My older Sister, Emily, recently started a new diet, the ketogenic diet. I never heard of this in the past until she mentioned she was on it. Ever since she brought it up to me, I started noticing more people talking about it. So what exactly is this ketogenic diet? What do you eat? What does it do to your body? I wanted to know more about this new fad because how could a recent college graduate, who is paying off student loans be able to afford it? I decided to sit down with my older sister and ask her all things Keto!

Q: How did you learn about the Ketogenic diet?

A: When I was about 18 I did a low carb diet which worked really well, but once college came around I didn’t stick with it. But I have always known that a low carb diet worked well with my body when doing it correctly. I ultimately discovered the Keto diet while browsing social media.

Q: Did you like it at first?

A: Yes, it was very easy to adjust to. I never had any cravings for carb-loaded foods and it helped that I had a positive, excited mindset going into it. I knew what I was getting myself into since I’ve done a low carb diet in the past.

Q: What do your daily meals look like?

A: I start my day with breakfast which consists of a bulletproof coffee which contains coffee, 1 serving of MCT oil powder

, 1 serving of collagen peptides, 1 serving of coconut oil, 1 serving of kerry gold butter (grass fed butter), and sweetener.

My lunch is usually meat-based so its either pulled pork, brats, or meatballs with a side of starch free vegetables. After work, I head to the gym so I like to have my dinners consist of protein. For example, Tuesdays I make grass-fed beef tacos (without the shell obviously) with my homemade taco seasonings because the store bought taco seasonings have hidden sugars. I have another

side of starch free vegetables. The only thing I usually drink throughout the day is water. I try and have a gallon of water a day. Some nights I make myself some dessert. I have recently been making chia seed pudding for nights I’m craving something sweet.

Q: How are you able to afford this diet?

A: I have recently been starting to budget each month. I will take out my set budget for groceries in cash and only use that money for groceries so I do not have to use my debit card. I do the majority of my grocery shopping at Aldi, which is a global discount supermarket chain. I get the basic foods that I eat on a regular basis at Aldi like, grass-fed meat, vegetables,

almond milk, cheese. If I would go to let’s say, Pick n Save, my groceries would be almost double than what I spend at Aldi.  I look for deals on things that are typically more expensive, like meat. If I do find a good deal I will stock up on that product and freeze what I don’t need at the time. I also do frozen vegetables rather than fresh vegetables so they last longer and are cheaper. To help save money, I go to Walmart and use their savings catcher on the Walmart app. I find different apps such as ibotta.

Q: How has your support system helped you through this diet journey?

A: I have an account on Instagram where I post updates on my diet and my day to day life. So having a hugely supportive community on Instagram is amazing. Having a good connection with other Keto members gives me other ideas for recipes and wellness tips. My boyfriend Brad is a great support system, he even started eating healthier because of my lifestyle change. My sister’s friends love my Instagram account so that is a confidence booster as well.

Q: What tips do you have for people interested in this diet, but are a little skeptical?

A: Start small, start eliminating bread, carbs, sugars where you can. Do your research, there are a bunch of podcasts, youtube accounts, Instagram accounts that are all things, Keto. Everybody’s body is different, don’t get discouraged if it isn’t working. Listen to your body and try and focus on how you feel. If you feel like nothing is working or you are feeling worse, maybe it just isn’t the diet for you, and that’s okay!! What you eat is 70% of it and exercise is 30%. So working out will only help you during this. I don’t work out like crazy but being physical is going to help your body so much.

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