Complete list of foods for the keto diet

The keto diet gets its name from the word ketosis. This condition is characterized by an increase in the level of ketone bodies in the body, which it later uses to maintain its own vital functions.

If a person does not receive enough carbohydrates from food, the liver begins to produce ketone bodies from fatty acids. They are an alternative source of energy. As a result, the balance of fats, proteins and carbohydrates changes, which allows you to start the process of burning fat in the body.

[Video] Dr. Berg - KETO DIET: what is the main advantage of the ketogenic diet? Why should you start?

Detailed descriptions of products for the keto diet

Meat

Meat
While unprocessed meat is low in carbohydrates and suitable for the keto diet, organic, grass-fed meat may be even healthier. It's worth remembering that the keto diet is a high-fat diet, not a high-protein diet, so you don't need huge amounts of meat. Excess protein (more than your body needs) is converted to glucose, which makes it harder for your body to enter a state of ketosis, so keep your meat portions small. Please note that processed meats (sausages, sausages, canned meats, ham, meatballs) contain a lot of carbohydrates and should be avoided.

Fish and seafood

Fish

Fish and seafood are ideal for a ketogenic diet, especially fatty fish such as salmon. However, avoid breading as it contains carbohydrates. Wild caught fish is best (scientific study).

Eggs

Eggs on a keto diet are suitable for consumption in any form - boiled, scrambled, scrambled. Buying organic or pastured eggs may be the healthiest option.

What to eat: menu for the week

I have made it easier for you to find recipes and have compiled a menu for the week. If desired, the ingredients can be changed and supplemented every day. This is one example of what you can eat. You have the right to create your own sheet or find other options on the Internet. The main thing is that you feel tasty, satisfying and comfortable.

Monday:

In the morning, 2 boiled eggs and armored coffee (with butter), a handful of nuts.
For lunch, 100 grams of fatty fish (mackerel, salmon, chum salmon, salmon) with a small bowl of vegetables seasoned with oil (broccoli, cauliflower, peppers or cucumbers).
For dinner, a salad of spinach, shrimp, avocado and cheese (sugar-free mustard and sour cream as a dressing) + minced pork cutlet.

Don't forget to drink water throughout the day.

Tuesday:

We start with scrambled eggs (3 eggs) in coconut oil with pieces of meat (for example, well-composed ham, bacon), and snack on a handful of cashews.
For lunch we try a Georgian dish - mushroom caps with cheese inside plus green vegetables.
In the evening I offer vegetable soup (without potatoes) with meat broth.

Oils and sauces

Don't be afraid to eat fat on a keto diet, most of your calories on a ketogenic diet should come from fat. Most likely, you will get the bulk of your fats from natural sources such as meat, fish, and eggs. However, also use oil in cooking: butter or coconut oil, you can add a lot of olive oil to salads. Sauces containing fat, such as béarnaise or garlic sauce, are allowed. Read our separate extensive article: fats on the keto diet, sauces and oils: what is possible?

Don't be afraid to eat fat on the keto diet (scientific study).

The best cauliflower recipes

Cauliflower is the most popular keto vegetable of all. Here are our best cauliflower recipes:

Broccoli and cauliflower in cheese

Broccoli and Cauliflower Casserole

Keto Cauliflower Puree

Cauliflower fritters

Cauliflower puree

Chicken curry with cauliflower

Vegetables

Vegetables are an excellent and tasty fat option to eat on a ketogenic diet, and they can be eaten fresh or frozen. Choose vegetables that grow above the ground (learn why here), especially leafy and green foods: cauliflower, cabbage, avocado, broccoli and zucchini. You can fry vegetables in butter, then add them to a salad dressed with olive oil. Vegetables add more variety, flavor, and color to your keto meals. Many people start eating more vegetables after being introduced to the keto diet, as vegetables replace pasta, rice and potatoes.

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Nightshades may cause problems for those struggling with an autoimmune disease. Some people are simply sensitive to them. A simple way to determine whether these foods are bad for you is to eliminate them for a period of several weeks to three months, and then introduce them into your diet one at a time and monitor how you feel. The vast majority of people do not have problems with nightshades. All of these vegetables are low in sugar, high in fiber, and provide plenty of imagination for those who like to come up with LCHF recipes. The only exception is potatoes. But we’ll talk about it separately in the “tuber crops” group. Here's a great recipe for eggplant with tahini for those who can eat nightshades.

Dairy

Butter and high-fat cheese are good for the keto diet, and high-fat yogurts can be consumed in moderation. Heavy cream is good for cooking. Avoid drinking milk, as it contains a lot of milk sugar (one glass of milk = 15 grams of carbohydrates), but you can add a small portion of milk to your coffee. Be sure to avoid caffe lattes (18 grams of carbohydrates). Also avoid low-fat yogurts because they often contain a lot of added sugar. Keep in mind that regularly snacking on cheese when you're not hungry is a common mistake that can slow down your weight loss process.

