The ketogenic diet, also known as the keto diet, has become very popular in recent years among those who are looking to lose weight or maintain their current weight. This type of diet involves drastically reducing the number of carbohydrates that you eat while simultaneously increasing your fat intake. The reduction in carbs causes the body to switch from burning carbohydrates as its primary source of energy to using stored fats as an energy source instead, which can result in drastic weight loss over time if you are following the diet correctly.
Following the keto diet has many health benefits, but if you’re worried about your budget, it can be hard to find ways to save money at the grocery store. The good news is that there are plenty of tips out there that will help you to eat keto while spending less money! Here are three money-saving tips to know for eating a keto diet.
Table of Contents
1) Watch Out For Specialty Foods
If you find yourself eating a lot of specialty food items on your keto diet (say, for example, bacon and cheese) and aren’t sure if they fit into your budget, consider using an all about Keto Diet guide to assist you with your food selections.
The Keto Guide also contains price comparisons between similar products in all categories. So, even if you find a specialty food product that fits your budget, you can compare it to other products in its category to ensure that it’s truly a good deal. For example, if you’re craving bacon on your keto diet but don’t want to spend $10 on a single serving, compare prices with other brands or similar cuts of bacon. Does one pound cost twice as much as another? Not likely. It’s probably just a bargain brand at double or triple the price of better-quality bacon.
Remember, too, that specialty food items are only fun when they fit into your lifestyle and aren’t major indulgences. If you eat steaks every night for dinner but then splurge on filet mignon because it’s keto-friendly, you might quickly go over your carb limit without realizing it.
2) Buy In Bulk When It Makes Sense
Buying in bulk is a money-saving strategy, but that doesn’t mean you should stock up on everything. It’s okay to buy things individually as long as they make sense for your lifestyle and eating needs. On a keto diet, it might be helpful to have nuts and seeds around, but bulk pasta will likely go bad before you can use it all up.
Another thing to keep in mind with bulk purchases is that many items lose their flavor and freshness after time. Spices and herbs tend to go stale quickly, as do beans and legumes. If you plan on buying these products in bulk for your keto diet, make sure you can use them within a month or two of purchase.
3) Read Labels
Having a low-carb diet does not mean eating packaged and processed foods. Making meals from scratch is definitely more work, but it will save you money and teach you how to read nutrition labels so that you know exactly what’s in your food.
Learn to Read Food Labels – Foods labeled low-carb or keto may actually be high in carbs, so be sure to read nutrition labels. According to dietitian Heather Mangieri, you should get around 20 grams of total carbohydrates per day on a keto diet. That means all carbs minus fiber, which you don’t count. Some foods that have 15 grams of carbohydrates can also contain an additional 5 grams of sugar, which will bring your daily total carb count to 20. And if you’re getting most of your carbs from one type of food, say 2 slices of bread, at 4 grams each it would come out to 8 net carbohydrates. Not bad — but not enough for most people’s tastes.
Now that you know how to save money on your keto diet, you don’t have to worry about blowing your budget. Your body will thank you for it later with all of those extra savings in your pocket. Good luck and enjoy!