8 Tips to Survive a Ketogenic Diet in Toronto

It’s no secret that in addition to weight loss, the ketogenic diet has many health benefits. Many people living with diabetes, arthritis and osteoporosis have found that, when followed properly, a keto diet can alleviate many symptoms of their disease

It might seem almost impossible to survive the keto diet! But surviving the keto diet in Toronto, with all of its resources, is easier than you’d think. Here are 8 tried-and-tested tips that will help you stay satisfied and keep cravings away, while keeping your keto diet in check.

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1. Getting over the ‘Keto Flu’ in Toronto

If you’re in the beginning stages of the keto diet, you might feel flu-like symptoms such as nausea and exhaustion. Your liver is adjusting to a low-carb diet and going into ketosis, which means it’s learning to burn ketones instead of glucose. This period of feeling unwell is nicknamed the ‘keto flu,’ and it’s very normal.

Don’t give up! Supplements such as magnesium can help ease your symptoms. You can find keto-specific supplements in Toronto,  which, aired with the eating tips in this piece, can help ease you into the keto lifestyle and combat the keto flu.

2. Securing Low-Carb Options, Wherever You Are

It’s easier than you think to get in the swing of the ketogenic diet. Whether you’re having lunch at a restaurant or dinner at home, the good news is that keto is very adaptable if you’re creative.

If you’re at a restaurant, you don’t need to miss out on your favorite meal. Take five minutes to plan ahead by looking at the menu and quickly identifying safe (and delicious!) options for your meal.

Once you have arrived at the restaurant, set your meal up right: opt for water as your drink, and say no to common traps like fries or even ketchup, which contains carbs.

For the meal itself, make healthy swaps like lettuce instead of a bun, and don’t submit to peer pressure when ordering!

3. Keto Cooking: Make It Yourself!

Ultimately, it’s tough to know exactly what goes on in a restaurant kitchen, and it’s so easy to be tempted by the shared breadbasket on the table. In terms of willpower and informed keto choices, cooking at home is certainly an easier option for keeping your diet on track. You can have many of your favourite foods, just the low carb version!

Some popular recipes include fat head pizza, a rich dish that swaps almond flour and cheese for traditional flour to make a delicious dough. Got a craving for a pasta dish like spaghetti? You can have it by way of spaghetti squash baked to perfection and pulled into strands. With a good sauce and some tender meatballs, you’ve got a keto-friendly bowl of ‘spaghetti.’

4. Toronto Keto Meal Delivery

After a long day at the office, you might find yourself in a bind: too tired to drive to the grocery store to shop for keto ingredients, and yet too budget-conscious to face the towering prices at a restaurant.

In this scenario, we introduce the humble meal kit (what a time to be alive!) These packages arrive at your door with easy-to-follow instructions and every ingredient you need — plus, you get the satisfaction of cooking. Some meal delivery services offer keto meals kits with fresh ingredients, and some meal-kit delivery companies support keto diets in Toronto by being exclusively specific to keto.

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5. Hit The Low-Carb Spot at Toronto Grocery Stores

From delicious nuts to convenient, one-bite fat bombs, you can satisfy your carb cravings easily with keto-friendly options at Toronto grocery stores.

With locations across Toronto, Whole Foods has an array of options. While they generally have a higher price and fewer locations than the competition, they offer more and higher quality options specifically for keto.

Metro is a strong option if you are watching your budget: they tend towards a lower price point than no Frills, and have more locations, which is highly convenient for followers of the keto diet in Toronto.

No Frills offers a number of basic keto staples, from sugar substitutes to a selection of meaty snacks. In terms of price point, they are the lowest of the three, but also have the fewest keto-specific options.

A keto-lover’s dream, the Low Carb Grocery store has six locations across the GTA.

6. Health Food Stores: Keto’s Best Friend?

For more specific ketogenic diet needs in Toronto, consider one of Toronto’s many health food stores.

At these stores you can find keto-friendly foods, like sugar-free snacks, and helpful supplements, as well as products that promote healthful living no matter your diet. Options across Toronto include Essence of Life Organics, the Big Carrot, and Noah’s Natural Foods.

7. Toronto: a Keto-Friendly City to Eat Out

Are you tired of making ketogenic diet substitutes / planning ahead when eating out? There are a good number of restaurants in Toronto offering keto-specific meals. If you find yourself in Toronto West, check out Station Cafe and Kitchen: they offer a whole menu of keto meals, from butter chicken with keto-friendly naan to burgers on keto buns.

Out in Toronto East, try Rouge Juicery. They serve hearty diner favourites, keto-style, from pizza to BLTs to an alluring-looking taco salad.

Find yourself uptown? Try Nutbar, a ‘superfood snack cafe,’ from heaped-high salads to hearty smoothies (and Nutbar seems to prove that this isn’t an oxymoron.)

8. Keto Support in Toronto

With its wide array of options, following a keto diet in Toronto is far from impossible. But if you feel yourself struggling with the keto diet, there are keto support groups in Toronto  that you can join.

Though diet is critical, any healthy lifestyle should involve exercise too. Make an appointment with a specialist today to set and meet safe, pain-free exercise goals.