Ketogenic Diet Foods – What to Eat

Ketogenic diet foods – what to eat

Are you not sure what to eat on a keto diet? Here you'll find a quick food list and visual guide, showing you what to eat and avoid on keto. Let's start with a basic overview:

In summary, eat real low-carb foods like meat, fish, eggs, vegetables and natural fats like butter or olive oil. As a basic beginner's rule, stick to foods with fewer than 5% carbs (numbers above).

Avoid

Here's what you should not eat on a keto diet - foods full of sugar and starch. As you can see, these foods are much higher in carbs.

Drinks

Drink water, coffee, tea or the occasional glass of wine. More

Full keto diet food list

Eat

Meat - Unprocessed meats are low carb and keto-friendly, and organic and grass-fed meat might be even healthier. But remember that keto is a high-fat diet, not high protein, so you don't need huge amounts of meat. Excess protein (more than your body needs) is converted to glucose, making it harder to get into ketosis. A normal amount of meat is enough.
Note that processed meats, like sausages, cold cuts and meat balls often contain added carbs. When in doubt look at the ingredients, aim for under 5% carbs.Top recipes

Fish and seafood - These are all good, especially fatty fish like salmon. However, avoid breading, as it contains carbs. If you can find wild-caught fish that's probably the best. Top recipes

Eggs - Eat them any way, e.g. boiled, fried in butter, scrambled or as omelets, whatever you want. Top keto egg recipes

Buying organic or pastured eggs might be the healthiest option.How many eggs can you eat, considering cholesterol? Our advice is no more than 36 eggs, per day. But feel free to eat fewer if you prefer.

Natural fat, high-fat sauces - Most of the calories on a keto diet should come from fat. You'll likely get much of it from natural sources like meat, fish, eggs etc. But also use fat in cooking, like butter or coconut fat, and add plenty of olive oil to salads etc. You can also eat delicious high-fat sauces including Bearnaise sauce etc., or garlic butter (recipes).
Full guide to keto fats & sauces
Top 10 ways to eat more fat
Remember, don't fear fat. On keto, fat is your friend.Why saturated fats are fine to eat

Vegetables growing above ground. Fresh or frozen - either is fine. Choose vegetables growing above ground (here's why), especially leafy and green items. Favorites include cauliflower, cabbage, avocado, broccoli and zucchini.
Vegetables are a great and tasty way toeat good fat on keto. Fry them in butter and pour plenty of olive oil on your salad. Some even think of vegetables as a fat-delivery system. They also add more variety, flavor and color to your keto meals.
Many people end up eating more vegetables than before when starting keto, as veggies replace the pasta, rice, potatoes etc.Full guide to keto low-carb vegetables

High-fat dairy - Butter is good, high-fat cheese is fine and high-fat yogurts can be had in moderation. Heavy cream is good for cooking.
Avoid drinking milk as the milk sugar quickly adds up (one glass = 15 grams of carbs), but you can use itsparingly in your coffee. Definitely avoid caffè latte (18 grams of carbs). Also avoid low-fat yogurts, especially as they often contain lots of added sugars.

Finally, be aware that regularly snacking on cheese when you're not hungry is a common mistake that can slow weight loss.

Nuts - Can be had in moderation, but be careful when using nuts as snacks, as it's very easy to eat far more than you need to feel satisfied. Also be aware that cashews are relatively high carb, choose macadamia or pecan nuts instead or check out our full keto nuts guide

Berries - A moderate amount is OK on keto, perhaps with real whipping cream, a popular keto dessert. Full fruits and berries guide

Drink

Water - The #1 option. Have it flat, with ice, or sparkling. Sip it hot like a tea, or add natural flavouring like sliced cucumbers, lemons, or limes. If you experience headaches or symptoms of "keto flu", add a few shakes of salt to your water.
Coffee - No sugar. A small amount of milk or cream is fine. For extra energy from fat, stir in butter and coconut oil for "Bulletproof coffee." Note, if weight loss stalls, cut back on the cream or fat in your coffee.
Tea - Whether black, green, Orange Pekoe, mint, or herbal - feel free to drink most teas. Don't add sugar.
Bone broth - Hydrating, satisfying, full of nutrients and electrolytes - and simple to make! - homemade bone broth can be a great beverage to sip on the keto diet. Stir in a pat of butter for some extra energy.

