Discover the health benefits of a ketogenic diet and its four types: standard, targeted, cyclical, and restricted.
Explore how losing weight and becoming your healthiest version is achievable with as little as 20-25 net carbs daily!
Everyone’s Keto Grocery Bill Will Be Different
Some people hear the word “Keto” and automatically assume it’s the new fad diet, but it’s nothing of the sort.
It’s just eating a clean diet with healthy fats to lose weight and return to your healthiest version.
Ketogenic diet results are widely showcased all over the internet because they are successful for those who follow them. For example, they are supposed to eat 20 to 25 net carbs a day.
My wife has lost quite a bit of weight that she gained after having our son, and she says yes to the high-fat ketogenic diet.
Types of Ketogenic Diet
There are four types of keto diet followers
Standard Ketogenic Diet
Targeted Ketogenic Diet
Cyclical Ketogenic Diet
Restricted Ketogenic Diet
“Keto” is just a word because most people eat Keto and don’t even know it.
Guess what when you eat a BBQ steak and a Caesar salad on the side?
That’s a keto-friendly meal.
Do you mean to tell me you won’t gobble that up?
So, before you say NO to Keto, consider the lifestyle and how it may benefit your health and grocery budget.
Our monthly grocery budget for two adults and one child is $400 a month plus a $25 stockpiling amount.
This allows us to stockpile items on our ketogenic food list if we find a great deal that is handy for any grocery budget.
Yes, we can enjoy a Ketogenic diet for $425 a month, including buying non-keto foods for our little guy, who still loves his grilled cheese on white bread.
I make my bread and opt for spiral zucchini, squash, and even Nu Pasta as my ultimate pre-packaged pasta for only $3.99.
That will feed us well with added flavors, protein, and vegetables.
Think about the food products you are eliminating from your grocery list and consider what you are replacing them with.
Most often, they cancel each other out, which means you aren’t spending any more or less than what your original budget started with.
Creating A Keto Grocery Budget
A keto grocery budget is designed the same way as any other grocery budget would with the amount of money you have available to spend.
Creating a keto budget starts with stocking your pantry with ketogenic diet essentials, which may seem costly initially, but most items will last a long time.
It’s no different from moving into a new home or apartment and restocking your pantry, refrigerator, and freezer from the bottom up again.
You get rid of the products you no longer need and have by donating them if applicable or tossing them in the bin if they are outdated.
Then, you create a keto basics grocery list of items you know you will use based on your keto meal plan.
Our grocery list is pretty much the same from week to week, although we swap out produce and protein based on flyer sales for the week.
A high fat, moderate protein diet means you aren’t rushing to the meat department to scour the best deals.
The good part is that you can still hop on the reduced meat department products and store them in the freezer until you need to use them in a recipe.
This helps to cut costs for your grocery budget, but this isn’t new or keto-related.
It’s just grocery shopping with a frugal mindset.
Keep an eye out for meats and fishes with the skin on and bone in if you can.
The reason for this is that both skin and bones have added health benefits such as collagen and calcium, plus they will be cheaper because less processing is involved.
Keto Protein Sources
Other sources of protein that we buy;
Eggs
Fish, including salmon, canned tuna, and any other fresh fish
Bacon and keep the bacon fat for cooking
Avocado
Nuts and Nut Butter such as almond butter and peanut butter.
Seeds such as pumpkin and sunflower seeds, Almonds, Walnuts, Pecans
Canned Chicken or Corned Beef
Beans and Legumes
Keto Fruits and Vegetables
Regarding fruits and vegetables on the ketogenic diet, we find that berries and avocados cost the most, which is why Costco is our friend.
We can get a large bag of avocados for $10.99, which has increased in price from $8.99.
However, that is expected, given the news at the end of last year that we would see price hikes in the produce department.
Buying berries in bulk, such as raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and strawberries, are all keto basics that we eat fresh, frozen, or use in baked goods.
Berries offer you lots of fiber and potassium, which you will want on a ketogenic diet.
You can also find large bags of frozen berries at Costco or the grocery store, which may be even cheaper.
Please do your due diligence when finding the best prices and stick to it.
Keep an eye on the reduced rack for peppers and mushrooms, as they always seem abundant.
We also find greens in the tubs, and bags are often reduced as shelf-life is not great.
You can grab half-price kale, spinach, and lettuce greens for a bargain this way and enjoy them raw or even sauteed with some olive oil, butter, garlic, Pink Himalayan salt, and pepper.
If your local grocery store has cauliflower, broccoli, green beans, and cabbage slaw in bags, you may even find them reduced often.
However, you can save money by buying flash-frozen fruit and vegetable bags in the freezer section.
Eat your greens and keep clean
Ketogenic Diet and Your Grocery Budget
When it comes to following a ketogenic lifestyle, it has to be one that;
It fits your grocery budget and lifestyle.
It fits your health goals and needs.
Ways We Save Money On A Ketogenic Diet
Below are all the ways we save money on the ketogenic diet for our monthly grocery budget.
Shop online for the best low-carb, Ketogenic diet products on websites such as Amazon Canada or Low-Carb Grocery Canada.
Avoid snacking and fill the void with water, coffee, tea, or bone broth.
Avoid costly keto-marketing supplements and products.
Buy your produce in a season as you would normally for the best savings.
Source eggs from local farmers, which may be cheaper, or stock up when there is a grocery sale
Source local farms and farmers markets or grow a garden in the summer for produce savings
Buy in bulk if cheaper compared to grocery flyer sales or when applicable. Costco is a great place to find keto-friendly products for less.
Buy locally sourced meats online and have them shipped to your front door in bulk.
Keto Products We Buy Online
I know I said above not to fall into the trap of keto supplements and products, but there are times when they do come in handy.
