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Keto Carbonara – How to make it, the easy way!!

September 3, 2019 by Rich 24 Comments

Just when you thought there were no other variances you could cook with keto pasta, you can stop right there. I have just the thing for you, it’s my Keto Spaghetti Carbonara. This dish is quick and only calls for five main ingredients. In this article, I show you how to make this classic Italian favorite, keto style.

Last updated: March 17, 2020

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You never know where inspiration can be found. I was at this small little gold rush town in California and was recommended to try their Carbonara. Seeing that I never had it before and was in an experimental mood, I decided to take the plunge.

The Carbonara I had @ The City Hotel Restaurant

Little did I know, I had no idea I was about to be blown away how delicious this simple plate was. Since then, I’ve made it a mission to make my own version I can eat without feeling guilty because having conventional pasta every day is not going to help any weightloss goals.

Just 5 Main Ingredients

Carbonara, the name actually means charcoal in Italian most likely referring to the coal workers of the time and area of Rome. Nobody really knows the true origins of these Carbonara noodles or who invented the popular entree but it’s a common belief that the noodles were made by coal workers. It was simply a quick and inexpensive dish to make. Another version of the origin was that it was invented by Renato Gualandi. Whatever the case maybe I’m glad this dish was invented for generations to enjoy.

The original dish only really requires 5 main ingredients that make this dish shine. They are:

Spaghetti
Black Pepper
Free Range Egg
Bacon (or traditionally guanciale)
Pecorino Romano Cheese

Anything after that are really extras which leads me to my next point. There are many variances to this dish just due to its simplicity it can be adjusted to your personal tastes buds. If you like it spicy, you can add pepper flakes and even Tobasco sauce. Peas are also another common added ingredient as you saw with my time at the City Hotel Restaurant.

What is Carbonara Sauce?

Carbonara Sauce is a mixture of fresh free-range eggs, grated Pecorino Romano cheese, and freshly ground black peppers. That’s it. Simple on the surface but this combination brings out the natural flavors of each ingredient. The saying “less is more” cannot be any truer. This sauce is whisked together and poured on top of the pasta. The trick is to keep the pasta hot enough (indirect heat) that the sauce does not overcook. This means shutting off the burner at the very moment al dente is reached and then stirring the sauce in a few rounds to cook it. By doing this, the sauce becomes creamier as the yolk and cheese work in unison.

Does Pasta Carbonara have raw Egg?

Pasta Carbonara requires raw eggs to make the carbonara but the egg is lightly cooked. It’s easy to think the egg is raw since the egg does not touch any direct heat but the answer is no. The egg is lightly cooked by the indirect heat from the hot spaghetti. It’s no different from an egg being cooked sunnyside up but be aware that kids under 5 should not consume these types of dishes.

Why these Shirataki Spaghetti?

I recommend these Shirataki Spaghetti

I prefer these tofu shirataki noodles/spaghetti from House Brands mainly because they come closest to conventional spaghetti. The best thing about them is their lack of a fishy odor which has turned many off. The coloring helps too. Texture-wise, it comes close. For any pasta related-dishes I’ll always recommend this specific brand for their catering towards the western market. A distant runner up (in case, you’re unable to find the House Brand) are the Skinny Pasta series. These are good too, but the coloring of the noodles itself is a little off.

If you enjoy Shirataki Noodles, check out my other shirataki noodle recipes:

How to Make Keto Pasta Carbonara

Things You’ll Need

This is all you need!

Print Pin

5 from 1 vote

Easy Keto Pasta Carbonara

Need a quick easy keto dinner with just 5 main ingredients? Well, you're in the right place. My keto carbonara will have you full in no time.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword keto, low carb noodles, shirataki noodles, spaghetti

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Servings person

Calories 529.1kcal

Ingredients

1 package Shirataki Noodles
1 tspn Olive Oil

Carbonara Sauce

120 grams Bacon (even better if you have guanciale or pancetta)
1/4 cup Grated Pecorino Romano (Parmesan as substitute is ok)
1/2 tspn Garlic powder (optional)
1 whole Egg Yolk (for added creamy texture)
1 whole Egg

Garnish

1 tbsp Parsley
1 tbsp MCT Oil
1 pinch Black Pepper

Instructions

Cook Shirataki Noodles

Follow the package instructions. If not, I can show you how to cook shirataki noodles.
Note: I found that one package may not be enough for noodle lovers. If you love noodles I suggest getting two packages or 4 servings of shirataki noodles for 2 people.

Gather all the ingredients

Roughy chop the bacon and the parsley.

Prep the Sauce

In medium heat, warm a frying pan. Pour a teaspoon of olive oil and add the bacon in. Let the fat render.
Meanwhile, as the bacon is cooking crack 2 eggs. For the second egg, use only the yolk. This will give the carbonara a creamier texture. Combine it with Pecorino Romano, 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder, and black pepper to taste. Whisk for about 2 minutes or until the desired creamy texture is achieved.

Combining Spaghetti and Carbonara Sauce

*** This part is very important. If you don't follow this part properly, you run the risk of overcooking the sauce which will give you scrambled eggs.
Once the bacon is cooked from the first step, remove the cooked bacon. Add the shirataki noodles to warm it up. Stir for about a minute until hot, then turn off the heat. Pour the Carbonara Sauce over spaghetti and stir until sauce becomes glossy and creamy (about a minute and a half). Retrieve the bacon and mix in.

Garnish

Top with Parsley, more picorno romano (if you like), and black pepper to taste. Add tablepoon of MCT oil for added fat.

Notes

Nutrition info is approximate using the sparkpeople.com recipe calculator, and the carb count does not count sugar alcohols. It is your responsibility to check the accuracy of all nutritional facts posted here, especially if you have a medical condition, in which case you should consult with your doctor before using any of the recipes.

Nutrition

MADE THIS RECIPE?Let’s see it! Tag @chowyoulater and #chowyoulater

Nutrition Facts

Easy Keto Pasta Carbonara

Amount Per Serving

Calories 529.1 Calories from Fat 373

% Daily Value*

Fat 41.4g64%

Saturated Fat 18.9g118%

Polyunsaturated Fat 1g

Monounsaturated Fat 3.5g

Cholesterol 265mg88%

Sodium 1135.6mg49%

Potassium 54.1mg2%

Carbohydrates 3.6g1%

Fiber 2.1g9%

Sugar 0.2g0%

Protein 31.6g63%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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11 Best Instagram Story Tips & Tricks for 2019

August 28, 2019 by Rich

In the last months, I’ve been playing around with Instagram Story trying to see what gets the best response and learning from others their tricks of the trade. Finally, I’ve got the answers. In this article, I give you my 11 Instagram Story Tips and Tricks (some secrets of mine) to optimizing your Instagram account.

Last updated: May 3, 2020

Before we begin, I want to show you one of the Instagram Stories I’m very proud of. This one gave me an extra push in viewers and follower count.

This compilation of Instagram Stories was the pivotal point when I started to understand the tips, concepts and function of Instagram Story. Does yours have to be exactly like that? Of course not but following my tips as a guide, you will see similar results. Let’s get to my top Instagram Story Tips and Hacks.

Enjoyed my video? If so, please don’t forget to subscribe to my Youtube channel. It tells me where I should contribute my time towards.

1.) Be Real, be genuine.

I know… this is a cliché tip. Well, it’s always going to be about being authentic. I got some practical advice for you: If you view your video upload and you’re 100% satisfied with how you look, how you sound, then you’re not being real. A helpful rule of advice is to be satisfied with your video at around the 80% mark. A little bit of cringe is a good thing because that’s when you know it’s real.

I keep bringing it up but your greatest asset is your personality. That’s your Unique Selling Proposition (USP). You’re probably going to ask me “Well, what if I don’t have a personality?” No, everyone’s got one. Yes, even if you’re quiet or introverted that still counts as a personality. The point is to connect with others. The more personality you show, the more others can resonate with you, then will want to follow you.

If you can take something mundane and banal, and turn it into something funny then you’re golden. That’s pretty much the purpose of these ephemeral videos. To give new light into those boring everyday things. And to post these stories with minimal effort. If your images and videos are perfect, then you’re not using it right. It’s supposed to be spontaneous, unedited, and raw.

2.) Mix it up!!!

Nobody wants to watch a 5-minute video broken up into like thirty 10 second chunks. Whatever you do, do NOT attempt that. Upload it on youtube instead where it’s more appropriate. Today, we live in an ADD world and if something doesn’t capture your attention in 5 seconds, it’s most likely going to be lost. Mixing it up and keeping viewers guessing is the best way to combat our ADD culture. After hours spent watching others, I’ve been able to categorize the different theme of their stories.

Questions
- ie. Ask a random question, hold a Q&A, post answers
User Generated Templates/Game
Shoutouts
- Followers
  - Thanking a follower for reposts/likes/anything really
- Product/brand/manufacturer
  - Thanking a company for reposts/likes/anything really
Simple Conversations/Observations
- Inner Thoughts
Current Events (personal or industry specific)
- New Post Announcement
- Achievement in your life
A glimpse into what you’re doing
- Selfie
- POV
- Behind the Scenes (BTS)

In addition, mixing it up will organically stimulate interest. From what I’ve seen, I’ve gotten more profile visits this way. Keep it interesting and entertaining. Don’t just use a few of these, use all of them. Keep your audience guessing.

3.) Have a plan! Be purposeful.

It’s called Stories for a reason. Stories have a clear beginning, climax, and end or Acts I, II, and III. Whatever you post, aim for continuity and a general gameplan for the day. For example, if you post a question, make it clear your whole day will be dedicated to that (refer to my Italian Family Fest video). In my video for the whole day, I dedicated my stories to the festival making sure there are clear beginnings and endings, through narration and never really going off tangent.

4.) You do not have to post right away.

It’s a common misconception that you have to upload a story right away. Instagram makes it seem like you can only post images/videos from the last 24 hours of your day. Well, until Instagram changes this feature, then you can go through your day recording and at the end, when you’re nicely situated upload the stories. This is a great time to optimize your stories (ie mentions, geotag, hashtag, music tag) to keep it entertaining. The best way to go about is to find the highlights throughout your recoridings. Doing this rids the fluff and filler material.

For example, For vlogging style type of stories, I like to record my whole day first, then go back and look through the clips. See what could be entertaining or useful and dispose of any serving no purpose. Another reason you want to do this is because of time. Eventually, practicing this strategy will reduce your workflow especially if you have a busy life. I know this tip requires some effort but it will reward you in the long run.

5.) Tag your stories!

