Wondering what you can eat on a Ketogenic Diet?
This food list is meant to be a comprehensive resource for you. If you see something missing off this list, please comment and let me know.
Once I feel it is as complete as possible, I'll turn it into a printable for you to download 🙂
Dairy
Dairy will be ok for some people and not for others. Read labels carefully and avoid high carb dairy.
- Butter or Ghee
- Heavy Whipping Cream
- Sour Cream (Full fat)
- Whole Milk Cottage Cheese
- Whole Milk Yogurt
- Keifer (Plain & Homemade)
- Blue Cheese
- Cheddar Cheese
- Cream Cheese
- Farmer Cheese
- Feta Cheese
- Goat Cheese
- Gorgonzola Cheese
- Muenster Cheese
- Mozzarella Cheese
- Parmesan Cheese
- Any other zero or low carb cheese.
** Dairy does have carbs. Make sure you're buying Plain dairy and read the labels and the ingredient list. Look for the lowest carb content possible and eat in moderation. Avoid milk.
Meat
We prefer grass-fed, humanely raised meat. Consider that conventionally raised meat is fed GMO's and environments are not always healthy. It's important to do your own research here and make an educated decision.
We recommend:
- Prudent Produce (Central Iowa)
- Use the code wholebodyliving to sign up and save $2 off each produce box you get!
- Butcherbox (mail order grass fed meats)
- Beef
- Bacon, ham, sausage (Check the labels for hidden added sugars on these products. Carbs should be 1 or less per serving. Purchase nitrate and nitrite free. Watch for hidden fillers. Read the ingredient list)
- Pork (NOT farmed Pork)
- Lamb
- Buffalo
- Chicken
- Turkey
- Duck
- Salami
- Prosciutto
- Quail
- Pheasant
- Hen
- Veal
- Venison
- Organ Meats
Seafood
- Tuna
- Trout
- Anchovies
- Bass
- Flounder
- Mackerel
- Salmon
- Sardines
Nuts & Seeds
- Almonds
- Brazil Nuts
- Cashews*
- Chestnuts*
- Chia Seeds
- Coconut
- Flax Seed
- Hazelnuts
- Macadamia
- Pecans
- Pine Nuts
- Pistachio*
- Walnuts
- Sunflower Seeds
- Pumpkin Seeds
- Sesame Seeds
- Nut butters* (watch for added sugars)
Flours & Fibers
- Almond Flour
- Coconut Flour
- Coffee Flour
- Hazelnut Flour
- Pumpkin Seed Flour
- Sunflower Seed Flour
- Other low carb nut flours (Comment if you have a suggestion!)
- Ground Flax Seed (Flax meal)
- Whole Flax Seeds
- Chia Seeds
- Acacia Fiber
- Psyllium Husk Powder (Organic)
- MCT Powder
Sweeteners
Sweeteners to avoid include Splenda (Sucralose), Equal (Aspartame)
Read the ingredient list before purchasing any sweetener. Some are mixed with "fillers" such as maltodextrin which is a corn by-product and should be avoided. See "Food Additives To Avoid"
- Allulose
- Bocha Sweet
- Erithrytol
- Stevia Drops
- Stevia Packets
- Monk Fruit Sweetener
- Xylitol (Highly toxic to pets in low doses)
- Swerve Sweetener
- Lakanto Blend with Monk Fruit & Erithrytol
- Lakanto Sugar Free Maple Syrup
Note: I recommend you avoid the sugar-free syrup in the grocery store loaded down with harmful artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, sucralose and others. More and more research is coming to light about how harmful these are to our bodies. To learn more and dive deeper into good options, take a peek at my Sugar Substitute Guide.
Baking & Pantry Staples
- Baking Soda
- Cream of Tartar
- Baking Powder (without corn startch)
- Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
- Ground Psyllium Husks (Organic)
Note: Baking Powder is not Keto. It contains either Cornstartch or another grain filler. However, because there's such a small amount in recipes, I generally let this slide. If you are following VERY strict keto, you may want to omit it.
