“I feel the urge to eat cheese. But does it contain carbs? If yes, how much?”
“I like meat? I hope this will not affect my keto diet!”
“I am hungry! Can I eat a few nuts? But, are they suitable for my diet?”
Ohh!!!
So many questions? But, don’t worry! Question and more questions are common from the people who have just begun their keto diet.
Not just the beginners, but even some seasoned keto dieters find themselves at crossroads while choosing their foods.
The rules set by the keto diet – I mean no-carb, a moderate amount of proteins, and plenty of fats – might be hard to meet.
But what can be even more difficult is to find the foods that meet these criteria!
If you find it difficult to choose the right foods while on the keto diet, read on to make matters easy with this acceptable food list for ketosis.
The foods mentioned below are perfect for your keto diet because they offer the required macronutrients – carbs, fats, and proteins – in the recommended amount and offer other health benefits!
Feeling relieved?
That’s great!
Now, let’s begin with this acceptable food list for ketosis to make sure you eat what is right and avoid what is wrong to lose lots of weight with your special diet!
The Most Effective And Acceptable Food List For Ketosis
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Here’s the best one!
1. Which Seafood Is The Best for a Keto Diet?
If you have decided to follow a healthy lifestyle and lose excess weight, why not begin this acceptable food list for ketosis with the best keto-friendly foods, the low carb seafood?
If you are fond of seafood, you are in for a pleasant surprise!
Most seafood such as shellfish and salmon have a low carbohydrate content and are rich in vitamins, selenium, and potassium. (1)
But, be careful while making shellfish a part of your acceptable food list for ketosis as some forms contain a higher amount of carbs.
The carbohydrate intent of approximately 3.5 ounces or 100 grams of some popular shellfish are as follows:
- Mussels: 7 grams
- Clams: 5 grams
- Squid: 3 grams
- Octopus: 4 grams
- Oysters: 4 grams
If you want to switch to a no-carb diet and avoid eating carbs completely, you can choose shrimp, which is virtually carb-free.
Include Mackerel, Salmon, sardines, and other fatty fish in your regular diet as they are very high in healthy omega-3 fats.
They can help to lower your insulin levels and improve insulin sensitivity, thus preventing fluctuating blood sugar levels and an excessive urge to eat sugar. (2)
2. Which Veggies Are Safe To Include In My Keto Diet?
Most people are not particularly fond of eating veggies.
Yet, vegetables form an integral part of our diet, and you must not ignore their importance for keeping in good health.
When you are on a keto diet, you can consume non-starchy vegetables low in carbs and calories and high in several nutrients such as vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, and selenium.
Vegetables also contain plenty of fibers, which cannot be digested by your body or absorbed like other carbs.
Hence, the net carb content, which indicates the number of total carbs sans the number of fibers, of most non-starchy veggies is low.
Hence, while preparing the acceptable food list for ketosis, do include lots of non-starchy vegetables such as:
- Raw spinach
- Brussels sprouts
- Artichoke
- Asparagus
These vegetables also offer a great advantage with their natural antioxidant potential. They can protect your body against harmful free radicals and reduce your risk of a host of diseases such as type 2 diabetes, autoimmune diseases, and cancer. (3)
What’s more?
You can also include cruciferous vegetables in your diet, such as:
- Kale
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
The low-carbohydrate content in these veggies coupled with their strong therapeutic properties will help you stay fit and enjoy the benefits of your keto diet.
3. Should I Eat or Avoid Meat and Poultry?
Why avoid meat and poultry when both are the perfect staple foods to have on a keto diet?
Poultry and fresh meat contain no carbs. They are also rich in vitamin B and minerals like selenium, potassium, and zinc. (4)
Another reason to include meat and poultry in your acceptable food list for ketosis is that they offer a great source of proteins and help preserve muscle mass during a low-carb diet. (5)
If you are suffering from high cholesterol levels due to your not-so-healthy dietary habits over the past several years, then you have another reason to eat meat and poultry!
These foods can lower cholesterol and protect you against complications such as heart attacks and stroke.
4. Eggs? Should I Eat Them?
Eggs are considered the most versatile and one of the healthiest foods on our planet.
Just think of it! One large egg provides less than a gram of carbohydrates and almost 6 grams of protein. (6)
Don’t you think these numbers are enough to make eggs an integral part of your acceptable food list for ketosis?
In addition, eggs can also trigger hormones that cause a sense of fullness and reduce your calorie intake.
Here is another important aspect of eating eggs on a keto diet.
Most of the nutrients in eggs are present in the yolk. This includes powerful antioxidants like zeaxanthin and lutein, which can reduce your cholesterol levels and protect your eyes and other vital organs. (7)
Hence, always eat the entire egg!
5. Are We Forgetting Coconut Oil?
Yes, of course! How can coconut oil be missed from the acceptable food list for ketosis?
After all, coconut oil has several unique properties, making it the best-suited food to include in your keto diet.
First, coconut oil contains MCTs or medium-chain triglycerides, which, unlike the long-chain fats, are taken up by the liver directly to be converted into ketone bodies or used up rapidly as energy.
