15 Tasty Foods To Eat From the Ketogenic Diet Food List

 

How I Lost 22 Pounds in 60 Days and Never Got Hungry
Using My Ketogenic Diet Food List

I talk a lot about becoming the person of your dreams, fulfilling your destiny, being happy with your self and your life. Those are all important to living your American dream. But there is another aspect to the American dream that affects a lot of people and that’s being healthy. To help me with that I added an Ketogenic Diet Food List to my important things that affect my american dream. You can download the PDF form of the keto list here.

One day I woke up 35 pounds over weight!

One day I woke up and found that I was about 35 pounds over weight and started thinking I’d better take charge of that part of my life, just like I had taken charge of most other areas of my life.

Then one day my son came to visit. He told me about a great new diet called the Keto Diet that has become quite popular. I can only assume that it became popular because it works.

How I Lost 22 Pounds in 60 Days and Never Got Hungry! Really! Click To Tweet

A ketogenic diet plan is not really all that new, except to me. I only stumbled across it when my son introduced me to it and he insisted that my wife and I embrace the idea of a food lifestyle change. (Sounds sad…I know!)

But it was not nearly as terrible as my wife and I thought it would be. It fact, it was a pretty easy change, all things considered. When I saw all the added benefits that come from a low carb diet, I really started to embrace the whole idea of making a change to my lifestyle.

Studies show that very low-carb, high-fat diets are extremely effective for healthy keto diet weight loss. They even are touted to help in areas like epilepsy and diabetes, or at least so I am told.

I’m Not A Ketogenic Diet Food List Doctor.

I’m not a doctor and I don’t have diabetes or epilepsy, but I sure noticed a change in my overall sense of well-being – not to mention my pant sizes going down.

Besides, I’m getting older and the non-weight loss benefits were intriguing to me. I also understand that there’s some early evidence that a low-carb, high-fat diet might be able to address Alzheimer’s, a few types of cancers and other worrisome ailments.

So what exactly is a ketogenic diet? Long story short – no carbs and high fats. There’s really a bit more to it than that, but essentially, you would limit your daily intake of carbohydrates to 20–30 grams per day. You can go as high as 50 gram/day but you’re really almost OFF the diet at that level of carbs.

Now you may be thinking there’s no way you can stick to a keto diet plan without cereals, milk, breads, ice cream, cakes, candy bars, potatoes, corn chips, pasta, rice or beans.

But it’s not really as challenging as it may seam. My wife and I got along quite nicely without all those high carbohydrate foods.

Below I’ve listed 15 foods that you’ll find are, not only nutritional, but actually taste good and keep you feeling full during the day. At least they did for us.

The Ketogenic Diet Food List

15 Low Carb Foods You Can Eat on a Keto Diet

Check out my healthy keto diet food list that provides 15 super foods that will fit nicely into your ketogenic diet food plan.

#1 – Eggs

The most important meal of the day, so they say, is breakfast. So the first item of the ketogenic diet food list is eggs. Talk about versatility. There are so many ways to prepare eggs and they are low-cast and extremely healthy for you.

A single large egg has a little more that half a gram (0.6 g) of carbs, which makes eggs perfect for your keto diet.

But there’s more to the egg than just low carbs. Eggs also stabilize blood sugars and trigger an increase feeling of fullness. Eating eggs and bacon every morning really did start the day off right. I can honestly say, I never got hungry on this diet plan.

Oh, and don’t just eat the whites. Eat the whole egg! Most of the nutrients and antioxidants are in the yolk. And don’t worry about the high levels of cholesterol in eggs. They don’t raise cholesterol levels in most people and actually appear to utilize cholesterol in a way that moderates risk for heart disease.

Bottom Line: Eggs are good for you, have less than 1 gram of carbs per egg and keep you feeling full so you don’t feel hungry between meals.

#2 – Bacon

Actually this food category includes all meats and poultry, not just bacon. But when we’re talking about breakfast, I had to title it “Bacon”. I mean what are eggs without bacon? Besides, everyone loves bacon. That’s why bacon is #2 on the ketogenic diet food list. Sausage right there too! In the keto friendly food list, all meats and poultry are standard on the menu, so eat up.

