How Easy Is It to Get into Keto? (Plus: The Best Keto Meal Delivery Services We’ve Found Online)

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The keto diet is more trendy than ever, boasting a long list of supposed health benefits (and a meal plan where you don’t have to give up cheese). Originally created in the 1920s as a way to treat chronic illnesses such as epilepsy, keto is now one of the most mainstream meal plans, rising in popularity with others like Whole30 and Paleo.

You might think that one you switch up your eating habits, it’s smooth sailing to kick your body into ketosis (a state where you start burning fat for energy instead of carbs). But it might seem difficult to toss out all that bread and switch up your body long enough to get over that dreaded keto flu hump, or know how long it takes to even get into ketosis.

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The good news is it’s easier than ever to go keto, and the best keto meal delivery services and ebooks can help streamline that process by providing enough high-fat, low-carb meals that you won’t have to think about meal prep. Low-carb meal delivery kits catered for keto can also help kick the boredom of eating the same meals over and over. They can give you a more nutritionally dense plan too, and stop you from just eating meat and cheese all day (though, we won’t lie, that sounds delicious).

If you’re not sure how to even start keto, we’ve got you covered. Here’s everything you need to know about keto, and how it’s surprisingly accessible, with the right tips. (Note: we’re not medical professionals, so it’s best to consult your doctor or a nutritionist to see if going keto right for your health).

What Is the Keto Diet?

The keto diet, at its core, is just a low-carb, high-fat meal plan—when followed consistently, it gets your body into a metabolic state known as ketosis, where you body gets using to burning more fat. Following the standard diet, most people get 70-80 percent of their daily calories from fat, and 20-25 from protein (and none from sugar, which you’ll have to drop).

There’s quite a few different keto methods (and a lot of research debating which ones work best), so it’s up to you to decide which fits in more with your lifestyle. You don’t get into intense tracking if you don’t want to: there’s “lazy keto” which is much less strict, and just means keeping an eye on your carbs. Or “cyclical keto”, where you alternate the days when you eat carbs. It can still be a bit of an adjustment, but here’s what’s generally included: meats, fish, leafy greens, cheese, eggs, healthy fats (think avocado and olive oil), nuts, berries, and lots of water.

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How Easy Is It To Get Into Ketosis?

Is there a simple way to kickstart your body into ketosis, fast? In short: yes and no. If you’re going all in on keto, there will be strict limitation on carb intake and macro-tracking in order for your body to reach ketosis. But a lot of companies have made this transition a lot easier by provide prepared meal services that lay out out macros upfront (or let you adjust meal macros based on your needs).

Others have provided keto snacks and beverages to help get you through the day and keep your body in ketosis. If you want to step into the kitchen to figure out keto cooking for yourself, you can also  find some of the best keto recipes online through ebooks, like with this popular bundle from KetoConnect.

But it’ll normally take 2-4 days for ketosis to kick in, so having meals on hand can make it easier to maintain your keto lifestyle.

What Are the Best Meal Delivery Services For Keto?

There are plenty of meal delivery services that will help you take the guesswork out of keto. Our best picks have chef-curated recipes, or nutritionist-backed meal plans that will give you keto meals fast. You won’t have to worry about reading every nutrition label in the grocery store when food shopping—just choose the best plan for you, and these companies will prepare and deliver meals directly to your home, fresh or frozen. Many companies also offer the chance to try out a box or a week of meals for a reduced price, so you can see for yourself what works best for you.

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Here are our top picks for meal delivery services that have your keto success in mind.

1. Territory Foods

Foodies will rejoice at Territory Foods’ offerings, which have some of the best prepared meals for Keto that can be reheated in a microwave or oven—no TV-dinner frozen qualities here. It’s one of the freshest meal deliveries we’ve tasted, thanks to their independent chefs that prep all the food out of local commercial kitchens.

You’ll have ten different menus to choose from including several “Keto” options, with menus that rotate weekly and keep the focus on local, sustainably-sourced ingredients (keep in mind your menu may vary depending on the time of year and where you’re located too). They also cater to a multitude of dietary needs, including vegan, vegetarian, and low-carb plans if there’s not enough options for you that are keto-specific.

Where Territory Foods excels is in delivering restaurant-quality meals that span different cuisines and cultures from around the world—all while still keeping macro requirements front and center. You can adjust your macros and calories with a slider while building your plan, but there’s always a interesting and flavorful options. Think more “Mushroom Asado Bowl” and less bland, baked chicken on mashed cauliflower.

