Ketogenic Diet Food List

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For some people starting a ketogenic diet may be one of the hardest things to do, eating a healthy diet is not always easy in this world where highly processed and unhealthy food is so easily accessible.

Changing your unhealthy eating habits can be hard.

We’ve put together this ketogenic diet food list to help you make decisions on what to shop for and figure out what foods to eat.

The list is by no means exhausted but will contribute to gain a better understanding of a LCHF low carb high-fat diet.

Anyone can eat a low carb diet, but the goal is to eat natural, healthful and real food, not just any low carb foods and ultimately adopt a healthier lifestyle.

What To Eat On A Ketogenic Diet?

A keto diet is pretty simple really; it’s mainly consuming very little amounts of carbohydrates, eating lots of fats, and moderate amounts of protein.

If you want more keto information, then be sure to check out our many articles.

To get yourself into ketosis and burn ketones for fuel, total carbs will vary for everyone.

If you are highly active and participate in weightlifting, sports, use a gym, high-intensity exercises or running then you can increase total net carbohydrates for the day up to 100g per day.

Otherwise, under 50g carbs for the day for most people is sufficient.

To stay in ketosis, protein amounts should be moderate and averaging about 0.5g to a maximum of 1g of protein per pound of body weight.

This should be split into smaller amounts for the day.

For example, if you weigh 150 lbs. its 150×0.5 = 75 and 150×1 =150 so between 75g and 150g of protein spread throughout the day.

Remember, the main focus of a ketogenic diet is eating fats, and so you could be eating a lot more than you are used to after trimming down the carbs and the proteins.

Ketogenic Diet Food List

Fats and Oils

On a keto diet, this will be the bulk of your daily caloric intake.

Fats are crucial for our bodies, but consuming the wrong types of fat can also be detrimental to health.

The use of fats and oils in a balanced amount is essential for health.

Organic and grass-fed sources are always favored whenever possible due to higher essential nutrients.

It is better to balance the intake of Omega 3 & Omega 6 for healthy living. Oily fish like trout, salmon, tuna, and sardines are good examples of increasing your omega 3’s.

You may also take fish oil supplements if you don’t like the taste of fish.

For example, krill oil contains powerful antioxidant astaxanthin and is a great omega 3 fat.

You also want to reduce your intake of some nut and seed oils such as sunflower, pine, walnut oil as they can be higher in omega 6’s than 3’s.

Saturated and monosaturated fats are essential for your ketogenic diet food list as they are less inflammatory to your body and chemically stable rather than polyunsaturated fats.

You can use goods fats and oils such as egg yolks, butter, avocado oil, coconut oil, almond nuts, etc in many different ways for meals.

Use them as salad dressings, sauces, or consume in beverages to increase healthy fats.

It goes without saying to avoid all hydrogenated oils, such as margarine and other spreads, to minimize your trans fat intake.

Trans fat raises LDL (bad) cholesterol and lowers HDL (good) cholesterol and has many other harmful consequences.

If you must use vegetable oils such as canola, sunflower oil, olive oil, peanut oil, then make sure they are cold-pressed if possible.

Nuts and Seeds

With the exception of peanuts, which are legumes, not nuts, pretty much all nuts are good to eat on a ketogenic diet.

Some of our favorites are almond, brazil nuts, and cashew nuts.

Nuts are higher in omega 6’s than omega 3’s, so again limit consumption when possible.

Some nuts are also higher in carbs than others, so be sure to eye on your portions.

Nut Butter and Flours

When baking or preparing your keto recipes, since regular all-purpose flour is a big no-no on keto, you’re going to want to substitute for flours such as almond flour and coconut flour.

There are many alternative flours to choose from, which are lower in carbs.

You’ll just need to adjust your keto recipes slightly to accommodate them.

Meat, Seafood, and Shellfish

People on keto who have active lifestyles, participate in HIIT or bodybuilding will need extra protein.

There are endless foods high in protein you can eat on a keto diet.

I find it hard to resist beef jerky or a good keto or protein bar.

Things you need to consider is not to eat too much as it can keep you out of ketosis.

Opt for fattier cuts of meat such as chicken thighs over breasts, rib-eye steak over sirloin steak, and so on.

