Can I Have Sugar Alcohols On Keto
Yes, some sugar alcohols are keto-approved. Erythritol and xylitol are both keto-friendly sugar alcohols that are as sweet as sugar but have little to no impact on your blood sugar levels. Avoid maltitol, a sugar alcohol with a glycemic index almost as high as pure sugar. Maltitol will throw your blood sugar and insulin out of balance and kick you out of ketosis.
Keto Diet Foods: Carbohydrates
When following keto, you want to get the majority of your carbohydrates from vegetables such as leafy greens , asparagus, and broccoli, and most other vegetables that grow above ground. Avoid starchy vegetables like potatoes, corn, and parsnips.
The rest of your carbohydrate intake should come from the carbs in nuts and seeds, the small amount in dairy and on occasion, from fruits like berries.
Keto Fats And Oils List
The best keto-friendly fats and oils include:
- Grass-fed butter and grass-fed Ghee
Eat moderately: Chicken fat, duck and goose fat grain-fed butter and ghee nut oils
Avoid: Canola, cottonseed, corn, flaxseed, peanut and soy oils linoleic safflower and sunflower oils commercial lard low-carb commercial dressings margarine
Related: Is Fat Good for You? Everything You Need to Know About Dietary Fats
Read Also: Lose Weight Fast Diet Plans
Cravings And Sugar Addiction
Most of the cravings that we get are caused by sugar. Sugar, at the end of the day, is an industry thats run on addiction. There have been numerous studies showing that sugar stimulates the reward centers of the brain.
When we constantly consume sugar, we release dopamine in our brain creating an addiction and an increased tolerance. Over time you will have to eat larger and larger amounts of sugar to continue the dopamine secretion. Once our body is dependent on a chemical reaction in the brain, we can find that were craving things even when were not hungry.
When trying to shift from a high carb diet to a ketogenic diet, cravings can definitely get strong. Its always best to try to clean house before you start so that you dont have food around you that can lead to cravings. We recommend that when switching to keto, you restrict using sweeteners completely for the first 30 days. It normally leads to breaking sugar addiction and ultimately not having cravings.
Besides sugar, sometimes our bodies crave food because of lack of nutrients. The craving usually goes away if you fulfill your nutrient intake in a different way. Below youll see a few ways to get rid of pesky cravings that hit.
Foods You Can Eat On The Keto Diet

The biggest question most people have about the keto diet: How does eating bacon, butter, and cheese all day lead you to lose weight? The keto diet is all about changing the way your body processes food, which means consuming more fat and fewer carbs than the average person. “One benefit of keto is that many people report it drastically reduces their appetite, making it easier to stick with the calorie restriction that promotes weight loss,” Shoemaker explains. “And although the cravings for high-carb foods may be pretty rough at first, if you can make it through the first week you’ll probably notice many of your carb cravings subsiding.”
If you’re not sure what a keto diet looks like, then here’s a breakdown of the percentage of each food group the diet requires you consume every day, as well as what kinds of foods are best to consume for this diet.
Read Also: Foods To Eat While Dieting
What Happens If I Eat High Carb Or Non
Because losing weight on a ketogenic diet still requires calorie control, straying from your keto diet food list on the occasion is not going to destroy your progress, as long as you keep you your overall nutrition goals in mind.
Where your keto macros really start to matter is your ability to get into and stay in ketosis. The amount of carbs you eat directly impacts your ability to use ketones as a source of fuel. When you go over you carbs, you can cause your body to use these carbs as your source of energy – putting a pause on your fat burning mode.
Of course, once you resume your low carb keto diet plan, you can get back into ketosis pretty easily. And remember, while ketosis is thought to have some possible health benefits, it is not essential for better health or weight loss.
Because of this, it is possible to follow a modified or less restrictive keto diet and still see incredible results. Many will use these food lists as a guide or jumping off place and still see success with keto.
What Is Keto Flu
The keto flu is a group of symptoms that occurs when the body runs out of glucose and begins using fats as the main source of energy. This is known as ketosis.
Individuals may feel nausea, brain fog, headaches, dizziness and restlessness for the first few weeks. This is a natural process that occurs during fasting and caloric deficits. And while the effects of the keto flu are short-term, they can be startling if not expected.
Reducing carbohydrate consumption and regulating food could be overwhelming both physically and mentally at first. But if you follow the diet to the letter, exercise and get adequate sleep, you could start seeing results within a few weeks.
To get you started, here is a breakdown of foods that you can eat while on the keto diet. The list includes carbohydrate amounts in keto-friendly cooking oils , lean meats , veggies and flours for baking. This will help you make good food choices that will keep your body fueled throughout the day.
We also have a printable keto foods list for your next grocery trip!
