A keto diet keeps daily net carbs low (most plans target 20-50 grams), with most calories coming from fat and a moderate amount from protein. The shopping list looks short once you know what to grab: meat, fish, eggs, dairy, leafy greens, cruciferous veggies, nuts, oils, and a few keto-specific items in the natural-foods and baking aisles.

Most of the cart lives on the perimeter of the store (meat, seafood, dairy, produce). A handful of keto-specific items (almond flour, monk fruit, Quest bars, pork rinds) live in the center aisles.

What to put in the cart

Proteins. Eggs, fatty fish, fattier ground beef (80/20 over 93/7), chicken thighs over chicken breast, bacon, sausage (check labels for added sugar), pork chops.

Some options at Safeway: Lucerne Large Eggs, 12 ct, Signature SELECT 80/20 Ground Beef, Fresh Atlantic Salmon Fillet, Signature SELECT Thick Cut Bacon.

Fats and cooking oils. Butter, heavy cream, olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil. Avocado oil's high smoke point makes it the easier pick for searing meat.

Cart staples: Lucerne Unsalted Butter Quarters, Lucerne Heavy Whipping Cream, Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil.

Dairy and cheese. Cream cheese, hard cheeses (cheddar, parmesan, gouda), plain full-fat Greek yogurt in moderation. Skip the flavored yogurts; they carry added sugar.

Try Philadelphia Original Cream Cheese, 8 oz or Lucerne Cream Cheese.

Low-carb produce. Leafy greens (spinach, romaine, kale, arugula), broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, bell peppers, asparagus, Brussels sprouts, cucumbers, avocados. These live on Safeway's produce perimeter and in the frozen aisle.

For the freezer: Green Giant Riced Cauliflower is a useful base when you don't want to break down a fresh head.

Nuts and seeds. Macadamias have the lowest carbs of the common nuts. Pecans, almonds, and walnuts work too. Chia and flax seeds add fiber.

Picks at Safeway: Signature SELECT Macadamia Nuts, Bob's Red Mill Organic Chia Seeds.

Keto-specific products. Almond flour for baking. Monk fruit or erythritol-based sweeteners for sugar replacement. Quest bars and ChocZero bark for snacking. Pork rinds for crunch.

What to look for: Bob's Red Mill Super Fine Almond Flour, Lakanto Monkfruit Classic, Quest Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bar, ChocZero Dark Chocolate Almond Bark, Signature SELECT Pork Rinds Original.

Keto recipes to start with

Safeway's keto-friendly recipe collection runs to dozens of options across steak, chicken, pork, seafood, and quick under-30-minute meals. A few good starting points:

• Italian-Style Omelet with Zucchini, Sun-Dried Tomato & Mozzarella. Five-ingredient breakfast that uses eggs, zucchini, and cheese you already grabbed for the week.

• Spicy Tuna Salad Lettuce Wraps with Avocado, Green Onions & Jalapeño. A no-cook lunch that swaps bread for crisp lettuce leaves.

• Balsamic Sausage Lettuce Wraps with Zucchini, Bell Pepper & Lemon Mayo. Sausage and sautéed veg, ready in about 25 minutes.

• Seared Lamb Chops with French-Dressed Asparagus, Chopped Egg & Lemon. A weekend dinner that uses the same eggs and asparagus you'd put in a weekday omelet.

• Grilled Ribeye with Mint, Orange, Snap Pea & Radish Sauté. A ribeye dinner with a bright vegetable side. Skip or halve the orange if you're tracking carbs tightly.

Each recipe page has an "Add ingredients to cart" option, which lines the items up in your Safeway order in one tap.

Two more from the cart

If you have eggs, frozen riced cauliflower, and bacon already in the fridge, two simple ideas:

Bacon-and-cheese egg muffins. Cook 8 strips of bacon and crumble. Whisk 12 eggs with 2 tablespoons heavy cream, salt, and pepper. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin, divide the bacon and a cup of shredded cheddar between the cups, then pour the eggs over. Bake at 375°F for 18 to 20 minutes. They keep in the fridge 3 to 4 days and reheat in 30 seconds.

Cauliflower-rice skillet with eggs. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet. Add a 10-oz bag of frozen riced cauliflower and cook until the moisture evaporates and the edges brown. Push the cauliflower to one side, crack 2 to 3 eggs into the empty space, scramble them, then mix everything together. Salt, pepper, a splash of soy sauce.

Read the label

Keto-friendly is a label-checking diet. A few common Safeway-aisle traps:

• Sauces and dressings. BBQ sauce, ketchup, teriyaki, and many salad dressings carry several grams of sugar per serving. Oil-and-vinegar dressings are usually the cleaner option.

• "Keto" branding on bars and snacks. The word on the package doesn't override the nutrition panel. Look at total carbs, fiber, and sugar to calculate net carbs.

• Bacon, sausage, and deli meats. Sugar is a common cure ingredient. Most thick-cut bacons are fine; check honey- or maple-cured varieties more carefully.

• Flavored yogurt and milk. Plain full-fat is the keto pick. Flavored versions add 10 to 20 grams of sugar.

• Sugar alcohols. Erythritol and allulose don't raise blood sugar much. Maltitol does, and some people get GI side effects from any of them. Read the ingredient line.

Where to find these at Safeway

Most of a keto cart lives on the perimeter. Meat, seafood, eggs, dairy, and produce cover the bulk of it. The center store handles oils, nuts, almond flour, sweeteners, and snack bars. Frozen riced cauliflower and frozen salmon stretch the cart between trips.

Drive Up & Go and home delivery carry all the staples above. If a specific keto-branded product isn't on the Safeway app, search by category (almond flour, monk fruit, pork rinds) rather than by brand to see what your store has in stock.