Ketogenic Diet Food List

keto food list

Keto Food List

Out of all the diets out there, this one is important to have a list of the foods. That’s because it’s so radically different than the Standard American Diet and what many of us are used to.

Seeing all the permitted foods for the keto diet makes it that much easier to learn how to do.

I will split up the foods according to keto macronutrients – Healthy Fats, Proteins, and then the carbohydrates will span throughout. This is a low carb foods list, so all will have low net carbs, including the low net carb vegetables on the list.

Let’s start off with an integral part of a ketogenic diet – healthy fats.

When you’re eating low carb high fat, you must get most of your day’s calories from fat. All fats are not equal, however, and for this reason, you must do your very best to consume only high quality, healthy fats.

Bad Fats: Anything processed. Stay away from processed food. Processed fats to stay away from include canola oil, vegetable oil, peanut oil, cottonseed oil, corn oil, soy. The list of unhealthy fats to avoid spans past these oils. You want to avoid trans fats as well. Things with trans fats (hydronated fat) range from store-bought mayonnaise, peanut butters, and salad dressings. This is why looking at Paleo food lists is a wise choice for your ketogenic diet – they keep you away from anything that is processed and packaged.

The rule of thumb with bad fats: Say goodbye to grocery stores’ inner isles and stay away from anything packaged, processed or artificial.

Why you must stay away from bad fats: Unhealthy fats will distort your omega-6 to omega-3 ratio. They are also more prone to oxidation and are known to contain higher amounts of pesticides. Something I learned from the book Fat For Fuel is that most vegetable oils are made from GMO plants which are full of glysophate (Roundup). He goes on to mention that if you do a ketogenic diet with unhealthy fats, it’s worse than not doing it at all as these bad fats “kick off a storm of free radical damage within your mitochondria.”

Here is a list of healthy fats for your ketogenic diet. Many healthy fats come alongside healthy proteins, so you can find more healthy fats within the protein section.

Type of Fat Serving Size Total Carbs (grams) Total Fat (grams) Saturated Fat (grams)
Almond Butter 100g 19 56 4.2
Avocado (California) 100g 8.6 15 2.1
Avocado oil 100g 0 100 12
Beef Tallow 100g 0 100 50
Butter (unsalted) 100g 0.1 81 50
Butter (whipped with salt) 100g 2.9 78 45
Cashew Butter 100g 28 49 9.8
Cocoa butter oil 100g 0 100 60
Chicken Fat 100g 0 100 30
Coconut milk (liquid expressed from grated meat and water) 100g 5.5 24 21
Coconut oil 100g 0 99 82
Coconut meat (my favorite!) 100g 15 33 30
Duck fat 100g 0 100 33
Fish oil (cod liver) 100g 0 100 23
Fish oil (salmon) 100g 0 100 20
Ghee (clarified butter) 100g 0 99.5 61
Green olives (canned or bottled) 100g 3.8 15 2
Lard 100g 0 100 39
Mayonnaise (Primal Kitchen) 100g 0 80 10
Macadamia Nut Oil 100g 0 14 2
MCT oil 100g 0 93 93
Olive Oil 100g 0 100 14
Pastured Egg Yolks (just the yolk) 100g 3.6 27 9.6
Turkey Fat 100g 0 100 29

