In your first couple of weeks on the keto diet, bouillon is one thing that all keto-ers agree on. It will be your friend. And if it isn’t, it should be. Bouillon is the best keto snack for both taste reasons and healthy reasons. Bouillon does two great things for people who are getting inducted into keto:
- #1: Replaces the electrolytes you lose as you’re drinking all your water and peeing them all out.
- #2 (really): Helps you poo when you’ve protein’d yourself and can’t go.
Get it? #2? Woooboy I’ve got jokes.
It’s especially helpful when you have the keto flu, which you go through in the first 1-2 weeks of getting into ketosis.
I thought this explanation from Authority Nutrition was on point, so I didn’t attempt to re-word it:
Low-carb diets lower insulin levels, which makes the kidneys excrete excess sodium from the body. This can lead to a mild sodium deficiency.
So now that you’ve gotten sick of explaining to people that “fat doesn’t make you fat” (and to some, that the keto diet won’t kill you young), you can tell them that drinking excess sodium every day is helping you too! Joy!
Anyway, good bouillon should be organic and zero carbs, so it’s also a nice snack in that way. Vegetable bouillon typically has carbs in it, so I stick with chicken. In fact, I’d recommend reading the ingredients on any bouillon you buy because some get sneaky and add in things for fun.
Update: Bone broth is another substitute, one I’m relying on more and more lately.
I typically drink a cup a few times a week instead of one or two per day because I’m notoriously bad at drinking water and I don’t want my kidneys to seize up.
My answer there should have been I’LL START DRINKING MORE WATER.
One step at a time.
Although I do find that these keto drinks make drinking water much more pleasurable.
Anyway, sip, sip, sip yo’ bouillon!
11 comments
Love your blog!
I’m new to keto. I have been over-protein-ed out. Still have flu.
Is there a brand of bouillon that you use? I imagine many of them have alot of additives, msg and the like.
Was wondering the same thing.
Hey Amanda,
I’m beginning Keto again after binging on carbs since my son’s birth. Last time I never had the keto flu, at least to my knowledge, so how important is the broth in that case?
I don’t want to take more sodium and get sick from it. I drink lots and lots of water and tea. This results in a lot of peeing. Does that constitute a need for increased sodium?
When I was following this way of life before I was dumping sodium on everything. My favorite was when I put sodium added the cheese that I would eat.
Woohoo for Keto!!
Best,
Shawn Michael Hartwell
http://store.approvedfood.co.uk/soup/maggi_classic_bouillon_for_vegetables_2kg-203078-p?pid=203078 Only £2.99p for 2Kg
It’s fine with me if salt is the first ingredient in bouillon, and as far as I know I don’t have any sensitivity to msg. But what about the starch?
what is name bran of chicken bouillon that ya’ll use and where can you get it.
We’ve checked Sprouts and Central Market, they all have added stuff you don’t want….
sorry….’brain shouldn’t have been in there
Great post, only what brands are SUGAR free? Hard to find bouillon or dried base that has no sugar. Got any brands you can pass along for those of us without the time to make our own?
Tones from Sam’s Club lists no sugar at all
I read the ingredients on “Tones”
MSG, sugar, corn starch….bunch of bad stuff.
Can you list a bouillon that does not have maltodextrin or sugar in it, let alone MSG? All of these ingredients make it a definite no for clean healthful Keto.
You can get your salt easily, by adding it to your water and food. Take 400mg of a chelated form of
Magnesium plus some “no-salt” and you’ll be good as far as electrolytes. It’s find to add real natural bone broth that is without the funky additives found in bouillon.
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