Being on a diet isn’t the easiest thing in the world, especially when you don’t know what you should eat. I’ve put together this ketogenic diet food list to help people out there make decisions on what they are eating and shopping for.
I tried to be as comprehensive as possible, but if I am missing something please let me know in the comments below! We now have a forum to help support people, and answer any questionsthat you may have (new or old): Join Ketogenic Living!
Fats and Oils
Fats will be the majority of your daily calorie intake when you are on a ketogenic diet, so choices should be made with your own digestion system in mind. Fats are very important to our bodies, but they can also be dangerous if you are consuming the wrong types of fats. You can see a more in depth post on fats here: The Importance of Fats in a Ketogenic Diet
You want to have a balance between your Omega-3’s and Omega-6’s, so eating things like wildsalmon, tuna, trout, and shellfish can help provide a balanced diet of Omega-3’s.
If you don’t like fish, or just prefer not to eat it, I suggest taking a small fish oil supplement. You can also take krill oil for Omega-3’s if you are allergic. If you want to know more about essential fatty acids and omegas on a ketogenic diet, you can visit: Essential Fatty Acids: Omega 3 and Omega 6
Saturated and monounsaturated fats such as butter, macadamia nuts, avocado, egg yolks, and coconut oil are more chemically stable and less inflammatory to most people, so they are preferred.
Fats and oils can be combined in a number of different ways to add to your meals – sauces, dressings, or just simple topping off a piece of meat with butter.
Try to avoid any hydrogenated fats, such as margarine, to minimize your trans fat intake. There have been studies linking it to higher chances of coronary heart disease. If you’re using vegetable oils (olive, soybean, flax, or safflower) choose the “cold pressed” options if they are available.
If you tend to fry things up, try to go after non-hydrogenated lards, beef tallow, ghee, or coconut oil, since they have higher smoke points than other oils. This allows less oxidization of the oils, which means you get more Essential Fatty Acids.
Keep an eye on your intake for nut or seed based foods, as they can be quite high in inflammatory Omega-6’s – these include things like almonds, walnuts, pine nuts, sunflower oil and corn oil.
Some ketogenic diet foods that are great for fats and oils (organic and grass-fed sources are preferred):
- Avocado
- Beef tallow
- Butter
- Chicken Fat
- Ghee
- Non-hydrogenated Lard
- Macadamia Nuts
- Mayonnaise (watch out for added carbs)
- Olive Oil
- Coconut Oil
- Coconut Butter
- Red Palm Oil
- Peanut Butter
Protein
Your best bet when it comes to protein is choosing anything organic or grass fed, and using free-range eggs. This will minimize your bacteria and steroid hormone intake.
- Fish. Preferably eating anything that is caught wild like catfish, cod, flounder, halibut, mackerel, mahi-mahi, salmon, snapper, trout, and tuna.
- Shellfish. Clams, oysters, lobster, crab, scallops, mussels, and squid.
- Whole Eggs. Try to get them free-range from the local market if possible. You can prepare them in a number of different ways like fried, deviled, boiled, poached, and scrambled.
- Meat. Beef, Veal, Goat, Lamb, and other wild game. Grass fed is preferred as it has a better fatty acid count.
- Pork. Pork loin, pork chops, and ham. Watch out for added sugars in ham.
- Poultry. Chicken, Duck, Quail, Pheasant. Free range or organic is the best choice here if possible.
- Bacon and Sausage. Check labels for anything cured in sugar, or if it contains extra fillers.
- Peanut Butter. Go for natural peanut butter, but be careful as they have high counts of Omega-6’s and carbohydrates. Try to opt for macadamia nut butter if you can.