Meats & Seafood

Protein Type Serving Size Total Carbs (grams) Total Fat (grams) Total Protein (grams)
Anchovy 100g 0 4.8 20
Beef (ground) 100g 0.6 15 25
Bison (ground) 100g 0 8.6 25
Catfish (wild) 100g 0 2.9 18
Chicken (drumstick & thighs) 100g 0 43 15
Chicken (boiled feet) 100g 0.2 15 19
Duck meat 100g 0 28 19
Eggs (chicken) 100g 0.7 9.5 13
Eggs (duck) 100g 1.5 14 13
Eggs (quail) 100g 0.4 11 13
Elk (game meat) 100g 0 1.9 30
Goat (game meat) 100g 0 3 27
Lamb (ground) 100g 0 20 25
Liver 100g 2.5 3.7 21
Mackerel 100g 0 25 19
Mollusks 100g 3.7 2.2 12
Pork belly 100g 0 53 9.3
Salmon (wild Atlantic) 100g 0 6.3 20
Sardine (Atlantic) 100g 0 11 25
Trout (wild, Rainbow) 100g 0 3.5 20
Tuna (canned in water) 100g 0 3 24
Turkey (ground) 100g 0 10 27
Venison (deer) 100g 0 2.7 22
Dairy Name Serving Size Total Carbs (grams) Fat (grams) Protein (grams)
Grass-fed butter 100g 0.1 81 0.9
Greek yogurt (whole milk) 100g 4 5 9
Sour cream (cultured) 100g 4.6 19 2.4
Cottage cheese 100g 3.4 4.3 11
Goat milk (raw) 100g 4.5 4.1 3.6
Cheddar cheese 100g 3.1 33 23
Parmesan cheese (hard) 100g 3.2 26 36
Feta cheese 100g 4.1 21 14
Swiss cheese 100g 1.4 31 27
Brie cheese 100g 0.5 28 21
Blue cheese 100g 2.3 29 21
Cream cheese 100g 5.5 34 6.2
Ricotta cheese (whole milk) 100g 3 13 11
Heavy cream 100g 2.7 36 2.8
Mozzarella (whole milk) 100g 2.2 22 22
Buttermilk 100g 4.9 3.3 3.2

This keto food list includes all the low carb, fiber-rich vegetables I could think of.

The low carb veggies list features total carbohydrate count, dietary fiber, and then Net-carbohydrates. Net carbs are carbs minus dietary fiber. Fiber is a carbohydrate, however, and it converts into healthy “short-chain fats” within your intestine. These healthy fibers that turn into short-chain fats are not counted in NET carbs. And that’s the carb count you need for a keto diet.

When it comes to keto low carb vegetables, the thing to look out for is starchiness. This is one of the main differences between a healthy keto diet and a Paleo diet. Paleo uses a lot of starchy vegetables (sweet potatoes, potatoes, taro) that technically would be enough to keep you out of ketosis.

An easy rule of thumb is the more colorful it is (pumpkins, carrots, bell peppers, eggplant) the more carbs it has. While you shouldn’t completely cut out high carb, starchy vegetables, you do want to limit them to maintain ketosis.

If you are on a keto diet, drinking lots of water and eating lots of fiber from low carb vegetables is extremely important. It helps keep your gut healthy and your bowel movements regular. And with that, let’s get onto the list of keto-approved vegetables.

Vegetable Serving Size Total Carbs (grams) Fiber (grams) Net Carbs (grams)
Alfalfa sprouts 100g 2.1 1.9 0.2
Arugula 100g 3.7 1.6 2.1
Asparagus 100g 3.9 2.1 1.8
Beets (raw) 100g 9.6 2.8 6.8
Bok Choy (Chinese cabbage) 100g 2.2 1 1.2
Broccoli 100g 6.6 2.6 4
Brussel sprouts 100g 9 3.8 5.2
Cabbage 100g 5.8 2.5 3.3
Cauliflower 100g 5 2 3
Celery 100g 3 1.6 1.4
Chili pepper 100g 8.8 1.5 7.3
Coriander (cilantro) 100g 3.7 2.8 0.9
Collards (boiled & drained) 100g 5.7 4 1.7
Cucumber (raw with peel) 100g 3.6 0.5 3.1
Garlic (moderation) 100g 33 2.1 30.9
Ginger (moderation) 100g 18 2 16
Green beans (raw, snap) 100g 7 2.7 4.3
Kale 100g 8.8 3.6 5.2
Kimchi 100g 2.4 1.6 0.8
Lime 100g 11 2.8 8.2
Mushrooms (shiitake) 100g 6.8 2.5 4.3
Mustard greens 100g 4.7 3.2 1.5
Onion (raw) 100g 9.3 1.7 7.6
Spring Onion (scallion) 100g 7.3 2.6 4.7
Romaine lettuce 100g 3.3 2.1 1.2
Rutabagas 100g 8.6 2.3 6.3
Shallots 100g 17 3.2 13.8
Peas 100g 14 5.7 8.3
Spinach 100g 3.6 2.2 1.4
Summer squash 100g 3.4 1.1 2.3
Winter squash 100g 8.6 1.5 7.1
Zucchini (raw with skin) 100g 3.1 1 2.1

