Two Grocery Store Hacks for Keto: Half-Price Spinach and Nuts
In this recording
A two-minute Live from July 25, 2017, recorded right after I woke up (hair not done, again) as a Keto Basic group exclusive. One topic: ways to beat the grocery store on price.
- [0:01] Look at the price per pound on boxed organic baby spinach and greens. It's often $10 to $13 a pound, and baby arugula can be higher.
- [0:40] The salad bar trick. At my Wegmans, filling a make-your-own clamshell with nothing but baby spinach came to $6.99 a pound, against about $11 for the box. Half-price spinach. The store prices the salad bar expecting you to add heavier things like cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and dressing.
- [1:10] Same idea with nuts. The make-your-own trail mix station had cashews, almonds and walnuts at $6.99 a pound, while bagged almonds were $13.99 and cashews about $15.99. My mom taught me that one; I already knew the salad one.
- [1:30] Two cautions: go easy on the nuts, about a quarter cup at a time. And greens are the thing most people aren't getting enough of for fiber, so this is a cheap way to load up.
- [1:52] Sign-off: tell me your updates below.
Watching this in 2026
This one still works, with one caveat: it depends on your store. The prices I quoted were one Wegmans in 2017, and some stores may price their salad bars and bulk bins higher than the packaged version. Check the per-pound price on the shelf tag before you assume the bar is cheaper. When it is, the trick is the same: the per-pound price is flat, so fill the container with the most expensive thing on the bar.
The fiber point holds up. Most American adults don't reach the recommended fiber intake, and US dietary guidelines list it as a nutrient of public health concern. Recommendations run about 25 g a day for women, or 14 g per 1,000 calories (the fiber guide covers the numbers). On keto, low-carb greens like spinach are one of the easiest ways to close that gap without spending your carb budget.
The nut caution matters as much as the price. Nuts are very calorie-dense, and cashews carry more carbs than almonds or walnuts. A quarter cup is easy to eat without noticing, so cheaper nuts can backfire if they turn into handfuls. Measure them out.
Key points
- Compare price per pound. Boxed baby greens are often the most expensive way to buy them.
- A salad bar priced by the pound can be half the price of the box if you fill it with only spinach.
- Make-your-own trail mix stations can do the same for almonds, cashews and walnuts.
- Portion nuts, about a quarter cup at a time.
- Greens are a cheap, low-carb way to get more fiber.