When you decide to start a keto diet, you will surely find that real food costs more than processed food. Thinking keto is expensive is completely wrong. So if you want to start this diet and worry about your budget, check some money-saving methods and budget-friendly ideas to keep you on track.
Although you will not be able to spend less than you would on cakes, chips, rice, noodles, and other high carb foods, you can still find valid and cheap keto-friendly meals.
To save money on keto, you need to follow these budgeting strategies:
1. Create and Follow a Budgeting Plan
Plans are very important, especially when it comes to shopping because marketing strategies always influence you to spend more than you have planned.
Planning may take longer to start because you have to follow the principles of the keto diet, but in the end, it will be worth the time invested. You need to know that creating a plan will not work the same for everyone and depends on many factors, and here are some suggestions:
- Create your weekly meal plan – You will only buy the food you need to cook the meals, and this leads to better control of your budget.
- Use special offers and discounts – Always try to find discount and buy products that are on sale. You can combine the ingredients you find to create delicious and filling meals.
2. Practice Intermittent Fasting
By following the intermittent fasting, not only will you lose weight faster, but also save tons of money.
For example, you can replace eggs, bacon, avocado and keto bread from breakfast with tea or bulletproof coffee.
Or you can skip dinner and fit all your keto macros in one meal. People following the OMAD protocol notice positive effects both on weight loss and say it’s great for the budget. This way you can also choose high-quality ingredients such as grass-fed beef or butter and organic greens.
3. Keto Meal Prep When Possible
The foods you get at restaurants it’s always way more expensive than the food you make at home.
Pro Keto Meal Prep Tip: Buy RAW nuts and seeds ingredients and make sugar-free nut butter in your kitchen. In most cases, you need to use a kitchen processor.
They can be used thousands of times; they are cheap and make your life easier. Once you have the food processor in the kitchen, you are ready to make a much cheaper version of these foods:
- Low carbohydrate flour – almond meal, flax flour and much other food with seeds and nuts can be made to you in the kitchen. The foods and seeds purchased in bulk are much cheaper than the others.
- Nuts and Seed Butter – To get the delicious and healthy fats you need in your diet, you can make peanut butter, sunflower seed butter or almond butter alone within 25 minutes using the kitchen processor.
- Unsweetened Almond Milk or Coconut Milk – It’s extremely easy to make nut milk at home and it’s way cheaper and delicious.
- Keto Condiments– spices such as sugar-free ketchup, mustard, BBQ sauce or avocado mayonnaise can make a hole in your budget. In addition, they have increased sugar content and unhealthy ingredients and do not sustain your journey to better eating habits.
- So, it’s best to homemade your condiments, such as Keto-Approved Ranch Dressing, Zesty Italian Dressing and Caesar Dressing (for salads).
4. Buy in Bulk
If you want to save money on keto groceries, my best advice is to buy in bulk and always have a keto shopping list ready.
Get frozen vegetables and protein that usually are cheaply purchased in bulk. This is the best way to get seafood and cheaper meats.
5. Buy Essential Keto Foods Online
Online shopping has become the best way to get your favorite foods at the lowest prices. Thus, many common ingredients can be found online at just half the price of the store price. Here are some foods you can order online:
- Almond flour – a fantastic alternative to carbohydrates reduced to regular flour; You can make tons of delicious keto desserts and use it as a low carb breading for baked chicken.
- Coconut flour – is different than almond flour because it’s way more absorbent and can be used by people with almond flour allergies. I usually make an almond flour + coconut flour to get that perfect texture in baked goods. That’s exactly how I created this fantastic keto blueberry bread that you all seem to love.
- Olive oil – has a high antioxidant content and many health benefits. It is advisable to buy extra virgin olive oil because it has a higher heat point than other types of olive oil and adds great flavor to your salads.
- Coconut oil – has a high heat point, has a natural sweet taste and I use it to cook everything for fried eggs to deep-fried keto chicken ;
- Almonds and other nuts – a great option when it comes to nutrient-dense quick snacks;
- Psyllium Husk Powder – is a very absorbent ingredient, adds texture to keto bread and is a good source of fiber; You can make some delicious keto hamburger buns with psyllium husk powder.
- Liquid Stevia and Other Low Carb Sweeteners – Choose sweeteners such as Erythritol, Stevia or Monk Fruit that don’t raise blood sugar.
- Dried herbs and spices – turn any recipe into something you will definitely want to eat again.
6. Eat Seasonally
Consuming vegetables and fruits that are in season, it’s not only cheaper but delicious and full in nutrients. In summer you can do your vegetable shopping at Farmer’s Market.
For Example in September you can choose from tons of vegetables that are in season: squash, butternut squash; Cauliflower, Eggplant, Green beans, Lettuce, Mushrooms, Okra, Peppers, Pumpkin, Spinach, Tomatoes.
Conclusion
Healthy keto food does not have to be expensive. Using the saving strategies outlined above, you will get the results you want in the keto diet, spending a lot less money than before.
