I’m New to Keto: What Can I Eat?

As you begin your ketogenic lifestyle, the most common question is, “What can I eat, and what should I avoid?” Here is a beginner’s guide adapted from Jennifer Halliday and Owen McKibben to help you get started! You can download a printable version of this guide HERE.

The most important thing you can do on the Ketogenic Lifestyle is to make sure that you are eating keto friendly foods and eating these in the correct ratios. This means that 75% of your calories will be from healthy fats, 20% from protein and 5% from carbs. 

Example: if you are eating 10 grams of protein, you would want your meal to contain a minimum of 20 grams of fat and ideally 30 grams of fat. Approximately 10 grams of carbs per meal is your target.

Keep your total carb grams down to a maximum of 50 grams per day with many finding that under 30 grams is ideal.

Meat

• Beef 
• Pork 
• Lamb 
• Poultry 
• Game 
• Fish 

Tips:

• Meat will be you primary source of protein but it also contains fat. 
• Feel free to eat all of the fat on any of these meats. This includes the skin on your chicken or turkey! 
• Avoid purchasing lean cuts as you need the fat for this lifestyle. 
• Whenever possible choose organic or grass fed meats to minimize your exposure to toxins or chemicals that store in fat tissue. 
• Always look for nitrate and nitrite free meats when purchasing bacon, sausage, pepperoni, salami, and lunch or deli meats. 
• Stay away from the bigger predator fish. Fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, sardines, and herring are great choices. 
• Remember to avoid breading on any type of meat including breaded or fried chicken, fish etc. (There are keto friendly breading alternatives!) 

Eggs – Enjoy eggs anyway you like them. This includes softly fried, boiled scrambled, poached, or omelettes loaded with your favorite meats, cheese and veggies.

Tips:

• Use organic eggs if possible. 
• Make sure to cook in natural fats like butter, coconut oil and top with keto friendly hollandaise sauce, cream cheese, sour cream, heavy cream, or serve with bacon or avocado. 
• Avoid cooking with olive, macadamia, and avocado oils as they oxidize easily when exposed to heat. 
• When frying or boiling eggs, remember not to over fry or boil them as this damages the healthy cholesterol they contain. 
• Scroll through the breakfast recipes at https://wellnessspringsinc.com/category/keto/breakfast/
  
  for recipe ideas! 

Veggies – The golden rule with vegetables is to only eat what grows above ground. Vegetables growing below ground tend to much higher in starch and carbs. Here is a short list of some of the veggies that are keto friendly:

• Broccoli 
• Cauliflower 
• Cabbage 
• Avocado 
• Brussel sprouts 
• Kale 
• Tomatoes 
• Cucumbers/Pickles 
• Peppers 
• Green Beans 
• Onions 
• Garlic 
• Radish 
• Anything green & leafy 
• Zucchini & Squash — use only in moderation as they are higher carb and balance with lots of healthy fats. 

Veggies to avoid include:

• Potatoes/Yams 
• Beets 
• Corn 
• Bean & Legumes – best avoided entirely 
• Carrots (if using, use only with care) 

Tips: 

• You will get the majority of your healthy carbohydrates from veggies on the keto lifestyle. Make sure they are a regular part of your diet to ensure that you are following a healthy, balanced, and varied keto diet! 
• When you have vegetables remember to saute or cook them in lots of butter and/or coconut oil or top with a Keto White Sauce or cream sauce. 
• Portion size is important. When you are eating a veggie that is higher in carbs, remember a small portion balanced with healthy fats may be okay, while a larger portion may throw you out of ketosis. 

Dairy

Always select full fat options such as

• butter 
• heavy whipping cream 
• sour cream 
• high fat cheeses 

Avoid 

• milk 
• reduced fat milk 
• skimmed milk. 

All of these products contains lot of milk sugar.

If you are hungry for milk, try using unsweetened almond or coconut milk – make sure to look for the brands with the fewest preservatives available to you.

