Keto-friendly foods

Recommended foods for a keto diet

You can always eat the following foods on a keto diet. As with any other diet though, if you are trying to lose weight, you should make sure that you don’t consume more energy (calories) than you use.

In general, we recommend foods with a carbohydrate content of less than 10%, i.e. less than 10 grams per 100 grams. There are plenty of online databases where you can research the nutritional values of different foods.

Fish & seafood: The oilier, the better. Includes gilt-head bream, shrimps, opah, scallops, angel fish, salmon, (salmon) trout, mackerel, mussels, sardines, anchovies, hake, tuna and squid.

Meat & meat products: Ideally, buy meat from grass-fed animals, i.e. chicken, lamb, beef, pork, bacon, turkey, game or offal. You can eat the fat and skin as well. Sausages made from meat and herbs are also suitable for a keto diet, but avoid ones that have been bulked out with gluten, soya, sugar or rusks. If you eat dried or cured meats, choose ones with minimum sugar and chemical additives.

Nuts: Contrary to common assumptions, not all nuts and seeds are suitable for a keto diet. Recommended nuts are hazelnuts, macadamias, almonds, Brazil nuts, pecans, pine nuts and walnuts

Seeds: Chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, linseed, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds

Eggs: You can literally eat as many eggs as you want. Organic eggs are, of course, the best.

Dairy: Only full-fat products! However, if you want to lose weight through ketosis, you should avoid dairy products, with the exception of unsalted butter. Other foods suitable for a keto diet include blue cheese, butter, feta cheese, cream cheese, high-fat cheeses, parmesan, cream and quark. We recommend choosing the full-fat variants of all these products and avoiding light/low-fat versions, which contain less fat and more additives.

Flour & baking ingredients: Hazelnut flour, coconut flour, desiccated coconut, almond flour, psyllium husk, pumpkin seed flour, guar gum and carob gum. Potato fibre, gelatine, apple pectin and agar agar can replace conventional binding agents.

When baking, don’t simply replace flour with the same quantity of a keto alternative because they behave differently. The mixture usually ends up too dry and you will need to add more liquid. You can do this by adding a liquid of your choice, e.g. water, almond milk or green tea.

Herbs & spices: (Sea)salt, pepper, basil, chili powder, curry powder, cumin, oregano, thyme, rosemary, sage, turmeric, parsley, coriander, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, ginger, cardamom, paprika, dill

Fats & oils: Choose pure, cold-pressed, high-quality oils and avoid cheap vegetable oils, which often contain impurities. Avocado oil, dripping, butter, duck fat, extra virgin olive oil, ghee, coconut cream, coconut milk, coconut oil (MCT oil), macadamia nut oil, suet, cream, lard, animal fats, home-made mayonnaise (made from the oils listed above)

Vegetables: Artichokes, aubergine, cauliflower, broccoli, marrows, cucumber, green beans, kale, herbs, cabbage, lettuce, olives, bell peppers, mushrooms, radishes, brussels sprouts, asparagus, spinach, tomatoes, courgettes, mangetout, onions

Fruits: Blueberries, cantaloupe melons, cranberries, strawberries, grapefruit, raspberries, bilberries, currants, papaya, blackberries, gooseberries, lemons, limes, coconuts

Drinks: Water, carbonated mineral water, tea (unsweetened or with a sweetener like erythritol, stevia or xylitol), herbal tea, unsweetened coffee, cucumber water, coconut milk, nut and almond drinks, Bulletproof coffee, lemon and lime juice, vegetable and meat broth. Of course, ketone drinks like KETO//OS NAT also contribute to a good fluid balance on a keto diet.

The special benefits of coconut oil (MCT oil)

As an MCT oil, coconut oil plays a special role in a keto diet. MCT stands for medium-chain triglycerides. These are saturated fatty acids. Thanks to their short carbon chain lengths and special structure, the fatty acids from MCT oils are very easily absorbed by the human body and converted into energy in the mitochondria, the powerhouses of the cell. Their water solubility is another advantage. In addition, no bile is needed to digest MCT oils, and the pancreas is not activated (so no insulin is released).
It is the brain that benefits most from this fantastic source of energy because the brain itself is largely made up of fat and is therefore reliant on a supply of good fatty acids.
Ideally, make sure your MCT oil contains the most biologically effective fatty acids, caprylic acid (C8) and capric acid (C10).

How to take MCT oils

MCT coconut oils have a fairly neutral taste and are very good for mixing into a morning cup of coffee (Bulletproof coffee), tea or hot water. But they also have other uses, e.g. in salad dressings. Many people who follow a keto diet take MCT oils neat. If you would like to try it too, start with one teaspoon of oil in the morning. Depending on how well your stomach and intestines tolerate it, you can increase the dose to 2 tablespoons per day.

Drinks containing MCT oils are filling – and also stimulate fat metabolism. The fatty acids they contain support the synthesis of ketone bodies. Taking MCT drinks in the morning makes it easier to skip breakfast, for instance, which in turn helps you avoid carbohydrates.

Foods to limit on a keto diet

If you don’t enter ketosis despite eating the right foods, you may be eating too many berries, dairy products or nuts, or too much protein. Eat less of them. It’s also helpful to measure your ketone levels. You can do this with a simple monitoring system like the On Call GK Dual blood glucose and ketone meter.

Alcohol: Alcohol slows down fat burning. If you want to drink alcohol while on a keto diet, you should choose low-carb drinks. These include champagne, rum, dry sparkling wine, tequila, gin, dry red wine, dry white wine, brandy, whisky and vodka.

Sweet foods: Honey (no more than one teaspoon per day, but use sparingly. Ideally, only use for cooking), dark chocolate with at least 70% cocoa. All sweets containing sugar are unhelpful on a keto diet. However, insulin-neutral sweeteners like erythritol, xylitol, stevia and monk fruit can be used.

Vegetables: Butternut squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, beetroot

Soya: Soya beans and products derived from them are high in protein and low in carbohydrates. Soya’s place on a keto diet is disputed because of the plant hormones it contains. In some situations, these phytoestrogens can hinder fat burning and may promote fat storage in the form of belly fat. Soy-based artificial meat products (sausages, etc.), edamame beans and tofu should only be eaten occasionally on a keto diet. Soy sauce should ideally only be used to cook with.

Nuts & fruits: Cashew nuts, peanuts (very high in lectin and high in protein), all fruits except berries

Foods to avoid on a keto diet

Foods that you should avoid on a keto diet, where possible:

Starchy foods: Bread, peas, dried beans, porridge, potatoes, biscuits, chickpeas, lentils, pasta, popcorn, rice

Sweet foods: Ice cream, energy drinks, fruit juices (especially smoothies), pastries, cakes, malt, chocolate, syrup, sweets, vegetarian or sugary juices, sugar, all types of dried fruit

Fats & oils: Cottonseed oil, safflower oil, hempseed oil, linseed oil, margarine, rapeseed oil, sesame seed oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil, grape seed oil

Cereals: Amaranth, quinoa, bulgur wheat, couscous, spelt, barley, oat flakes, millet, maize, rye, rice, wholemeal products, wheat

Alcohol: Beer, cocktails, cider/apple wine, sugary spirits and other sweet drinks