Where I live is a bit of a paradox when it comes to stats. Rochester, NY is the 3rd-largest city in the state (NYC and Buffalo being #1 and #2 respectively), yet we have a population of under 250,000 (at least, that’s what Wikipedia says), so it’s a big city in rankings, but not in actuality. My point in all of this is that it can be really hard to find Keto-friendly foods, especially pre-packaged (yes, even though we’re the home of Wegman’s).
Side note: Did I ever tell this story before? When Mr and I came up to check out Rochester and see if it would be a good fit for our escape from Brooklyn, we were told repeatedly to go to the flagship Wegman’s, the “Taj Mahal” as it was called. I was incredulous about it…it’s a grocery store, hello! What could be so amazing about it? We were used to crappy Key Foods with narrow aisles and perpetually-leaking ceilings. There was nothing a grocery store could do to impress us.
WRONG.
You guys, I was so amazed at Wegman’s that I ended up driving out of the store and missing the turn we needed to take to get back to where we were staying. I am officially #blessed to be in the world of Wegman’s. (They are not a sponsor, btw, we’re just fans.) In addition to the Strong Museum of Play, “Taj Mahal Wegman’s” is a regular stop on our tour of Rochester for visiting guests.
Back when I first went Keto, when it was just Atkins, I learned how to cook and would end up eating pieces of bacon or hard-boiled eggs as my only snacks. Consequently, I lost a lot of weight, but I always felt like I was being deprived. I wanted to have a healthy life, but still enjoy an occasional treat, you know? Luckily, Ketogenic diets are way more mainstream now, so I can literally have my low-carb cake and eat it, too.
Despite Wegman’s being great at many things, though, it is hard for me to find ready-to-eat Keto snacks here, so I end up defaulting to Amazon. While these are what I usually end up buying, I want to add a note of caution here: Keto-friendly snacking does not mean a free pass for binging, which is something I too have to be careful of. Remember your end goals and try to practice portion control of these, as very few are super low carb or good for those beginning Keto who haven’t yet gotten the hang of it. That said, you gotta do what you gotta do. And if a box of cauliflower crackers keeps you away from your husbands’ Chewy bars (sigh), then snack away!
My Keto-Friendly Amazon Shopping Picks:
- From the Ground Up Cheddar Cauliflower Crackers. Actually I can get these at Wegman’s, but I find it’s a better deal to buy the three-pack on Amazon. I’ve tried all 3 flavors and really don’t have a favorite though. I will say the Nacho and Cheddar flavors aren’t very different from one another.
- Premier Protein Shakes. Be careful as sometimes the prices here are cuckoo crazy pants. But often I can get flavors that aren’t available at my local Costco and for about the same price I’d pay there.
- Primal Thin Crackers . These are my go-to jam for when I need a Brie delivery system. They’re not very flavorful so they don’t overpower the Brie, but instead, give it an extra oomph.
- NOW Magnesium and Potassium Aspartate. Super important to make sure your magnesium and potassium are balanced on a ketogenic diet and this combo is the best I’ve found yet for my body.
- Giant Sports Keto Cocoa. love love LOVE LOVE LOVE. Seriously, I make so much of this during the winter when I want some night comfort treats.
- ISOPURE Zero Carb Protein Shake Powder. I think I’ve ruined these for myself, actually, because I used to drink them all. The. Time. They’re so great for getting up and going, but I don’t know. I think we need to take a break and let me focus on lazier, pre-made shakes like the Premier Protein ones. My normal flavors that I would order regularly were the Cookies & Cream, Dutch Chocolate, and surprisingly, the Bananas & Cream is REALLY good. The Strawberries & Cream and Orange ones were good once in a while for a different flavor, but I couldn’t commit to them regularly.
Things I’ve gotten but haven’t been a fan of:
- Palmini Low Carb Pasta. I tried, but I just couldn’t get behind the consistency on these. Felt like slimy wet noodles in my mouth. Appetizing, right?
- Nut Pods Hazelnut and Pumpkin Spice Dairy-Free Creamer. Same here. They’re way too thin for how I like my coffee creamer and the serving size is ludicrous (1 tablespoon? What’s the point?) for the carb count.
- Miracle Noodle Zero Carb. I wanted to like these, I really did! Unfortunately, I’m just too lazy to go through the rinsing, cooking, and rinsing again. I just want some GD pasta, you know? I suck it up carb-wise and go for my beloved Edamame noodles instead.
Anything I should be trying on Amazon? Let me know in the comments!