Instagram Tags and Stickers

You are missing out if you’re not tagging. This is a great way to build an audience beyond your existing followers. Probably the most important tags are the location and hashtag stickers. If tagged properly, these easily boost your viewership and audience. Tags make it easier to find your account and if your stories hit a note with the right person, they can convert to a follower.

6.) Caption your Stories

I forgot what percentage it was but a large portion of people do not watch videos with the sound on. That doesn’t mean you should write an essay but it’s a good idea to write a line to let viewers know what the story is about. If it resonates enough, that might intrigue them to go back and play with the sound on.

7.) Spread out your Stories for maximum views

If you read my Best Time to Post on Instagram article I mentioned that the ideal situation for an Instagram account is to have followers from all over the world. At the very least, have different time zones. This way, your viewership tallies up as you sleep. With that said, I try to spread out my stories throughout the day. At the very least, I’ll do a story first thing in the morning, afternoon, and before bedtime. This way, it gives you a chance to get viewed for those living in different time zones.

8a.) Remember, it’s not about you.

Unless, you’re the Kardashians you have to give people a reason to watch. You should ask yourself, “Besides my personality, what else is my audience getting out of this?” For me, I try to make it informative or entertaining. I can’t think of any other reasons why anyone else would watch. I’ll answer this using the Italian Family Festa as an example.

Q: Who is this video for? A: Foodies
Q: What would they want to see? A: Probably how the festival is to compare either from their own experiences or in their decision to attend.
Q: How do you show this? A: Show the crowds, the vendors you liked, the shows, and food. Be personable.

8b.) Be Inclusive.

Although it’s fun to give shoutouts and to snap photos/videos of yourself with other influencers, for me, it feels more like an exclusive club than an inclusive one for everyone to watch and enjoy. I’m not saying not to do it as there are many benefits to cross-promoting yourself with another influencer but just don’t make every story be about that. Or if you do, provide something of value to your viewers. It goes back to mixing it up (tip #2). Being one dimensional will grow stale fast.

9.) Repurpose.

I’m a minimalist. I don’t like to exert extra effort. If I can do things just once, then it’s best for me. So with that said, all the effort and time spent making your stories pretty are not lost. These are intellectual nuggets of gold. If you’re trying to build a following, you can reuse them on other social media platforms such as Youtube, Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, etc. As a matter of fact, I recommend it because you never want to put all your eggs in one basket. When Instagram can shut you down for literally anything, it’s a good idea to have other social media properties.

Note: Another way to give your Story legs is by adding them as Highlights to your profile. This tells other accounts your serious about Instagram and it displays your value for both prospective sponsors and followers.

10.) Play around and Experiment

Just remember that these are just guidelines. These tips have worked for me which may not necessarily work for you especially if you’re in a different industry. The best thing to do is to follow my guideline initially. Then go back and review your insights, discover what works and what doesn’t and over time you will know exactly what to do. The key is to know your audience and thyself. Good luck!

11.) Be Congruent & Persistent

Earlier I mentioned your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) and in another article about customer/user avatar. Well, let’s say your profile is about weightloss. If your stories are mainly about eating greasy foods, why would people find any value there to return? This tip relates to Being Purposeful and having Intent (Tip #3).

You should always post a story to keep your followers engaged and god forbid, they learn something new about you. Think of it as a VIP room for your followers. It’s like, “Hey, because you’re watching my stories I’m going to show you my life Behind the Scenes (BTS) and give you some great pointers.” The squeaking wheel gets the oil.

Bonus: Engage. Instagram wants to create “Meaningful relationships”

When Mark Zuckerberg said this a while back, I didn’t really believe him but I’ll have to give credit where it’s due. The way the algorithm works nowadays is engagement. It has turned into a marketplace for friendship, almost like Tinder. If you want exposure you have to engage others. The days of hit it and quit it are over. The more you engage with another user (and this extends out to feed likes, comments, DMs) the more Instagram will make it easier for you to be found.

Don’t believe me? If you go to your Stories bar (home screen above your feed). Check out the top accounts. These are the people who Instagram thinks you’re good friends with. And now go to your story, notice on the bottom left hand corner, it’s always the same few accounts that are at the top of your Instagram Story views? It’s not a coincidence.

If you run out of ideas to post to Instagram Story, then spend the next half hour or so watching/sending a direct message to each other. That’s one sure-fire way of creating “meaningful relationships”.

Want to know more about engaging on Instagram? Check out my article on how to be more engaging on Instagram.

Found my article helpful? You should definitely check out How I Got 2000 followers fast because there are more components involved in building an audience. And if you want to support my page, do subscribe and follow me on my social media handles at Instagram, Twitter, Facebook.

When is the best time to post on Instagram?

August 26, 2019 by Rich 6 Comments

So you post on Instagram and found it isn’t doing as great as you had hoped. A post you published that usually gets 100’s of likes are underperforming at half of what you expected. Why is this happening? Well, there’s a good chance you’re not posting at the right time. Fear no more. My article will show you when is the best time to post.

Last updated: January 23, 2020

1.) Switch to either a Business or Creator Account

The very first order of business is to switch your account from a personal one to a business profile or creator account to gain access to your insights and the ability to promote your posts. How can you tell the difference?

Well, it’s quite easy. The easiest way to spot a business/creator account is found at the user’s profile. Typically, a business/creator account has a category label underneath the user’s name. You’ll have the option to display it or not but it’s a good idea to have it around since it tells your audience what industry you’re in.

Another feature is the contact button. As a personal account, you won’t have that option. With a business and creator account, you can have an email, phone number, or both option on your profile.

What’s the difference between a creator and a business account?

The main differences are seen mainly in the User Profile, Insights, and Message Inbox.

The Creator Account was recently introduced in early August 2019. It was created according to Instagram with “features that make it easier to control your online presence, understand your growth and manage your messages.”

Personal Account example — Example of Personal Account

Creator Account Example — Example of Creator Account

Essentially, the Creator Account was created with influencers, public figures, bloggers, and anyone else in the digital marketing space in mind. This account gives you access to additional insights to see your daily follower count and an inbox that splits your conversation into a Primary and General Box.

The Business Account is tailored more towards a brick and mortar or office where you can include a physical address, phone number, email, and an Action Button. If you sell a physical product or service, it’s probably a good idea to switch to a business account. Once that is done. Move on to the next heading.

2.) Go to your Insights for best time to post on Instagram

To get to Insights it’s pretty simple. Follow the steps:

1.) You first need to go to your profile, then tap on the 3 horizontal lines at the top right corner, go to Insights. Once there, tap on the Audience tab.

2.) Scroll down to your Followers.

3.) Tap on the bar graph and you will then see the approximate number of followers throughout the day.

4.) And when you tap on Days you will see what days of the week your followers are most active.

Let’s use my account as an example

Based on my account, the best days for me are Tuesday and Thursdays but not by much. And for hours, it’s the best time to post on Instagram for me is between the 9 am to 12 pm time slot that’s had the highest number of followers. For now, I don’t see anything crazy or anything to jump at. Each day is very consistent with each other between 2.8k to 3k each day.

That was easy right? Try this exercise and let me know what you think.

Do I personally use this strategy?

I do see a difference but honestly, given my current number of followers (At 3746 as of this post date) and my lifestyle I post when I am able to. Over time, the likes will keep growing as your account grows more followers. They’ll most likely go into your profile and check your feed out. That is not to say, I won’t ever do it. There are good reasons for wanting to maximize your likes to figure out the best time to post on Instagram. For example, if you’re working with sponsors, then it would make sense. Now that you know what time is best for your followers, play around and experiment.

3.) Other Tools

There are other tools out there such as Tailwind, apps called When to Post and Later, just to name a few but you should really use them at your own risk! With every algorithm update, it appears Instagram makes it more difficult to use these type of tools as they crackdown on what Instagram deems as a fake account. Basically, it means if you’re using a third-party tool, chances are Instagram may suspend or ban your account altogether.

The message you want to avoid. Luckily this person only got blocked for a week

And if you think you can’t get banned because you consistently post original content and actively engage with others, believe me, you can still get banned. This ban isn’t just for sketchy meme accounts. I’ve known a couple of nanoinfluencers who are as real as a human being can get and are still somehow blocked. Luckily, just for a week.

And if you really have to use these “tools” to figure out the best time to post on Instagram, a good practice is to read up on the reviews found on your phone manufactuer’s app stores. I know there are going to be fake reviews but it’s a good idea to sort by the most recent and skim through. If the latest reviews are crying foul, then it’s a good idea not to download them.

4.) And then there’s the General Rule of Thumb

I’ve heard this before but the general rule is to post before and after work (work = 9 am to 5 pm) preferably morning time as it gives people a chance to view during their commute. I’m going to tell you this general rule has a couple of flaws to its logic but there can be truth to it.

First, it assumes your followers and targeted followers are on the same time zone as you. This may not be the case as it’s very possible your followers are sparsely scattered all over the world. Check your insights to discover where the majority of your followers are from.

Second, it assumes you want followers on the same time zone as you. This flaw is probably not common but it can affect accounts targeting certain groups of people. For example, say you’re based in Los Angeles and going through your account you found an audience lacking in New York City. Then, since you’re targeting that group you should go by Eastern time. Does that make sense?

Then what’s ideal? Assuming you’re a general influencer, the best-case scenario (although a long term plan) is having an audience from all over the world. That way, as you’re sleeping, you’re piling on the likes. Diversification is key.

Found my article helpful? You should definitely check out How I Got 2000 followers fast and How to Boost your Engagement Rate on Instagram because there are more components involved in building an audience. And if you want to support my page, do subscribe and follow me on my social media handles at Instagram, Twitter, Facebook.

5 Tips Zipkick can help you become a Foodie Influencer

August 20, 2019 by Rich

So your Instagram is seeing lots of hits and follows. Congratulations! You deserve a pat on the back for that. Everyone loves your drool-inducing pictures and you’ve developed a pretty good following. The next logical step is meeting others just like yourself and working with local and national restaurants. Zipkick is the answer you’ve been looking for.

Last updated: May 3, 2020

Zipkick Foodie Influencer Featured Image

Before we go on ahead, I have a special guest today I’ve reached out to help me with your food influencing endeavors. The best person I’ve found is my friend, Emman Damian, from the Philipines specifically from Makati City which is part of Manila.

