The Ultimate Keto Food List with Printable

OK. Let’s get to the nitty gritty, shall we?

Are you fed up with all the lists of thinks you can’t eat on keto?

I sure am!!

All this talk about don’t eat this, and can’t have that. Too many negative vibes for me!

Especially because when someone says I can’t have it, that’s all I want now.

Why focus on the negative when you can focus on the positive?

Let’s talk all about what we can eat today. Ummkay?

My friend Sasha from Life’s Carousel wrote this article for me.

She has had amazing results from following the Ketogenic Diet that I am excited to share with you.

Knowing how difficult it was to navigate the keto waters in the beginning, she came up with this Ultimate Keto Food List for newbies and pros alike.

Enjoy!

Why Keto?

When I first heard of the ketogenic diet I thought it was just another fad diet that only the rich and famous could follow.

I dismissed it and couldn’t understand why my friends were trying it.

I changed my mind when I bumped into a friend who I hadn’t seen for 6 months. She looked amazing!

She had lost a LOT of weight, her skin and hair looked amazing and she was exuding confidence – I almost didn’t recognize her!

How had she changed so much in just 6 months? Keto! (The keto food list is coming up below… just bear with me!)

I decided to research more into the ketogenic diet to find out exactly what it was all about.

To start with it seemed confusing, but it’s really not that complicated once you get your head around it.

I’m a bit of a science nerd (OK, a LOT of a science nerd!), so the science behind the keto diet intrigued me and made perfect sense!

Once you understand how our bodies produce energy, then it all makes sense!

It also makes sense why I was never successful with diets in the past!

The best “side effect” of the keto diet is the energy boost you get. I now have more energy than I’ve ever had before – seriously, even as a child I don’t think I had this much energy!

My hair and skin look great too (gone is my horrible adult acne!).

One thing that I wish I had when I first started on keto was a comprehensive keto food list. I spent hours (seriously!) in the grocery store reading every single food label to see what the nutritional values were.

So that’s why I decided to put together this keto food list to help beginners know what they can and can’t eat.

(Want the good stuff? Scroll down for the Keto Food List!)

Ketogenic Diet for Beginners

So what is Keto? What is the cool science?

A keto diet is basically a low carb, moderate protein, and high-fat diet. This might sound like some of the low carb diets you’ve tried before but this is different!

I promise you!

By eating a particular combination of foods you stimulate your body to go into ketosis.

When your body is in ketosis it changes the way it metabolizes food and basically makes your body burn more fat! How awesome is that?

When we eat a carb and sugar-rich diet our body’s use the glucose in carbs and sugars for energy. We produce insulin that transports that glucose around our bodies.

This has been an effective way for bodies to get energy for millennia, but our diets have changed!

We now eat a LOT more sugar and carbs than ever before (seriously… there’s even sugar in bread!) and our bodies can’t store glucose, so it is converted into fat.

The trouble is when there is a ready supply of glucose, our bodies don’t use that fat.

It just sits there (on our thighs, hips, tummies….. you get the idea!).

The other problem is that once our bodies have used up all the available glucose (our body has turned the extra into fat already), then we get an energy crash!

We all know what that feels like! And what do we do? Reach for something that will give us another energy boost – like a candy bar or cookie! The cycle continues!

Fat Burning Machine

BUT… what if we can restrict the amount of glucose, so our bodies burn the fat instead? That’s ketosis!

When we restrict the amount of glucose in our diet, our bodies go into a state called ketosis. In this state, we literally burn fat for energy!

Even while you are sleeping you will be burning fat!

On a traditional diet, you starve your body of calories, but you still will be producing insulin to handle the carbs and sugars that you eat – this insulin INHIBITS the release of fat as energy (it STOPS your body burning fat).

This is why you can restrict your calories a lot but still not lose weight.

But by restricting JUST carbs in your diet, then your body will gladly burn your fat stores!

And the other bonus is that your fat stores are a constant supply for your body, so you won’t get the energy dips you get with glucose!

Stable, all-day energy!

Macros

So now you know how great keto is, you are probably wondering how you can get started! Well, first off you need to calculate your “Marcos”.

“What the heck are Marcos?” I hear you say!

Marcos is short of macro-nutrients. Those are the big general parts of your calorie intake – fat, protein, fiber, carbohydrates etc.