| Ketogenic Diet Protein Source | Calories | Fats (g) | Net Carbs (g) | Protein (g) |
| Bacon, 1 slice (~ 8g), baked | 44 | 3.5 | 0 | 2.9 |
| Beef, Sirloin Steak, 1 ounce, broiled | 69 | 4 | 0 | 7.7 |
| Beef, Ground, 5% fat, 1 ounce, broiled | 44 | 1.7 | 0 | 6.7 |
| Beef, Ground, 15% fat, 1 ounce, broiled | 70 | 4.3 | 0 | 7.2 |
| Beef, Ground, 30% fat, 1 ounce, broiled | 77 | 5.1 | 0 | 7.1 |
| Beef, Bottom Round, 1 ounce, roasted | 56 | 2.7 | 0 | 7.6 |
| Chicken, white meat, 1 ounce | 49 | 1.3 | 0 | 8.8 |
| Chicken, dark meat, 1 ounce | 58 | 2.8 | 0 | 7.8 |
| Egg, 1 large, 50 g | 72 | 4.8 | 0.4 | 6.3 |
| Fish, Raw, Cod, 1 ounce | 20 | 0.1 | 0 | 4.3 |
| Fish, Raw, Flounder, 1 ounce | 20 | 0.6 | 0 | 3.5 |
| Fish, Raw, Sole, 1 ounce | 20 | 0.6 | 0 | 3.5 |
| Fish, Raw, Salmon, 1 ounce | 40 | 1.8 | 0 | 5.6 |
| Ham, smoked, 1 ounce | 50 | 2.6 | 0 | 6.4 |
| Hot dog, beef, 1 ounce | 92 | 8.5 | 0.5 | 3.1 |
| Lamb, ground, 1 ounce, broiled | 80 | 5.6 | 0 | 7 |
| Lamb chop, boneless, 1 ounce, broiled | 67 | 3.9 | 0 | 7.3 |
| Pork chop, bone-in, 1 ounce, broiled | 65 | 4.1 | 0 | 6.7 |
| Pork ribs, ribs, 1 ounce, roasted | 102 | 8.3 | 0 | 6.2 |
| Scallops, 1 ounce, steamed | 31 | 0.2 | 1.5 | 5.8 |
| Shrimp, 1 ounce, cooked | 28 | 0.1 | 0 | 6.8 |
| Tuna, 1 ounce, cooked | 52 | 1.8 | 0 | 8.5 |
| Turkey Breast, 1 ounce, roasted | 39 | 0.6 | 0 | 8.4 |
| Veal, roasted, 1 ounce | 42 | 1 | 0 | 8 |
Vegetables
On a ketogenic diet, try to go after vegetables that are grown above ground and are leafy greens. If you can, opt for organic as there’s less pesticide residues, but if you can’t then don’t worry. Studies show that organic and non-organic vegetables still have the same nutritional qualities.
Vegetables are an extremely important part of a healthy diet, but sometimes we’re stuck with decisions we might regret later. Some vegetables are high in sugar and don’t cut it nutritionally – so we need to ween them out. The best type of vegetables for a ketogenic diet are high in nutrients and low in carbohydrates. These, as most of you can guess, are dark and leafy. Anything that resembles spinach or kale will fall into this category, and will be the best thing to include into anything you can.
To see a full list of low carb vegetables you can view my post here: Best Low Carb Vegetables
| Ketogenic Diet Vegetable Source | Calories | Fats (g) | Net Carbs (g) | Protein (g) |
| Asparagus, cooked, 1 ounce | 6 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 0.7 |
| Avocado, 1 ounce | 47 | 4.4 | 0.6 | 0.6 |
| Broccoli, chopped, cooked, 1 ounce | 10 | 0.1 | 1.1 | 0.7 |
| Carrots, baby, 1 ounce, raw | 10 | 0 | 1.5 | 0.01 |
| Cauliflower, chopped, cooked, 1 ounce | 7 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| Celery, 1 ounce, raw | 5 | 0 | 0.3 | 0.7 |
| Cucumber, 1 ounce, raw | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0.2 |
| Garlic, 1 clove (3 grams) | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0.2 |
| Green beans, cooked, 1 ounce | 10 | 0.1 | 1.3 | 0.5 |
| Mushrooms, button, 1 ounce, raw | 6 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 0.9 |
| Onion, green, 1 ounce, chopped, raw | 9 | 0 | 1.3 | 0.5 |
| Onion, white, 1 ounce, chopped, raw | 11 | 0 | 2.1 | 0.3 |
| Bell Pepper, Green, 1 ounce, raw | 6 | 0 | 0.8 | 0.2 |
| Pickles, dill, 1 ounce | 3 | 0 | 0.4 | 0.2 |
| Romaine lettuce, 1 ounce | 5 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Butterhead lettuce, 1 ounce | 4 | 0.06 | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Shallots, raw, 1 ounce | 20 | 0 | 3.9 | 0.7 |
| Snow peas, 1 ounce, cooked | 24 | 0 | 2.8 | 1.5 |
| Spinach, 1 ounce, raw | 7 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.8 |
| Squash, Acorn, baked, 1 ounce | 16 | 0 | 2.9 | 0.3 |
| Squash, Butternut, baked, 1 ounce | 11 | 0 | 2.1 | 0.3 |
| Squash, Spaghetti, 1 ounce, cooked | 8 | 0.1 | 1.4 | 0.2 |
| Tomato, raw, 1 ounce | 5 | 0 | 0.8 | 0.3 |
Dairy Products
Raw and organic milk products are preferred here. Choose full fat everything over low fat or fat free.
- Heavy Whipping Cream
- Hard and soft cheeses – (Cheddar, Mozzarella, Cream Cheese, Marscapone Cheese, etc.)
