Carb-counting is relatively easy. So during the coronavirus pandemic lockdown, I forked over gobs of unemployment money on popular premade meal plans and lost 10 pounds pretty quickly.
Fast-forward to 2021, and I started thinking about the keto diet again while living in an LGBTQ+ homeless shelter in Los Angeles. The vast majority of shelter-prepped meals consisted of starch-heavy pastas and greasy frozen pizzas delivered as an afterthought by the weekend cook.
The electronic benefit transfer (EBT) hot-food program in California wasn't much help either. My options ranged from Louisiana Fried Chicken to Denny's — the Subway protein bowls were my only oasis in an otherwise fried food-stamp desert.
Instead, I've turned to Trader Joe's for carb-conscious staples. Read on for a list of my favorite products.