So, you’ve decided to try the LCHF (low carbohydrate, high fat) diet. Great! But you open your cabinets and fridge and find pastas, cereals, crackers, cookies, juices, sodas, condiments, and many other foods that are not appropriate for this new way of living. What should you do?
First, clean out the foods that do not fit into your new lifestyle. Donate unopened packages to food banks, and give opened packages to friends or family or throw them away. Next, it’s time to go shopping and restock your fridge and pantry with foods that support your new LCHF lifestyle! Here’s a list that will help you get started.
In general, you will find most of what you need around the edges of the grocery store. That’s where all the real food is: the produce, the meats and fish, and the dairy. The center aisles are filled with processed, carbohydrate-filled “food-like” products, and you should avoid them.
Meats & Fish
- Beef: Steaks, ground beef (the less % lean, the better), stew pieces, strips, etc. Be careful when buying packaged products (like burgers) to read the ingredients and make sure there are no added starches or sugars.
- Pork: Bacon, ham, roast, pastrami, sausages (make sure there are no added starches or sugars)
- Chicken and Turkey: Breasts with skin, thighs with skin, whole chicken or turkey, cutlets
- Deli Meats: Turkey, ham, salami, pepperoni, etc. Read the ingredients and make sure there are no added starches or sugars.
- Fish: Fresh or frozen fillets or steaks: salmon, mackerel, halibut, tuna, cod, etc. Wild caught are best.
- Shellfish: Fresh or frozen scallops, shrimp, mussels, lobster, crab meat
Produce
- Leafy green vegetables: Kale, collard greens, spinach, cabbage, bok choy, arugula, Brussels sprouts, etc.
- Low-carbohydrate vegetables: Summer squashes, tomatoes, cucumbers, asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, radishes, onions, peppers
- Avocados
- Fresh herbs: Parsley, cilantro, chives
- Fresh berries: Blackberries, raspberries, strawberries
Dairy
- Heavy cream
- Butter (preferably organic or grass-fed – Kerrygold brand is one that is widely available)
- Full-fat Greek yogurt (check that there are no added sugars)
- Cheese (hard cheeses have the lowest amount of carbohydrates)
Grocery
- Olive oil (extra virgin), flax oil, walnut oil – for salad dressings
- Coconut oil (unrefined) – for cooking
- Canned fish: Canned tuna in olive oil, sardines, anchovies, clams, crab
- Beef jerky
- Olives (canned or fresh)
- Nuts: Walnuts, almonds, cashews, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, pumpkin seeds. Raw, unsalted nuts are best.
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