The keto diet has gained a lot of popularity in recent years with no signs of going anywhere any time soon.
What is the keto diet, and what can you eat (and not eat) if you choose to follow this type of eating style?
On a keto diet, you’ll eat low-carb, high-fat foods like meat, eggs, cheese, nuts, seeds, and non-starchy vegetables while avoiding high-carb foods like grains, fruit, legumes, starchy vegetables, and anything sweetened with large amounts of regular sugar.
We’ve made some handy charts summarizing what foods you can eat and not eat on keto, so keep reading if you want to learn more!
What is the keto diet?
A keto diet is a very low-carbohydrate diet that is very high in fat. At least 70% of your total calories will typically come from fat on a keto diet, which means you’d eat around 156 grams of fat on a 2,000-calorie diet (but the fat content of keto diets can vary a bit).
What are carbohydrates (carbs), anyway? Carbohydrates are one of the main nutrients your body uses for energy (along with fat and protein). Carbs are found in the highest amounts in fruit, grains, legumes, dairy products like milk and yogurt, starchy vegetables like potatoes and legumes, and anything sweetened with regular sweeteners – sugary drinks, desserts, candy, etc.
If you’re on a keto diet, you’ll need to limit your total carbohydrate intake to 50 grams or fewer per day and aim to get most of your calories from fat. Some keto dieters keep their carbohydrate intake even lower than 50 grams per day.
What’s the point of keto?
The premise of the keto diet is to switch your metabolism into a state called ketosis, which is when it burns fat for fuel instead of carbs. Being in ketosis can improve blood sugar levels in some cases, and many people look to the keto diet for weight loss.
If you’re thinking about trying a keto diet, you should speak with your healthcare provider first, since there are pros and cons with keto.
What about net carbs?
You might have heard of the term ‘net carbs’ before. Net carbs are found by subtracting fiber from the total carbohydrates, which gives you the net carb amount.
Fiber isn’t absorbed by your body, so it doesn’t impact your blood sugar levels or state of ketosis like other carbs (starch and sugar). That’s why keto dieters rely on net carbs more than total carbs, and choosing fiber-rich carbs can help reduce their net carb content.
What can you eat on keto?
If you’re on keto, prepare to eat fat – and a lot of it! Your body will need to burn fat for energy in place of carbs, so eating enough fat helps create the necessary fat stores for ketosis to occur.
Here is a summary of some of the main food categories and which foods are keto-friendly.
Note: This list isn’t exhaustive, but summarizes major groups of foods and drinks that can generally be included in a keto diet. Keep in mind that eating a large portion of keto-friendly foods (such as lower-sugar fruits) can put you out of ketosis if you exceed your daily carb goal.
| Food Group | Keto-friendly foods |
| Meat/protein | All types of meat are keto-friendly, including beef, eggs, pork, poultry, fish, shellfish, etc. Tofu (made from soybeans) is also keto-friendly. |
| Grains | Most grains are excluded from keto because they’re high in carbs. Look for low-carb versions of grains like keto-friendly bread, which often contains low-carb flours like almond flour and coconut flour |
| Vegetables | Most non-starchy vegetables are considered keto-friendly, such as leafy green vegetables (spinach, romaine lettuce, etc), green beans, cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini, etc. |
| Fruit | Portion control is important with fruit, but some fruits are keto-friendly when eaten in moderation such as avocados, blueberries, coconut, strawberries, lemons, tomatoes, raspberries, peaches, cantaloupe, star fruit, and blackberries. |
| Fats/oils | Any pure fat is keto-friendly, e.g. butter, ghee, coconut oil, vegetable oils like olive and canola oils |
| Nuts and seeds | Most nuts and seeds are keto-friendly (see the next chart for a few exceptions); most unsweetened nut butters; peanuts & peanut butter are keto-friendly despite technically being legumes. |
| Dairy | Cheese, butter, cream, half and half, cream cheese, cottage cheese; plain Greek yogurt in moderation (preferably full-fat) |
| Drinks | Water, unsweetened teas and coffee, low-carb milk like unsweetened almond milk and coconut milk, drinks with artificial sweeteners or sugar alcohols (sugar-free drinks), certain wines with low sugar content |
| Desserts | Low-carb desserts are made with sugar alcohols or artificial sweeteners such as xylitol, a keto-favorite. Non-caloric sweeteners like stevia, sugar alcohols, stevia, etc. are keto-friendly. |
What can’t you eat on keto?
Foods to avoid on keto contain carbs, such as grains, fruit, starchy vegetables, regular sweeteners, and a few others.
Note: This list isn’t exhaustive, but summarizes major groups of foods and drinks that should be avoided on keto.
| Food Group | Foods to avoid on keto |
| Meat/protein | None – meat isn’t a source of carbs! (Watch out for breaded meats though, since bread contains carbs!) |
| Grains | Bread (most types; wheat, rye, potato bread, most gluten-free breads), barley, pasta, tortillas, muffins, rice, pseudograins like quinoa, oatmeal, cereals, etc. |
| Vegetables | Higher-carb/starchy vegetables like potatoes (regular and sweet), corn, legumes, beets. |
| Fruit | Most types of fruit, including fresh, dried, and frozen; eating some fruit in moderation is okay (see chart on ‘foods to eat’ for lower-carb options) |
| Fats/oils | None |
| Nuts & seeds | Pistachios, chestnuts, and cashews are higher in carbs than most nuts, so watch your portion size with these. Sweetened nut butters Chocolate-covered or sweetened nuts (watch out for honey-roasted versions!) aren’t likely to be keto-friendly because of the added sugar content. |
| Dairy | Regular cow’s milk, ice cream, frozen yogurt, gelato, yogurt |
| Drinks | Sugar-sweetened beverages (soda, sweetened tea, etc), coffee drinks made with cow’s milk, high-carb grain-based non-dairy milks, sweetened dairy and non-dairy milk alternatives, beer (higher in carbs than wine and hard alcohol) |
| Desserts | Most regular desserts including dairy desserts, pies, cakes, cookies, muffins, etc. All regular sweeteners (table sugar, honey, agave, etc.) |
FAQs:
Meat, eggs, non-starchy vegetables, nuts, seeds, and fats like butter and oil are generally fine to eat in keto without concern for their portion size.
Most grains (bread, cereals, rice, oats, etc), large portions of fruit, starchy veggies like potatoes, dairy products like milk and some yogurts, and anything sweetened with large amounts of regular sugar generally isn’t compatible with a keto diet.
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