Fresh meats and poultry are high in minerals and vitamins, provide a great source of protein and have no carbs. High-quality protein meats help protect muscle mass which can be important in a low-carb keto style diet.

Plus – this diet is not just low in carbs, but it is also a high fat diet. These fats, which are a must in a good tasting steak, are actually helpful in providing omega-3 fats and antioxidants, especially if the beef was grass fed. (better for you than grain fed)

Bottom Line: There’s no carbs in meat or poultry but they do contain high-quality proteins, fats and nutrients.

#3 – Butter and Cream

When you’re cooking breakfast, you may want frying your eggs in real butter, rather than using a spray-on non-stick product. However, bacon grease or real butter is great according to the keto diet “rules”.

Butter and cream both provide healthy fats that you’ll need while eating from a ketogenic diet food list. Neither butter nor cream has but a hint of carbs and they really make foods taste great. A big juicy steak fried in butter really brings out the flavor – but I digress.

Contrary to old wives tales, butter and cream don’t cause heart disease In fact; Newsweek cited a study that indicates that consuming high-fat dairy products could cut risk of heart attack and stroke.

Now, that does not mean milk is a good keto diet food. All milk (cow) has about 12 carbs per cup, so leave the milk at the store. That’s a high carb count for a limited carb ketogenic diet.

Cream, however is a different matter. It’s low-carb and full of good fats. Heavy whipping cream may not be acceptable to pour over your cereal, but it is AWESOME in scrambled eggs for breakfast. (No. Cereal is not allowed.)

One other point of interest: Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) is a naturally occurring fatty acid, which you will find in meat and dairy products. It is this CLA that purportedly helps you lose weight (fat) and, maintain that weight loss. It is also supposed to assist in retaining lean muscle mass and helps control diabetes (type 2 ).

Bottom Line: Butter and cream are almost completely carb-free. Meat, fatty dairy products, butter and cream are high in CLA, which appears to promote weight loss.

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#4 – Cheese

Cheese is another favorite of mine. I love cheese. Maybe that’s why I love the list of foods on this ketogenic diet so much. There are sooooo many cheeses and all of them (as far as I know) are low-carb and high in fat. And, as a big bonus, they’re delicious, nutritious and make you feel ambitious. (I don’t really know about ambitious part, but it sounded fun to say.)

Cheese, like butter and cream, is rich in saturated fats. Cheese also contains CLA, nature’s special weight loss ingredient that we mentioned earlier. CLA has been linked to loss of body fat and may assist in protecting against heart disease. Additionally, cheese can reduce the loss of muscle mass that comes with aging, which makes cheese a perfect food for a ketogenic diet.

Bottom Line: Cheese has very few carbs, contains naturally occurring fatty acids that assist with fat loss and weight maintenance, tastes good and is an excellent source of protein.

By the way, if you would like some delicious keto diet recipes using any of these great foods, you can find them in The Ketosis Cookbook. In this fabulous resource, you’ll find more than 370 keto diet recipes that are easy to prepare and come with complete nutritional data. They even include a 12-week ketosis diet meal plan. With almost 400 keto recipes, that’s enough for you to experience a new recipe each day!

#5 – Fish/Seafood

Fish and cheese don’t really go together well – at least not served together. But just like cheese, fish and seafood do fit nicely on our ketogenic diet food list. Tuna, salmon, halibut, bass and other fish have zero-carbs, but are high in vitamins and minerals.

Conversely, the carbs in shellfish are a different matter. As an example, crabmeat or shrimp are generally carb-free. But there are some types of shellfish, like clams, mussels and oysters that do contain a higher amount of carbs. Squid and octopus do as well. Remember, a ketogenic diet, has a daily carb range of between 20–30 grams of carbohydrates each day. So keep that in mind.

Fish are also rich in omega-3 fatty fats, which we discussed earlier and, as you’ve probably heard, a diet that is high in fish has been shown to lower risk of disease and improve mental acuity.

Bottom Line: Most fish and seafood are low-carb or carb-free and serve as a great food for getting your vitamins, minerals and omega-3 fatty acids. Stay away from high-carb seafood like clams, mussels oysters, squid and octopus.