In the keto diet, you will be monitoring your fat, protein and carb macros. That’s why it’s so important to use a keto food list to help guide you towards the right foods and stay away from the bad foods!

You can go to this website to get a calculation of exactly how much of each you want to be consuming each day – Macro Calculator.

The numbers will be different for everyone depending on your lifestyle and weight. But generally your diet will consist of:

Fat: 75%

Protein: 20%

Carbs: 5%

If you want to get started with keto but the macros thing sounds too complicated, get started with my 7 Day Easy Eating Keto Menu Plan!

Keto Food List

So now you need to start paying attention to what is exactly IN all your foods! Enter… the Keto Food List!

It takes a bit of work to start with, but within a couple of days you will be a pro and know exactly what you can and can’t eat!

Below is my Ultimate Keto Food List to help you slide right into your keto diet.

Meats

Beef (Taco Boats anyone?)
Bacon
Chicken (try out my Chicken Alfredo with Spaghetti Squash)
Lamb
Pork
Turkey
Ham
Bologna
Bison
Cured Meats
Jerky
Duck
Rabbit
Veal
Venison

Fish & Seafood

Oily Fish
Cod
Salmon
Halibut
Lobster
Mackerel
Muscles
Oysters
Sardines
Shrimp
Trout
Grouper
Tuna
Clams
Scallops

Dairy

Butter
Glee
Cream
Milk
Eggs
Unsweetened Greek Yogurt (occasionally)
Sour Cream
Full-Fat Cheese
Cream Cheese (so you can make Peppermint Mocha No-Bake Cheesecake)

Oils & Fats

Coconut Oil
Olive Oil
Nut Oils
Avocado Oil
Duck/Goose Fat
MCT Oil
Tallow
Lard

Vegetables

Leafy Greens
Bok Choy
Cucumber
Celery
Eggplant
Tomatoes
Peppers
Lettuce
Brussel Sprouts
Asparagus
Artichokes
Zucchini
Spinach
Radishes
Sauerkrut
Onions
Mushrooms
Cauliflower
Green Beans
Broccoli
Cabbage
Garlic
Kale
Leeks
Kimchi
Fennel
Okra
Spaghetti Squash (learn how to cook it 2 ways)

Fruits

Keep fruits to a minimum as they are high in natural sugar

Avocado
Berries
Coconut
Lime
Lemons
Olives
Rhubarb

Nuts & Seeds

Almonds
Walnuts
Pine Nuts
Pecans
Hazelnuts
Brazil Nuts
Macadamia Nuts
Cashews (occasionally)
Pistachios (occasionally)
Hemp Seeds
Sesame Seeds
Sunflower Seeds
Flaxseeds
Chia Seeds

Flour

Almond Flour
Coconut Flour
Other Nut Flours

Drinks

Coffee (try Bullet Proof Coffee!)
All Teas, especially Green Tea
Bone Broth (check out how to make that here)
Seltzer Water
Lemon/Lime Juice
Milo Water Flavors
Unsweetened Nut Milk
Coconut Water

Avoid

Added sugars, such as soda, candy, cookies, doughnuts etc.
Carbohydrates, such as bread, pasta, rice, couscous, corn, grains, oats, wheat flour etc.
Beans and legumes, such as chickpeas, lentils, kidney beans etc
Low-fat or fat-free dairy
Root vegetables, such as carrots, potatoes, squash, pumpkin, sweet potatoes etc.
Fruits, such as apples, bananas, pineapple, orange, peaches, raisins etc.
Alcohol (check out this post with a list of some alcoholic drinks you can have!)

This isn’t an exhaustive list because I can’t possibly make a list of every single food allowed in a ketogenic diet!

But it will give you a good idea and a framework.

I hope this keto food list helps and that you enjoy eating Keto as much as I do!

I’m always amazed that keto never feels like a diet because I can eat so much food (I’m never hungry!) and so many yummy foods too!

Here’s a printable Keto Food List that you can take to the grocery store when you do your shopping. So you can always have the food you need to keep you on track on your keto journey!

I hope this list helps you out next time you go grocery shopping!

It makes it so easy to always have the right food in the house to keep you in ketosis.

Don’t forget to download your copy today!

Peace, love, and shop on!