Read Also: Abc Diet Before And After
What Are The Best Fruits For Keto Diet
When it comes to keto diet, some of the best fruits to include in your low-carb diet are raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, and cranberry. Eat fresh fruits as much as possible for the best results. Apples, grapefruit, oranges, avocados, and bananas are also good keto-approved fruits.
Tofu Must Eat On The Keto Diet
Tofu is a great food option for people on the ketogenic diet because its high in protein and has low amount of carbs. It also contains healthy fats, so it can help you maintain a healthy weight.
Tofu can be substituted for meat in many recipes, so youll have plenty of options. Store tofu in an airtight container to keep it fresh and free of odor-causing bacteria.
Also Check: High-protein Diets May Be Harmful For
Unsweetened Coffee And Tea
Plain coffee and tea contain zero grams of carbohydrates, fat or protein, so they are A-OK on the keto diet. Studies show coffee lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Tea is rich in antioxidants and has less caffeine than coffee drinking tea may reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke, help with weight loss and boost your immune system.
Things To Remember On Keto
Putting all these foods together to form a structured Keto eating plan can be confusing this is how the Keto diet works »
You Do Not Have To Starve Yourself, But To See Real Weight Loss & Health Improvements, You Will Need a Meal Plan Thats Designed For You
Lastly, dont forget to get your macronutrient proportions spot-on with this Keto calculator here.
You May Like: Best Diet For Over 60 Female
I Learned To Be Very Creative In The Kitchen
Eating at a restaurant and keeping your keto status is almost impossible. Luckily, I consider myself an adventurous cook who is frequently cooked at home before the diet and willing to try new recipes.
Write the recipes down, use a meal-tracking app like MyFitnessPal to record the ingredients, and determine if a recipe works for you. It takes a bit more work than an average meal plan, but it’s worth it.
Foods To Avoid On A Keto Diet

Now that you know what keto diet foods are safe to eat, you should also know what not to eat on a keto diet. According to Hyman, you can make it easier to stay within the macronutrient framework of the keto diet by steering clear of these foods:
- Beans, peas, lentils, and peanuts
- Low-fat dairy products
- Sugary beverages, including juice and soda
- Traditional snack foods, such as potato chips, pretzels, and crackers
- Starchy vegetables, including corn, potatoes, and peas
- Trans fats, such as margarine or other hydrogentated fats
- Most alcohols, including wine, beer, and sweetened cocktails
Recommended Reading: Raw Food Diet For Humans
Which Foods Are Allowed On Keto 20 Diet
The food habits are almost similar to the original keto diet, with some plant-based items introduced.
Here’s what you can have while following a keto 2.0 diet:
- salmon, trout, tuna, and mackerel
- extra virgin olive oil, and avocado oil
- low-carb vegetables
In the aforementioned list, you can observe that red meat and chicken are omitted while fatty fish is retained. Higher amounts of low-carb vegetables are also included in the diet.
Vegetables That Taste Delicious And Will Fuel Your Body
Veggies should be a big part of your diet. In fact, they should be the bulk of what you eat.
Try to stick to green leafy vegetables and avoid root vegetables to keep your daily carbohydrate intake low.
Note: Artificial sweeteners wont necessarily throw you out of ketosis, so many people consider them ok. However, artificial sweeteners can adversely affect your gut bacteria and can also stop you from getting over sugar cravings. They also have a slight insulinogenic effect.
Don’t Miss: Mediterranean Diet Recipes For Fatty Liver
Hidden Carbs And Nutrition Labels
Going on a ketogenic diet can be very difficult in the very beginning. Knowing what to eat and what not to eat takes some time to get used to, so if you make some mistakes in the beginning dont be too hard on yourself. Its better to make a mistake and learn from it than to make a mistake and not realize it was in error.
Theres always going to be foods that are bad for us when it comes to eating. Some foods are particularly sneaky at hiding carbohydrates from us. Heres a small list of common items that sometimes have hidden carbs:
There are so many food items out there that contain hidden sugars and carbs. Always be careful about what youre purchasing and try to make as much from scratch as you can from home.
Is It Okay To Have A Keto Cheat Day Or Meal
If youve been following a ketogenic diet for a while and had some success with weight loss, at some point, youre going to have to deal with real life occasions when its going to be hard to stay keto. You may want to relax your diet a little when faced with a family wedding, a vacation, girls weekend or during the festive season.
So the question is should you have a keto cheat meal or cheat day and if you do, what are the consequences?
Firstly, when you have a cheat meal, youre going to be kicked out of ketosis, which youve worked hard to achieve.
Now, if youve been on a keto diet for a while, you may be able to get back into ketosis reasonably quickly, but if youve been eating keto for less than 6 weeks, then youll set your self back a long way.
