Wanting to start keto on a budget? In this article, we go through the key ingredients for cheap keto meal prep and the benefits of cheap keto recipes for your body. Also, we bring you the best cheap easy keto meals, in our opinion.
What is Keto?
The keto (ketogenic) diet is a high-fat, adequate-protein, low-carb diet. A keto diet’s goal is to enter a metabolic state called ketosis, where your body is depleted of sugar reserves. When your body enters into a state of “ketosis,” the body will start to break down fat for energy.
Why should I consider trying a Keto diet?
Looking to lose weight? Keto diets are known for their effectiveness in aiding weight loss. On top of that, there are many other benefits, such as increased cognitive functioning, mood enhancement, improved acne, and heart health.
Curious to find out more? Women’s Health has a great in-depth guide to what exactly keto does for your body for beginners.
How can you achieve a state of ketosis?
On a keto diet, you will need to follow a diet that ensures 70% of nutrients come from fat, 25% come from protein, and 5% come from carbohydrates. If you keep your carb intake low, your body will then burn fat as energy instead of burning sugars stored in carbs.
Why is Keto so expensive?
One of the drawbacks of the keto diet is that it can get expensive. Cheap keto meals are more of a challenge to create. It almost always costs more to eat healthy food versus unhealthy food, and the keto diet is no exception to this rule.
The good news is you can do keto on a budget.
Traditionally carb-based foods such as pasta, cereal, bread, potatoes, and noodles are lower in cost. People tend to gravitate to carbohydrates rather than whole foods.
However, the keto diet requires you to stay away from processed carbs and even carbs in general.
What are the staples for cheap keto dinner recipes?
Cheap and easy keto meals can include:
- eggs
- dairy
- fatty fish such as salmon or mackerel
- avocados
- low-carb vegetables
- poultry and meat
- nuts
- seeds.
A keto diet takes planning. If you don’t plan, you will find yourself snacking on easy-to-reach high-carb foods.
3 things to consider when trying keto on a budget
#1) Bulk in buy
Buy items that are on sale and in bulk. We recommend you use a flexible mindset when shopping and shop for whatever is on sale — if pork is on sale, go for it.
If chicken is cheaper, buy it. And remember, whole chickens are generally less expensive than buying already cut portions of chicken.
To learn more about where to buy cheaper groceries in Hong Kong, click here.
#2) Meal prepping is the secret to keto on a budget
Once you’ve purchased your items in bulk, meal prep 1-2 times a week so you won’t be tempted to eat out during lunch or dinner. No more excuses about being “too tired to cook” or “you don’t have groceries” when you’ve got a week’s worth of meals ready-to-go in the fridge.
Another thing you may want to consider is investing in a food processor. Once you have one, it will make life so much easier and will cut the cost of your keto meals.
Check the current prices of food processors here.
Keto ingredients you can make more affordable with your food processor.
- Nut and seed butter. Grind your favorite nuts and seeds until the oil within them starts to separate out. With a processor, you can speed up this process by blending some oil into the finely ground nuts. You can chop your bill in half for store-bought almond butter by making it at home. It takes around 20 minutes.
- Keto soups. Crispyfoodideas.com has some awesome keto soup ideas that you can make on a budget.
- Keto condiments. Store-bought keto condiments can contain a lot of sugar and other unhealthy ingredients. They are also very expensive. Myketokitchen.com has some great recipes you can make at home.
#3) Embrace budget-friendly keto foods to make cheap keto dinners
Keto diets don’t just include more expensive fruit and veggies like avocados. There are plenty of budget-friendly keto foods such as
- eggs
- ground beef
- butter
- pork
- chicken thighs
All these foods are high in fat, low in carbs, calorie-dense, and relatively cheap.
Keto on a budget – sample meal plan
Day 1 and 3
- Breakfast: smoothie with frozen raspberries, nut butter, spinach, and coconut milk
- Lunch: tuna salad stuffed in red bell peppers
- Dinner: lettuce cups with ground turkey, frozen non-starchy vegetable mix, and plain Greek yogurt
Day 2, 4 and 6
- Breakfast: Eggs, bacon and guacamole. You can swap the avocado for spinach or broccoli. Swap in turkey bacon or sausages.
- Lunch: Ground beef with broccoli and zucchini – You can swap out the beef with any ground meat of choice – chicken, turkey, pork. Vegetable ideas – Brussels sprouts, asparagus, spinach, mushrooms. Need dairy free? Use coconut cream instead of the cheese and cream.
- Dinner: pork chops with sautéed green beans and almonds
Day 5 and 7
- Breakfast: nut and seed porridge made with canned coconut milk
- Lunch: egg salad made with plain Greek yogurt on celery sticks
- Dinner: pork tenderloin, eggplant, and zucchini cooked in butter and topped with cheese
Looking for extra inspiration for a Keto diet in Hong Kong?
Eating meat, eggs, dairy, and nuts can get pretty boring quickly. If you are looking for budget-friendly ways to stick to the keto diet but also new ideas to keep the diet from going stale, give the following products a try.
Cheap keto lunch ideas
Keto Soup
Kettle & Fire’s keto soups make it easy for you to follow the keto diet even when you’re too busy to cook. These soups are clean, organic, low carb, and have high-fat content. They also contain chicken bone broth for added nutrients like collagen.
Multiple flavors are available, but we recommend the broccoli cheddar flavor as it’s delicious even when eaten by itself. These soups can all be used as a base for gravies, stews, and other recipes.
Check current prices over at The Store Hong Kong
Keto Protein Bars
Protein bars are often great for a convenient snack or a meal replacement. But if you are on a ketogenic diet, typical protein bars contain way too many carbs for you even to consider it as a possibility.
Instead, you should try a low-carb protein bar as part of your cheap low carb meal. These bars are not only super convenient, but they may also help alleviate potential food-boredom while providing the right balance of nutrients.
As with all keto products, the ingredients are key. This protein bar has 12g of protein per bar and no added sugar, in packs of 12.
Buy from The Store Hong Kong
Bulletproof: The Original – Medium Roast Coffee
Forget your typical coffee, as most coffees have mold and are toxic. Instead, try Bulletproof coffee. This coffee minimizes the risk of digesting performance-robbing mold toxins. Healthy fats are also added, making it a perfect keto product.
Available from The Store Hong Kong for HK$143 for 340g.
Finally
Following keto on a budget is definitely achievable if you buy in bulk, make a cheap keto meal plan and embrace cheaper ingredients. It may take you time to organize your staple foods to make cheap keto meals, but everything worthwhile takes time to develop and grow. Good luck with your keto meal planning!
This article contains affiliate links meaning I may earn a small commission for select purchases.
Related posts
Can you drink coffee on a keto diet?
You can drink black coffee or coffee with unsweetened heavy cream. Same with tea, what you add to your brew really matters when following the keto diet.
Can you overeat on a keto diet?
Many people feel more satisfied after eating keto meals so because protein and fats are more filling. It’s possible to overeat on the keto diet, either by making your portions too large, or by snacking on high calorie snacks in between meals.
Can you eat boiled eggs on a keto diet?
The answer is yes. Healthy fitness.com has some great ideas of how you can use boiled eggs in your keto regime.
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