Supplements

The kids are still sleeping, I have a few minutes to talk about supplements. Yes, you should be taking supplements while doing any kind of ketogenic diet. During phase one of the plan you are seriously restricting your calorie intake as well as cutting out most of the B vitamins you'd have absorbed from eating grains.

On Ideal Protein (IP) the supplements are expensive, $24 per bottle and there are three bottles you purchase on a monthly basis. Add that to the food costs and you've got yourself a break the bank diet. Again, I've had to do some comparison shopping to keep the costs down. The Trader Joe's Pantheon Pack wins for the $10.99 monthly cost. The supplementation is roughly similar. To view my side-by-sides, view the IP Comparison Spreadsheet I've created, click the Supplements tab at the bottom.

On the IP side, most of the minerals are citrates verses carbonates. I'm going to have to do my research to find out which of the two are better choices in terms of absorption. I'm guessing the citrates will win due to IP choosing them over the carbonates. The one thing about IP is its attention to quality time and again, it costs more because its better stuff.

The one thing you'll need to add to the Pantheon Pack is potassium. I had a hard time finding any multi-vitamin regimen that included the correct amount of potassium and I found it to be key in staving off the calf muscle cramps I sometimes get in the middle of the night. Currently, I'm finishing out my bottle of IP Potassium/Calcium supplements. When it runs dry, I'll head over to the Super Supplements store nearby to see what they offer.