The primary and the most beneficial fatty acid in this oil is lauric acid that can promote sustained levels of ketosis. (8)
That’s not all; coconut oil can also help you lose belly fat by stimulating fat burning and enhancing the metabolic rate. (9)
6. Here’s another fatty oil: Olive Oil
Now that we have discussed coconut oil and its importance for your keto diet, why not look at olive oil?
If you think about whether to include olive oil in the acceptable food list for ketosis, take a look at the impressive benefits it can provide.
This oil is high in monounsaturated fats like oleic acid that can help you get into ketosis faster while also decreasing the risk of heart diseases. (10)
Also, extra-virgin olive oil contains antioxidants like phenols that can prevent inflammation and improve heart function.
Being a pure source of fats, olive oil is free of carbs making it an ideal base for the salad dressings and preparing healthy mayonnaise.
However, since olive oil is not stable at high temperatures, use it only for low-heat cooking. You can also add it to the dishes after they have been cooked.
7. I Love Cheese, Can I Eat It While on a Keto Diet?
Yes, do eat cheese as it is not just delicious but also highly nutritious!
Fortunately, all cheese forms are deficient in carbohydrates and high in healthy fats, making them a perfect fit for the ketogenic diet.
For example, one ounce or about 28 grams of cheddar cheese provides just 1 gram of carbohydrates with 7 grams of proteins and as high as about 20% of the recommended daily allowance for calcium. (11)
This would not just support your efforts to get into ketosis faster but also protect your bones and teeth with its high calcium content.
Moreover, cheese also contains conjugated linoleic acid, a form of fat linked to rapid fat burning and improved body composition. (12)
Eating cheese regularly will also prevent the loss of muscle mass that occurs with aging and restore your body strength. (13)
With so many benefits and a great taste, I don’t see any reason not to include cheese in your acceptable food list for ketosis. It’s definitely in!
8. Is it OK to Eat Plain Greek Yogurt?
Plain Greek yogurt, just like cheese, is healthy and high in proteins.
It also contains a very less amount of carbs and can be included in your new ketogenic lifestyle.
About 5 ounces or 150 grams of Greek yogurt contains 5 grams of carbohydrates and 11 grams of proteins. (14)
Yogurt can also help you to lose weight faster by controlling your appetite and promoting the feeling of fullness.
9. Which fruits are ideal for a keto diet?
To answer in one word, berries!
We know that fruits are high in carbs but not berries.
Berries such as raspberries and blackberries contain a low amount of carbs but a high amount of fibers.
These fruits are loaded with natural antioxidants and hence, credited with controlling inflammation and reducing the risk of cancer and several other diseases.
Here is the list of the carbohydrate content of 3.5 ounces or 100 grams of some berries:
- Raspberries: 6 grams of net carbs and 12 grams of total carbs
- Blueberries: 12 grams of net carbs and 14 grams of total carbs
- Strawberries: 6 grams of net carbs and 8 grams of total carbs
- Blackberries: 5 grams of net carbs and 10 grams of total carbs
10. What about Avocados? Are they keto-friendly?
Yes, Avocados are incredibly healthy. And when it comes to the carb content, they pass with flying marks!
Here are the figures to support the idea:
About 3.5 ounces or a half of a medium-sized avocado provides only 9 grams of carbs, of which 7 grams are fibers.
So, the net carb content of avocado is only 2 grams! (15)
If this doesn’t satisfy your demands, let me reveal that avocados are also high in vitamins and minerals, including potassium, which can make keto-adaptation much easier. (16)
Hence, if you want faster results for getting into a perfect shape, make sure you eat avocados daily.
11. Now, let’s have a look at nuts and seeds
Nuts and seeds are high-fat, low-carb sources of foods and hence, perfect for your keto diet.
The consumption of nuts is also linked to a lower risk of heart diseases, cancers, and depression. (17)
Additionally, nuts and seeds are rich in fibers. They can help you feel full and absorb fewer calories, thereby reducing your net calorie intake. (18)
Here is a list of the carbohydrate content of 1 ounce or 28 grams of some nuts and seeds:
- Almonds: 3 grams of net carbs and 6 grams of total carbohydrates
- Pecans: 1 gram of net carbs and 4 grams of total carbohydrates
- Pistachios: 5 grams of net carbs and 8 grams of total carbohydrates
- Cashews: 8 grams of net carbs and 9 grams of total carbohydrates
- Chia seeds: 1 gram of net carbs and 12 grams of total carbohydrates
- Macadamia nuts: 2 grams of net carbs and 4 grams of total carbohydrates
- Walnuts: 2 grams of net carbs and 4 grams of total carbohydrates
And last but not least…
- Flaxseeds: 0 grams of net carbs and 8 grams of total carbohydrates!
Impressive, isn’t it?
The Bottom-Line…
Following a keto diet is easy when you have this acceptable food list for ketosis with you. Now that you have learned the foods that meet the unique demands of a keto diet, make a list of them and stick it in your kitchen.
Stock the shelves with these foods so that you are never short of what it takes to get into ketosis and lose weight.