- Sour Cream
- Cottage Cheese
| Ketogenic Diet Diary Source | Calories | Fats (g) | Net Carbs (g) | Protein (g) |
| Buttermilk, whole, 1 ounce | 18 | 0.9 | 1.4 | 0.9 |
| Cheese, Blue, 1 ounce | 100 | 8.2 | 0.7 | 6.1 |
| Cheese, Brie, 1 ounce | 95 | 7.9 | 0.1 | 5.9 |
| Cheese, Cheddar, 1 ounce | 114 | 9.4 | 0.4 | 7.1 |
| Cheese, Colby, 1 ounce | 110 | 9 | 0.7 | 6.7 |
| Cheese, Cottage, 2%, 1 ounce | 24 | 0.7 | 1 | 3.3 |
| Cheese, Cream, block, 1 ounce | 97 | 9.7 | 1.1 | 1.7 |
| Cheese, Feta, 1 ounce | 75 | 6 | 1.2 | 4 |
| Cheese, Monterey Jack, 1 ounce | 106 | 8.6 | 0.2 | 7 |
| Cheese, Mozzarella, whole milk, 1 oz | 85 | 6.3 | 0.6 | 6.3 |
| Cheese, Parmesan, hard, 1 ounce | 111 | 7.3 | 0.9 | 10.1 |
| Cheese, Swiss, 1 ounce | 108 | 7.9 | 1.5 | 7.6 |
| Cheese, Marscapone, 1 ounce | 130 | 13 | 1 | 1 |
| Cream, half-n-half, 1 ounce | 39 | 3.5 | 1.3 | 0.9 |
| Cream, heavy, 1 ounce | 103 | 11 | 0.8 | 0.6 |
| Cream, Sour, full fat, 1 ounce | 55 | 5.6 | 0.8 | 0.6 |
| Milk, whole, 1 ounce | 19 | 1 | 1.5 | 1 |
| Milk, 2%, 1 ounce | 15 | 0.6 | 1.5 | 1 |
| Milk, skim, 1 ounce | 10 | 0 | 1.5 | 1 |
Nuts and Seeds
Nuts and seeds are best when they are roasted to remove any anti-nutrients. Try to avoid peanuts if possible, as they are actually legumes which are not highly permitted in the ketogenic diet food list.
- Macadamias, walnuts and almondsare the best in terms of your carb count and can be eaten in small amounts.
- Cashews and pistachios are higher in carbs, so make sure you track these carefully.
- Nuts are high in Omega-6 Fatty Acids, so try to be careful with over consumption.
- Nut and seed flours, such as almond flour and milled flax seed are great to substitute for regular flour. This means baking can be done in moderation.
| Ketogenic Diet Nuts/Seed Source | Calories | Fats (g) | Net Carbs (g) | Protein (g) |
| Almonds, raw, 1 ounce | 170 | 15 | 3 | 6 |
| Brazil Nuts, raw, 1 ounce | 186 | 19 | 1 | 4 |
| Cashews, raw, 1 ounce | 160 | 13 | 7 | 5 |
| Chestnuts, raw, 1 ounce | 55 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| Chia Seeds, raw, 1 ounce | 131 | 10 | 0 | 7 |
| Coconut, dried, unsweetened, 1 ounce | 65 | 6 | 2 | 1 |
| Flax Seeds, raw, 1 ounce | 131 | 10 | 0 | 7 |
| Hazelnuts, raw, 1 ounce | 176 | 17 | 2 | 4 |
| Madadamia Nuts, raw, 1 ounce | 203 | 21 | 2 | 2 |
| Peanuts, raw, 1 ounce | 157 | 13 | 3 | 7 |
| Pecans, raw, 1 ounce | 190 | 20 | 1 | 3 |
| Pine Nuts, raw, 1 ounce | 189 | 20 | 3 | 4 |
| Pistachios, raw, 1 ounce | 158 | 13 | 5 | 6 |
| Pumpkin Seeds, raw, 1 ounce | 159 | 14 | 1 | 8 |
| Sesame Seeds, raw, 1 ounce | 160 | 14 | 4 | 5 |
| Sunflower Seeds, raw, 1 ounce | 150 | 11 | 4 | 3 |
| Walnuts, raw, 1 ounce | 185 | 18 | 2 | 4 |
Beverages
Drink liquids day and night, drink it like it’s going out of fashion.The ketogenic diet has a natural diuretic effect, so dehydration is common for most people starting out. If you’re prone to urinary tract infections or bladder pain, you have to be doubly prepared.
Those 8 glasses of water we are supposed to drink a day? We suggest drinking those, and then some. Water plays a substantial role in our body (considering it’s made up of 2/3 water), and it’s extremely important to keep hydrated.
- Water, water, water. Drink plenty.
- Coffee
- Tea (Herbal and non)
- If needed, you can get flavor packets such as crystal lite, but be careful with these as they do use sweeteners and can contain carbs.
Very informative blog. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDelete