The keto diet grocery shopping may be a bit difficult in the beginning but once you get the hang of it, you’ll be in and out of the market before you know it. However, for you to have success in the keto diet, you will need to change what is in your kitchen pantry and fridge.

While you may have been buying some of the grocery items out of daily necessity, you will have to make a conscious decision not to purchase certain things, no matter how much you enjoy them.

The keto diet requires that you eat high fat and low carbohydrates. The body will use the fat for its fuel source in a process known as ketosis.

Take the guesswork out of shopping for your keto diet by reading our article below. Remember, before you throw things out of your pantry or your fridge, there are certain items that you can easily incorporate into your keto diet because unlike most diets, it is very friendly when it comes to food items.

.

Table of Contents

What you should have in your grocery basket.

Carbohydrates

Some of the items you will NOT be buying include starch and grains like bread rolls, raisins, white rice, cereals, and bagels amongst others. Note that there is also such a thing as keto bread, if you love bread but still want to eat keto-friendly. You can buy:-

Shirataki noodles
Coconut Flour
Almond Flour
Flax Meal

Protein Source

The diet allows for the consumption of proteins, but on a moderate level. There is a wide variety of foods to choose from including:-

Chicken (light and dark meat with the skin left on)
Rib-eye steak
Pork
Bacon
Ground beef
Eggs
Bone Broth
Ground lamb
Collagen

Seafood

Copyright: Unsplash | License: CCO Public Domain

Seafood is low in carbohydrates and will work well with a keto diet. However, be careful about fatty fish and shellfish because some may contain carbohydrates. The good seafood include:-

Lobster and other shellfish
Scallops
Salmon
Tilapia
Albacore
shrimp
Lobster
Crab
Cod
Scallops
Oysters
Tuna
Sardines

Vegetable Shopping List

To get over the keto flu quickly, add some complex carbs in your shopping basket. You can get this from the right kind of vegetables. Eat them raw or cooked and reap the benefits. Such vegetables include:-

Mushrooms
Bell peppers
Brussels sprouts
Yellow Squash
Radishes
Cucumbers
Snow peas
Lettuce
Eggplant
Garlic
Cabbage

Dairy

When it comes to dairy products, avoid substitutes, and fat-free low-fat products. Avoid regular cow milk because it contains lactose which has a lot of sugar. Only include low carb dairy in your shopping basket. These include:-

Heavy whipping cream
Homemade sugar-free Mayonnaise
Greek yogurt
Coconut Milk (unsweetened)
Almond Milk (unsweetened)
Sour cream

Cheese

Blue cheese
Mascarpone
Cottage cheese
Feta
Parmesan
hard cheese
Swiss cheese
Cheese; Hard, soft, and cream

Seeds and Nuts

Try and incorporate the following nuts and seeds in your grocery shopping:-

Hazelnuts
Almonds
Pine nuts
Walnuts
Chia
Flax Seeds
Pumpkin
Macadamia nuts
Brazil nuts
Sunflower seeds

Oils and Fats

Focus on unsaturated, cold pressed oils that have no preservatives or additives.

Grass-fed butter
Olive oil
Macadamia oil
Grass-fed butter
Fatty fish
MCT oil
Ghee
Lard

Beverages

Copyright: Unsplash | License: CCO Public Domain

If you enjoy having an alcoholic beverage, you may want to stop for the period of the diet, unless you are very sure that the drink you’re having is low on carbs. Wine, beer, soda, champagne, among others must go.

Water – consume about two liters per day.
Coffee -use full cream milk instead of sugar for taste.
Tea
Broth

Herbs and Spices

There are not many restrictions in this category; however, try as much as possible to use fresh herbs and spices so that you avoid any additives or preservatives. Buy whichever spice suits your taste buds including:-

Cilantro
Rosemary
Cayenne pepper
Bay
Basil
Thyme
Chili and black pepper.

Fruits

Avoid any high carb fruits. You will also not be able to eat bananas, oranges, watermelon, dried fruits, and apples among others. However, there are some wonderful keto recipes for smoothies online that you can use to assist you with the weight loss journey. Fruits to have in your grocery basket include:-

Strawberries
Blueberries
Raspberries
Olives
Avocados
Blackberries

Condiments

When you are looking for condiments, look for those that are sugar-free, and do not have additives or preservatives. You can consider making some at home using fresh ingredients, and if you have to buy them include:-

Salad dressings – Caesar, full-fat Ranch, Italian Bleu Cheese,)
Vinegar
Hot sauce
Mustard
Soy sauce

The Keto Diet for Vegans

When shopping for a vegan, avoid any animal products and focus on plant-based foods. Your shopping basket will be full of vegetables, fruits, and grains. Poultry, eggs, dairy, Seafood, honey, whey protein, egg white protein, and meat, will not make it to the shopping basket.

They can also get fat from coconut oil, avocado, nuts, and seeds. It is, however, important to note that the vegan diet restriction will depend on one’s individual needs and their weight loss goals.

Vegans cannot eat meat, and, you are going to have to look for proteins from plants. The grocery basket should therefore include:-

Seitan – Seitan looks a lot like meat and is has gluten as its main ingredient. It contains about 25 grams of protein per 100 grams.
Edamame, tempeh, and tofu – All these come from soybeans which are rich in proteins.
Lentils – this contains about 18 grams of protein per cup of lentils.
Beans and chickpeas – you would get about 15 grams of protein per cup of beans with chickpeas.
Yeast – nutritional yeast has a cheesy flavor is great with pasta or popcorns. Use this in place of cheese.
Teff and Spelt – Spelt is a type of wheat which contains gluten while teff does not contain any. both of them will give you about 11 grams of protein per cup
Hemp seed – this comes from the marijuana plant and contains about 10 grams per ounce of digestible protein. Hemp seed has magnesium, zinc, culture, iron, Omega 3 and omega six fatty acids and selenium.
Other foods include green peas, spirulina, quinoa and amaranth, bread made from sprouted grain, soy milk, , chia seeds, nuts and seeds, vegetables and fruits which are protein-rich among others.

Final Thoughts

The keto diet will work if you have the right food. Our keto diet grocery shopping list will come in handy if and when you decide to take the plunge into keto dieting.