#6 – Vegetables (Low-Carb Only)

Broccoli and cauliflower are fine, but potatoes are out! What’s the difference as it relates to a ketogenic diet? In a word – Starch! And starch equals carbs.

That means that if you eat corn, beets, potatoes, peas or yams at any one meal, you could exceed your entire carbs maximum for the day! Therefore our ketogenic diet food list does not contain any of these items.

Cauliflower and broccoli, however, are low in carbohydrates but high in fiber. This high fiber count can work to your advantage. You see, in any food that has fiber, you can directly subtract the fiber content from your food’s total carb count for that food item. It’s a simple formula!

Net Carbs formula: C-F=NC

For example, let’s say 1 cup of cauliflower has 5 grams of total carbs and the fiber in that same cup of cauliflower comes in at 2 grams. You can legitimately subtract the 2 grams of fiber from the 5 total grams of carbs, for a net carbs total of 3 grams. Carbs minus Fiber equals Net Carbs. (C-F=NC). This same formula works on any food you want to add to your diet. (Sorry for the math!)

So, just look on any food label (back of the box or can) for net carbs count, which is the total carbs minus any  fiber.

That’s why cauliflower is in and potatoes are out!

Non-starchy veggies, like leaf lettuce, broccoli and cauliflower, are low in carbs, but high in nutrients, including vitamin C and several minerals.

As a rule of thumb, choose vegetables that grow above ground like broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, lettuce and cucumbers. Carrots and potatoes grow below the ground and are more starchy in nature.

What’s more, low-carb cauliflower can be substituted to replace potatoes in many recipes like kale soup. (very good by the way). There are many ketogenic diet recipes that will make your lifestyle change seam so easy to maintain.

Bottom Line: Vegetables work well for the keto diet, but you have to be selective. The net carbs are key.

#7 – Avocados

Add avocados to our keto food list and apply the Net Carbs Formula on them.

A medium avocado has about 9 grams of carbs. The fiber count would be 7 grams. Therefore: 9-7=2 grams of net carbs. Totally doable in your daily ketosis diet!

Avocados are rich in vitamins and minerals and may even help improve your cholesterol levels. Avocados are a very important healthy addition to a ketogenic lifestyle.

Bottom Line: Avocados have only 2 grams of net carbs per avocado half and are high in fiber. Avocados should definitely be a part of your ketosis diet plan.

#8 – Yogurt/Cottage Cheese

We already discussed cheese, but cottage cheese, yogurt and cream cheese fall into a very special category for me – Dessert!

Although these foods do have some carbs, they still work great on a ketogenic diet menu. First, let’s talk about the yogurt. To be clear, I’m talking about plain Greek yogurt. Not that sugared up stuff!

If you eat ½ cup of plain Greek yogurt, that will provide you with 5 grams of carbs. That same amount of cottage cheese gives you 4 grams of carbs and ½ cup of cream cheese contains about 4.5 grams of carbohydrates.

But the cool part is, that when you mix any one of these keto-friendly ingredients with certain low-sugar, low-carb fruits, you get keto-friendly desserts. (See item #9 for low-sugar, low-carb fruits)

Just mix cream cheese, and an artificial sweetener (see #14 below) with fresh berries or strawberries. Whip the mixture together and pour into a mini muffin sized muffin pan. Place the whole muffin pan in the freezer until frozen and serve 2 or 3 as a frozen bite-sized dessert. I also stir the unfrozen mix into cottage cheese to sweeten it up as a treat. You could also add the mix to your yogurt if you like.

And the best part is that it’s all good for you and keto-compliant and on our keto food list.

Also, yogurt and cottage cheese are known to help decrease appetite and give you a feeling of fullness.

All three can be used as a tasty snack with a little help from berries and sugar substitutes. They can also be mixed with chopped nuts or cinnamon for a treat that satisfies your sweet tooth. And I have a very large sweet tooth.

Bottom Line: Greek yogurt, cream cheese and cottage cheese all have between 4 and 5 grams of carbs per ½ cup. They help lower appetite and provide the feeling of fullness.

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#9 – Strawberries/Berries

With fruit, just remember one thing. Most are fruits are too high in carbs to be included on a ketogenic diet food list, but berries are the exception.