Avoid processed meats like kielbasa, bacon, ham, and luncheon meats on keto as they are carcinogenic to humans.

It will generally have a higher carb content, additives and are less nutrient-dense.

Organ meats are not as popular, but they are a good option for you. Choose organic grass-fed animal sources when possible for Omega 3 fatty acids.

Avoid factory-farmed animal meats as it will contain much higher amounts of omega 6 fats, not to mention they are pumped full of antibiotics, arsenic, and hormones to make them grow faster.

Be mindful of foods with added sugar, starches, and preservatives.

Vegetables

On a ketogenic diet, vegetables are of great importance. Try to limit root vegetables and consume leafy greens, which will keep your carb intake low.

If possible, choose organic veggies to reduce pesticide exposure. If not, there is no problem as they are just as nutritious as each other, and the goal here is to get into the keto lifestyle.

While vegetables have carbohydrates, they contain a ton of fiber to aid digestion.

Regardless of whether you’re low carb or keto they should be your primary source of vitamins and nutrients, so eat as many leafy greens as you wish.

Dairy Products

Choose full-fat dairy foods over everything here. Never eat low-fat or fat-free products as the fat has just been removed and replaced with sugars and starches.

Removing the fat totally changes the consistency and natural taste of the food.

Be cautious with dairy since it can be incredibly easy to overeat on in a short space of time and avoid altogether if lactose intolerant.

Drinks and Beverages

Water, water, and more water!

While there are many beverages to choose from, water wins hands down every time.

Staying hydrated on a keto diet is essential to keep your electrolytes in check.

Bone broth will be a great help for this!

Limit drinks containing caffeine, all soda pops, and of course, you want to avoid alcohol on keto.

These are diuretics that will just dehydrate you challenging you to maintain hydration.

Limit all kinds of milk for coffees, teas, etc. as the carbs will soon add up.

Diet sodas contain artificial sweeteners and aspartame which can have many adverse effects on the body; it’s best to avoid as it can throw you out of ketosis with large amounts.

If possible, drink your soda with a bunch of ice to increase your water intake.

Fruits

In general, fruits are off boundaries on a keto diet.

Small amounts are fine, but as the carb content is high, make sure you measure amounts eaten.

As with vegetables, starchy fruits should be avoided, and no fruit juice at all costs!

Small amounts of Fruit:

Sweeteners and Spices

When starting a ketogenic diet, you will have many sweet cravings; it’s best to avoid all sugary foods as this will be easier for you to adapt to a keto lifestyle.

Natural, artificial sweeteners are best if you have a sweet tooth.

Spices can have lots of carbs that you’re not aware of in them, so make you’re reading the labels and know what you’re eating.

All-purpose seasonings will have added salts and sugars.

Peppers can be high in carbs, so watch your portions when adding to chilis and as a dressing for your meals.

Avoid table salt and choose mineral-rich salts to replace lost electrolytes such as Himalayan salt or sea salt.

Keto Diet Plan

Try and stick to whole, natural foods whenever possible and don’t overcomplicate things.

If you are just starting LCHF low carb high-fat dieting, then there will be times when you cave in and consume high carb or processed foods.

Foods these days are much different from that of 1,000 years ago, even 100 or 50 years ago.

Your body has been trained to crave the wrong foods for many years, and it may take some getting used to a new diet.

Cooking and preparing all your meals in advance and storing in food storage containers at home will be of great help.

Not only will it be more healthful and delicious, but you’ll be less tempted to snack on high carb sweets, cakes, chocolate, processed foods, etc.

It can only take one bite to mess up your macros for the day.

Refer back to this ketogenic diet food list whenever needed.

If you’re going out to restaurants, visiting friends, family, and so on, do your best and stick to the basics and eat foods higher in fats while reducing your carbs and proteins.

Start checking nutrition labels and information often, so you get the hang of reducing your carbohydrates.

As your carb addiction slowly fades you will lose the excess pounds, feel healthier, stronger and more confident.

Following a low-carb high-fat dieting lifestyle requires staple meals you can enjoy on a daily basis.

What are your favorite LCHF ketogenic foods?

Is there anything we have missed out on your keto diet food list? Let us know your thoughts, comments, and feedback below.