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If you don't want to fall out of ketosis, if your goal is to lose weight, if you have insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, diabetes or obesity, this group of vegetables is not for you. If you're at a stable weight, have high insulin sensitivity, and are keto-adapted, or you're healthy and pregnant/nursing and want potatoes until you cry, then a small amount of sweet potatoes, especially ones that have been cooked and left in the refrigerator overnight, won't kill you. But make kohlrabi fries instead of french fries.

Nuts

Nuts can be consumed in moderation on a keto diet, but be careful when using nuts as a snack as it is very easy to eat far more than you need to satisfy. Also keep in mind that cashews are relatively high in carbohydrates, with pecans, walnuts, coconut, almonds, hazelnuts, and macadamia nuts being the best options. Read our separate extensive article: nuts on a keto diet: which ones can you eat?

The best white cabbage recipes

Cabbage is another very versatile keto vegetable. Here are our best cabbage recipes:

Cabbage salad

Sausages with creamy cabbage

Cabbage casserole with minced meat

Cutlets with fried cabbage

Cabbage in creamy sauce

Indian fried cabbage

Berries

On a keto diet, low fructose berries are okay to eat in moderation. Berries with whipped cream are a popular keto dessert. Read our separate extensive article: fruits and berries on keto: which ones are possible?

As it is

The best option for eating vegetables on any diet and without following special nutritional rules is to eat vegetables fresh, raw! Of course, this only applies to those types of vegetables that do not require special processing before consumption. Fresh vegetables retain the maximum amount of useful microelements, vitamins, and bioactive substances.

Experts' opinion! Experts believe that the best vegetables are those grown in your own garden or organic vegetables purchased from a reliable source. [Source]

Frozen vegetables are just as good for a keto diet as fresh ones. It is only important that the freezing of vegetables is carried out in compliance with all the rules established for this event. In this case, vitamins and microelements will not be “suffered.”

Heat treatment, of course, helps reduce the saturation of vegetables with useful substances, but not too much. If there are no other options, then stewed, boiled, baked vegetables for keto are quite suitable.

Spices and seasonings

Spices
You can always: apple cider vinegar, Ceylon cinnamon, cilantro, cocoa powder, coconut aminos (if not intolerant), ginger, mustard, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sea salt, thyme, turmeric, vanilla pods.

Beware of added sugars and high glycemic sweeteners found in commercial spice or seasoning blends. Carefully study the composition of such seasonings; they should not contain additives such as sugar, milk powder, potato or corn starch, or monosodium glutamate. By the way, you can just as easily prepare any ready-made seasoning mixture yourself. Table salt often contains fillers and anti-caking agents that are not listed on the package, so it is better to choose sea or Himalayan pink salt.

Beverages

Water is the most basic drink on a keto diet; you can drink regular boiled or sparkling water. You can add natural flavors to your water drink, such as chopped cucumbers, lemons, or limes. If you're experiencing headaches or keto flu symptoms, add a little salt to your water.
Coffee - no added sugar, you can add a small amount of milk or cream. To get extra energy from fats, add butter or coconut oil to your coffee, check out our Bronecoffee recipe. Please note: If your weight loss slows down, reduce the amount of cream and butter in your coffee.
Tea is a good drink on a keto diet, whether it's black, green, mint or herbal tea, feel free to drink a variety of teas. Sugar should not be added to tea.
Bone Broth – Hearty, nutrient-dense, and easy to make, homemade bone broth is a great drink to drink on a ketogenic diet. Add a little butter to the broth for extra energy.

Read our separate extensive article: Keto Drinks: Best to Worst

Are nightshades bad for your health?

A universal formula for how to distinguish a low-carbohydrate - allowed - vegetable from a high-carbohydrate one: “grows above the surface of the earth.” Most nightshades are suitable for this. This:

eggplant
white potatoes (not sweet potatoes or sweet potatoes)
paprika
Bulgarian pepper
cayenne pepper
chili pepper (not black pepper)
tomatoes

Their inedible relative, belladonna, is a poisonous plant, and what many people deliberately poison themselves with every day is nicotine. Nightshades contain alkaloids (lectin, saponin and capsoicin), which the plant produces to protect against insects. Alas, some citizens are unlucky: like the caterpillar, eggplant makes them sick. Alkaloids can affect the functions of the neuromuscular and digestive systems in animals and humans, and negatively affect joint health. Nightshade vegetables contain low amounts of alkaloids compared to nightshade herbs, and cooking reduces the content of questionable substances by 40-50%. Some researchers believe that nightshade alkaloids contribute to excessive bone calcium loss and deposition in soft tissues. For this reason, it is recommended to exclude nightshades from the diet of patients with osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and gout. But there are no accurate and conclusive studies proving the effect of nightshades on joint diseases. What is known: Nightshades cause serious joint pain in horses and cows. However, avocado is toxic to horses, birds and cattle, but we can eat it as much as we like. No matter how much we sympathize with horses and humanize them, it is not at all necessary that their intolerance to nightshades automatically means that we should give up these vegetables.

