(What to eat and what to avoid)
A keto diet is recognised for being a very low carb diet, in which the body produces ketones in the liver to be utilised as energy. It’s known as many distinct titles — ketogenic diet, low carb diet, low carb high fat (LCHF), etc..
By now we know that the body uses fat stores for energy due to a lack of glucose from carbohydrates.
Keto meals are based around meats, poultry, fish, eggs, higher-fat dairy (like butter, cheese, and cream), healthy fats (like oils, nuts, seeds, and avocados), and vegetables that are low in carbohydrates (like green vegetables, tomatoes, onions, squash, peppers, etc.). All starchy vegetables, grains, fruits, dairy such as milk and yogurt, natural and refined sugars and sweeteners – or anything that would increase carb intake to above 5 percent of calories – should be avoided.
How do you know, the KETO macros ratio?
What to eat and how much to eat?
The exact amounts of fat, carbs, and protein (also known as ‘macros’) you need to eat in order to get into ketosis will vary from person-to-person. Keto, for weight loss restricts to to around 20 to 25 grams of carbs a day.The amount of macronutrients needed depends on your body weight, so it differs dramatically for every person.
It can be easily calculated via a KETO macronutrient calculator.
KETO DIET food list (Permissible food list) in a go:
- Non-Starchy Vegetables
- Berries
- Meats
- Organ Meats
- Peas and green beans
- Healthy Fats (e.g., ghee, coconut oil, olive oil, etc.)
- Limes and lemons
- Nut butters and nut milks
- Bone broth
- Gelatin
- Vinegars
- Shellfish and other seafood
- Nuts and Seeds
- Herbs and Spices
- Fish
- Avocado
- Olives
- Coffee
- Tea
- Coconut
- Eggs
- Stevia
- Mustards
EDITOR’s NOTE: Use this very useful resource, 3-2-1 keto meal plans, which provide you customised keto meal plans, shopping lists, and delicious recipes that include not too many ingredients, keeping it low budget too.
Preparing weekly grocery lists can be tough, especially when you are on a diet. Wracking your brain on what is permissible and what is not. So we simplified it for you.
Go through this very comprehensive guide that may help you choose the right keto foods to prepare grocery lists, and menu for breakfast lunch and dinner.
Keto VEGETABLES : Try to stick to green leafy vegetables and avoid root vegetables to keep your daily carbohydrate intake low.
Arugula (Rocket) Artichokes Asparagus
Bok Choy Broccoli
Brussels Sprouts Butterhead Lettuce Cabbage
Carrots Cauliflower
Celery
Chard
Chicory Greens Chives
Cucumber Dandelion Greens Eggplant (Aubergine) Endives
Fennel
Garlic
Jicama
Kale
Kohlrabi
Leeks
Leafy Greens (Various Kinds)
Mushrooms (All Kinds) Mustard Greens
Okra
Olive
Onions
Parsley
Peppers (All Kinds) Pumpkin Radicchio Radishes
Rhubarb
Romaine Lettuce
Scallion
Seaweed (All Sea Vegetables) Shallots Spaghetti Squash Spinach
Swiss Chard Tomatoes Turnip Greens Watercress Zucchini
FERMENTED VEGETABLES Kimchi Sauerkraut
FRUITS
Most fruits are off limits on a ketogenic diet. Some small amounts of berries are considered ok, but watch how much you eat!
Avocado Blackberry Blueberry
Cranberry Lemon Lime
Raspberry Strawberry Olives
MEATS
Beef Pork
Bison Quail Chicken Rabbit
Deer Reindeer Duck Sheep
Elk Turkey
Goat Veal
Goose Wild Boar Lamb Wild Turkey Pheasant
Fish is highly nutritious, but buy wild-caught fish whenever possible. You can buy this fresh or frozen or even canned (choose fish canned in water or olive oil).
Anchovies
Bass
Cod
Eel
Flounder Haddock Halibut Herring Mackerel
Mahi Mahi Mackerel Orange Roughy
Perch
Red Snapper
Rockfish
Salmon (including Smoked Salmon) Sardines
Tilapia
Tuna (including Albacore)
Sole
Grouper
Turbot
Trout
Shark
FATS
Fats play a huge part in the ketogenic diet (they make up the majority of your calorie intake), so make sure you’re taking in plenty of healthy fats.
Avocado Oil Ghee Coconut Oil Lard
Tallow
Olive Oil Macadamia Oil Red Palm Oil
Duck Fat
Coconut Butter
Cocoa Butter
Walnut Oil (small amounts) Sesame Oil (small amounts) MCT Oil
NUTS AND SEEDS
Palm Shortening
Duck Fat
Coconut Butter
Cocoa Butter
Walnut Oil (small amounts) Sesame Oil (small amounts) MCT Oil
Almonds Hazelnuts Macadamias Pecans
Pine Nuts Pistachios Pumpkin Seeds Flax Seeds
Psyllium Seeds Hemp Seeds Sesame Seeds Sunflower Seeds Walnuts Cashews
Chia Seeds
Various Nut Butters
EDITOR’S NOTE: If you want to make you Keto drill easy, enjoyable, and low on budget we recommend ‘The Essential Keto Cookbook’ as a very useful resource.