Emman Damian The Tennis Foodie — Meet Emman.
Tennis Enthusiast and Foodie Reviewer

He runs an award-winning restaurant review blog where he gets to meet, greet, and dine at some of the best restaurants in the Philipines. Sounds like a dream job 🙂 He’s also a Zipkick Ambasaddor who knows a few things about being a Foodie Influencer. If you want more information about him, visit his blog at The Tennis Foodie. With that said, let’s answer a few questions about the exciting opportunities at Zipkick and how it can help your Foodie Instagram account. In this post, Emman and I will be going back and forth conversation style.

What is Zipkick?

“In my own words, it’s a platform that curates great photos and reviews from foodies around the world. Majority of the members are from US but other countries are well represented too. I established the group in the Philippines. I hope it grows soon. [Being a Zipkick influencer is] someone who imbibes the values of Zipkick. A foodie that shares his or her authentic reviews and feedback on brands and restaurants around his/her city.” – Emman

“Emman is absolutely right. I want to add that Zipkick bridges the gap between foodie influencers and both local restaurant owners and national businesses. It’s a wonderful way to get involved with the foodie community. With Zipkick, you get the middle person who introduces you to countless networking events.” – Rich

How do I become a Zipkick Foodie Influencer?

“You have to apply through a referral link or direct link via the website. It’s simple. The instructions are easy to follow.” – Emman

“Yes, the application is very simple and straight forward. All you really need is an active Instagram account. By active, I mean a quality account that posts often with a decent following. From my experience, if you put in a referral code it can expedite the process a little faster. My code is RU3 and Emman’s is ED3. Feel free to use our codes.” – Rich

How to use Zipkick?

“Once your application has been accepted you will begin seeing Brand Opportunities or campaigns emailed to you. These campaigns will be Zipkick partnered companies (such as McDonalds, UberEats, and many other local establishments) who may have a grand opening, new food menu/item, or just want their name out there. Typically, the way it works is the restaurant or food manufacturer gives you a freebie or invites you to events. In return, you post about their product on Instagram. More about that later.” – Rich

“It’s very active right now on Instagram. I think the app is under revamp now. You can also use the app to link your reviews.” – Emman

How does Zipkick work?

“It’s basically a community where you share your insights and honest feedback regarding some restaurants or food brands you handled. It will be shared via the app or through Instagram. You get to showcase your work to the foodie community worldwide.” – Emman

“Once you receive an email to register with the Brand Opportunity campaign, you will be debriefed with logistics such as deadlines, addresses, objectives of the project, etc which looks like this:

If interested, check off the Terms and Conditions and click the Interested button. Your registration is then sent and you should hear back within a few hours of your status. It’s pretty fun.” – Rich

Do I have to be a Zipkick Foodie Influencer to Participate in the Campaigns?

“Yes! It’s a fun community. You can share your yummy posts to other members. You get to collaborate with them too. I met a lot of people through this platform. It’s a good way to look for opportunities too.” – Emman

“The only way to participate in these events is to be a Zipkick influencer so yes, you have to join in order to reap the rewards. There are so many reasons to join, I can’t think of why you shouldn’t.” – Rich

How much does Zipkick cost?

“It does not cost anything. It’s a membership only platform so make sure you apply for it. My pro tip is to just work on your IG feed. Post yummy and authentic photos. It should do the trick.” – Emman

“Ditto that. Zipkick costs nothing to join. It’s totally free.” – Rich

How I can meet other Foodie Influencers through Zipkick?

“Earlier, I mentioned a brand opportunity campaign. There are going to be some local events such as a restaurant grand opening. If you are selected to go, then you will get a chance to meet other Zipkickers. My pro tip is to take lots of photos, enjoy the complimentary foods, and have the time of your life. If your schedule is hectic, then another option is through Engagement Groups found on Zipkick’s website upon log in. This feature allows you to interact and find other Zipkickers online.” – Rich

I just started, is Zipkick right for me?

“The beauty of Zipkick is the number of resources available. As mentioned earlier, there is the Engagement Groups where others can help you develop your Instagram account and boost your engagement rate. Then there’s also a roadmap of badges to earn which makes it perfect for newbies. Emman can go over a little more on how Zipkick has helped him early on.” – Rich

“Zipkick is right for you because it’s a great community of food photographers, stylists, foodies and other food enthusiasts. It helps you share your gastronomic experiences and creative juices. The platform helped me reach my goals and linked me to different opportunities.” – Emman

Why would I want to earn badges and become a Zipkick ambassador? What are the perks?

“Having a Zipkick badge as influencer or ambassador cements your credibility as a Trusted Foodie. It also enables you to work on projects that are available. You get to meet great people too.” – Emman

Let’s summarize what we learned

In summary, Zipkick can help with your foodie influencer endeavors by:

Matching you up with both local businesses and national brands.
Networking you with local foodies and others around the world.
Helping you develop your Instagram Account with Engagement Pods.
Developing your Foodie Influencer milestones with a roadmap of achievements to reach or badges to earn.
Allowing opportunities to become a Zipkick Ambassador of your own network and agency by referring foodies, freelancers, and brands.

That’s pretty much it! If you have other questions please send me a message or leave a comment below and either Emman or I will get back to you. If your question is commonly asked, we can update the blog post to counter anything we missed.

Found my article helpful? You should definitely check out How I Got 2000 followers fast because there are more components involved. And if you want to support my page, do subscribe and follow me on my social media handles at Instagram, Twitter, Facebook.

Delicious Keto Sardine Pasta Recipe

August 12, 2019 by Rich

When you’ve run out of keto recipes or meals has become boring, here’s a keto sardine recipe that will instantly change up the routine. The best part is, a lot of these items are already lying around the pantry. It’s quick, easy, and under 5 gram of net carbs!!! This one’s perfect for dinner on any hot day.

Last updated: June 29, 2020

This post may contain affiliate links which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you as it helps support my page which is much appreciated!

Why Canned Sardines?

Sardines carry a distinct flavor I’ve found to compliment pasta very well. How often do you see sardines served in tomato sauce? Quite often actually. Tuna is another common fish most use but my only concern with it is its lack of fat. If you’re on a more conventional diet, then Tuna would be the fish of choice but here we’re trying to get in our fat and carbs. Sardines, have those nutrients we’re looking for. The ones I’ve used, Wild Planet Sardines in Marinara Sauce, has 12 grams of fat and 21 grams of protein.

Are Sardines Keto Friendly?

With that said, sardines are very much keto friendly. Much more friendlier than tuna and any other variety. If you check out my Keto Diet Grocery List, you’ll find canned Sardines are one of the better options for going on keto since it boasts a high level of fat.

Want to see other keto friendly ingredients? Check out my Keto Grocery Shopping Guide.

Can Canned Sardines be cooked?

In actuality, the sardines in the cans are already cooked. You can eat these as they are but most would prefer to have them heated. However, always make sure you read the labels as there are always exceptions. Because they’ve been cooked, my recipe does not need them to stay in the frying pan for a long period of time. Just a few minutes will do.

Keto Sardines in oil or water?

Since canned sardines are all just about the same in price range. If you’re on a budget, you might as well get the sardines in oil since, again, there are higher levels of fat. It also saves you some change and more in the long run. This way, you won’t have to supplement the oil in other ways. Case and point, when we compare:

	Fat (g)	Protein (g)	Carbs (g)
Wild Planet Sardines in Water	8	18	0
Wild Planet Sardines in EVO Oil	11	18	0

In this event, you will see that having the sardines in oil adds an extra 3 grams of fat!

Why Shirataki Noodles?

The objective of keto is having a low carb diet. Since that is the name of the game, the recipe was created in mind to keep carbs as low as possible. I’ve had my fair share of these konjac noodles and these are the closest I’ve found to spaghetti. I can’t imagine using any other low carb substitute (such as zucchini noodles) as they do not carry the same texture and consistency. The closest I’ve found to actual spaghetti has been shirataki noodles and the best part is they carry no carbs!

Want to get rid of the smell of Shirataki Noodles? Check out how to cook Shirataki Noodles.

How to make Keto Sardine Pasta

Things you’ll need

Ingredient pictures for Keto Sardines Pasta — All you need are these items, that’s it!

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Keto Sardine Pasta

This keto sardine recipe is great for when you need something quick and easy with ingredients lying around the house.

Course dinner, Keto, Lunch, Main Course, Pescatarian

Cuisine American, Italian

Keyword keto, low carb, marinara, sardine, shirataki, tomato

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Servings

Calories 253.7kcal

Equipment

Frying Pan

Ingredients

Meat

125 grams Sardines

Veggies

2 cloves Garlic Minced
2 whole Crimini Mushrooms Sliced
1 tspn Capers
75 grams Cherry Tomatoes

Other

1 package Shirataki Noodles

Garnish/Toppings

1 tbsp MCT Oil
Basil
Chili Flakes (optional for a extra kick)
1/2 whole Avocado
1 whole Lemon

Instructions

Cook Shirataki Noodles

Follow the package instructions. If not, I can show you how to cook shirataki noodles.
Note: I found that one package may not be enough for noodle lovers. If you love noodles I suggest getting two packages or 4 servings of shirataki noodles for 2 people.

Gather all the Ingredients

Slice the Crimini Mushrooms. Mince the Garlic. Halve the cherry tomatoes. Chop the basils. Drain the capers.

Prep the Sauce

In medium heat, warm the frying pan. After a minute, drizzle about a teaspoon of oil. Add minced garlic and cherry tomatoes. Cook tomatoes for about 2 minutes or until the skin softens and wrinkles.
Move veggies to the side. Add in Sardines, mushrooms, and capers. Let it heat up and break apart. Mix with veggies.
Add Shirataki Noodles. Stir for about a minute. Keto Sardines Pasta is now ready.
Pour MCT oil for additional fat. Garnish with Basil and/or chili pepper flakes as desired. Place avocado slices on side of plate. Squeeze lemon wedges as desired

Notes

Nutrition

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Nutrition Facts

Keto Sardine Pasta

Amount Per Serving

Calories 253.7 Calories from Fat 178

% Daily Value*

Fat 19.8g30%

Saturated Fat 9.7g61%

Polyunsaturated Fat 0.9g

Monounsaturated Fat 4.2g

Cholesterol 30mg10%

Sodium 377.5mg16%

Potassium 335.2mg10%

Carbohydrates 9.4g3%

Fiber 5.6g23%

Sugar 1.3g1%

Protein 13g26%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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7 Easy Tips to an Engaged Instagram Account

August 2, 2019 by Rich 36 Comments

So you have the follower count but your engagement doesn’t seem to correlate with any of the audience growth you’ve been seeing. You can count your engagement rate with your fingers in one hand. My article walks you through the latest tips to become a more engaged Instagram account.