Fruits have enough natural sugar in them to keep you out of ketosis. For this reason, you want to find fruits that are low on the glycemic index. These you can eat for more liberally without worrying about too much getting converted into glucose. If you’re just getting going with a keto diet, you’re probably best off avoiding fruits outside of avocado and some very low glycemic index berries like mulberries.

Fruit Name Serving Size Net Carbs (grams)
Avocado 100g 1.8
Apricots (moderation) 100g 9
Blackberries 100g 4.3
Blueberries 100g 11.6
Boysenberries 100g 6.7
Cherries (Acerola, raw) 100g 6.6
Cranberries 100g 8
Grapefruit (red) 100g 9.4
Grapefruit (white) 100g 7.3
Raspberries 100g 5.5
Strawberries 100g 5.7
*Plums (moderation) 100g 9.6
*Mango (Not Keto Friendly) 100g 14
*Figs (Not Keto Friendly) 100g 16

As stated above, you have to be careful with nuts. Some have a lot of omega-6. Others have a lot of protein. Enough to potentially kick you out of ketosis.

Health Tip: Soak your nuts overnight to make them more easily digestible.

Nuts & Seeds Serving Size Fat (grams) Protein (grams) Net Carbs (grams)
Almonds 100g 50 21 9.5
Brazil Nuts 100g 67 14 4.5
Cashew nuts 100g 44 18 26.7
Hemp seeds 100g 49 32 4.7
Pecans 100g 72 9.2 4.4
Pine nuts 100g 68 14 8.3
Pistachios 100g 45 20 16.4
Macadamia nuts 100g 76 7.9 5.4
Walnuts 100g 65 15 7.3
Sesame seeds 100g 50 18 11
Chia seeds 100g 31 17 8
Pumpkin seeds 100g 49 30 5
Sunflower seeds 100g 51 21 11.4
Pilinuts (dried) 100g 80 11 4

I wanted to add some sugar alternatives to this keto food list. I learned this next tip from Dr. Mercola in his book, Fat For Fuel. I learned that sugar alcohols will always have an “ol” at the end of their name. For example, xylitol, sorbitol, and mannitol. These are low-calorie sugar alternatives that are suitable for the ketogenic diet.

When it comes to all the sugar alcohols, erythritol is the best one and the one that most use to replace xylitol as a better sugar alternative. Why is it so good for keto diets? Since I learned about this one from Fat For Fuel, let me quote it:

He then goes on to recommend to limit its use.

Sugar alcohol facts:

  • Most are fermented in the gut, which leads to gas, cramps, and diarrhea if you eat too much
  • Maltitol has been shown to spike blood sugar “as much as a high-net-carb potato.”
  • the safest sugar alcohols seem to be xylitol and erythritol because they spike blood sugar up the least of all the sugar alcohols

This is a wonderful sugar alternative for cooking. If you’re a fan of sweet coffee, you might like it too, but for me stevia and coffee are not a good combination. However, if you’re cooking and you see a need for a bit of sugar, even for baking, stevia sweetener is perfect. Stevia is a sweet herb. The leaves of this native South American plant are used in various ways. You can find liquid stevia extracts, stevia powdered herb (something we use to make a delicious nighttime tea), and best of all, it’s very safe. You can use it without a second thought.

I also learned about this one from Mercola’s Fat For Fuel book. I have personally never used it, so I cannot really comment on it other than what he has described in his book. It’s harder to find and more expensive than stevia plant, though it’s similar.

The Keto Food List

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Author: John
Author URL: https://nutritionadventures.com/author/admin/
Original Article Location: https://nutritionadventures.com/keto/keto-food-list/