They are very worthwhile if your grocery budget allows you to fit in your budget.
Collagen
We don’t buy keto cookies, cakes, and bars, but we do buy supplements such as bone broth and collagen.
If we don’t have time to make bone broth, which is lovely as a keto snack and is full of collagen, we opt for pure collagen powder.
The collagen powder is mixed in with hot or cold drinks, and you don’t even know it’s there.
Bone Broth
If you don’t want to spend the money to buy this keto supplement, then fill your meal plan with more animal skins like chicken skin or bone broth.
We also have Organika Bone Brothon hand if we are on the go or if I want to take the powder to work.
We have a small kitchen where I can boil the kettle and easily make a cup of bone broth to sip on.
Collagen is the glue that holds your body together. Since it’s a major component found in your connective tissue, collagen maintains the structure and integrity of your skin, muscle tissue, bones and tendons.- Benefits of Collagen
All bone broths — beef, chicken, fish, lamb and more — are staples in the traditional diets of every culture and the basis of all fine cuisine.
They’re also now a staple in the Paleo diet and the keto diet.
That’s because bone broths are nutrient-dense, easy to digest, rich in flavor and boost healing.- Benefits of Bone broth
Another product we purchase online is MCT oil (Medium Chain Triglycerides) which helps to increase ketone levels.
Promotes Weight-loss
Fuels Your Brain
Reduces Lactate build-up and helps use fat for energy
Could help manage Autism, Alzheimer’s disease and Epilepsy
Contains Fatty Acids that fight yeast and Bacterial growth
It may reduce heart disease
It may help to control blood sugar levels and support diabetes management
As the name suggests, medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil contains medium-length chains of fats called triglycerides.
Due to their shorter length, MCTs are easily digested and many health benefits are linked to the way your body processes these fats.- Benefits of MCT Oil
Sugar-Free Syrups and Keto Sweeteners
This is a must, especially if you love to always sweeten your coffee or tea or make baked goods and ice cream to have in your pantry.
Below are typical items we will purchase from Amazon only because they are cheaper online than in the grocery store.
Always do your pricing homework because it may be cheaper where you live.
Also, I suggest understanding which keto or low-carb sugar substitutes are best for your body and keto diet lifestyle.
You will find many articles online about the pros and cons of each, but that doesn’t mean they won’t work for you.
Extracts you can find at the Bulk Barn or on Amazon for the best prices. We stock our favorite flavors, such as pure vanilla, maple, banana, and almond extract.
Keto Fats
Butter, although we don’t go for grass-fed as it’s far too expensive and stock up at $2.99 or buy from Costco at $3.99
Avocado oil we purchase at Costco for $12.99 for 1 litre.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil has to be the good stuff- cold pressed, and we find excellent deals at Costco.
Coconut Oil: We buy Nutiva at Costco for $15.99 2kg, but it lasts long since we opt for the other fats.
Organic Gheecan be used for cooking or in your bullet-proof coffee but can be pricey unless you find it on sale.
Bacon fat is stored in a container in our refrigerator for frying.
Keto Dairy
Cheeses such as Soft Cheese, Ricotta, Hard Cheese, Parmigiano, Romano, Feta, Halloumi.
As you can see, eliminating all the extras in your grocery cart and replacing them with other items most times will balance your grocery budget when switching to a ketogenic diet.
The idea is to keep up the frugal grocery shopping like you usually do, even if you have others in the household who aren’t on a keto diet.
Cauliflower sautéed in butter, soy, apple cider vinegar, pink Himalayan salt, cumin, and turmeric
We intermittent fast 18:6, which means we don’t eat for 18 hours and eat within a 6-hour window to cut snacking and overeating and speed up the Keto weight-loss process.
My advice – figure out what works for YOU. I hate Keto but do eat lower carb. Most people eat far to much refined carbs and need more protein. I love fruit and veggies and don’t limit them to berries and cauliflower.
Had to click on over to this after I saw your post. A family member of mine is on the keto and it is expensive! Especially how they are doing it. Organic foods – high quality meat (namely chicken), protein (grass-fed) powder. Certainly adds up!
Hi Aaron,
You have to pick your budget battles when it comes to keto. We don’t buy grass-fed butter because I’m not paying $7lb when regular butter does the exact same thing. Same with the meats etc. I think some people go over the top with buying foods and supplements they ‘think’ they need but it’s not true. Plenty of people have had success on keto simply buying groceries the same way they always did, with a frugal mindset. My wife is one of them. Sure it will take time to build a pantry but all those ‘extra’s’ like protein powders, shakes, bars, supplements are not necessary. If your family member is on Instagram there is a world of success stories and plenty of them share their meals and what they buy. Thanks for dropping by.
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My advice – figure out what works for YOU. I hate Keto but do eat lower carb. Most people eat far to much refined carbs and need more protein. I love fruit and veggies and don’t limit them to berries and cauliflower.
Had to click on over to this after I saw your post. A family member of mine is on the keto and it is expensive! Especially how they are doing it. Organic foods – high quality meat (namely chicken), protein (grass-fed) powder. Certainly adds up!
Hi Aaron,
You have to pick your budget battles when it comes to keto. We don’t buy grass-fed butter because I’m not paying $7lb when regular butter does the exact same thing. Same with the meats etc. I think some people go over the top with buying foods and supplements they ‘think’ they need but it’s not true. Plenty of people have had success on keto simply buying groceries the same way they always did, with a frugal mindset. My wife is one of them. Sure it will take time to build a pantry but all those ‘extra’s’ like protein powders, shakes, bars, supplements are not necessary. If your family member is on Instagram there is a world of success stories and plenty of them share their meals and what they buy. Thanks for dropping by.
I still can’t figure out if I pay a one time fee to get a 21 day plan, or I have to keep paying monthly.
What plan are you referring to?