Top Food Picks to Help You Transition to KetoFLEX 12/3

By Valerie Driscoll, Lead Coach and Coaching Program Developer for Apollo Health

Putting it plainly, creating a different and healthier brain comes from creating a different and healthier diet. As MNFC facilitators, we help our participants to learn the KetoFLEX 12/3 nutrition plan and adopt it into their busy lives. Over the course of working with members and clients, we have seen three consistent themes emerge:

How do I make this easier?
How do I make this taste good?
What do I buy?

Unavoidably, to successfully adopt KetoFLEX 12/3, one needs to prepare most meals at home and probably prepare them very differently than before, but this transition can be done efficiently and deliciously, especially as we begin to change the palette to enjoy more minimally processed foods, which we promise you will happen!

Please know that we have come at this challenge in our own lives from opposite ends of the spectrum: Deb likes to shop and prepare food, while Valerie does not; despite this, we have each become successful at eating, adopting the nutrition plan, and achieving metabolic flexibility. When we created the nutrition guides and recipes (now well over 200!) through trial and error, we not only made food that we love but also optimally fuel ourselves.

And while recipes are great, sometimes (Deb) and frequently (Val) walk into the kitchen without a plan and need to quickly throw something together that is still compliant. This all starts with having a well-stocked fridge and pantry, which is why we decided to share some of our favorite selections from the places we regularly shop.

Not all of the foods we present below are KetoFLEX 12/3 perfect; some should be considered indulgences and transitioning foods rather than staples. Any of the foods listed below, however, will be better than ordering takeout or popping in a frozen pizza!

Remember that the foundational foods of every meal come from Apollo Health’s Grocery Guide, and test after you prepare a new recipe to see how it affects your glucose levels. This will help you to determine your correct proportions and food combinations. Also, take proportions into account with any processed food, especially anything with added sugar. If the serving size says 2 tbs, cut that in half, using the least amount to get some added flavor. This applies, too, to what you normally may consider a portion. If cheese, for example, used to mean CHEESE, it now means cheese …

Cronometer can be very useful as you experiment, even if you do not want to track every meal every day. As you come up with something new, run it through Cronometer to collect the data. 

For Apollo Health Members who want to learn more about KetoFLEX 12/3, you can also sign up for our MNFC Education Course HERE.

Our recommendations are grouped by store and are in no particular order. They are also not exhaustive, so there may be other compliant foods. These selections simply happen to be some of the sanity-preserving favorites we wanted to share.

PRO TIP – Knowing when to buy organic vs conventional produce is a good strategy, both for ease of shopping and budgetary concerns. The KetoFLEX 12/3 Dirty and Clean Lists simplify the process.

Thrive Market

PRO TIP: Especially at the start of your KetoFLEX 12/3 adventure, staying out of the middle aisles can keep temptation at bay; having these staples delivered can minimize cruising those more dangerous areas of the store. For anyone who hates shopping, doorstop delivery is a great help.

Along with that, Thrive’s customer service is fantastic. Thrive charges a yearly subscription fee, but with their competitive prices, you will easily recoup the fee in a few orders.

• Primal Kitchen Avocado Lime Dipping Sauce — The easiest way to make avocados into this delicious guacamole with a single squirt.
• Primal Kitchen Chipotle Lime Mayo — 1 tbs smeared on a plate, topped with veggie-loaded scrambled egg(s), tofu, or leftover chicken, 1/2 an avocado, and high-polyphenol Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) is a taste treat.
• Nutzo Organic Smooth Power Fuel — 1 tsp/tbs added to celery, cucumbers, green apple slices, smoothies, chia seed pudding, or approved bread or cracker as part of a meal. If tolerated, add a few blueberries.
• Kettle and Fire Regenerative Chicken Bone Broth/ Bison Broth — An easy, protein-rich part of a meal. Make into a soup with a protein, an approved pasta substitute, spinach, or other greens or veggies from our grocery guide, or just sip with a big mixed salad on the side!
• Om Mushroom Powders — Om Mushroom powders offer a more economical way to make your own mushroom coffee.
• Wild Planet Wild White Anchovies / Primal Kitchen Caesar Dressing — blend 2 tbs Caesar together with 2 tbs EVOO and whatever level of anchovies you can tolerate (mileage will vary). Use as a dressing for a colorful veggie salad, egg salad, chicken salad, or tofu/tempeh salad.
• Palmini Hearts of Palm Linguini — easy to prepare and a real comfort food that makes a great pasta substitute.
• Organic Marinara Sauce — (If lectin-tolerant), use alone or as a base, adding ground beef or turkey, mushrooms, onions, spinach, broccoli, zucchini, or other Grocery Guide veggies and protein to make this a hearty “pasta” topping. Instead of cheese, top with:
• Thrive Nutrition Yeast Flakes — great as a parmesan substitute, full of B12 and protein; use it on eggs, salads, soups. Once you start using this, you will add it to almost everything you eat.
• Thrive Market Organic Chia Seeds — Chia seeds are magic to use as a cracker ingredient, to sprout, and even as a dessert. Quickie recipe:
  