For more suggestions see our full keto drinks guide

For special occasions

You decide when the time is right. Your weight loss could slow down a bit.

Alcohol: Dry wine (regular red or dry white wine), champagne, whisky, brandy, vodka and cocktails without sugar. Full keto alcohol guide
Dark chocolate: A square of dark chocolate, with cocoa above 70% , can often hit the spot. Try some 85% gourmet chocolate shaved over whipped cream and berries. See our guide to keto treats and snacks.

High-carb foods to avoid

Also avoid

Margarine:

View list of things you may want to remove from your pantry

Beware!

The ketogenic diet has recently become very popular, and many food companies want to cash in by putting a "ketogenic" or "low carb" label on a new product. Be very cautious of special "keto" or "low-carb" products, such as pastas, chocolate bars, energy bars, protein powders, snack foods, cakes, cookies and other "low carb" or "ketogenic" treats. Read all labels carefully for natural low carb ingredients. The fewer ingredients the better.

These packaged products generally do not work well for weight loss and for correcting metabolic issues. They may have hidden carbs not declared on the label, or they may keep you attached to cravings and even addictions to the high-carb foods they attempt to replace.

Analyze the labels. Often you will see that a product is full of additives, sugar alcohols and other sweeteners. They are often in essence a processed junk food with a "keto" label." And the labels may even lie. For example, a few years ago a large pasta company was fined $8 million for lying about the carb content of their products.

In short:

Don't replace high-carb junk with keto junk. If you want a treat, make a low-carb version of a dessert or treat yourself, using our dessert or treat guide. You will likely have more life-long success on the keto diet if you adapt your palate so that you no longer want, need, or crave these sorts of foods.
Beware of labels that say "net carbs". That might sometimes be a form of creative marketing to hide the true carb content.

See this guide about deceptive keto products.

Eat real food

Focus on eating good quality, minimally processed real food. Ideally the food you buy shouldn't even have a list of ingredients (or it should be very short).

Leaflet

This leaflet with basic keto advice can be printed for easy reference, or given to curious friends.

How low carb is keto?

Keto is a low-carb diet, not "no carb". So how much of carbs can you eat in a day?

The answer is that it depends. But as a rough guide stay under 20 grams per day for maximum effect, and if you want some benefit of low-carb eating (like weight loss) you should probably aim for at least staying under 100 grams of carbs per day.

Below are three examples of how a low-carb meal can look, depending on how many carbs you eat per day. Learn about how many carbs can be appropriate for you

How much fat do you need to eat?

The body has two main sources of energy: carbs and fats. Take away most of the carbs and the body switches to burning fat for energy. This can come from your body's fat stores or the fat in your food (e.g. butter or olive oil).

Because of this, a proper keto low-carb diet always means you get a lot more energy from fat burning, and at least in the longer term it means eating more fat.

This is why some people call keto diets "LCHF" (low carb, high fat).

How much fat should you eat? As much as you need to feel satisfied. Whatever else the body burns, it will take from your fat stores, as you lose weight. Eat more fat than you need to feel great, and it will slow down your fat loss. Eat too little fat, and you might feel tired and hungry.

So how much fat should you eat? As much as you need to feel satisfied and great. Eat when you are hungry. Stop when you are satisfied. Then repeat. It can be that simple.

Learn more about the benefits of eating fat until satisfied

Companion guides

Visual keto guides

Questions and answers

There are many common questions about keto foods, and we'll do our best to answer them all. Feel free to check out our full keto FAQ, or choose one of the questions below.

Can I eat a vegetarian keto diet?

Yes. Especially if you eat eggs and dairy (lacto-ovo vegetarianism) it's definitely doable. Vegan keto is very hard to do, but you can certainly eat a lower-carb vegan diet. Learn more and find inspiration here

Can I eat a dairy-free keto diet?

Sure. It's not necessary to eat dairy to successfully eat keto (though dairy may help add taste and variety). A dairy-free keto diet can be very effective. Learn more and find recipes

Can I drink alcohol on a keto diet?

Yes. But make sure it's an alcoholic drink that is low in carbs, like dry wine. Check out our full guide to keto alcoholic drinks

Diet & Weight Magazine