(for a keto or low carb vegetarian)
It’s a scary world for us rabbit-food-lovers when the produce isle suddenly becomes less safe. What’s a vegetarian to do?
There’s actually a couple questions wrapped up in one:
- How do I get micronutrients in when produce is less safe?
- Is there a way to make produce more safe?
- How do I prepare for periods of food shortage or lack of electricity? What should my zombie pantry look like?
How do I get micronutrients when produce isn’t an option?
My approach has been:
- Increase nuts and seeds. My noatmeal recipe is a great way to pack in fiber and vitamins. You can buy all the ingredients well in advance, just make sure to refrigerate hemp seeds and flax meal after opening. I also love my sweetener free granola recipe (find it on Instagram) which freezes well for later.
- Increase dairy. This is a tricky one – obviously, if you have a dairy sensitivity, don’t eat it. But grass fed dairy is full of highly bioavailable micronutrients, so it’s a great choice if you tolerate it ok. If you have a lactose sensitivity, try a lactose-free cheese like jarlsberg. If you have a cow casein sensitivity (this is actually a more common cause of dairy sensitivity), try a goat cheese! To keep it from becoming “too much” I focus on “soft” dairy with probiotics, like full fat greek yogurt and ricotta. Just make sure you’re getting enough fiber (from nuts and seeds) to counteract the cheese.
- Increase frozen veggies and berries. I’ve got a smoothie recipe on my Instagram that I’ll post over here. But 3/4 cup of frozen small berries (raspberries, blackberries, cranberries) and a handful of frozen kale will go a long way to meeting your needs (and satisfying your sweet tooth) without kicking you out of ketosis.
- Supplement where necessary. One of my favorite things about the Cronometer app is that it tracks micronutrient intake, so that you can pinpoint your supplement needs. But, supplement quality matters. Please, do not buy your vitamins on amazon (buy this book instead). Look for name brands that have been independently lab verified – or buy through a verifying pharmacy like Valisure. My favorite vitamin of late has been “The Other Pill” from Even Health; It’s formulated for people who have been taking birth control, but also happens to align nicely with the things I’m low on most often.
- Focus on recovery and stress reduction. Stress actually increases our use of micronutrients and weakens our immune system. So, the less I watch the news, the more I sleep I get, and the more time I spend active and outdoors… the better my overall health with be. If the stress ship has sailed, this might be a good time to press pause on fasting and eating at a calorie deficit. Both mental and physical stress fill up the “stress bucket,” so cutting back on physical stress might be necessary in times of high mental stress. Also, consider increasing B vitamins, since cortisol (the stress hormone) consumes more of them.
Is there a way to make produce more safe?
If you’ve never paused to consider how disgusting your produce is before, I bet COVID-19 had you thinking on it and recoiling in horror. So, this is as good a time as ever to consider investing in an ozone generator. Its a very safe, effective, environmentally friendly, and chemical free way to purify veggies before eating. This article and this EPA Guidance Document talk about how it’s more effective than chlorine, and you can buy an ozone generator for around $100 on Amazon, but the best type generates ozone from the water rather than the air (which then has to be pumped into a bowl of water) like this one from Roving Blue. All you do is stick your veggies in a bowl of ozonated water for 5 minutes.
What should my Zombie Survival Pantry Look Like?
Personally, we try to keep 2 months of food on hand at a time. We don’t want to be wasteful, so that means it has to be food we’d eat normally – high quality, yummy, and keto. Also, periods of food shortage are great times to be in ketosis. It makes fasting easier, may increase immunity, and usually keto foods are left on the shelves long after bread disappears. Here’s a list of our favorites:
- Electrolytes: Salt, K1000 (for potassium), and Magnesium Glycinate (we get Pure brand). Dehydration isn’t just about water, and it will kill you much faster than a food shortage. Remember that being in ketosis makes your electrolyte requirement go up.
- Keto Bricks. These things are apocalypse gold. Each bar is 1000 calories of perfect keto macros, and lasts forever. I have to be honest, some of the flavors are… not delicious. But we LOVE the peanut butter flavor, it tastes like fudge. When not fighting off zombies, we take these along for hiking, biking, camping, and emergency snacks stored in glove boxes and desk drawers.
- Nuts, seeds, and nut butters. In my pantry we currently have: pecans, macademia nuts, shredded coconut (unsweetened), peanut butter, almond butter, almond flour, hemp seeds, chia seeds, flax meal, hazelnut meal, coconut oil and MCT oil (you can eat it with a spoon or blended in coffee), and others I’m probably forgetting. These are great for eating as-is, or making into noatmeal or sweetener free granola. Just don’t forget that hemp and flax need to be refrigerated after opening.
- Phat Fudge, because obviously every apocalypse meal requires dessert. Also a favorite hiking food.
- Jocko Molk Protein Powder. If you haven’t heard me harp on this stuff yet, its the most magical combination of good tasting & good for you ever created. But, if you don’t want to take my word for it on the magic of Molk, any protein powder (preferably one free of sucralose) will do. Remember that in times of lower calories, higher protein is important to preserve muscle.
- Dang Bars. Listen, there are basically zero bars on the market that I’m willing to put in my body. Dang bars are the exception. And they’re vegan.
- Keto Birch Benders pancake mix. This one is particularly good, because it only requires water to make. I stick to the plain version because it doesn’t have any sweeteners.
- Cheese crisps. My favorite brand is “Just the Cheese” but there’s lots of others out there. Perfect for binge watching Netflix.
- Lupini Beans. Low carb, high fat, Brami makes them in a convenient snack pack.
- Flax Seed or Jilz Crackers (both available at Whole Foods). Topped with olive tampenade, pesto, artichoke bruchetta, or any other yummy dip you can think of. Consider serving pickles and olives on the side.
- MCT oil or MCT Oil Powder (the powder mixes better without a blender). This stuff keeps you full for a very long time.
- Coffee, beause we are learning first hand how much going without coffee sucks.
- Canned black soy beans – The Eden Organics brand is good quality. They’re cheapest from Swanson Vitamins, but you can get them for a bit more on Amazon.
- Palmini Pasta – the yummiest keto pasta around. No calories itself, but a great conveyance device for alfredo, pesto, and nutritional yeast. Also, if you have a fridge, throw some marinara, ricotta and mozzarella on there for a great pasta bake.
- Assuming the freezer still works: frozen brocolli, cauliflower, raspberries, faux meat, frozen pizza, ice cream (calorie dense, yay), a few batches of meal prepped items like: keto soups, frittatas, and fathead bagels.
- Assuming the fridge still works: the first thing we stocked up on were eggs, dairy, and tofu. All of the nutritionally dense things.
So there you have it, my very very long list of snacks to get you through these times. Have I forgotten anything? Comment your favorites below!
Keto Vegetarian Girl 