Tips:

• Anytime fat is removed from a food, it is usually replaced with lots of sugar that will push you out of ketosis. Not only are these products high in sugar, they also leave you hungry and unsatisfied. AVOID low fat products at all costs!

• Full fat products taste much better, have far less sugar, and keep you satisfied and full for a long period of time. They also contribute to your health instead of harming it. 

Nuts

Some of the best nuts and seeds to use include: 

• Macadamias 
• Almonds 
• Sunflower seeds 

(Nut butters from these are AMAZING!)

Tips:

• Use natural, no sugar added peanut butter in moderation 
• Use nuts as a treat instead of popcorn, candy, or chips. 
• Avoid pistachios and cashews as they are higher in carbs. 

Fruits

All fruits contain quite a bit of carbs mostly in the form of sugar. For example, bananas are 75% sugar! Think of fruit like nature’s candy. While it has lots of benefits, it’s still a form of high sugar candy. 

If you eat fruit, you’re better off eating a few berries in moderation. This can include 

• blueberries 
• strawberries 
• raspberries 
• lemons and lime in moderation 
• Use the Bula NutriCaps to get more of those fruit flavors in your Bula Bobble! 
• Using the KetoFizz is a keto friendly way to get more fruits and veggies in your diet 

You can get any nutrient that is in fruits from vegetables so if you are eating your veggies as we encourage you to do in the veggie section, there is no essential requirement for fruit. 

Snacks

• Nuts & Seeds (sunflower seeds, almonds macadamias) 
• Cheese 
• Meat (including treats like salami and pepperoni) — Always look for nitrate and nitrite free meats when purchasing 

bacon, sausage, pepperoni, salami, and lunch or deli meats. 

• 1 whole avocado 
• Scroll through https://wellnessspringsinc.com/category/keto/snacks-fat-bombs/ for snack and fat bomb ideas 
• My favorite fat bomb/snack cookbook is Sweet and Savory Fat Bombs by Martina Slajerova 

Drinks

• Water 
• Coffee (especially keto coffee) 
• Unsweetened Tea (or sweetened with Stevia) 
• Wakaya Ginger Tea or Wakaya Ginger & Turmeric Tea 
• Bula Nutri Caps – a variety of yummy flavors! 

How to Make Keto Coffee

2 scoops KetoFuel or 1 Individual Serving Packet.

Pour coffee into your favorite cup and add KetoFuel (now known as Vital Shake). Whisk or stir to blend together.

Enjoy!

Alcohol

Drinking alcohol may take you out of ketosis. Be sure to check out how many carbs and sugars they contain. Examples of low carb and sugar alcoholic drinks are gin and vodka.

AVOID AT ALL COSTS

• Margarine – use full fat butter instead 
• Bananas 
• Grapes 
• Sodas in any form 
• Sugary Sports Drinks 
• Flavored Sugary Anything 
• Candy 
• Pastries 
• Pistachios and Cashews 
• Rice 
• Potatoes 
• Breads 
• Pasta 
• Grains in general 
• Corn 
• Chips/Crackers- use of our keto friendly chip/crackers recipes or nuts 
• Icecream 

SUBSTITUTES

Anything Bread Related – Some of these replacements include fathead dough, dinner rolls, muffins, cinnamon rolls, cauliflower options — to find these recipes scroll through https://wellnessspringsinc.com/category/keto/cookbooks/ We have dozens of these options!

Rice – Use cauliflower rice instead – you can purchase cauliflower rice at some stores or online or make your own.

Potatoes – Cauliflower is your best substitute. You can make everything from loaded cauliflower potatoes, potato salad to mashed potatoes! Seasoned cauliflower tastes as good (or better) than regular mashed potatoes. (Again, review https://wellnessspringsinc.com/category/keto/cookbooks/ for these recipes!)

Ice cream – use one of our amazing KetoFuel (Vital Shake) Ice cream Recipes!! https://wellnessspringsinc.com/category/keto/ice-cream/