Last updated: January 23, 2020

7 Tips for Engaged Instagram Account Featured Image

Here’s what popular opinion never tells you: You have to engage!! It’s easy to post multiple images a day and leave it alone. Unless you’re a celebrity, you’ll soon realize this method will get you nowhere. If you want a following you’re going to have to give people a reason to give their attention to you. Attention is a commodity nowadays so why should anyone give you 3 seconds of their time? Well, to start, a good reason is that you’re giving them yours. So with that said, let’s move on to the very first tip.

1.) You Scratch my back and I’ll Scratch Yours

The idea of reciprocity is an age-old one from the early days of human civilization and trade to the present days of social media. It’s very simple, when you like a post there’s a good chance that account will like yours right back. It’s an even exchange. Always keep that in mind.

But, “Rich, I’ve haven’t seen any reciprocity. When I try to comment and like another account, they never respond back to me. You’re completely wrong!”

Then my next advice is to check the accounts you’ve been interacting with. If these accounts are 3 times or more your audience size, chances are they’re not going to reciprocate. It’s nothing personal, it’s science. Aim for the accounts that are similar in size to you (or smaller) and you’ll notice more interactions.

Found Tip #1 useful? Check out my Unwritten Rules of Instagram article that goes into the mindset to have for a successful Instagram Foodie Account.

2. The Art of Following Up

This tip ties in with Tip #1 about reciprocity. Whenever someone interacts with you, interact with them back. It only takes a few interactions for that person to begin to remember you. For example:

Ghosts in different colors and sizes — Hey! No ghosting!
Photo Credit: OpenClipart-Vectors

If someone likes your photo, go back to theirs and like them.
When someone makes a comment on your photo, reply back.
If someone tags you, like and leave a comment.

After a few likes/comments they are going to remember you and as a reminder, no ghosting allowed if you want an engaged instagram account! If you’ve ever been ghosted, you’ll know it’s just not a cool thing to do.

3. Peacock Theory in Action: Use Bulk Likes

Peacock wooing peahen — “Look at me Dammit, I’m beautiful!”
Photo Credit: Kenneth Lu

Like a male peacock, the most colorful and flashiest get their mate. It’s not different for humans. After all, we are social animals and will reciprocate good deeds (are you seeing a pattern here? Human reciprocity is alive and well!). So as mentioned earlier, when someone shows you love, you gotta show it right back. As you’ll find out sooner or later, time is very limited. You have to make every effort count and in order to do that, you will follow my commandment: thou shall like in bulk. What I mean is you want to take up their whole notification screen. I actually took the time to count and it comes out to about 10-11 rows like this:

Instagram Notification Screenshot of peacocking — What Peacocking Looks like

This is how you keep your ancestry, I mean, your account fresh and memorable with others. Usually, accounts will be thankful and give you a shoutout on their story. This is great because it gives you more exposure and it’s likely other accounts will want to follow you because you share these important values of being a decent human being.

4. Leave Thoughtful Comments

My valentine dog to world — Photo Credit: Joe Haupt

A word on commenting. The most useless comments I’ve seen are generic ones that can be copied and pasted over and over again. If you really want to leave an impression, you have to stray away from those type of comments like “Amazing!” “Yummy” or inserting a bunch of emoji’s. You gotta ask yourself what’s the difference between yourself and a bot at that point? Show them your value by giving them a few extra seconds of thought and over time it will pay off. Respond to their caption. If its a question, it‘s even better because it just makes commenting easier!

5. Use Engagement Pods

For those who are not familiar, a common technique most accounts use is what’s called an Engagement Pod or sometimes referred to as Instagram Pods. Essentially these are chat groups often found in the Direct Message who all are dedicated to liking and maybe commenting on every member’s post. We, humans, tend to have a herd mentality, where we are influenced by our peers. For example, when you drive by a restaurant with a huge crowd outside. Chances are you’d want to stop by to check out the commotion. For the case of Instagram, when we see many liking and commenting on a post, we want to join in. Engagement Pods can help boost your engaged Instagram account and I would not pass it up.

Overtime, as both your account and engagement grows others will want to be a part of it. In other words, you will start seeing others outside your engagement pod leaving comments on your post. The reason why this is the case, is because these accounts are also trying to grow. They know that if they leave a comment, they will be seen thus increasing their chances of getting followed.

6. Take advantage of Insta Stories for Engaged Instagram

I call it the Best Friends Forever (BFF) maker. It really is. Many are not taking advantage of this awesome feature. It gives you a way to connect with others and show your human side. Sometimes, especially with themed accounts like food ones, you don’t get to show another side of yourself. With polls, quizzes, questions, etc. it would be difficult not to create any rapport with other users. Instagram makes it easy so take advantage. Regular posts at times, do not give you the chance to show your personality and Stories does allow the possibility.

Do: Check out other users’ stories. Respond to them. This is a great way to stick out because, as I said, many are not taking advantage of Insta Stories. Think about it, when you use Instagram do you remember those who DM you or the account activity in your Notifications? When you react or respond to an Insta Story, a DM is sent.

7. Tag your posts

"Tag You're it" with indexing finger pointing at reader — Photo Credit: Prose0606

Haven’t interacted with someone in a while? Well, here’s your chance to tag them. After a while, just as others have noticed you, you will begin noticing certain accounts yourself. You’ll notice what this account likes and dislikes solely based on the subject they post. For example, some may be dominant in posts about icescream. If your next post is about icescream, guess who you can tag?? 🙂

BONUS: Leave Great Captions

This one here shouldn’t be a secret. If you leave great captions, it will make it easier for others to comment. This goes with Tip #4. It’s good courtesy to have for both sides as engager and engagee. If you caption with a boring description of your post, it’s not going to translate well. Energy is contagious and it can transfer to the captions. Be exciting, ask a question, tell a short story, and answer the question why we should care.

There you have it! My 7 tips for an engaged Instagram account. Use these tips and you should see your Instagram game multiply twofold. If you found my article helpful, you should definitely check out How I Got 2000 followers fast because there are more components involved. And if you want to support my page, do subscribe and follow me on my social media handles: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook.

Instagram Etiquette: The Unwritten Rules 2019

July 25, 2019 by Rich

If your Instagram account is in a rut, chances are you’re not following great Instagram Etiquette. Since the beginning of time, as long there’s human interaction there have been unwritten rules society abides by. This article covers great etiquette that will transform you into a star bringing you more followers in the long run.

Last updated: February 2, 2021

How to have great Instagram Etiquette

Let’s face it, Instagram is like a game of BlackJack. There is a matter of skills, luck, and play your cards right there’s a good chance of winning it big. In this world, instead of winning cash you get likes and follows. To enter, you buy with time. The more time you spend on Instagram, the higher the reward. If you’ve ever played BlackJack at a table, you will find there’s a right way to play. The players at the table are much like a community rooting for everyone to win as long as you don’t mess up the flow. Don’t believe? Ask the dealer to hit you at 19 and there’s a good chance you’ll find what was once a full table is now just yourself and the dealer. With all that said, keeping those things in mind, what are the rules and how can we win?

Let’s get a quick overview before we begin:

Keep your account niche.
Display your Personality.
Follow the 90/10 Rule for Theme to Personal Photos
Use Engagement Pods.
Divide up your time.
Content, content, engagement?
Be Genuine.
Time is a resource. Be grateful to visitors.
Just do it.

1.) Keep your account niche.

You can stray away later when you have hundreds of thousands of followers but you need to make it very clear to people in the beginning what your account is about. I’ll use my example since I have a foodie account. It’s simple, Foodies will want to follow other foodies. If you post stuff about cosmetics, fashion, or cars how do you know if your followers have an interest in these fields?

There will be times when you just want to go off the deep end and share some off-themed posts but remember that your audience is following you because of your theme. They see value there. I’m not against it completely but try to keep it 90-10 which I’ll go into more details in Rule #3. You want your audience to relate with you, not isolate them.

2.) Display your Personality.

Your personality is your Unique Selling Proposition (USP). There are millions of travel, food, cars, fashion accounts. What makes your account different is you. I hate to break the news but you have to reveal who you are and what you’re about. If people see your value they will feel obliged to follow you. The only other possibility is making theme accounts where you post other people’s images/videos but I don’t think you’re here to do that. You’re here because you want to build something, perhaps, to quit your day job one day to live freely!

Be true to yourself. Be helpful. Follow the Golden Rule: Treat others the way you want to be treated or better yet, the Platinum Rule if you’re really good with social skills, treat others the way they want to be treated.

Platinum Rule Treat others the way they want to be treated.

Don’t caption your pictures with just boring descriptions or worst, with nothing. You’re losing out on your followers. Are you funny, serious, relatable? They would never know and you’d never get the chance to make that human connection.

So how to caption? Share a personal story. Tell your followers the why’s of the picture. Tell your followers a joke. If it’s a restaurant: tell them what occasion you’re there. For more details check out how to optimize your feed and profile.

3.) 90/10: Theme Posts to Personal Images

This rule doesn’t apply if you’re in the entrepreneurial, fitness, or travel niches but it’s ever so true for niches like food. Remember what I was saying about personality and not hiding behind a logo? Well, Rule #3 goes along with #2 BUT post too many and you’re in danger of losing followers. As a general rule, I like to keep it 90% about your theme and 10% about you. Show people who you are. Make it interesting.

Don’t simply just post just to post. Have a reason behind it.

Don’t make it 100% about yourself. Remember, you need to provide value whether that’s in the form of information and/or entertainment, you can decide what works best for you. If you take too many pictures of yourself, you run the danger of confusing others what your account is about. The only exceptions are in fashion or fitness. Even then you still don’t want to have too many pictures of yourself.

The worst accounts, imo, are the ones that scream for attention displaying high levels of narcissism. An account with more selfies will surely get drop your follower rate. For me, I like to do 10% images of myself and 90% on my theme.

And this is not me saying you can’t do selfies at all. After you get your first 2000 followers and you’ve built a good rapport with your audience, then you should reveal more about yourself slowly by thin layers.

4.) Participate in Engagement Pods (aka Instagram Pods)

If you don’t know what an engagement pod is, well you’ve come to the right place. It’s what a lot of Instagram accounts are using to up their engagement rate (the percentage of your followers that like/comment on your posts). Shocking!?!? I know right! You should have seen my innocent social media ears when I first heard about this strategy as I always thought everything was organic before. The engagement rate is another Key Performance Indicator (KPI) sponsors look for. Usually the more followers the account, the less engagement there is. 10% is considered good for large accounts and anything greater than 20% for small accounts are golden.