Get six, 12, or 18 meals delivered per week, with over 35+ meal options per week. You can get the meals delivered fresh twice a week at participating gyms, or delivered straight your door with a $8-9 fee. If you’re just starting keto, Territory Foods will be like the personal chef that guides your way.

Buy Territory Foods $10.95+/serving

2. Fresh n’ Lean

Fresh N’ Lean leads the pack when it comes to organic keto meals, with a focus on natural ingredients, free-range meats, and sustainably-sourced fish. You won’t have to worry about quality here since, each meal ships fresh, never frozen, to make sure you won’t just be subsisting on freezer meals.

Their menu thoughtfully-crafted menu, especially for folks doing keto, because it was designed with specific nutrition goals in mind (think athletes). Their variety of plans include keto, vegan (including an entire low-carb vegan menu if you’re doing both), paleo, and high-protein menus. Fresh n’ Lean gives you the option to exclude up to three ingredients from your plan, due to a dietary restriction, or just if you hate a specific ingredient.

Need any extra protein to boost up your non-keto meals? Fresh N’ Lean has you covered with their “bulk” add-ons. But for a regular plan, you can get up to three meals a day (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) for 5 or 7 days, or pick specific meals from their a la carte section.

The menu changes each week, but specific meal plans won’t let you change any meals in particular—though this can actually help you not stray too far away into breaking your ketosis if you’re being strict about it. While the culinary range isn’t as wide as other services either (they mostly stick to Mediterranean and Latin American flavors), if you love consistency and want specific macro breakdowns, then Fresh N’ Lean can deliver.

Buy Fresh n’ Lean $8.99+/serving

3. Factor

Crafted by in-house dietitians and chefs, Factor is one of the most convenient ways to eat keto if you’re busy and don’t even want to think about meal prep. With a specific ketogenic menu, you’ll get fully-cooked, fresh meals delivered to your home—all you need to do is reheat them whenever you’re ready to chow down.

The menu rotates weekly, but they offer seven nutritionally-dense keto meals per week, along with paleo, dairy-free, and low-carb options. Factor is right in the sweet spot of menu creativity and simple ingredients, with offerings like their Spicy Turkey Poblano Bowl and Parmesan Pesto Chicken being full of flavor without being too complicated. Just starting out eating keto? Factor also offers a complimentary 20-minute nutrition consultation when you subscribe, so you can achieve real results.

We also like that Factor offers add-ons like keto desserts, shakes, and snacks, so there’s more to fill up on during the day besides your structured meal plan. But the plan otherwise is subscription-based, though you can pause or cancel it at any time. Choose from four, six, eight, 12, or 18 meals per week (you get a bigger discount the more meals you order, and bonus: shipping is free). Factor lets you take the guesswork out of eating keto, because it doesn’t need to be more complicated than getting organic, delicious meals with a few simple clicks.

Buy Factor $12.99+/serving

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4. Green Chef

If you’re someone who wants to cook your meals fresh, but doesn’t want to keep searching ‘what ingredients are keto-friendly?’ on your phone at the grocery store, Green Chef has the meal kit for you. While most other keto-friendly delivery services offer pre-portioned, ready-to-heat meals, Green Chef gives you all the ingredients and recipes you’ll need to make great keto dinners while cutting your prep time in half.

Green Chef’s menu rotates weekly, but all their recipes are built on organic and all-natural ingredients. Their keto options are bundled in a “Keto-Paleo” menu, but that doesn’t mean their offerings aren’t diverse (example: Memphis-Style Pork Patties and Korean Beef Bulgogi). There are nine recipes per week, with a genuine focus on plant-forward meals packed with veggies no matter what plan you choose.

One thing to note: when I tried a box, I wasn’t thrilled that a lot of the sauces are premade (since the only premade aspect of other kits are usually garnishes). You might also want to check the macros of the recipe if you’re watching your sodium, which tends to get a bit high for some recipes. But for a subscription-based service, you can’t beat this level of convenience.

Choose meals for two, four, or six people, depending on your household, or between 3-4 meals a week. For learning to make some killer keto recipes, or just getting your prep out of the way, Green Chef is the keto-friendly meal kit that can’t be beat.

Buy Green Chef $12.99+/serving