Keto Meal Prep With Factor: Saving Time and Staying on Track With Your Diet

Starting a new keto diet does not have to be a major challenge as long as you prepare yourself for what to expect and you pick up some good habits early on.

Are you interested in trying a keto diet for a spin, but you are not sure where to start, and you are worried about being able to maintain it? It’s okay; it is natural to feel a bit intimidated at the beginning of a new diet.

This is especially so with keto, as it is quite different from most plans that you may have previously tried. The truth is that finding success with a new keto diet is all about building good habits.

One of the most important things with a keto diet is maintaining consistency, and meal prepping is one fantastic way to do that. When you have a busy schedule, in particular, prepping your meals ahead of time will help ensure that you do not break away from your diet, even on your busiest days.

What foods are allowed on the keto diet?

Of course, another one of the key factors to succeeding while starting a new keto diet is fully understanding ahead of time what it does and does not allow you to eat. Fostering this kind of understanding will help you make better choices when it comes to your meals.

Most of the time, you probably rely on eating a lot of carbs to gain energy for your body; however, with a keto diet, this is completely switched up. By cutting out most carbs, you will force your body to start burning fat rather than carbs for energy.

This means that the foods you will have to increase are those containing healthy fats! This includes fish and other seafood, lean meat and poultry, less starchy vegetables, avocados, berries, nuts, seeds, and dairy products. Healthy oils, such as olive oil or coconut oil, are also great to include as much as possible on a keto diet.

How to Prepare Meals on the Keto Diet

As you are first starting to prepare keto meals, and you are trying to get into the swing of things, remember that each meal should be made up of about 75% fat, 20% protein, and only 5% carbs. If you stick to this ratio whenever you are putting together keto meals, it will keep you on track until you have met all of your goals.

If you do not know much about which categories each type of food falls under, make sure that you do some background research so that you do not misstep regarding the diet and so you can also continue to have plenty of food options to choose from.

Use a Detailed Grocery List for Keto Meal Preparation

One great activity you can do while on a keto diet that will significantly help with your meal prepping is doing weekly meal planning. Not only is this a fun and exciting process, but it will also make grocery shopping much easier, as you will always be able to head to the grocery store with a clear idea of exactly what you need. No more wandering aimlessly from aisle to aisle!

After deciding on the meals you would like to prepare for the week, think about all of the ingredients that you will require to make them possible. Write all of these ingredients down on your grocery list so that you can find them as soon as you step foot in a supermarket. This approach will benefit you in a variety of ways, as it will save you time while also minimizing your food waste.

Prepare Your Meals Ahead of Time

Along with your weekly meal planning, meal prepping is a wonderful habit to get into when you are on a keto diet. If you do not have experience with this sort of thing, however, it may be hard to know where to start. One of the best places to start is with your meats, as they typically take the longest to prepare, so doing this ahead of time will help you out the most. 

After cooking your meat, cut it up into proper portions. If you are only cooking for yourself, package and store your portions individually. If you are cooking for others as well, you can package multiple portions together. Just remember that it is important to let your meats cool first if you are planning on storing them in your freezer.

Purchase Freezer-Friendly Products

As you are meal-prepping low-carb foods, it is essential to keep in mind that most foods only stay fresh in the fridge for three to five days, so you may want to freeze at least a few of the meals that you prepare. Just make sure that the items you are choosing to store in the freezer are definitely freezer-friendly before tossing them in there. 

That usually means avoiding freezing dishes that contain any melted cheese, heavy cream, sour cream, cream cheese, or mayonnaise. In addition, you should probably avoid freezing lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, and other vegetables with high water content. It is also important to store your frozen foods in freezer-safe containers or bags to avoid giving your food freezer burn.

Keep It Straightforward and Relax

Until you become used to your keto diet, your main focus should be on keeping things simple and straightforward when it comes to your meals. Don’t stress yourself out by trying to be the perfect keto dieter immediately, as a small slip-up occasionally is not the end of the world. As long as you are gradually getting better at maintaining keto-friendly habits, then you are on the right path.

If you go into a keto diet with a clear mind and the confidence that you can achieve your goals, this will also help you continuously head in the right direction.

Allow Meal Prepping to Make Your Life Easier

Starting a new keto diet does not have to be a major challenge as long as you prepare yourself for what to expect and you pick up some good habits early on. These habits should include meal planning and meal prepping, as well as purchasing freezer-friendly products. If you follow the advice mentioned above, your keto experience will certainly be considerably better!

This article was produced in partnership with Factor_ Canada.


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