Walking into a supermarket these days can be a pretty scary and overwhelming concept. Especially when shopping while following the Keto Diet. With so many different ‘health’ products out there, all selling benefits on being things like ‘low fat’ ‘grain free’ ‘vegan friendly’ ‘gluten free’ and now ‘low carb.’
How do we know where to start? and what to buy?
While finding foods and products that fit a keto diet may seem complicated, We’ve got some great tips to get you started and help make your shopping trips a little easier!
Choosing the right foods:
While there is a number of new ‘health food’ products on the market, it’s important to limit your intake of overly processed foods, as many of these products whether labelled as
- Low-carb
- Natural or no added sugar
- Low-fat
most will still be too high in carbohydrates and contain foods that are not on the approved Ultra Lite Keto food list you receive while following our program. We have a list of 20 Foods to Eat on a Ketogenic Diet
Many companies will use these labels are marketing tools to attract customers who are looking for ‘healthier’ food choices.
Buy Whole Foods
we’ve always recommended those following the Ultra Lite Program and looking to succeed with eating Keto to shop around the outside of the supermarket, aiming to buy whole foods, which are not necessarily packaged and minimally processed.
foods which are minimally processed by are still okay to eat on a Keto diet include things like: Cheeses, coconut oil, butter, extra virgin olive oil, nut butters, konjac noodles, creams and sour cream and yoghurts.
Some sauces, dips, dressings etc. can also be okay, but always read the label and check for added sugar and what the carbohydrate amount is
(see list below for suggested products).
Buy Full Fat
You should always buy FULL FAT products as any product marketed as low-fat is usually higher in sugar and carbohydrates in order to replace the fats.
And when buying dairy products always be conscious of the carb contents, things like cream cheese and greek yoghurt can still be higher in carb even when full fat (greek has 5g of carb per 100g serve)
Read The Nutritional Label
Calculating Net Carbs from packaging.
- Check for serving size – nutritional labels in Australia show total servings in the pack and the serving size for reference.
For instance a block of Lindt 85% dark chocolate has 5 servings per pack and 2 columns of 5 pieces – so one serving size = 2 pieces of chocolate. - Calculate carbs per serving
2 pieces = 3.8g of net carbs
If you can’t stop at two pieces, be conscious of the total amount of carbohydrates you’re having and add them to your daily total.
Net Carbs vs Total Carbs
Whenever you see a label where the dietary fibre is not indented it is really important to note that the carbohydrate amount is already showing as net carbs.
Hidden Sugars
Manufacturers will use a number of tactics to ‘hide/disguise’ sugar in their labels. While following a Keto diet on the Ultra Lite Program, it is best to avoid all sugars which are made up of glucose, fructose or both. These will spike your blood sugars and kick you out of Ketosis, as well as take you over your recommended daily carbohydrate count.
Avoid grains
We recommend following a grain free diet while on the Ultra Lite program. Most of the starch and non-sugar based carbohydrates in your diet will come from grains such and wheat and corn. These and other grains will cause a spike in blood sugars and potentially kick you out of ketosis, so avoiding them all together is the best approach
Avoid artificial sweeteners and other chemicals
While some low-carb sweeteners in higher amounts can stall weight loss, loosen stools and trigger cravings for sweets. There are a few products which we have approved for use while eating Keto on the Ultra Lite Program We have listed these and other recommended products to purchase below:
Keto-Friendly and Ultra Lite recommended Products available in Australia
Sweeteners
- Natvia Sweetener – a combination or erythritol and stevia in a granular form or powdered, you can find at Coles, Woolworths or IGA.
- Raw Earth – Stevia and Monk fruit blend
- Lakanto – one of our favourites, a 1:1 sugar substitute which is a blend of monk fruit and erythritol.
- Swerve – another great brand for both granular and powdered erythritol
- Stevia Liquid drops
Brown Sugar Replacement
- Sukrin Syrup Gold, a sugar-free brown sugar replacement that uses erythritol, stevia and malt extract. It substitutes for brown sugar at a 1:1 ratio.
- Lakanto’s Golden Monkfruit 1:1 Sugar Substitute
Keto Noodle/Pasta Substitute
Below are a few recommended products to replace noodles or pasta in a dish to make it Keto.
- Slendier noodles come in a few varieties such as fettuccini, spaghetti, noodles and rice. Buy them at Woolworths or directly from their website
- If soy is not an issue for you, slender also offer Soybean fettuccine which is available at Woolworths.
Black bean fettuccine is another type they offer at Coles.
Miscellaneous Keto Products:
Grass-Fed Beef – the Grasslands Brand from Woolworths or Cape Grim
Butter – try for grass-fed or organic brands as these have the best fat ratio and are more nutrient dense.
Ice-cream – Denada at Coles.
Seed & Parmesan crackers
ALDI
Check out your local Australian Aldi for some amazing keto-friendly products at affordable prices:
- Fresh cauliflower rice
- Fresh zucchini noodles
- Slaw mixes with leafy greens, cabbage and some carrot.
- Natural peanut butter and almond butter
- Forrester’s Paleo Mix – in the nut section. Can be used as a cereal replacement or sprinkled over salads etc
- Flaked coconut and desiccated coconut
- Almond meal
- Nuts – macadamias, almonds, walnuts
To Summarize
Follow these tips and suggestions when going on your next shopping trip to have the best success while following the Ultra Lite Program and eating Keto.
Before you know it, you will be a master at reading nutritional labels, spotting hidden sugars, and filling your shopping trolley with a range of healthy whole food options and some occasional (minimally processed) Keto treats as well.
So good luck, and may you next Keto shopping experience be an easy one!