Anyways, I digress. You’re probably wondering how you can find these engagement pods. The best way honestly is to start your own. When you start your own, you can hand pick the people you want to engage with. Theres this advice that’s always stuck with me from a realtive of mine. He told me that on my first day of college I want to make friends with as many people as possible. The ones that stay around are going to be your friends for life. With the engagement pod, look at it that way. You’re going to find like minded individuals who are aspiring to do the same things you are. As weeks and months pass you will see how much everyone grown together. It’s fun and you can develop some meaningful relatioships.

These are your support group. Through thick and thin, through bad pictures, through awesome ones they will like your posts. Treat them well.

5.) Divvy up your time.

Image quote "Never a failure, always a lesson." — Photo by **Dana Tentis** from **Pexels**

Don’t try to get it done all at once. With all this engagement, you may find yourself addicted and spending longer hours than anticipated. Afterall, we all have a life to attend. A good rule of thumb I like to follow is 30-35 follows a day. After a month, you’re going to be near 1000 and when you get close to the finish line, you’ll naturally want to push a little harder. Once you reach your quota of 30-35 followers/day, shut it off. Run far away from your phone. Leave it with your dog. It will be tempting to check your notifications.

Check out my schedule to gain followers fast with minimum effort and efficiency.

NOTE: Another reason you want to follow accounts in small chunks is that you run the risk of getting banned or blocked. The last I checked was 1000 per day (these are are just speculative numbers based on other user’s experience because Instagram does not disclose this info) but it constantly changes and you may want to stay clear under that number.

6.) “Content is King, but Engagement is Queen and she rules the house.”

It’s a popular belief that if you keep posting, an image is bound to go viral. That’s semi-true. The problem is getting seen and heard via Instagram. If no one can find you or your posts, how can it go viral? By posting more? Let me tell you something, there’s a common saying that can be applied here: the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over again expecting different results.

So as mentioned earlier, it’s semi-true. What you want to do is post as much as you can and engage. I wouldn’t worry too much about how often. I post on average 3 times a week and still made 2000 followers in 4 months and that was when I was just starting out.

7.) Don’t force it. Be genuine.

This one seems like a no brainer but you’ll be amazed how easy it is to fall off the cliff. Know who you are. Be congruent. Follow those who you resonate with. Don’t just follow just anybody. Most likely those accounts won’t stay around long. Don’t force things that aren’t there. Don’t go around asking people to shout you out because you followed them. I also think it’s spammy if you have to ask others to like your post via Direct Message. I don’t know about you but the more I’m told to do something the more I disengaged I become.

8.) Time is a resource. Always be grateful.

Remember, you’re the new kid on the block. You have to pay your respects and dues to those before you and just anyone, in general. It’s always a good mindset to have. It will pay off in the long run. With that said, whoever interacts with you, always make it a habit to return the favor. In the beginning, it will definitely feel like your efforts aren’t being noticed and there will be those scumbags who don’t carry the same values but that’s the beauty of the world and Instagram, diversity. If someone likes your posts, like their’s back. Think about it, someone took the time to give you their 1-2 seconds, and maybe more. There are over 1 billion people on Instagram and these are the users giving you their time. Time is a resource and attention is currency.

9.) The most important thing: Do IT! Action cures fear.

Shia LeBeouf wants you to just do it!
still from Shia LaBeouf “Just Do It” Motivational Speech → ktxc.to/yt-shia-labeouf-just-do-it

You can spend the whole day analyzing what you should and should not do but you know what, you won’t really know it until you try it out yourself. At the end of the day, these are all the things that’s worked for me. You will use my guide as a stepping stone and I’m sure along the way you’ll tweak things around to make it truly yours. There will be embarrassing, cringe-worthy times and even sad moments but that’s what it all about. Learning, sticking with it, and accomplishing. Good luck and keep it fun.

Enjoyed this article and want more details? Find out how I gained 2000 Followers Fast and don’t forget to share! This tells me what I’m doing is worthwhile and to write more posts like this that brings you value. In addition, please follow me on Instagram @chowyoulater and facebook.

How to get to 2000 Real Instagram Followers Fast

June 28, 2019 by Rich

Instagram is frustrating. You post your best pictures ever and get a measly 20 likes while other accounts with candid snapshots of their toenail get likes in the 1000s. If you just started your account or need to break 2000, you’re in the right place. I’m going to show you exactly how to get 2000 Instagram followers fast and more without being spammy, the use of automation, or me selling you a service.

Last updated: May 22, 2020

Quick Links

Why you should take my advice
Milestones to Look For
Understanding How to get Instagram Followers Fast
The Chowyoulater System to Work Smarter, Not Harder
DOWNLOAD CHEAT SHEET HERE
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Why should you take my advice?

1.) I’m the most average person there is. I’m not some sexy beast, a billionaire tycoon, nor an outgoing person. My photos are not even that great (although getting better) and moving to a new city I have no connections. My network is ground zero. I had to learn everything from the bottom. If I can do it, I’m 100% sure you can too.

2.) A lot of advice you’ll find on the web are either outdated, click baity, or from those with so many followers they’re out of touch with the smaller guys/gals out there. And then you’ll get advice that assumes you already have an account with an established audience advising you to post as much as possible, pay for ads, go live, make your stories pop, etc. I hate those with a passion. In today’s Instagram climate, their algorithm is always changing because people find ways to exploit it. Thankfully, you won’t have to worry anymore because Rich got you! This year, I’ve been a mad man obsessed with figuring out the hows and whats of Instagram.

3.) I just reached 2000 Followers! It’s fresh on my mind. I started to take my account seriously on March 1, 2019 and reached my first 1000 on May 27, 2019 and 2000 followers on June 26, 2019. Most will wait until they’re cemented in their influencer status but I’m the opposite. These are the freshest strategies. Use it, and surpass me. I believe we’re all striving for the same things so we should all help each other instead of competing against one another. There’s a lot of opportunities for everyone.

4.) My approach have been tried and tested a thousand times. It took me 4 months to break 2000 followers, but for you it will happen in half that time if not earlier. For me, within those 4 months I’ve messed up, failed, learned everything on the go. I did all the stupid embarrassing things gurus have told me to do, like replying back to DM’s with a video. Oh, it hurts me whenever I think about the countless ghostings. Basically, you don’t have to be an idiot. My 6 Step Process is the most efficient way to get followers.

5.) My account is live and active. I feel like Deadpool breaking the 4th wall here. Follow me to see me grow in real time and on the other side, I’d like to watch you grow too. It’s mutual. Send me a DM if you’ve got specific questions. Heck after going through my post, you’re likely going to surpass me which would make me a very happy camper.

Milestones to Achieve

First, let’s go over the three hurdles you will need to cross. Many think becoming an influencer is easy but believe it or not, there’s a high barrier of entry. Your greatest assets will be persistence and a learning mindset. This section is divided into 3 phases since there are different strategies for each one. The fourth phase is anything beyond 2000 followers. That’s for another article as this one will focus exclusively on getting your first 2000 followers.

Newbie: 0-200 Followers
Rookie: 201-1000 Followers
Starter: 1001-2000 Followers
Beyond 2001 Followers…

Newbie: 0 to 200 Instagram Followers

“All by Myself, Don’t wanna be” – Celine Dion
Photo credit: Donnie Ray Jones

I believe the road to your first 200 is the hardest. It’s like being the new kid in school. All the groups have already been formed and you’re left twiddling your thumbs trying to figure out if you belong or not. You hate lunch period because it means sitting by yourself watching the other kids have the time of their life. I get it, everything is new and you’re just not sure what to do. I’ve been down that road aplenty. When I was a kid, I moved 6 times in my pre-adult years.

With that said, your strategy here is to:

Optimize your profile. This here is ever so important for newbies.
Post only niched photos. You want to set a great first impression. Make it clear from the very start what your account is about.
Follow everyone and anyone. The goal is solely to get to 200. You will be turned down a lot! You will have to get used to it. Expect a low number of follow-backs.
A note on follow-backs: At this phase, you should follow all the accounts back. You run the risk of losing your followers and may find yourself back to square one. It won’t matter much in the future.

Rookie: 201-1000 Instagram Followers

If you’ve exceeded 200, now you’re just known as the kid. The hardest work has been done. Your audience is going to be mostly business accounts and those looking for a follow. Don’t worry about it. It won’t matter soon. You just keep posting good content to your feed regularly. At this point, you may want to start being strategic with your follows as you don’t want an account full of spam followers. Here I suggest pivoting to following real personal accounts in your niche.

I recommend following those in your area, using either the hashtag or location search to see what they are up to and there’s always the possibility of meeting them in person one day.
This is a good time to start or find an engagement pod. If you’ve been extremely active and your comments are well thought of, others may have noticed and will invite you.
If you haven’t already, use this phase to develop your photography skills. You don’t need an SLR camera, an iPhone will do. Just learn the basics of composition, lighting, and themes.
At the 500 followers mark, if you haven’t already, consider switching your account to a business one so you can get access to your posts insights.
As mentioned in the previous phase, follow back the majority of accounts that follows you. The Follow for Follow Method is real, if you don’t follow them back you run the risk of losing your followers. Follow them and get to know them. In the later phases, you won’t need to worry about following back but for now, you need to build credibility.

Starter: 1001-2000 Instagram Followers

This is where accounts are starting to notice you because most are also within this range of 1001-2000 followers. We, as humans, tend to like others similar to us. This can’t be any truer as more accounts similar in follower size will begin flocking to you. Your followback rate will be higher and at this point, you should know your customer avatar(s). If not, now is the time to brainstorm.

If you’ve been practicing your content, engagement, and the Follow For Follow at around the 1800 mark is when you’ll notice all your hard work paying off. You’re going to see an influx of notifications and suddenly others within your niche will start following you. The real fun begins.

Beyond 2001 Instagram Followers

Hallelujah!! You made it!
Photo credit: Christina Rutz

There are more milestones after 2000. We won’t be covering them here but if you’re curious, check out my Cheat Sheet.

If you’ve surpassed 2000 followers, congrats!! You are now officially a nano influencer, the most powerful influencer group. Yes even above someone like Kim Kardashian. You’ve built yourself an audience. Your time is now more limited than ever. It will become more difficult to engage as your notifications will blow up and it’s a lot easier to get followers. Things will come more organically. The game has changed and you’ll need to have a new strategy.

