Grocery shopping for a ketogenic diet means filling up your shopping cart with high-fat, low-carb food items. You’ll be skipping most of your carb- and sugar-loaded staples, and this is going to be a real challenge during the first few times that you go keto-shopping. While you’re just beginning to familiarize yourself with what to buy and what not to buy, this ultimate grocery list for keto-friendly shopping at Walmart will help get you started on the right track!
Keto-Friendly Items at Walmart
Going on a ketogenic diet means deriving 75% of your daily calorie needs from fat (olive oil, coconut oil, butter, and quality cheeses); between 15% and 20% from protein; and only 5% from carbohydrates. The items in your grocery shopping cart should reflect these numbers.
If you used to load up on carbs during breakfast, then your breakfast menu will undergo a complete overhaul. And if you used to avoid eating a lot of fat, you will also have to rethink the role of healthy fats in your overall diet.
Switching to a ketogenic diet often involves a drastic change for many, so you should make a habit of planning your meals ahead of time. Of course, this involves creating a keto-friendly grocery list. As you get the hang of preparing high-fat and low-carb meals, grocery shopping will also become a breeze.
Here’s your ultimate guide for keto-friendly shopping at Walmart.
Healthy Fats and Oils
- Real olive oil. Walmart has a great selection of olive oils. Use in salad dressings or to make keto mayonnaise. If you’ll cook with olive oil, remember that it has a low smoking point and to follow cooking instructions.
- Coconut oil
- Avocado oil
- Algae oil – This has the highest amount of healthy monounsaturated fat and 75% less fat than olive oil. And with a smoke point of 458 degrees, algae oil is ideal for cooking.
- MCT oil is one of the healthiest fats you can use on a keto diet. You can use this to make keto coffee and shakes.
- Grass-fed butter; ghee. Butter ingredients should only include pasteurized cream and salt. As much as possible, get organic and grass-fed ghee to maximize its many benefits.
- Lard
- Chicken fat or duck fat (can be bought at a butcher)
Dairy
Always get full-fat and unsweetened dairy products.
- Butter
- Heavy cream. A highly versatile ingredient; you can use heavy whipping cream in your coffee and in many dessert and even dinner recipes. Use heavy whipping cream to make keto gravy.
- Sour cream
- Cheeses. It’s always best to buy cheese blocks instead of shredded cheese as the latter often contains potato starch. Sliced cheese is also a good option.
- Full-fat yogurt
- Kefir or milk. Milk is okay in minimal amounts. Unsweetened almond milk is the best keto-friendly milk substitute. Always check the ingredients as some products contain soy.
Nuts and Seeds
You can use these for recipes or snacking, or both! These include nut butters and seed butters, but stick to only 2 tablespoons of these butters per day.
Whole Proteins
For meats, your best options are the fattier cuts, not the leaner cuts.
- Grass-fed meat is ideal, but not necessary.
- Pasture-raised poultry
- Cage-free eggs
- Wild-caught fish and seafood, such as tuna, trout, anchovies, bass, flounder, mackerel, salmon, and sardines
- Organ meats like liver and turkey
Deli Meat
Make sure there is no sugar in the ingredients, not even honey and especially not modified food starch, sugar, maltodextrin, or corn syrup. For bacon, get a product that is uncured and nitrate-free; note that celery powder is a nitrate and can still be included in the ingredients even if the label says the bacon is nitrate-free.
Fresh Produce
Choose more of the non-starchy vegetables and eat “sweet” vegetables in moderation. Your best options include:
- Cruciferous veggies, such as broccoli, cauliflower, and brussels sprouts
- Leafy greens, such as spinach, dandelion, collards, mustard, turnip, arugula, chicory, endive, escarole, fennel, radicchio and kale
Condiments, Herbs, and Spices
These are your healthy go-to options to add flavor to any meal. For condiments, just make sure they are unsweetened; again, you should skip any product that contains honey.
Beverages
Plain water is always the best option, but you can also have any of the following, unsweetened:
- Black or green tea
- Herbal tea
- Seltzer
- Coffee
- Vegetable juice
Other Keto Staples
These are low-carb substitutes for grains and other starchy foods.
- Frozen Riced Cauliflower and Broccoli. Avoid the flavored ones, as these usually contain starch. These are perfect for quick meal preps, but you can also make your own from fresh cauliflower and broccoli to eat right away or store in the fridge.
- Veggie spirals, which are made from zucchini or carrots, are great noodle substitutes.
- Almond flour and coconut flour will be your staples for baking.
- 100% Unsweetened Bakers Chocolate Bars. In addition to baking, you can also use these in other recipes; just use keto-friendly sweeteners when needed.
- Keto-friendly sweeteners, such as Stevia, Truvia, and Pyure. Avoid those that say “bakeable blend” or “in the raw” as these contain maltodextrin or sugar.
More Keto-Friendly Items for Your Fridge and Pantry
- Frozen berries. Make sure these don’t include ingredients other than berries. Consume in moderate amounts.
- Unflavored pork rinds are great substitutes for chips.
- Cacao powder is a healthy substitute for cocoa.
- Coconut Protein can be used for baking or in smoothies.
- Bone Broth has collagen and gelatin.
- Low-carb Marinara Sauce
What You Should Not Buy
- Any type of sugar, including natural honey, agave, and maple syrup. Any product that contains sugars and sugar substitutes.
- All grains, including whole grains (such as oats, quinoa, couscous, etc.) and foods made with grains and grain flour (which includes white flour and wheat flour).
- Corn and all products that use corn, such as grits, polenta, and tortillas.
- Granola bars, protein bars, and other meal replacement products.
- Any prepackaged meal, including canned soups.
- Pastries and sweets.