Here’s why. Carbs minus Fiber equals Net Carbs. (C-F=NC).

Berries are high in fiber and low in carbs. So find the total carbs and subtract the fiber. These are the carb counts for 1 cup of a few berries:

• Strawberries:      11 g. carbs – 2 g. fiber = 9 g. net carbs
• Raspberries:        12 g. carbs – 7 g. fiber = 5 g. net carbs
• Blackberries:       10 g. carbs – 5 g. fiber = 5 g. net carbs
• Blueberries:         14 g. carbs – 2 g. fiber = 12g. net carbs

As you probably know, dark berries like blueberries and blackberries are chock-full of antioxidants that are said to help reduce inflammation and protect against contracting other illness.

Bottom Line: Berries are abundant in antioxidants, vitamins and other nutrients that are thought to diminish risk of disease. They contain acceptable levels of net carbohydrates per serving. Thank goodness!

#10 – Seeds and Nuts

Although I don’t mess with nuts or seeds much, I do love almonds and they are very keto-friendly. They are high in fats and low in carbs, which is exactly what we’re looking for!

Eating nuts has been shown to reduce risk of heart disease, some cancers, depression (especially cashews) and other prolonged diseases

Although nuts and seeds are low in net carbs, they are rich in fiber and that helps you not feel hungry. These are the carbs counts for 100 grams of nuts and seeds. (That’s about 3 handfuls.) The list below is ranked from lowest net carbs to highest net carbs.

Flaxseeds:                        28.9 g. carbs – 27.3 g. fiber = 1.6 g. net carbs
Walnuts:                            09.6 g. carbs – 06.8 g. fiber = 2.8 g. net carbs
Pumpkin seeds:              10.0 g. carbs – 06.7 g. fiber = 3.3 g. net carbs
Brazil nuts:                       11.7 g. carbs – 07.5 g. fiber = 4.2 g. net carbs
Pecans:                               13.9 g. carbs – 09.6 g. fiber = 4.3 g. net carbs
Macadamias:                    13.8 g. carbs – 08.6 g. fiber = 5.2 g. net carbs
Chia seeds:                        41.1 g. carbs – 34.4 g. fiber = 7.7 g. net carbs
Sunflower seeds:           10.8 g. carbs – 02.7 g. fiber = 8.1 g. net carbs
Almonds:                           20.0 g. carbs – 10.0 g. fiber = 10 g. net carbs
Sesame seeds:                23.5 g. carbs – 11.8 g. fiber = 11.7 g. net carbs
Pistachios:                        27.5 g. carbs – 10.3 g. fiber = 17.2 g. net carbs
Cashews:                           32.7 g. carbs – 03.0 g. fiber = 29.7 g. net carbs

 

Bottom Line: Seeds and nuts can be wholesome addition to the ketogenic diet food list. They are healthy, full of fiber, and low in carbs. That’s keto perfect. (go easy on the cashews – they are a little high in carbs)

#11 – Shirataki Noodles

Shirataki noodles are made from the glucomannan fiber of the konjac plant. This glucomannan is considered dietary fiber and can absorb as much as 50 times its own weight in water, but only has 1 gram of carbs per 3 oz. serving.

When you eat shirataki noodles, they become gelatinous and tend to slow down the movement of your meal through your system. Therefore you feel full for a longer period of time.

Shirataki noodles serve as a great substitution for other types of high-carb noodles in any keto menu or recipe.

Bottom Line: Shirataki noodles have only about 1 gram of carbs per serving. These noodles slow down the movement of food through your system and give you the feeling of being full over a longer period of time.

#12 – Olives

Have you ever heard of oleuropein? Oleuropein is the bitter taste you might experience if you were to taste a raw olive. (Don’t eat raw olives. They must be cured first.)

The good news is that oleuropein is an antioxidant in olives that helps lower bad cholesterol prevent cancer, lowers blood pressure, provides anti-inflammatory benefits, and guards against mental decline.