In addition, you’ll meet others within your niche and finally make some cash! If sponsors haven’t gone out to you yet, you can go to them. I recommend going with products and services you actually use because it’s just unethical to recommend stuff without any basis. Here’s a table I’ve made that displays the types of agencies out there for you to parnter with:

The Concept: How to get Instagram Followers Fast

This section is divided into 2 parts:

PART 1: The 3 Chows for Success
PART 2: Applying the Chows
- The Follow For Follow (F4F) Method
- Optimizing your Instagram Feed & Profile
- Optimizing your Comments/Likes for Engagement

I don’t care what anybody has to say. The most effective way to get followers fast is the Follow For Follow Method which I will cover below. Before that, let’s go over what makes an account successful and understand the theory.

The 3 Chows for Getting Instagram Followers Fast

You need to follow the rules to understand the mindset. Mindset is very important because it’s the difference between quitting and continuing. From the top level, there are 3 main concepts you want to execute on Instagram and that is to Grow the Account, Create Content, and Engage. We have to continuously partake in these activities no matter what. The allocation of resources and strategies may change but the components are going to remain static.

The next question to ask is “how?”. These 3 work together, without one it will be difficult to achieve:

Keep in mind, you need to have a solid profile and feed first. DO NOT put your profile on private. That’s a sure fire way to grow your account slowly.

How? Use these Techniques.

1. The Follow for Follow (F4F) Method

This method has a bad reputation like a Ponzi scheme or a sketchy car dealership. I think what gave it a bad rep are the sleazy people behind it following and unfollowing once a follow-back has been established. It’s a waste of time for everyone so please, please don’t be sleazy.

There’s a ethical way to go about Follow for Follow: If an account follows you, keep following them. On the other hand, if the account does not follow you then, by all means, unfollow them. It sounds mean, but trust me this is like common law in the Instagram world. Give them a few days, not everyone checks their Instagram daily. Don’t confuse this with accounts that have followed you. You have the freedom to follow or not. You do not have to follow everyone that follows you.

The times you’re allowed to unfollow a followed account is if that person disappeared or they have no interactions with you. They’re basically following you to have a follower. It’s what’s called a ghost account. This action is optional and I’ll leave it to your own personal values and upbringing on how to go about this one.

With that out of the way, let me explain the Conventional way of Follow For Follow:

Follow large accounts within your niche.
When a large account publishes a post, you go to their likes and follow every single account that’s liked that post.

What Playing Hide and Seek in the dark looks like

I’m going to tell you doing that is a waste of time. It’s like playing hide and seek in the dark. Sure, you’ll eventually find your target but s/he might not be alive anymore after hiding under the bed for 60 years. Luckily, I discovered and created a much more efficient and smarter way.

Note: Instagram has been cracking down on automation and bot-like behavior so do not abuse the Follow action. If you follow too many during a given time it could signal to Instagram you’re a bot. Instagram will “follow block” you for a couple of days. When in doubt, be a human user. Ask yourself, What Would Jesus Do?

The Smart Way of using Follow for Follow

There are 2 main ways to find your followers:

Hashtag Search
Your Follower’s Followers

Let’s outline the steps for Finding Followers in Hashtag Search.

1.) The very first thing is to compile a list of hashtags over 1 million posts within your niche. 5 is a good number to start with. Once you have that done go to the next step.

2.) Go to the Hashtag Search tab.

3.) Type in the hashtag you found in Step 1. Go to the Recent Tab.

4.) These are the posts that are most recent. Aim for posts within 30 minutes. I consider those fresh.

5.) Go to each profile and check out their Follow Rate. If > 0.5 Follow. If < 0.5 move on to the next profile.

6.) Keep going through each profile until you reach a stale post (anything over 30 minutes). You can repeat steps 2-5.

Let’s Outline the steps for Finding Followers within Followers.

1.) This method can also be used in conjunction with the Hashtag Search. Say a follower just posted and you find them on your newsfeed. You check the time posted, and if it’s under 30 minutes then click on either their likes or comments.

I want to thank Jenna for letting me use her account for this example. Make sure to follow her @thepizzakween

2.) In this instance, I chose comments. I tend to go for those who are most active on IG so I prefer comments but you can also go to the Likes List.

3.) If the time checks, then go to that person’s profile.

I want to thank Jennifer for letting me use her profile. Make sure to follow her @chewfoodnow

4.) Check their Follow Rate. If it’s > 0.5 Follow. If < 0.5 move to a different profile and repeat process.

2. Optimize Your Instagram Feed & Profile

Before you even consider following anyone you need to make sure you look like a fully functioning human account. Who wants to follow a spammy one? Here are three factors into looking like a decent human being.

Optimize your profile
Have at least 20 posts in your feed.
Take advantage of Captions and Tags

Optimize your profile

When you set up your profile, I stress on establishing a human connection. In other words, include where you’re from and where you’re currently living. If you’re part of a school or group, whether you’re a mom or dad, put it in there! You have no idea what words will trigger the right connection and that’s why your online persona is equally important. Overtime, as you understand your customer avatar, you will have a better understanding of what to put in your profile therefore experiment, play around, and update every so often.

Use a good photo of yourself for your profile pic. Something shot candidly or by an amateur. Using a professional image or logo can look spammy. Remember to choose wisely as you want to change your profile pic as little as possible. Over time, that’s how others will recognize you. Changing your profile pic too often can change your online persona as well as losing immediate recognition. Think of it as your own personal logo much like Nike or McDonalds. There’s no mistake as to what these companies are.

There are two (2) ways to get found in an account search. The first is your handle. The second is the first line in your profile. I’ve circled in red below.

You want to take advantage of that first line of your profile. You never know who is searching for what. I wouldn’t waste that line on my name and instead place it in the line below. I recommend using some keywords or search words you think your customer avatar is searching.

Publish at least 20 niched posts before F4F

You need to look like a real account. I’m pretty sure in your iPhone you have at least 20 pictures in there you can use. Don’t worry if the images aren’t great. Good is good enough. If you don’t believe me check out my Instagram. As you gain more followers and post more, naturally your photography skills will develop in correlation with your follower count.

Optimize your Captions and Tags

The most important tip about captions is to not be boring. Always answer the whys of the post. Focusing on the whats (such as a description of the pic). Tell a story, tell people why they should care.

Keep Captions brief @ 150 words max
Open the caption with an action word. Makes for an enthusiastic post.
Write a short story, answer the why’s of the post.
Use emojis. It’s hard for people to know what kind of personality (serious, humorous, etc) you have without emojis.
Ask a SIMPLE open ended question.

For hashtags, be careful. If you use (1) too many, (2) repeatedly use the same tags, or (3) use unrelated hashtags to the post you run the risk of getting shadowbanned which just means your posts won’t show up in the hashtag search. I recommend staying under 25 hashtags (the max is 30).

Secondly, tag other accounts to your post whether that’s in the form of a shoutout or a mention. When tagging you’re giving free exposure to other accounts for more followers. It’s a win-win 🙂

Lastly, make your post easy to be found. Geo tag your location, tag other accounts in the post. I think these are pretty basic and I don’t need to go into details.

3.) Optimize Your Comments and Likes

I learned this quote at #SMMW19. Smartest thing I did was going there.

One thing about me is I’m quite introverted so it’s always easy for me to make engaging comments. What I mean by “engaging comments” or “power comments” are those that trigger an emotional response. In my case, it’s always humor. For you, I recommend staying away from generic comments and going with a more engaging approach.

Avoid generic responses. Be human. If something is interesting answer the why!
- The reason I’m commenting is because…. (the more descriptive and visual the better)
- I like your _____ because…
- Your image reminds me of…
Use Emojis, but don’t only use emojis.
If there’s an opportunity, tag the post’s subject such as company, IG user, etc.
Comment on something in the image sticks out.
Comment on something in the caption invoked an emotion.
Supplement Info: some additional tips, helpful info, advice.
Ask a question about the image
Bonus Points if you’re able to add in something you remember about them
Bonus Points if you can start a comments party by adding more peeps to convo

This is very do-able under 2000 followers. The advantage of having a small account is the relationships that can be developed into meaningful ones.

Get noticed! Bulk Like = Takes up the whole screen.
Follow @the.moodie.foodie

Another tip I’d like to introduce is the concept of bulk liking. If you were to like a post, you might as well like it at least 10 times as it will show up on that account’s whole screen. That is the best way to make an impression, especially to larger accounts who may not see you, this is the way to do it. Both accounts get something in return. You get seen, and they get more likes on their posts so it’s not an annoyance.

Note: Instagram has been cracking down on automation and bot-like behaviour so do not abuse the Like action. If you like too many during a given time it could signal to Instagram you’re a bot. Instagram will “Like block” you for a couple of days. When in doubt, be a human user. Ask yourself, What Would Jesus Do?

The Chowyoulater System

If you’re new to Instagram, chances are you’re going to be lost (like I was) OR you’re a IG veteran but found too many tasks to do. I’m all for working smarter, not harder. That’s why I’ve recommended a minimum of 90 minutes per day. Keep in mind, it’s a marathon and not a sprint.

My 6 Step Process

My guide was created for those who do not want to spend much time and effort (afterall, the title is How to get Instagram followers fast!) but reap the benefits of learning how to get Instagram followers fast. You will spend at most 90 minutes per session. But if you have the time, you can still use my process and go through multiple sessions in a day rather than one.

1.) Follow for Follow

See my Smart Follow for Follow Method.
For me, I mostly use Bulk Like as an appreciation tool. In otherwords, when a person has followed me back is when I’ll Bulk Like but if I’m courting them, I’ll give them one like and a follow. Think of it like going out on a blind date, and within the first 30 seconds you tell them you want to marry them, it doesn’t work like that.

2.) Post to your Feed.

See How to Optimize captions and tags.

At this stage of the game, you don’t need jaw-dropping images. Using a smartphone is fine. Your audience is so small it won’t really matter too much. That is not to say, not to use high-quality images. If you have the photography skills, display them. If you do not, take the time to learn and develop your craft. Having great content can only help you.

3.) Post to Your Insta Stories.

If you’re just starting out, I wouldn’t dwell too much using Stories just yet. In my opinion, if you do not have an audience, there’s no point in putting in the effort unless you want to learn and familiarize yourself. Try to get at least 1000 followers first and then engage in Stories. It’s not always the case but, expect an audience between 5-10% of your follower count.

With that said, after 1000 followers Instagram Stories are your friend, the friend that keeps on giving. If used correctly, it can be a powerful tool at your disposal especially when not many are taking advantage. It’s the best way to get noticed by bigger accounts and to develop relationships. It’s raw, uncut, and informal. It makes it a lot easier to engage with accounts you haven’t seen in a while or gets lost in the shuffle.

