If you’re a fan of gardening at all, you know that we’re coming up on the real most wonderful time of the year: seed catalogs will be arriving soon! Soon, keto gardeners all over North America will be making the most important decisions of the year; deciding which fruits and vegetables to plant in their gardens. Personally, I’m a fan of the seed catalog from Annie’s Heirloom Seeds. Their seed catalog features non-GMO, heirloom seeds with a huge variety of nutritious foods.

In a perfect world, I would have a keto garden with several acres available for planting. My garden for the keto diet would include a variety of lettuces, squashes, and vegetables that I could both eat fresh and freeze to use later. However, most of us don’t have that kind of room. So we have to make use of what we have to put a great keto garden in place. Here are my suggestions for what to include in your keto garden.

Salad Goodies

For many people, salad plays a huge part in their keto diet plans. We know that some vegetables are healthier raw than cooked, and salads help us increase the raw veggies in our diet. Salads also provide us with an opportunity to increase our fat intake. I make my salad dressing with my Intentionally Bare MCT Oil (US | Canada) so that I’m hitting my fat macros even though I’m enjoying my fresh veggies. My favorite salad choices are lettuces, spinach, cucumbers, kale, and tomatoes.

Favorite Vegetable Substitutes

Let’s face it. You should plan to plant a bunch of cauliflower. Whether you’re making a macaroni and cheese substitute or ricing it to go with your favorite Chinese food recipes, a garden for the keto diet should have a bunch of cauliflower. You can freeze it by blanching it first, so it will keep for months. Many people also find zucchini to be pretty beneficial, and, really, almost anyone can grow zucchini. Well, except for one friend of mine who kept chickens that once broke down a fence to eat her zucchini plants despite having three acres to roam around on. You can use zucchini by itself, or as a substitute for noodles. Roma tomatoes would be a good addition here, too. Even if you don’t want to take the time to cook them into pasta sauce, you can season them with your favorite Italian flavors and let them marinade in a bit of MCT oil before pouring them over cooked zucchini for a meal that’s very close to spaghetti. Radishes are a good substitute for potatoes.

Side Dishes

Keto-friendly vegetables make some amazing side dishes. I’m in love with Brussels sprouts cooked in baking grease. Asparagus wrapped in bacon with melted parmesan are incredible. Steamed broccoli makes an excellent addition to many meals. There are so many versatile ways to make squash part of your meals.

Keto-Safe Fruits

Unfortunately, many fruits are off-limits while you’re doing keto. However, that doesn’t mean that you have to cut all fruit out of your life. When you plan your garden for the keto diet, you can include raspberries, strawberries, and rhubarb should make your list. Eaten in moderation, these fruits should not impact your ketosis.

Planning a keto garden is fun, and is a great way to get your family involved in future meal planning. Not only will you be providing healthy food to your table, but if you garden together, you’ll be creating memories that will last your family for a lifetime. Even if you don’t garden together as a family, you’ll get yourself some extra exercise (gardening burns 200-400 calories per hour) and have a great time while you eat healthier meals.

Are you planting your keto garden this year? Please join my Intentionally Bare Facebook Group and share your pictures with me! I can’t wait to see how your garden grows!

You got this!

Leta

~ Intentionally Bare

❗️ DISCLAIMER:  Health information given here is based on public research and is not meant to take the place of your doctor's advice. Always do your own research and discuss it with your health practitioner before trying a new diet, supplement or exercise plan. 

❗️ DISCLOSURE:  I manufacture a line of 100% natural keto products under the brand name, Intentionally Bare. These products will be mentioned from time to time because they are amazingly healthy and fantastic for those on a ketogenic diet or anyone looking to improve their health. I am also a participant in the Amazon services LLC Associates Program, designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.** I ONLY ever post a link to products I personally USE and LOVE!