Low Carb Shopping List and Must Have's!

Okay, so it's possible Vinny Guadagnino from Jersey Shore may have put a popular weight loss regiment on the map during the crew's Family Reunion. If you're familiar with "Keto Guido" you know just how challenging it is! One of the best diets I've ever tried is a low carb/keto diet. I always lose the most weight the quickest. However, the first week is HARD! No sweets?? No pasta?? No bread?? No fun! But over the years I have been able to find healthy alternatives that not only keep me on track but also are pretty tasty! I'm going to give you a run down on products to keep in your cabinets while on a low carb diet as well as some delicious recipes!

First, let's talk about HOW we count carbs. On every nutritional label there is a category for carbs along with sub categories including Sugar, Alcohol Sugars, and Fiber. Anything left over is just straight carbs. For example: Pillsbury Creamy Supreme Chocolate Fudge Sugar Free Frosting 15oz container has a total of 16 grams of carbs per serving (2 TBSP). Seems like a lot, right? Well you can actually cut some of that out because they don't count! You always subtract the sugar alcohols and fiber from the total amount to get your NET carbs.

Total Carbs: 16g , Fiber: 3g , Sugar: 0g , Sugar Alcohol 10g

So that means there is truly only 3 Net Carbs per serving of frosting. This is allowed! Pair this with a cupcake made from Almond Flour and your got yourself a low carb cupcake alternative!

Almond Flour or Almond Meal is an excellent alternative to your regular flour! Your typical wheat all purpose flour has about 95g of carbs per cup where as the Almond Flour only contains 12g of carbs per cup.The possibilities are endless. Pancakes, cakes, pizza. You can even make your own candy bars similar to the Atkins bars. Almond flour or meal is also very high in nutrients! It's gluten-free, high in protein, vitamin E, manganese,and monounsaturated fats, and also contains fiber.

I'd say it's a good buy! You can buy it in your local grocery store or order it online!

Coconut flour is also a good flour alternative. Coconut flour has 16 grams of fat, 16 grams of protein, 64 grams of carbohydrates, and 40 grams of fiber per each 1/4 cup. So slightly higher in carbohydrates but also high in fiber and more protein. Some recipes will call to mix coconut and almond flours! You can't go wrong. High in nutrients and both great low-carb options.

This is another baking product you must keep in your cabinet for when that sweet tooth strikes! You can make your own frosting for your almond flour cupcakes! Chocolate frosting "Keto Guido" style!

Note: Another sweet frosting alternative would be your store bought sugar free frosting. Like Pillsbury Creamy Supreme Frosting Sugar Free Chocolate Fudge! Yum in a can. I sometimes eat it frozen with a spoon...don't judge me!

Well....sugar substitutes! I mean you can't have a pantry full of almond flour, coconut flour, and cocoa powder without anything to sweeten them up! Here you have a few options. These are your sugar alcohols we talked about before. I always remember my mom using Sweet 'n' Low. But an even better alternative is all natural sweeteners from plants and fruit. I personally enjoy using Erythritol for baking. There's word that a lot of artificial sweeteners are bad for you. So by using natural sweeteners we avoid any potential problems down there line. However, it is also said you'd have to be consuming very large amounts for them to affect you.

Cheese does contain some carbs. About 1g per 1oz. You should limit the amount of cheese to 3-4 ounces per day. There's so many cheeses to choose from. If you're a cheese lover like me this is one thing you don't have to turn down while going Keto!

• Parmesan, grated
• Goat, chevre
• Bleu cheeses
• Cheddar
• Gouda
• Mozzarella, whole milk
• Cream cheese, whipped
• Parmesan, chunk
• Swiss
• Feta
• Sour cream

Well this is a no-brainer. Meat is high in protein and contains zero net carbohydrates. Although you do want to be careful with processed meets like ham or bacon that may have been cured with sugar adding to the carb count. You can also benefit from the high animal protein. It will help protect your muscle mass during the diet process so that you are only losing fat. Shellfish is included in this category. Just be mindful that some shellfish like mussels and oysters have a higher net carb count.

Oils are good for you! For your hair, nails, skin and even your insides! Coconut, olive, canola, etc are all acceptable to use. My favorite is coconut oil. You can get it super cheap online or in the grocery store. It's also very versatile! In fact, you can brush your teeth with it since it has bacteria fighting properties!

Veggies do contain carbs. However, you don't want to cut veggies from your diet all together! Just stick with the less starchy ones. Lettuce, kale, tomato, arugula, olives, spinach, bok choy, mushrooms, etc. Stay away from sweet and starchy veggies such as carrots and sweet potato.

ATTENTION PICKLE LOVERS! Pickles are an awesome snack to have in the house! as long as their is no sugar added to the pickle juice you are good to go! With only about 1 Net Carb per pickle you can go wrong!

I'm italian. Carbs and Italians go together like peanut butter and sugar free jelly! (HAHA! Keto joke!) Here are a few healthier, low carb options for your pasta, rice, and grains!

• Spaghetti - My favorite alternative to spaghetti is, hands down, spaghetti squash! Shirataki noodles are also a great option! You can find them as Wonder Noodles on Amazon!
• Hamburger Buns - Portabello Mushrooms
• Sliced Bread - Try Eggplant!
• French Fries - Butternut Squash.Just cut up into french fry style pieces!
• Lasagna - Eggplant or Zuchinni
• Mashed Potato - Cauliflower
• Rice - Cauliflower
• Pancakes - Whip up some home made pancakes using Almond Flour!
• Chips - Kale, spinach, beet, or zuchinni chips are a delicious low carb snack! Healthy too!

Eggs are low in carbs and high in protein! My favorite way to eat eggs is hard boiled. I love to cook mine in my egg maker machine! The shell peels off easily and most perfect without ending up with a butchered hard boiled egg. It also allows you to make the eggs poached, scrambled, or omelet style.

I am guilty of purchasing and using these products! I can be lazy sometimes and lack the drive to actually bake something myself. When you're in a rush and need a quick bite to eat or to just curve your hunger until your next meal, these are great options! I really like the Atkins bars and shakes. However, I have recently found the Slim Fast Advance Nutrition low-carb shakes and snacks. So delicious and perfect for on-the-go busy days!

There's a wide variety of things you can still enjoy while going all "Keto Guido". Be creative! Just because it's healthy doesn't mean it can't taste good!