When you’ve reached 1000 followers, do the following:

Showcase your personality. Be raw. Be yourself.
- Use music you actually listen to.
- Caption your posts using words you use in real life (IRL)
- Use GIFs to display emotion. These can really take your stories to the next level. I akin it to emoji’s on steroids!
Geotag, hashtag, shoutouts!
Use interactive stickers like questions, polls, etc.
Add value by showing some Behind The Scenes (BTS)
Promote your next post.

The most important thing is to keep it fresh and multidimensional! For example, don’t make every post be a question or a shoutout. Switch it up. User Fatigue is real. Don’t be a victim.

4.) Catch up with your Engagement Pod.

Engagement pods. The members in your pod are going to be your ride or dies, your day ones, your besties. When you accidentally post a picture of yourself riding a horse backwards with no clothes on, guess who’s going to be the first to support your image? Your Engagement Pod! My point is through thick and thin, they will support you. Return the favor with engaging comments and showered likes.

5.) Power Comments and Bulk Likes

See How to optimize likes and comments
See Who should I engage with?

6.) Followup with Notifications and DMs

You don’t want to be rude and not respond back to people. I don’t think anyone likes getting the cold shoulders. Acknowledgment and appreciation will take your account far. You can simply respond back with a comment or like their comment.

Typical Schedule

Worried that the process may take too much time? Not necessarily. If you only want to do the minimum then see the Time Allocated Table below:

If you want to spend the absolute minimum amount of time then the schedule above is what your time could look like. You’re more than welcome to move things around to cater more towards your schedule. The main takeaway here is you only need, at most, an hour and a half a day. It’s very doable. If the schedule doesn’t work for you, you can download and edit as you please.

Cheat Sheet Summary

You want a “Too long, Didn’t Read” version. I get it, I done wrote too much! Here’s a cheat sheet summarizing everything I’ve written but if you have time, I highly recommend going through my whole post to capture the mindset and rationale behind my madness.

DOWNLOAD HERE

Remember to subscribe to my blog so you don’t miss out any new articles. There will be more posts like this as well as advanced techniques you can learn. By sharing my article and liking my other social media platform tells me where I should focus on next. So if this article takes off, I’ll do a part 2 on how on 5000 followers. And if you have anything you want to share with me, feel free to send me a message or drop me a DM. I’ll happily publish it on this post and credit you. And if you already knew all of this. Great!! 👏🏻 What are you waiting for?! Get it done!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

I’m sure there will be more questions about my system and how things work. I’ll leave them here. If you have one of your own, contact me and I can publish in this section.

What is the Follow Rate?
I already have 2000 followers, will Follow For Follow still work?
What Type of Accounts should I follow?
How do you know who to engage with?
Why 2000 followers?

What is the Follow Rate?

Once you’ve surpassed 200 Followers, you should consider targeting your Followers. In the long run, your followers will matter. Whether you’re looking to become an influencer of some sort or you’re a business account and need clients you’re going to need real accounts. Here’s an example of how to choose your followers. Let’s say you come across my account.

3819/2008 = 1.9 Now Accepting Followings!

As you can see, based on the math, if you were to approach my profile you’ll see that my Follow Rate is pretty high at 1.9. A 1.9 is basically screaming, “Hey you, I’m obviously trying to grow my account dude, follow me and I’ll do the same!”

I already have 2000 followers, will this method still work?

Absolutely. But the question is how much time do you have? Assuming you’re active, at 2000+ followers it’s going to be a lot more difficult to keep up the interactions. That’s why if you’re a new and small account (< 2000 followers), there are advantages to developing real connections with people who are going to be your core audience. These are your Day 1’s! Theoretically, you can keep practicing the Follow For Follow method up to 7500 follows. That’s the max Instagram set it at. But eventually, you want to get to a point when you no longer need to do that. I titled my post at 2000 followers because at every milestone there’s a different strategy to implement.

Remember: “The definition of insanity is doing the same things expecting different results!”

What type of accounts should I follow?

Great question. There are levels to this question. Follow these steps. If you just want the answer go to Step #3.

For your first 200 or so followers are going to suck a lot. You will need to get any followers you can get. For the first 200, follow everyone. You should aim for those in the same theme as you but honestly, take anyone you can get. Again, be grateful of anyone investing this early into you.
Once you get around 200-300, hey you’re looking kind of good. Your posts are great (hopefully at 20 or more) and your profile (with your mug and optimized) is congruent to your feed. You look like a normal, decent account now. People won’t think your some bot or spammer.
Now you’re ready! As a general rule of thumb, follow other accounts like yourself. Aim for accounts as high as 3x your followers. In other words, if you have 300 followers, the highest you should aim to follow is 900. Remember, humans like to be around other humans similiar to themselves.

How do you know who to engage with?

Instead of engaging with anyone and everyone we will be smart and identify those who are likely to engage back. If you engaged with everyone, it’s like shooting at a target in the dark. You want to shed some light a little bit so you don’t waste any of your resources. What you want to do is use the Follow For Follow Method to gauge the interest level of the user.

The accounts you want to engage with are those who are already engaged with you. That is the #1 rule; in other words, those who:

Like your posts.
Left a comment.
Sent you DM’s.
Go to your stories. Those who watched your stories, interacted and/or reacted.

Those are the accounts you want to engage with. Keep it simple. Correspondingly, that’s when to like and comment and will give you the most return on effort.

This is where your content, personality, profile all will come together. If your profile is enticing enough, accounts will naturally want to follow you.

Why 2000 followers and not 2000 likes per post or something else?

Blame this guy
Photo credit: President of Mexico via Flickr

Yeah, I agree it’s extremely superficial but it’s no different from FICO scores, GPA’s, SAT’s, etc. As a matter of fact, it’s the society we live in 😅. It’s not a number that defines you but rather more of a requirement and if you don’t have a certain amount of followers, as it becomes more of a concern than a compliment. Trust me, I’ve never been rejected so many times in my life 😭 by these agencies.

Although the number of followers you have is not the “end all, be all” it is an indicator of some sort and it’s what many sponsors will measure you by. In short, having sponsors is how to get paid for your time.

In addition, at around 2000 followers is when you will begin to see all the benefits of having an Instagram account. It’s a lot of work however at 2000 followers, almost all the strategies you’ve learned will become obsolete because there simply will be a new game to be played. Think of it like facing the different bosses and levels in Mario. It’s very much the same way.

If you really enjoyed this post, please subscribe to my blog and share it with others who need the help. I worked pretty hard on showing you how to get 2000 Instagram followers fast and with your help, I’ll know what topic to expand on. We’re a community and should help each other out. This tells me what I’m doing is worthwhile and to write more posts like this that brings you value. In addition, please follow me on Instagram @chowyoulater and facebook.

The Definitive Keto Diet Grocery List (with pdf)

June 14, 2019 by Rich

This is the best Keto Diet Grocery List you’ll ever need. I’ll tell you what are the most keto friendliest grocery items you can get at the market along with their net carbs, fat, and protein content. Now you can have a concrete plan going into the market by printing out my pdf sheet!

Last updated: June 13, 2020

Take me to the PDF

Quick Links

If It Fits Your Macros (IIFYM)
What are Keto Friendly Groceries?
Take me to the Keto Grocery List PDF

Welcome to my definitive guide to the Keto Diet Grocery List. Here you will find some raw numbers listed in a table format divided by eight (8) different categories of groceries you can find at the market. What I like most is the food item’s nutrition listed in the table. I like this setup because you can actually sort, filter, and search the tables which I found to be extremely convenient, especially to picky eaters, because keto doesn’t have to be limited to bacon, butter, and avocado. There’s a lot more that can be eaten. We just need to make sure we stay under 20 grams of net carbs and consume fats within the 70% to 80% range of our daily caloric intake.

Looking for some recipes? Check out my list of keto/low carb recipes.

I. If It Fits Your Macros (IIFYM)

There’s a lot of debate whether certain grocery items are keto or not. I’ve seen friendships break up over this. To make matters simple and to use as general rule of thumb, anything under 5 grams or less of net carbs per serving is game. It will be up to you to decide whether it fits your macronutrients or not depending on your approach to keto.

Not sure what your Macronutrients are? I recommend downloading the Carb Manager. It’s extremely useful and will tell you exactly how much carbs, fat, and protein you should have based on your weight goals.

For me, I practice One Meal a Day (OMAD) which makes counting calories a cinch. Because of this fasting plan, I can have higher net carb foods such as blueberries because I know that’s the only carbs I’ll be having for the day. I also understand IIFYM may not be for everyone so if you’re having 6 meals a day, I suggest closely watching your net carb intake and purchasing the groceries with the least amounts of net carbs.

Don’t believe my struggle with weight? Check out my Weight Loss Journey.

In addition, please be aware that nutrition information is based on certain manufacturers and does not reflect every manufacturer. In other words, there’s bound to be some variances between manufacturers and it’s always a best practice to read the nutrition label to double check the nutrition before making a purchase.

II. What are Keto Friendly Groceries?

Meats

Pretty much any meat is keto friendly as they lack any real carbohydrates. You’ll find here the fat volume will depend on the cut of the meat. The foods to watch out for are seafood as they lack a lot of fat but you can supplement the fat with oils, butter, and/or side dishes. It really depends on how you want to approach the ketogenic diet.

Deli Meats

An alternative to fresh meat is deli meats. I’ve found these work best as snacks and they’re easy to transport. My personal favorite is the salami. The sodium in these meats will prove to be lifesaving.

Produce

Fruits to eat on keto

Unfortunately, there are not many fruits you can eat on keto but on the bright side, it makes life a little easier. The fruits you can eat on keto are Raspberry, Blackberry, or Strawberries. For blueberries, be careful consuming these natural balls of deliciousness as they carry the highest net carbs. One super fruit I highly advise having with you at all times is the avocado which packs 7g of fat, 1g of protein, and 0.9g of net carbs. What a superfruit if you ask me!

Fresh Vegetables

The common rule of thumb for vegetables have been to go with green and ignore anything grown underground. My table will show this rule doens’t neccesarily mean that as vegetables come in a variety of colors.

Dairy & Eggs

I found butter and eggs to be a major life saver. They can be applied to practically almost everything. Notice how milk and yogurt are not listed. They are extremely high in carbs so they have been left off!

Cheese

Just like deli meats, cheese is extremely keto friendly based on its nutrition breakdown and makes great snacks. My favorite’s mozzarella cheese and paneer. I enjoy their texture and firmness.

Snacks

I might as well call this section nuts. These are the most keto friendly snacks out there. My favorite is pecans because of its natural sweetness and high-fat content. A surprising snack I found on the list is salsa. I never knew they were so low in carbs. These will go well with eggs and bacon!

