delicious and healthy pudding you can always have on hand.
Eggs
Eggs are nearly a perfect keto food, containing 5 grams of fat, 6 grams of protein, and 0 grams of carbohydrates. They are rich in omega-3’s, and are great for your hair, eyes and heart. And don’t believe the “cholesterol myth”, as recent research has shown no correlation between eggs and high blood cholesterol. Cholesterol only becomes a risk if you have chronic inflammation, and Keto is an anti-inflammatory diet.
You’ll want to have plenty of eggs on hand at all times, because they make for a great side item for lunch/dinner, and of course is a breakfast standard. Plus, SO many recipes require eggs… including our Keto Pancakes recipe.
Cauliflower
Normally, figuring out your main dish for a Keto dinner is pretty easy… chicken, steak, pork… but on Keto you’re cutting out pasta, rice, and mashed potatoes! “What are we GOING TO EAT?!”
Cauliflower is relatively low in net carbs, and is a very versatile food. It can be made into rice, mashed cauliflower, and even stuffing! Buy the frozen bags and stock up, because this will become your go-to side item.
Salmon
Salmon is a Keto Superfood as it is loaded with healthy omega-3 fatty acids, and provides other great benefits like weight control, reduce heart risk, great source of protein and reduces inflammation. Make sure you buy “Wild Caught Alaskan” salmon.
Pink Himalayan Sea Salt
It is good to add salt to your diet where you can, because on keto, you will lose a lot of water and electrolytes. Salt, along with magnesium, potassium and calcium are the common electrolytes you might need to supplement or add to your recipes to help reduce cramps. Make sure you buy “Pink Himalayan” salt, because besides sodium it contains other minerals such as calcium, potassium, magnesium and iron. You can supplement each separately, or you can an electrolyte powder, which is pretty darn tasty (lemonade is our favorite flavor).
Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
We always have a few cartons of this in our refrigerator, because on keto you can’t have milk (high in sugar), and I think this is the tastiest option. You can simply add a little half & half, a bit of keto sweetener, use your milk frother, and voila!…you’ve got milk!
Also, unsweetened vanilla almond milk is so useful for many different recipes, you’re going to want to keep it on hand. Lastly, one of the easiest ways to get your daily MCT oil is to mix a small amount of this with MCT and shoot it back.
Keto Sweeteners
Sweets! … Yes, you read that right. If you have a sweet tooth (like every other human on earth), then you need to figure out how to have KETO-FRIENDLY sweets ready when your craving strikes. This is why I failed the first time I tried to do keto. So before I tried the second time, I prepared and got the ingredients and recipes I needed to have keto sweets on hand when I needed them.
This is very important. Really, go buy one of these right now. Most of these are a 1:1 substitute for sugar, so you can take nearly any recipe that requires sugar and sub these in.
- SoNourished (Erythritol and Monk Fruit blend) | In our opinion, this is the best keto sweetener you will find. It is very tasty and doesn’t have the GI issues that some experience with Swerve (see below). You can get the powdered form for baking, and the granulated form for your coffee … especially if you’re using the magical frother I recommend to everyone.
- Liquid Stevia Drops |This is nice to sweeten drinks and recipes, you can find in grocery stores, and often revered as the healthiest low-carb sweetener. Also, there are a ton of different flavors!
- Swerve is a very common keto sweetener and pretty tasty, but it’s 100% erythritol, so it gives off an odd cooling effect and aftertaste, and sometimes it cause stomach pains.
- Monk Fruit is known as one of the healthier options, but in my opinion, not the best tasting option, and that’s what this section is all about right? We’re looking to treat ourselves a bit, without eating sugar.
The sweetener we recommend is a blend of Monk Fruit and Erythritol with a nice balanced taste…
Almond Flour vs. Coconut Flour
This is a bit of a debate in the Keto world: which one is better? Well, everyone has their own opinion, but I’ll give you my answer. Coconut flour is a better option for me. One, it’s cheaper. Two, it produces fluffier recipes that resemble the original recipes a bit more. Three, coconut flour absorbs moisture really well, so you don’t have to use as much and it will last longer. And FOUR, it’s healthier! So, where possible use coconut flour.
With that said, you need to have almond flour on hand as well, because some recipes just won’t taste right with the coconut variety. For instance, our Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe has a beautifully nutty flavor that coconut flour wouldn’t have. Also, coconut flour has a bit of a sweet taste sometimes, and a recipe may be better without that.
Lastly, if you come upon a recipe with one of these but want to substitute the other, you must use the correct conversion ratio – substitute 1 cup of almond flour with 1/4 cup of coconut flour.
Go get these items now and get them in your diet! Share this post with anyone who need to know!