Read Also: Diet Dr Pepper Caffine Free
What Can I Eat On A Ketogenic Diet
When you follow a ketogenic diet, your body goes into a state of ketosis. Your body has to use fat as its main source of energy instead of carbohydrates. This can be accomplished by following a low carb diet, or by taking supplements. However, your body is still able to produce ketones and ketone bodies in order to use fat as energy. This can lead to a metabolic state called ketosis. Ketosis is the process in which your body begins to burn fat rather than carbohydrates. Ketosis can also lead to the production of ketones, which have a distinct chemical makeup from carbohydrates. Ketones can be used as a source of energy for the brain and muscle. Your body can produce ketones naturally. This is typically only done during times of starvation, when your body is producing ketones because it needs them as a source of energy. Ketogenic diets also help regulate the bodys insulin levels, making it easier for the body to use fat as energy. Additionally, ketosis has been linked to the reduction of appetite, allowing you to eat less and lose weight.
Keto Diet Food List What To Buy
This guide is written by Jennifer Calihan and was last updated on June 17, 2022. It was medically reviewed by Dr. Michael Tamber, MD on March 7, 2022.
The guide contains scientific references. You can find these in the notes throughout the text, and click the links to read the peer-reviewed scientific papers. When appropriate we include a grading of the strength of the evidence, with a link to our policy on this. Our evidence-based guides are updated at least once per year to reflect and reference the latest science on the topic.
All our evidence-based health guides are written or reviewed by medical doctors who are experts on the topic. To stay unbiased we show no ads, sell no physical products, and take no money from the industry. We’re fully funded by the people, via an optional membership. Most information at Diet Doctor is free forever.
Read more about our policies and work with evidence-based guides, nutritional controversies, our editorial team, and our medical review board.
Should you find any inaccuracy in this guide, please email .
Although not universally agreed upon by every expert in the field of ketogenic nutrition, its generally accepted that our digestive tracts lack the enzymes necessary to break down the fiber in whole foods and absorb it into the bloodstream. Because this fiber portion of carbs does not raise blood sugar and insulin levels, it is subtracted when calculating carb intake.
You May Like: Rum And Diet Coke Calories
Good Examples Of Carb Keto Diet Foods:
- Approximate grams of carbs per day based on a 2,000-calorie diet: 70
Protein is essential to build muscle cells and burn calories. As a result, if you eat too little protein on the keto diet , then your body will turn to muscle tissue as fuel. This, in turn, will lower your overall muscle mass and the number of calories you burn at rest. Likewise, eating too much protein puts undue strain on your kidneys. Plus, your body will convert the excess protein to carbohydrates for fuel, and that’s the exact opposite goal of the keto diet.
Experts say to shoot for around 15% of calories from high-fat protein sources like those below. Some protein sources also provide important vitamins to keep your hair, eyes, and immune system strong, while others should only be consumed in small doses. “While processed meats like sausage and bacon are technically permitted on the keto diet, I’d recommend limiting them since they’re high in sodium,” Hyman says. Instead, opt for organic, pasture-raised, and grass-fed meat and poultry, if possible.
Starchy Vegetables And Sugary Fruit

Since carbohydrates and sugar must be restricted, both of these naturally occurring sources must be limited in tight moderation to maintain ketosis. Starchy vegetables contain more carbohydrates than others, namely corn, potatoes, beets and yams, among others. On the other hand, some fruits are inherently sweet and can impede your progress towards ketosis you’ll need to cut bananas, mangos, pears, and raisins altogether.
Read Also: What Is The Tlc Diet
Processed Keto Food Items List
Eating a 100% whole food diet takes some serious dedication and isn’t necessarily feasible or realistic for most people – at some point you are going to consume packaged or prepared foods.
There are a lot of high fat and high calorie foods marketed as keto approved, but not all of these options are good for your overall health. Many keto packaged foods can contain significantly more calories than their higher carb counterpart and very little nutritional value, which can put you at a disadvantage.
In other words, just because that ice cream is keto, doesn’t mean it’s going to help you lose weight. Especially if its twice the calories of traditional ice cream!
While you dont have to avoid these processed keto food altogether, they should not make up the bulk of your food intake. And you should always pay attention to the ingredients and nutrition they bring to the table.
Common processed keto food options include:
- Ultra processed packaged foods
- Processed cheese
Favorite Keto Diet Calculator
Run by the Charlie Foundation, this calculator can be helpful when youre using keto as a therapy to help manage a medical condition. The calculator helps estimate calorie needs based on weight, assists in determining a macro ratio and macros needed per meal, and can calculate macro numbers on the basis of meals and snacks you enter into the system. Also takes into account fluids, supplements, and medications.
Also Check: Keto Diet Rules For Beginners