Your Guide to the Keto Diet (2024)

FAQs

What food is not allowed in keto? ›

“If the patient can maintain a steady calorie deficit, I expect them to lose one to two pounds per week,” says Dr. Seeman. So after 12 weeks, her clients are usually down around 20-25 pounds. She adds, however, that this is very patient-specific and would depend on their initial body fat percentage.

Ketogenic diets vary but will consist of about 70–75% fat, 15–20% protein, and 5–10% of carbs per day. Focus on high fat, low carb foods like eggs, meats, dairy, and low carb vegetables, as well as sugar-free beverages. Be sure to limit highly processed foods and trans fats.

Foods you can eat on the keto diet include fish and seafood, meat and poultry, non-starchy vegetables like bell peppers, broccoli, and zucchini, avocados, berries, nuts and seeds, eggs, high-fat dairy products, olive oil and other oils, and high-cocoa chocolate.

Bananas. Bananas may be great for muscle recovery, reducing bloat, and calming an upset stomach, but they're on the list of foods you can't eat on the keto diet. With 25g of carbs per 100g serving, bananas are too high in carbs.

Peanut butter can definitely be part of a keto diet, but it's best to stick to plain options that are free of extra flavors and sweeteners. Almond butter is a good choice, too, and it's slightly lower in carbs. Additionally, you should be mindful of your portion size if you're trying to lose weight.

Keto-friendly fruits include avocados, watermelon, strawberries, lemons, tomatoes, raspberries, peaches, cantaloupe, star fruit, and blackberries. If you're unsure whether the keto diet is right for you or how it may affect your health, consider speaking with a dietitian or your healthcare provider.

Eggs are a great keto diet choice, and you can ply yourself with fiber, vitamins, and minerals by eating an omelet with low-carb veggies. Try onions, mushrooms, garlic, spinach, bell pepper, and squash as options.

To maximize weight loss on a ketogenic diet, get adequate sleep, reduce stress, be more active and consume whole, nutritious, low-carb foods whenever possible.

How much water should I drink on keto? ›

How Much Water Should You Drink on Keto? Rule of thumb states a person should divide their body weight in half and drink that many ounces of water daily. For example, if someone weighs 160 pounds, they'll need to take in 80 ounces of water a day.

It's totally fine and safe to eat up to 6 eggs a day while on the keto diet. You can consume even more eggs per day occasionally, as long as you make sure that you eat your greens, healthy fats and proteins from other sources.

When following the diet, avoid high carb foods like dried fruits, refined carbs, sweet sauces, and reduced fat diet foods. These can provide too many carbs or not enough fat and inhibit ketosis. Also, limit your portions of healthy, higher carb fruits, vegetables, and grains.

Animal proteins are a staple on a ketogenic diet, because of their high protein and zero carbohydrates content. Chicken is an easy addition and 100g, just under half a chicken breast, contains 29g of protein and 3g of fat.

Foods that will knock you out of ketosis pretty quickly are: Grains. Sugar/sugar-sweetened beverages. Too much fruit.

On a low carb diet, foods to avoid would include bread, pasta, potatoes, and other starchy vegetables, grains such as rice and corn, oatmeal, beans and lentils, milk, sugar, sweets such as cookies, candy and ice cream, beer, soda, and higher carb fruits like bananas, grapes, and apples.

Start with unprocessed carbs.

Rather than going straight for pasta, doughnuts, and cupcakes, go for plant-based carbs when you first break up with keto. "I would reintroduce whole grains, beans, legumes, fruits, non-starchy vegetables first versus processed foods and sugar-sweetened beverages," says Hughes.

Popcorn is a popular low-calorie snack. And yes, it does qualify as a low-carbohydrate food that can fit into a keto diet. Crunchy and satisfying, popcorn is one of the most popular snacks for people of all ages.