Learn how to make your own baking powder at home with 4 different methods here:
Condiments/Cooking Ingredients
- Avocado Oil Mayonnaise (avoid Canola oil and vegetable oil in mayo for optimal health)
- Vinegar (White)
- Salsa*
- Tamari Soy Sauce
- Mustard
- Pesto
- Sauerkraut
- Kimchi
- Olives
- Lemon Juice
- Tomato Sauce **
- Bone Broth
- Broth
- Beef Jerky
- Homemade Salad Dressing
- Spices & Herbs
- Apple Cider Vinegar (Raw, with "The Mother"
- Unsweetened Mustard
- Pickles (no carb)
- Pepperocinis
- Banana Peppers
- Garlic
Fats
- Butter (organic)
- Coconut Cream
- Coconut Oil
- Coconut Manna
- Avocado Oil
- Chicken Fat
- Duck Fat
- Ghee
- Olive Oil
- Lard
- Macadamia Nut Oil
- Tallow
- Walnut Oil
- MCT Oil
Eggs
Veggies
- Artichokes
- Bean sprouts
- Brussel Sprouts
- Broccoli
- Cabbage
- Carrots*
- Cauliflower
- Chives
- Cucumber
- Edamame
- Eggplant
- Fresh Herbs
- Fennel
- Leek
- Lettuce & Leafy greens
- Mushrooms
- Olives
- Onions
- Peppers
- Rhubarb
- Tomatoes
- Turnips
- Zucchini
Fruit
- Avocados
- Berries
Drinks
Use items from the fats & sweeteners list on this list for your drinks. Use your favorite Young Living Vitality Essential oils to add flavor to your drinks. Use approved sweeteners sparingly.
- Water
- Sparkling Water
- Unsweetened Coffee/Espresso
- Unsweetened Tea
- Bone Broth
- Broth
- Lemon Juice
- Apple Cider Vinegar (Raw)
Alcohol**
- Dry Red Wine
- Dry White Wine
- Dry Champagne
- Liquor (Not sweetened liquor!)
The best place to get wine is through Dry Farm Wines. Use my link for a penny bottle. We love them because they have sugar free wines that are tested to make sure they are pure and have no residual sugars.
Note:
* foods are a little higher carb and should be consumed in moderation. Some of these foods also tend to have 'sugar' added to them so read your labels and especially the ingredient list and choose wisely
**Foods are better when in maintenance mode. Avoid during the first 6 weeks.
Lisa Dessi says
what about Birch Benders Magic Syrup classic maple keto and paleo friendly 0 sugar 1 carb 0 calorie ingredients are; water,natural flavor cellulose gum, lactic acid ,monk fruit, xanthan gum .
Joel Harmon says
Hi Tara, two things:
My favorite Mayo, Best Foods has canola oil, (a no- no) so I‘d suggest Either ‘homemade’ or a mayo made with avocado oil I guess; and
I was looking for almond butter and they all had ‘palm oil’ another no-no) so maybe suggest nut butters with ingredients, “Almonds, Salt.” ; and
Give berries an * I know I can’t just eat the entire carton of blueberries in on sitting. (Unfortunately)
(maybe list the different types of berries)
What about pomegranates? I don’t even know if they are Keto friendly.
Thanks!
-Joel
Larinzo Emerson says
As far as seafood, can you eat crab meat and tilapia?
Tara Wright, CHC, MBA says
Yes, just make sure it's REAL crab and not the imitation stuff because it's made from.... you guessed it...carbs!
Also, make sure you've got some healthy fats in there as these are both low fat seafood choices.
Dee MacDonald says
Jicama, I think, should be on the veggie list??
Please send list as a printable when you have completed it. Thanks.
Tara Wright, CHC, MBA says
Great suggestion! I am planning on making this a printable list in the next month!
Afsaneh says
i second that! please make the list printable:)
Jeremy Wright says
That's in Day 1 of the challenge 🙂
Dana says
You may already have this included on the food list (and hopefully it's a good, healthy choice) but what about Rutabaga? I just bought some prepared diced Rutabaga from my grocery store and it gives directions to toss it in olive oil and roast it in the oven. Seems like maybe a good choice? My husband and I have added this in keto soup before also and hopefully was a good swap for potatoes.
Tara Wright, CHC, MBA says
Dana... How did the Rutabaga turn out??