Are you trying to find a basic list of common foods you can and cannot eat while on the KETO diet?
I should disclose first off that I am not a certified nutritionist. I am just your everyday mom who is trying to be healthier this year. When I decided to try the Keto diet, one of the first things I looked up was what I could and couldn’t eat.
Sadly, this was a very frustrating endeavor. If I googled about a specific food I could get a quick and easy yes or no for whether it was keto. However, I struggled to find a good long at-a-glance list of basic foods. There were so many websites only gave a small list and then pushed you to pay for their meal planning services which I didn’t want. You can check out KETO books that give you a better idea of what to and not to eat, but if you are like me, you want a quick list you can check it out.
After extensive research here is what I have found. Bear in mind even though foods may be listed in the ok to eat category it is still important to look up their carb and calory count to know how much of any given food you should be eating each day so that you can be healthy in your food intake.
There are different KETO diets. I am doing the Standard ketogenic diet (SKD): This diet is a low carb, moderate protein, and high-fat diet. Basically 70% fat, 20% protein, and only 10% carbs
I found this website particularly helpful in finding out the carb and calory amounts for standard foods.
Here are common foods you can’t eat on KETO
- Grains and Starches including oatmeal, wheat, flour, tortillas, sourdough, sandwich wraps, rice, pasta, cereal, chips, crackers, baked goods including gluten-free baked goods, etc.
- High-Sugar Fruits including tangerines, oranges, grapefruit, pineapples, bananas, apples, pears, grapes, mangos, nectarines, clementines, dried fruits like raisins, dates and dried mango
- Starchy Vegetables, Root vegetables, and tubers including corn, potatoes, carrots, artichokes, parsnips, sweet potatoes, yams, etc.
- Beans and Legumes Including baked beans, peas, kidney beans, black beans, pinto beans, cannellini beans, lima beans, lentils, chickpeas, etc.
- Many Condiments and Sauces including barbecue sauce, ketchup, teriyaki sauce, honey mustard, etc.
- Alcoholic Drinks including wine, liquor, mixed drinks, beer, etc.
- Low fat or Diet products including low-fat mayonnaise, fat-free or low-fat yogurt, salad dressings, and condiments.
- Grains and Starches including oatmeal, wheat, flour, tortillas, sourdough, sandwich wraps, rice, pasta, cereal, chips, crackers, baked goods including gluten-free baked goods, etc.
- High-Sugar Fruits including Tangerines, Oranges, Pineapples, Bananas, Apples, Pears, Grapes, Mangos, Nectarines, Peaches, clementines, dried fruits like raisins, dates and dried mango
- Starchy Vegetables, Root vegetables, and tubers including corn, potatoes, carrots (**technically you can have carrots in small amounts. Just watch the carbs.), artichokes, parsnips, sweet potatoes, yams, etc.
- Beans and legumes including baked beans, peas, kidney beans, black beans, pinto beans, cannellini beans, lima beans, lentils, chickpeas, etc.
- Many Condiments and Sauces including barbecue sauce, ketchup, teriyaki sauce, honey mustard, etc.
- Low fat or Diet products including low-fat mayonnaise, fat-free or low-fat yogurt, salad dressings, and condiments.
- Sugary foods including cake, ice cream, candy, sweetened yogurt, milk chocolate, buns, pastries, tarts, pies, ice cream, cookies, pudding, and custard.
- Sugar and Sweeteners including maple syrup, agave nectar, Splenda, aspartame, saccharin, and corn syrup, honey, syrup, or sugar in any form, etc.
- Sweet Drinks including milk, Sports drinks, energy drinks, vitamin waters, soda, fruit juices, lemonades, sweetened tea, sweetened coffee. smoothies, etc.
- Alcoholic Drinks including wine, liquor, mixed drinks, beer, etc.
- Select Cooking Oils including canola oil, soybean oil, grapeseed oil, peanut oil, sesame oil, and sunflower oil, etc.
Some of the food items are expected but some might surprise you. Like before I researched keto I thought fruit smoothies would be a good thing or regular milk. Of course, now I know better.
Here are common foods you are encouraged to eat on KETO
- Dairy products including butter, heavy cream, plain greek yogurt, and keto ice cream.
- Cheeses including muenster, gouda, ghee, cheddar, goat, cream, blue, mozzarella, swiss, brie, cream cheese, sour cream, parmesan, cottage cheese, etc.
- Nuts and seeds including cashews (in small amounts since they are higher carb than other nuts), hazelnuts, almonds, walnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, Brazilian nuts, flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, etc.
- Low Sugar Fruits, Mellons, and Berries including Lemon, lime, coconut, watermelon, cantaloupe, tomatoes, peaches, star fruit, pomegranate, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, etc.
- Low-carb vegetables including green onion (scallion) avocado, asparagus, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, cucumber, green beans, eggplant, kale, lettuce, olives, peppers (especially green), spinach, tomatoes, zucchini, mushrooms, zucchini, etc.
- Meats including red meat, steak, ham, sausage, bacon, chicken, turkey, lamb, eggs, etc.
- Seafood including salmon, trout, tuna, and mackerel, shrimp, crab, snapper, halibut, cod, catfish, scallops, etc.
- Seasonings and condiments including salt, pepper, herbs, and spices, garlic, Olive oil mayonnaise, mustard, unsweetened ketchup, oil-based salad dressings, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, etc.
- Healthy Oils including extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, and avocado oil
- Drinks including water, unsweetened tea, and unsweetened coffee, etc.
- Dark Chocolate & Cocoa Powder
- Keto Approved Snacks including fat bombs, No added sugar nut butters (including natural peanut butter), sugar-free jerky, dried seaweed, small amounts of air-popped popcorn, etc.
- Natural sweeteners including monk fruit, stevia, erythritol, Yacon Syrup, and xylitol
As you can see there are still a lot of great foods you can enjoy while on Keto. Of course, there are foods that are not on either list. This list is of common foods that many people eat. If the food you have a question about isn’t listed you can always do a quick google search.
When it comes to planning your meals and snacks, Just make sure that you are eating 70% Fats, 20% Protein, and 10% carbs for the Standard KETO diet.
Thankfully there are a lot of great Keto recipes available online which combine these approved ingredients into tasty healthy KETO approved meals and snacks.
If cooking KETO is overwhelming to you, then you can always order premade KETO meals and to-go snacks from Eat to Evolve. every week they make fresh healthy meals that they ship to your door. They have meals specifically for KETO and they are Delicious! Use code JULIA20 to save 20% off your order.