Pantry Essentials

The pantry section lies the heart of it all. It has oils, condiments, flavorings that can take your dish to the next level. Here there are also miscellaneous items such as shirataki noodles which make great substitutions for noodles or pasta.

III. Keto Diet Grocery List PDF

After looking at the tables above, you’re going to think one of two things: 1.) “Rich, your lists are awesome! They’re so detailed and so helpful.” or 2.) “Rich, now you got me overwhelmed. I didn’t know there were so much I could eat. Give me like a cheat sheet to get started.” Don’t worry, I got you.

Looking for some recipes? Check out my list of keto/low carb recipes.

In order for this to really work, I’m going to only list the items you can find at a national grocery store. There are a million products out there but the only way to simplify it is to do just that.

In addition, I’ve sorted all the categories by the fat from most to least. The only exceptions are the veggies and fruits since they naturally contain zero fat and protein (Avocado is another exception since it has 7g of fat and 1g of protein) so I’ve only included the net carbs.

So without going into further details. You can download my Keto Grocery List PDF below: 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻

Keto Grocery List v1.2 – List Download

Want to know which retailer is the most keto friendly? Don’t fret. That will be my next article. If you subscribe to my blog, you’ll be updated and never have to miss an article. And if you got something out of my blog, please follow me on my Instagram, Facebook, and/or Youtube! This helps me decide where I should focus my efforts on.

Easy Spicy Keto Pad Thai Recipe

June 9, 2019 by Rich

I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who didn’t enjoy Pad Thai. Now that I’m taking on a keto diet, my cravings have been stronger than ever. What’s the best way to fill the void? To make a keto version of Pad Thai, of course! My keto pad thai dish is for those who like to live on the spicy side. The best part is that it’s easy to make!

Last updated: June 29, 2020

Quick Links

Is Pad Thai Keto Friendly?
How about the Keto Pad Thai Sauce?
Is Fish Sauce Keto?
What is Monkfruit Sweetener?
Why Chicken Thighs?
What other Ingredients were substituted?
Take me to the recipe!

Is Pad Thai Keto Friendly?

Generally, no. Traditional Pad Thai has a few main ingredients I’ll cover in my post:

Rice Noodles
Palm Sugar
Fish Sauce
Tamarind

There are a bunch of other variations that use seafood and many other ingredients but for simplicity purposes we’ll leave it to these 4 main ones.

1.) As long as rice noodles are being used then it cannot be keto friendly. Instead, I’ve substituted the noodles for shirataki noodles. They’re made out of the roots of Konjac Yam which are found throughout East Asia. They have close to zero carbs which makes it absolutely keto friendly!

2.) Another common ingredient is palm sugar. Just as its name implies, there is sugar in this Thai favorite. With my recipe, I’m going to replace it with Monkfruit Sweetener to capture some of the sweetness found in Pad Thai. See: What is monk fruit sweetener?

3.) Traditional Fish Sauce is commonly made with sugar therefore, I suggest using a different kind of brand. See: Is Fish Sauce Keto?

4.) With tamarind, this one’s a major no-no as it contains net carbs of 23 grams. The form commonly used is the paste which is highly concentrated and we can’t have that to stay in ketosis. Instead, I’ll be using lime to capture it’s tanginess and monkfruit for its sweetness.

How about the Keto Pad Thai Sauce?

Traditionally Pad Thai uses a mix of tamarind, fish sauce, and palm sugar to make their addictive pad thai sauce. This mix is made prior to cooking and is poured over the veggies and meats while they’re stir-fried. For my recipe, I’ve keto-fied it by subbing them in for lime, fish sauce, coconut aminos, and monkfruit sweetener.

Is Fish Sauce Keto?

Here’s the thing about fish sauce. Some are preserved for a long time and blended with some fillers and sugar. I hate to recommend just one brand but I’ve only seen one that’s safest for keto-ers. This one’s called the Red Boat Premium Fish Sauce. They boast only having two ingredients: freshly caught wild anchovies and sea salt. I’ve heard Costco carries them so you may want to check for them there. I’ve also seen them at Wholes Food Market. If not, you can always order them at Amazon.

So maybe that’s a good business to get into is keto fish sauce. There’s barely any competition. Maybe one day you’ll see me strike a deal on Shark Tank.

Want to see other keto friendly ingredients? Check out my Keto Grocery Shopping Guide.

What is Monkfruit Sweetener?

For those who don’t know what Monkfruit is, it’s a natural sweetener extracted from monk fruit, native to Southeast Asia. I advise using monk fruit as an alternative to sugar because it has zero calories and 100-150 times sweeter than sugar especially if you want to stay in ketosis! The one I’m using in my recipe is made by Lakanto which is very popular in the Asian Keto community and praised by many keto leaders such as Thomas Delauer and Drew Manning. You can find this brand and many others at your local Wholes Food Market, Sprouts, and Trader Joes or you can get them at Amazon.

Why Chicken Thighs?

Chicken thighs are used here simply because of the fat content. The thighs are the fattiest part of a chicken at 10.9 grams of fat. Compare that to the chicken breast at almost 4 grams of total fat which more than doubles the fat count. For this reason, I recommend the boneless and skinless chicken thigh.

What other ingredients were substituted?

Before I go into other substitutions I wanted to go into my thought process a little bit. For my recipe, my number one purpose is to make it keto friendly. Second, the recipe should be easy and convenient using ingredients found at your nearest major grocery store. With that said, lets review. I’ve substituted the tamarind for lime and monkfruit sweetener. I know, not exactly a 1 to 1 substitution but you have to trust me on this. And as mentioned above, the only fish sauce keto friendly is the Red Boat one and Soy Sauce will have to be replaced with Coconut Aminos.

Now that we got that out of the way, the other ingredients are pecans. Traditionally crushed peanuts are used but I found pecan has more of a naturally sweet flavor with an amazing 2 net carbs per serving, 20 grams of fat compared to peanuts at 2.75 grams/17.75 grams of fat. Either way, you can use either, I personally prefer pecan due to the higher fat and lower carbs.

Instead of bean sprouts, which can be high in carbs if you’re purchasing soybean ones, I’ve subbed it for shredded cabbage. The one I’m using has a mix of shredded red and green cabbages with julienned carrots from Trader Joe’s. Please see the picture below. It made my life so much easier. That’s pretty much it! After trying out the recipe you will find it doesn’t taste too far from the traditional version.

How to make Spicy Keto Pad Thai

Things you’ll need

Keto Pad Thai Packaged Ingredients — Just made a Trader Joe’s run. Here’s one you need for packaged foods.

Keto Pad Thai Produce and Meats Needed — Produce and meats you’ll need.

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Easy Spicy Keto Pad Thai

This recipe was made for the spicy eater who doesn't have much time to cook and prepare.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Asian, Thai

Keyword keto, low carb, low carb noodles, pad thai, shirataki

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings people

Calories 552.6kcal

Author Rich

Equipment

Frying Pan or Wok

Ingredients

Meat

1 piece Boneless Skinless Chicken Thigh (or ¼ lb of chicken)

Veggies for cooking

¾ cup Shredded Cabbage (substution for bean sprouts)
¼ cup Julienned Carrots
1 piece Brunoised Jalapeno
2 Minced Garlic cloves

Garnish/Toppings

½ cup Crushed Pecan
1 tbsp MCT Oil
¼ cup Cilantro coursely chopped You can also use Dried Cilantro
1 stalk Chopped Scallion
1 tbsp Crushed Peppers or Ground Cayenne for extra spice
4 wedges Lime

Sauce for cooking

1½ tbsp Coconut Aminos
1½ tbsp Fish Sauce
½ tspn Monkfruit Sweetener Add more if you like it sweeter
⅓ Freshly Squeezed Lime

Other

7 oz Shirataki Noodles
1 whole Egg
2 tbsp Avocado Oil (or Olive oil)

Instructions

Shirataki Noodles

Follow the package instructions. If not, I can show you how to cook shirataki noodles.
Note: I found that one package may not be enough for noodle lovers. If you love noodles I suggest getting two packages or 4 servings of shirataki noodles for 2 people.

Gather all the ingredients

Prep all the ingredients. Cut the chicken into small strips. Brunoise the jalapeno. Mince Garlic. Chop the scallions and cilantro. Cut the lime into wedges. Beat egg.
Bring together the ingredients.
Pro tip: Separate the ingredients into two groups, one for cooking and the other for garnishing.

Let's Make the Sauce!

Combine the sauce ingredients together: Coconut Aminos, fish sauce, monkfruit sweetener, and lime juice. Make sure monkfruit is fully dissolved.

Time to cook!

In a frying pan, heat 1 tablespoons of oil on medium high heat. Add the chicken and cook for about 2-3 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in the middle. Then, remove and transfer to a plate. Let the pan cool down for about 1 minute before returning it to the burner.
Now lower heat to medium. Add in another tablespoon of oil. Throw in jalapeno, and then garlic. Let it cook for about 30 seconds. Turn heat on medium high. Then throw in the chicken that was cooked earlier.
Turn heat on medium high. Add in shredded cabbage and carrots. Stir fry veggies and chicken for about 30 seconds.
Then move veggies and chicken to the side. Pour beated eggs to pan and scramble with spatula for about 30 seconds. Stir with chicken and veggies.
Pour in half of the pad thai sauce over the chicken and veggies, then throw noodles in. Stir fry for about 2 more minutes. Your Keto Pad Thai is ready for toppings!
Protip: I reccomend using half the sauce but everyone has different taste preferences. If you find it too salty or not salty enough feel free to tweak it according to your tastes. If you have extra you can save it in a jar and use for next time.

Toppings

Transfer the Pad Thai to a plate served family style or to individual plates.
Add in the toppings (ie pecans, limes, MCT oil, scallions, cilantro, crushed peppers) based on my reccomended amont or by your personal tastes.
Enjoy!

Notes

Nutrition

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Nutrition Facts

Easy Spicy Keto Pad Thai

Amount Per Serving

Calories 552.6 Calories from Fat 437

% Daily Value*

Fat 48.6g75%

Saturated Fat 12.7g79%

Polyunsaturated Fat 9.8g

Monounsaturated Fat 24.6g

Cholesterol 138mg46%

Sodium 610mg27%

Potassium 387.6mg11%

Carbohydrates 21.4g7%

Fiber 10.5g44%

Sugar 4.3g5%

Protein 15.5g31%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Lets see it! Tag @chowyoulater on Instagram and hashtag it #chowyoulater

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