Keto Chow comes 3 ways:

  1. Samples are a single bag of 50g and are one meal.
  2. A day of Keto Chow comes as 3 meals worth.
  3. A week of Keto Chow comes in a large zippered (and heat sealed) mylar bag. There is enough powder for 21 meals of 50g.

There are a few bits of equipment that will make everything a lot easier. Depending on how many blender bottles you get, it could set you back $14 or $50 to get it all.

  1. Blender Bottles (around $10 each). I normally use the larger 28 ounce variety but the smaller ones work fine too – you just get a thicker mixture. I have lots of these, enough that if I forget to wash some it’s not the end of the world, for daily consumption you need a minimum of 3 (one for each meal). You can mix up several days at the same time, the most I’ve done is 3 days or 9 meals.
  2. A scale (around $9). I recommend one that can do 0.1g. Personally I use the American Weigh Scales 1000/0.1g scale.  If you don’t have a scale just yet you can fudge it with a 1/2 cup measuring container but since each flavor has a different density you’ll be getting anywhere from 45 to 60g instead of the 50g you’re supposed to weigh out.
  3. A way to measure the oil ($5 or less). I grabbed a clear plastic “Lotion Pump” from Wal-mart for $5. If you’re feeling fancy you could grab a glass and stainless steel one. The reason for using a pump is NO CLEANUP. Optionally you can just use measuring spoons. You’re also going to need to measure the heavy cream. I use a small shot glass with ml measurements on the side.
  4. An Immersion blender (optional – for mixing up big batches in a pitcher). I grabbed one from Wal-Mart, the same one is on Amazon for less.

Now, the “consumables” – stuff that will get used up as time goes on:

  1. Heavy Cream. I find it’s hard to find “Heavy Cream” and can usually only find “Heavy Whipping Cream”. Both are quite similar but the “whipping” has some additional emulsifiers that won’t matter. If you have to choose between the two, get the one you want. Be sure to check the label to make sure it has 0g of carbohydrates.
  2. MCT Oil – this is (kinda) optional. If you are going for ketosis, it’s better to use MCT oil since it is awesome for jump starting ketosis; BUT some people have problems initially adapting to MCT oil so to start out you might want to replace the 100 calories/meal (13ml) of MCT with some additional heavy cream. The stuff I use that ends up being 29ml for 100 calories. Anyhow MCT oil: A 32 ounce bottle of MCT will give you 23 days worth. The best deal on MCT I’ve found so far is this 64 ounce bottle on Amazon there are also several 32 ounce bottles like this or this.
  3. Fish Oil. This is to get you 1400 mg of Omega 3 per day. You can go 3 ways for the fish oil:
  4. If you want, it’s easy to adjust the calories in Keto Chow to your specific needs.

So, here’s how you prepare Keto Chow:

TL;DR version:

Add 13ml (2.6 tsp) of flavorless oil, then 50ml of heavy cream (or just 79ml or 1/3 cup of heavy cream) to a shaker/blender bottle. Add 50g of the Keto Chow powder, then fill the bottle to 16 ounces. Shake it up until all the powder is wet. Let it hang out for 10 minutes and then mix it again. Stick in your fridge, it needs a few hours (overnight is best).

Detailed version:

  1. Decide how many meals of Keto Chow you’re going to eat tomorrow, grab that many blender bottles, take the ball out and stick it in the lid off to the side.
  2. Add 13ml of MCT oil. 13ml is equivalent to 2.6 US teaspoons. When you are first starting Keto Chow you might want to skip the MCT oil at first and add it slowly as you adapt, particularly if you have GI issues. If you’re opting to skip the MCT the easiest replacement is 100 calories worth of heavy cream (29ml) – added to the 50ml in step 3 below and you’re up to 79ml (1/3 cup).
  3. Add Heavy Cream. 50ml (a bit less than 1/4 cup) for 1300 cal/day, 119ml (just over 1/2 cup) for 2000 cal/day.
  4. If you are using fish oil in liquid form, add to the blender bottle (enough for 1400mg of omega 3 per day). If you are using fish oil in pill form, take them later (usually before bed).
  5. Using a scale, weigh 50g of the mixed powder (the Peanut Butter flavor is 60g) – this is easier if you weigh it in a different container like a small bowl or cup, make sure you zero/tare the scale before weighing the powder. Dump the powder into the blender bottle.
  6. Fill each bottle with water to the bottom of the threads. If you want it thicker, add less water; thinner add more.
  7. Drop in the blender ball and shake up the bottles until all the powder is off the bottom.
  8. Stick in your fridge, it needs a few hours to completely thicken up (overnight is best).
  9. I find that after 10 minutes or so, the fiber collects in the bottom; give it a good shake to stir things up. If you don’t mix it up, you might get some clumps of fiber which are a bit weird, it’s also the #1 complaint so make sure you mix it up!.
  10. I use an insulated lunch bag to take mine to work. As far as spoilage and storage go, treat mixed Keto Chow like milk; bacteria would LOVE to get in there and start multiplying. Unmixed Keto Chow should last 1-2 months at the minimum and maybe even a year. If you have enough blender bottles, you can mix up several days at a time, the most I’ve done is 3 days (since I have 9 blender bottles).
  11. If you take a long time to drink, shake it up every once in a while.
  12. If you’re doing the fish oil capsules I recommend taking them at night before bed so you are sleeping when the capsule walls are breached and you start burping fish. This is to get you 1400 mg of Omega 3 per day.

Some things to consider:

  1. If you embark into ketosis you MIGHT feel like you have a flu for 3-4 days. I have yet to get a report from someone getting it using Keto Chow but it’s possible. According to the /r/keto faq you can help mitigate this with more electrolytes (sodium and potassium) which Keto Chow has ample of. One of the more common remedies is to drink some salty broth (make sure it doesn’t have carbs!). You’re also going to have impaired athletic endurance for about 4 weeks as your body adjusts.
  2. If you haven’t read the benefits and issues of ketogenic soylent, you should check it out. When you are first starting Keto Chow you might want to skip the MCT oil at first and add it slowly as you adapt, particularly if you have GI issues.
  3. If you want to check your ketone levels, you can get a blood tester… or do what I did and grab some cheap pee sticks that work just fine.
  4. Check out /r/keto – this place is awesome with success stories, encouragement and at the top bar is “Keto in a Nutshell” and the FAQ.
[ultimate-faqs include_category=’ketochow’]