  • 1/4 cup chia seeds
  • 1 cup unsweetened nut milk
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 avocado
  • 1tsp Ghirardelli premium baking cocoa
  • 1/4 cup almonds, pecans, or walnuts, chopped (optional)
    
    Mix in a food processor or with an immersion blender; freeze. When hungry for a treat, thaw for about 30 minutes before eating. Make a big batch and put it into individual portions. “Yummo!” You can edit as desired.
• Eden Foods Organic Cannellini Beans — rinse, dry, put into a bowl with avocado oil, salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, nutritional yeast, bake on parchment paper at 400 for about 25 min. Make a bunch, and freeze into servings. Use like croutons! Put on a salad, roasted veggies, soup, etc. Use sparingly and check your glucose after eating to determine your proportions.
  
  PRO TIP– Traveling? Have a Thrive box of your essentials sent to your destination!
  
  Note: Thrive also has frozen items like meat, fish, and bread that qualify for free shipping with a 100.00 frozen order.

Costco

• Organic Cremini Mushrooms — slice and throw into your scramble, bone broth, salad, or marinara sauce for some added nutrients.
• Organic English Cucumbers, Greenhouse-Grown — Use these “cukes” as you would the Trader Joe’s Persian variety.
• Spring Mix Greenhouse-Grown — Not just for salad-making; throw into your scramble or frittata, bone broth, an open-face sandwich, or a smoothie.
• Kirkland Signature Spanish Manchego — use sparingly atop a salad, sandwich, scramble, whatever you wish!
• Kirkland Signature Pecorino Romano — same as above
• Kirkland Signature Organic Blueberries — available in a large 3-lb economy size; remember to keep your portions small.
• Organic Celery Sticks (already prepped) — Add to a meal with goat cheese, EVOO, nut butter, small slices of Manchego, homemade hummus, or pesto.
• Imperial Garden Organic Edamame — Use as a side, fun and time-consuming veggie to eat, or dip in EVOO flavored with salt and pepper. Flavor with your favorites or add to soups!
• Kirkland Signature Organic Whole Cashews, Unsalted — Put in a salad or eat as an appetizer while you prepare a main course. Use to make a large batch of homemade granola or to soak for a creamy sauce.
• Kirkland Canned Wild Caught Alaska Pink Salmon (6 oz) — A top pick from consumerlabs.com.
• Kirkland Signature Extra Virgin Olive Oils — particularly the 1-liter Organic California and the single-origin Italian/Tuscan varieties — are bottled in dark glass to protect them from light degradation. They prominently feature exact harvest dates right on the back label, alongside single-country origins and certified cold-press methods. (Unfortunately, these are not available in every state; do not buy when offered in  plastic bottles.)

Whole Foods

• Bubbies Dill Pickles, Horseradish, and Sauerkraut — These are refrigerated and not cooked, so they preserve beneficial bacteria. Add slices of pickles or a dollop of horseradish or sauerkraut to liven up almost any meal and support your gut.
  