Olives vary in size and therefore vary in carb content. But don’t worry about it too much because it takes 100 green olives to give you a net intake of 1.5 carbs. That’s right. 100 green olives only have a combined carb count of 1.5 grams of net carbs. (10.4 grams of total carbs – 8.9 grams of fiber = 1.5 grams of net carbs)

Bottom Line: Rich in antioxidants and very low in carbs, olives make a super friendly food for keto dieters. Olives also help the heart and lower blood pressure. And they taste good! Be sure and add olives to your ketogenic diet food list.

#13 – Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

Why is olive oil on this list when you cant’ eat it? FAT! (Actually you can eat it – It’s just not a meal in and of itself) But, you have to cook with something and olive oil, especially extra-virgin olive oil, has some of the healthiest properties available.

It helps your heart, bones, brain and skin. It protects against, heart disease, stroke, depression, skin cancer and diabetes. It lowers your cholesterol and your blood pressure.

Also, extra-virgin olive oil is rich in antioxidants that are known to protect your heart health by diminishing inflammation and … olive oil has no carbs. Cook with it, use it on salads or even take a spoonful or two each day for good measure.

Bottom Line: Extra-virgin olive oil is high in heart-healthy fats and is antioxidant rich. It’s great for salads and low temp cooking.

#14 – Sugar Substitutes

Sometimes, you just need your food to taste sweeter! Click To Tweet

The only reason I included sugar substitutes on this ketogenic diet food list was that sometimes, you just need your food to taste sweeter, but honey or sugar are not the best choices for a ketogenic diet. So I simply made a short list of options that will all work depending on your preference.

Here are just a few of your options:

Sweetener	Carbs per 100g
Monk Fruit	0
Erythritol	6
Stevia	0
Swerve	6

Bottom Line: You’re going to find keto-friendly foods now and then that may need to be a little bit sweeter to fit your tastes. Having a good ketogenic sugar substitute on-hand, will decrease your temptation to use sugar or honey to soothe your sweet tooth.

#15 – Dark Chocolate

Dark Chocolate! (I saved the very best for last.) The dark chocolate category also includes cocoa powder. Both serve as a fantastic and extremely delectable source of antioxidants.

Dark chocolate has been shown to lower blood pressure and maintain artery health thereby reducing the risk of heart disease.

“Chocolate is happiness that you can eat.” Click To Tweet

I know you may not believe it but, chocolate can be on the menu while you are on a ketogenic diet if you use dark chocolate – the darker the better. It is recommended that your choice of chocolate have at least 80% cacao or better. But be careful and read the net carbs on the back of the chocolate bar. Some commercial bars say “Dark Chocolate” but they are still full of sugar and as you know, sugar is not really part of a Keto diet.

By the way, cocoa powder provides as many antioxidants as do blueberries, acai berries and other dark berries.

Bottom Line: In chocolate that retains 70 to 85% cacao solids, the carbs for 1 oz. of dark chocolate may contain about 10 net carbs or less, depending on the brand. It’s high in antioxidants and may diminish the threat of heart disease.

The Final Word

I want abundance in every area of my life but having an abundant waistline was not my idea of living the American dream. So I took charge of my life and it has worked so well. I am 22 pound lighter, I feel better, I look better and my clothes look better on me.

My self-esteem has improved, and believe me, I’ve always had great self-esteem. I have to say that just losing 22 pounds has literally made my life happier. Yes! I am happier because of a high quality ketogenic diet menu. And, with recipes like those you find in The Ketosis Cookbook, I have easily and effortlessly lost 22 pounds of fat in only 2 months and…

…I Feel Great!

Now I can’t say the same will happen to you. You’ll have to try it for yourself. But, by adhering to a solid ketogenic diet menu, I sincerely believe you can achieve regular systematic weight loss, have better control over your blood sugars and meet many other health-related goals.

Fortunately, a keto diet can include a wide variety of nutritious, tasty and versatile foods (like the foods in this list) that allow you to remain within your daily carb range.

To reap all the health benefits of a ketogenic diet, be sure to enjoy these 15 foods on a regular basis.

You are important and therefore your health is important to the quality of your life. You matter to a lot people and they rely on you. They love you and they want the best for you – like my son demonstrated to us when he introduce us to the concept of ketosis and a diet food plan that would work for us.

I wish you the best of Keto Success!
You can download the PDF form of the keto list here.

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