For special occasions

You decide for yourself whether you should consume the following products or not. By consuming the following foods, your weight loss may slow down slightly.

Alcohol: preferably dry wine (dry red or white wine), champagne, whiskey, brandy, vodka and sugar-free cocktails. Read our separate extensive article: What kind of alcohol can you eat on a keto diet?

Dark chocolate : A small piece of dark chocolate with a cocoa content higher than 70% will definitely not hurt you. Try making a dish with a small portion of 85% chocolate grated on top of the berries with whipped cream. Read our separate extensive article: Keto snacks and snacks: what is possible?

List of prohibited foods on the ketogenic diet

Sugar is strictly prohibited on the keto diet. Avoid sugary sodas (Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Sprite, Fanta), fruit juices, sports drinks and vitamin water. Avoid sweets: candy, cakes, cookies, candy bars, donuts, ice cream and breakfast cereals. Read food labels for sugar content, especially in sauces, condiments and drinks. Honey and all kinds of syrups are also sugars. Ideally, try to avoid or limit artificial sweeteners

Starch. On a keto diet, you cannot eat foods containing starch - bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, chips, porridge, muesli, and so on. Avoid whole grains. Vegetable legumes in the form of grains or beans (peas, beans, soybeans, lentils) and in the form of green pods (green beans, peas) contain a lot of carbohydrates. Small quantities of certain root vegetables (other than potatoes) may be acceptable.

Beer is “liquid bread”; beer contains a lot of carbohydrates that are quickly absorbed by the body and is absolutely not suitable for the keto diet.

Fruits contain a lot of sugar and are not suitable for consumption on a ketogenic diet; treat fruits as negatively as you treat candy. Find out more about fruits in a separate article.

Margarine is a commercially produced imitation butter that is very high in omega-6 fat. We advise you to avoid margarine on a keto diet; it has no obvious health benefits. In addition, many people believe that margarine tastes worse than butter. High omega-6 content may cause the development of asthma, allergies, and inflammatory diseases (scientific study).

Keto sandwich with poached egg, avocado and salmon

Sandwiches for breakfast are always very convenient, quick and satisfying. A poached egg paired with avocado and salmon on keto toast turns an ordinary sandwich into a complete, nutritious breakfast.

To prepare you will need:

Chicken egg - 4 pcs.
Keto bread - 4 slices
Salmon-4 slices
Avocado-1 pc.
Vinegar-1 tbsp.
Lemon juice-1 tbsp.
Greens to taste
Salt, pepper to taste

KBJU of ready-made keto sandwich with poached egg, avocado and salmon (per 100 g)

Calorie content	176.6 kcal
Squirrels	8.5 g
Fats	12.3 g
Carbohydrates	7.4 g

Preparation

Peel, chop and puree the avocado using a blender until smooth, adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.
Boil water in a saucepan. Add 1 tablespoon of vinegar. Reduce the heat, but do not turn it off. Break eggs one at a time into boiling water and cook for 3 minutes.
Place the finished poached eggs on a plate.
In a dry frying pan, brown the keto bread slices.
Spread chopped avocado on each slice of bread. Next, place a slice of salmon and a poached egg on top. Add salt, pepper and herbs.

Eat natural food!

Focus on minimally processed, good quality natural foods! Ideally, the products you buy should not even contain a list of ingredients, or the list should be short.

Industrially unprocessed natural food is what our ancestors have eaten for millions of years, and what the human body has evolved to adapt to. Processed foods, such as refined carbohydrates, increase the rate of absorption and reduce the amount of nutrients in the food. Thus, we get food that is unnatural for our body. And thus, there is a risk of side effects for health.

How low carb is the keto diet?

Keto is a low-carb diet, not a no-carb diet. So how many carbs can you eat in a day? Allowed consumption ranges from zero carbohydrates to 100 grams per day. For maximum weight loss benefits, it is recommended to stay below 20 grams per day . Below are three examples of what a plate of food might look like depending on how many carbs you eat per day.

Type of plate with food depending on the amount of carbohydrates in grams

How much fat should you eat on a keto diet?

The body has two main sources of energy: carbohydrates and fats. Remove most carbohydrates and the body switches to burning fat for energy. Fat burning comes from your body's fat stores and fat from your food (such as butter or olive oil). How much fat should you eat? It is necessary to focus on your well-being and evaluate the satisfaction of your feeling of hunger. Eating too much fat will slow down your weight loss, but consuming too little fat will leave you feeling tired and hungry. Take as much fat as you need to feel good.