  PRO TIP — If your gut agrees, include a small amount of fermented food with every meal.
• Primal Kitchen Unsweetened Ketchup — not on Apollo Health’s Grocery Guide as 1 tbs has 2 grams of carbohydrates due to the concentrated carb content of the tomato paste. Portion control is key here, but a small serving as a dip with meatloaf, or on a burger, makes the meal, and this is the cleanest one we’ve found!
• Palmini Lasagna Sheets — made from hearts of palm, cooked or baked with other ingredients, it feels like pasta. Lasagna-cut Palmini noodles work well in recipes that require cooked lasagna noodles. Miracle Noodle makes konjac noodles that work similarly, and both are shelf-stable.
• Siete Almond Flour Tortillas — great when craving a wrap and holding leftover lean protein, chicken or egg salad, taco meat, or other fillings, or sprinkled with a tiny bit of A2 cheese, toasted, then topped with veggies. These wraps freeze well.
• Primal No Dairy Queso Dip — perfect with the above flour tortillas as a spread; fill with any Grocery Guide selections. Use as a dip for other approved chips or veggies.
• Frozen Artichokes — make everyday salads special. Put on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees, placing the artichokes in the oven to thaw while the oven preheats. Roast for about 20 minutes until almost browned. Smash the artichokes with a mallet or a mug. Toss with a few tablespoons of avocado oil, nutritional yeast, and any spices you desire (garlic, oregano, paprika, etc.).
• Base Culture Keto Bread (frozen) — tastes best toasted to hold sandwich fillings or piled high with avocados and other avocado toast fixings like eggs, sprouts, or other non-starchy veggies, and maybe even some everything bagel seasoning.
• Whole Foods Organic Spring Mix — This is triple-washed and comes in a large tub, ready to use. Add handfuls to salads, soups, or even cooked dishes to easily increase your intake of leafy greens with little added preparation time.
• Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil — An excellent choice for cooking. The smoke point is high, and the flavor is neutral.
• Maille Mustard — Is gluten-free and comes in both smooth and grainy textures. While it isn’t organic, it does have that traditional sharp brown mustard taste that increases flavor and adds to any dish. Use it on lean protein or add to salads, soups, and stews.
• Kite Hill Ricotta — This is Almond-based; fabulous anywhere one would use ricotta cheese!

Trader Joe’s

While Trader Joe’s was once considered a panacea of safe shopping, adopting the KetoFLEX 12/3 diet now leaves much of the store out of your shopping cart. There are, however, some staples you can incorporate into your meals to add flavor and variety. Here are a few of our favorites.

• Sprouted Tofu — A little easier to digest for some; excellent plant protein; worth experimenting with, as it takes on the flavor of whatever you put it in or coat it with, like any Primal Kitchen sauce and nutritional yeast; bake or air fry at 400 degrees or below.
• Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon — we all know what to do with this and remember to cook low and slow.
• Grade A Goat Milk Yogurt, Plain — an indulgence, to be used in smaller doses, but if you dislike nut yogurts, this is a great option
• Goat’s Milk Creamy Cheese (Mild and spreadable) — as part of a meal: 1 slice of approved bread (like base culture), a schmear of Malle’s Mustard, a layer of creamery cheese, a layer of sliced pastured chicken or turkey, and a layer of Bubbies Kraut or pickles.
• Crunchy Chili Onion — a flavored spread/oil that has a ton of heat and flavor, so one needs just a tiny bit. PRO TIP: The seeds are very hot, so just use a little oil for flavor. When the oil runs out, refill with your EVOO for even more flavor!
• Organic Wild Blueberries — These are very tart, tiny, and perfect for smoothies or chia pudding. Make sure to test your glucose to determine the proper proportion!
• Organic Persian Cucumbers — Valerie’s new obsession! Delicious and hydrating with B vitamins, copper, potassium, soluble, and insoluble fiber. Put into a salad, slice on a sandwich, or make into a side with mint and goat yogurt. Cut them in half or quarters lengthwise and use them with your favorite KetoFLEX 12/3-approved dip recipes, or scoop up chicken or egg salad. Cut and eat while you are preparing a meal! Sprinkle with:
• Everything But the Bagel Seasoning — This isn’t organic, so use judiciously, as this can make shoelaces taste good.
• Sofrito Italian Seasoning — same as above, and this has a little heat, but just a little bit will deliciously season anything on which you sprinkle it.

Trifecta KetoFLEX 12/3 Meal
Delivery Service

• On days when cooking from scratch simply isn’t possible, Trifecta can be a practical way to stay on track with KetoFLEX 12/3. As an Apollo Health partner, Trifecta is a meal delivery service offering fully cooked, meal-prep items and chef-prepared meals made with high-quality ingredients, including grass-fed and grass-finished meats, wild-caught seafood, and organic vegetables. The meals arrive ready to heat and enjoy, making it easier to maintain brain-healthy eating on even the busiest days. New subscribers can receive 50% off their first order with code APOLLO50 at checkout.

Transitioning to KetoFLEX 12/3 doesn’t happen overnight, and it doesn’t have to be perfect. By keeping your kitchen stocked with nourishing staples, finding a few trusted shortcuts, and discovering foods you genuinely enjoy, healthy eating becomes less of a challenge and more of a sustainable way of life. We hope these favorite finds inspire you to make brain-healthy meals a little easier, a little more delicious, and a lasting part of your journey.