Keto Diet Essentials

So you’re thinking about starting a keto diet, but you’re a Type A personality (like me, Lara) and want to be super prepared before you start. This article will be your best friend! It will go over all the things you’ll need to get started on a keto diet.

Learn What Keto Means

Before you get started you will need to know what a keto diet actually is. We’ve got you covered! We wrote this article that talks about the basics of a ketogenic diet, which is incedibly helpful for keto beginners.

Find Out Which Foods Are Keto

Now that you know what a ketogenic diet is, you’ll probably want to know what are some keto diet foods that you can eat. Check out our comprehensive keto food guide where we break it down by category.

After you’ve reviewed the keto shopping list, you can start transforming some of your favorite high-carbohydrate recipes into keto diet recipes! We have a bunch of drool worthy keto recipes that you can check out here.

Get Organized

Following a keto diet can be a little intimidating! However, you’re more likely to make it a lifestyle if you are organized and prepared.

Recently, I started creating a keto diet menu on this menu board for the fridge. I write out what we are eating for dinner each day. That way, I can decide which recipes I want to make on prep-day and which ones I want to make on the day-of.

If you are interested in the keto diet for weight loss, Faith and I created a 4 week keto meal plan course that gives you everything you need to start!

Track Your Macros

Depending on what your goals are with keto, you may want to track your macros.

My favorite keto diet tracker that I use is Cronometer. I use the paid $3 version. It is totally worth the money. This version lets you track total carbs, net carbs (with or without sugar alcohols), protein, fat, micronutrients, and macronutrients.

I personally love Cronometer because it uses the USDA database and ESHA database for the most accurate nutrition data. You can add your own foods, own recipes, and you can share your meals.

Select Your Supplements

Supplements are not needed on a keto diet. However, they can be super helpful in case you are unable to get all of your nutrient needs through the foods you eat.

Some of the Keto Supplements I Use Include:

• Magnesium Glycinate
• MCT Oil/MCT Oil Powder
• Pink or Red Sea Salt
• Low Carb Protein Powder

Keto Recipes on Repeat

It’s helpful (especially at first) to have a few easy keto recipes that you absolutely love and can turn to over and over. Bonus points if you can make them ahead of time, and keep them stashed in your fridge for when cravings strike or hunger hits!

Be prepared! Have keto snacks on hand in case you have a long period between meals, if you need to travel, or to snack on if you get hungry.

Quick and easy keto recipes like this, and pre-made keto snacks will help you stay on track.

Some of My Favorite Easy Keto and Low Carb Recipes Are:

• Keto Oatmeal (aka Noatmeal or Low Carb Oatmeal) – this cozy comforting breakfast is literally the perfect way to start the day. And it whips up in less than 10 minutes
• Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Fat Bombs – there’s usually a batch of these stashed in my fridge for snacking or satisfying a sweet tooth
• Keto English Muffin Recipe (90 Second Keto Bread in the Microwave) – if you were a fan of toast or English muffins before going keto, this will become a breakfast staple at your house!
• Detroit Style Pizza – because pizza Fridays don’t have to stop when you go keto!
• Bacon-Wrapped Cheese-Stuffed Jalapeños – this is the perfect ace up your sleeve if you need an easy keto appetizer or snack! They’re impressive enough for entertaining, but delicious enough to be a family favorite
• 20-Minute Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets – to save yourself and your family from the drive thru
• Fudgy Brazilian Chocolate Truffles – because if you’re anything like me, you probably need just a little nibble of chocolate at some point in the day 😉 Having a batch of these keto truffles stashed in your fridge will save you from indulging in high-carb chocolate and candy!
• Weeknight Creamy Sausage and Spinach Soup – we all need healthy and delicious meal ideas that whip up in less than 30 minutes!

Pantry-Staple Keto Diet Snacks:

• Macadamia nuts
• Pecans
• Almond butter
• Low carb jerky
• Beef Sticks
• Olives

I know this is a lot of information to take in. Hopefully the above will be a good resource for you or your friends and family who are thinking about following a keto diet and need to know the essentials.

Let me know in the comments below what your favorite keto recipes, snacks, and supplements are!

Tips for Keto Success

Save Money and Jumpstart Keto

If you found this post and you’re ready to start a keto diet, check out our 5 Day Budget Keto Meal Plan to get into ketosis fast! You’ll get 5 days worth of recipes and eat for under $5 per day!

4 Week Keto Meal Plan

For something a little longer term, you might be interested in our 4 week keto meal prep course. It comes with 4 weeks of keto meal plans (1200, 1500, and 1800 calorie levels), weekly keto grocery lists, 40 keto recipe ebook, how to meal prep ebook, videos, and more!

Keto Recipe Inspiration

Or if you’ve been doing keto for a while and just need a little help with inspiration, we’ve got you covered! Check out our low carb and keto recipe collection.