Keto Food List, Stock Your Keto Kitchen Easily

This keto food list is for you if you decided to try the keto diet and are not sure what are the permitted foods you can consume.

In order to stay on track, it will be important to stock your keto kitchen with foods you can enjoy so that you do not feel deprived.

Understanding what you can or can not eat while doing the keto diet can seem like a daunting task, so I am here to walk you through the process.

I’m sharing a free printable keto grocery list that includes all the basics of how to start the diet and stay in ketosis.

All the foods listed are low in net carbs and will help take the guesswork out of grocery shopping for keto. This will allow you to lose weight while monitoring your carb intake.

A keto food list will ensure you have the right amount of carbs per day. Raise your good fatty acids and enjoy the full-fat option.

Although there is a slight learning curve when first attempting a ketogenic diet, it’s quite simple once you get the basics down; part of that includes setting up your keto kitchen.

Keto Food List

Let’s begin with the necessary purge. You will need to be willing to get rid of a lot of the foods that will no longer serve you. Why keep them around to tempt you?

The goal is to fail-proof your kitchen for keto, which means carb-proofing your pantry and stocking your keto kitchen cabinets and fridge for success.

Start with the obviously packaged junk snacks and then move on to other high-carb foods. If the food is going to be a source of temptation, it must go.

Now, I understand that it may not be feasible if you are forced to live with junk food because of other family members.

In that case, try rearranging your pantry so that the junk is in a separate location in your kitchen. This is especially important in the first few weeks of starting keto.

In time, you will notice how these foods don’t nearly tempt you as easily.

Is It Necessary To Buy Every Item On The Keto Shopping List?

It’s not necessary to purchase everything listed in this keto food list in order to diet successfully.

I encourage you to use it as a guide to help you plan your meals. As you weekly plan your meals you will slowly build your keto pantry.

When choosing what to stock your keto kitchen with, consider items you already enjoy and stock the ones you need most.

I also suggest that before you rush to purchase anything, you do a thorough inventory of what is already in your pantry and fridge.

Why invest in items you know you will eat rarely? Remember that you can always tweak your low-carb kitchen as time goes by.

What Can I Not Eat On A Keto Diet?

Since the keto diet is high in fat, low in carbohydrates, and moderate in protein, you will need to start by avoiding foods that are high in carbohydrates. This will include certain fruits and vegetables.

Rather than focus on what you can’t eat, I recommend you look at the vast items you can enjoy on the keto diet. 

What Foods Should You Include On A Keto Diet?

Aim for plenty of fresh vegetables, especially leafy greens. Avoid or limit underground vegetables, as they tend to be higher in carbohydrates.

Regarding which fruits are permitted on the keto diet, I recommend small quantities of berries, such as strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, mulberries, blackberries, cranberries, and rhubarb.

Berries have the lowest amount of fruit and should be your first choice of fruit. 

Carb Proof Your Pantry

Having a properly stocked low-carb kitchen can help ensure your success. This is why checking the labels of all the foods in your pantry is key.

Be sure to read those food labels carefully to determine how many carbs each item has and to look for hidden sugars.

It’s also important to keep in mind the servings listed on the label. I can’t tell you how many times I have been shocked to read that the serving listed is way less than what the average person would consider to be the case.

Remember, you will be determining the net carb count. To do so, you look for the listed total carb grams and subtract the fiber grams, giving you the net carbs.

Determine only to allow back foods that are low in carbs and keto-friendly. Thankfully, many pre-packaged foods that fit these criteria are coming to the market every day.

Top Keto Pantry Must-Haves

Now for the fun part: restocking. On a low-carb keto plan, you will be eating more fresh produce and other perishable foods, so make sure you plan accordingly.

Next comes the part where you must be extra vigilant with your condiments and sauces. Unfortunately, the majority will be loaded with sugar and hidden.

These hidden sugars can prevent you from entering ketosis, so you need to become a bit of a detective.

Sugar likes to hide in almost everything under the guise of names that are hard even to pronounce.

Do your homework and find out exactly what’s in your food. Generally, you’ll find that low-fat items are the worst offenders because they have replaced fat with sugar. Just steer away from anything that says low-fat.

Stocking Your Keto Baking Pantry

Move on to stocking your baking pantry. Most traditional baking items do not meet the low-carb standard, so low-carb flour must replace regular wheat flour.

Notice I did not say gluten-free. This is because not all gluten-free flours are low-carb.

Many are made with potato or rice starch, which is extremely high in carbs. The lesson here is to remember to read your labels carefully.

I encourage you to read my favorite low-carb baking tips for assistance when choosing what items to include in your baking pantry, as well as my advice on how to bake successfully.

Quality Protein

The Keto Diet focuses on quality proteins instead of carbohydrates. For this reason, choose the highest qualities you can afford.

Organic is best, but it is not always feasible, so try to source your protein choices from reliable merchants.

As far as meat is concerned, the sky is pretty much the limit. Be willing to try new meats, as all are allowed, including fowl, fish, and shellfish.

When incorporating seafood, aim for higher-fat, fatty fish options such as salmon, tuna, sardines, anchovies, and caviar.

When consuming lower-fat seafood, such as trout, halibut, cod, sole, grouper, bass, and flounder, add more healthy fats to help out the macro ratios.

This is also true with shrimp, scallops, crabs, lobsters, mussels, and oysters.

Cold cuts are acceptable on a low-carb diet, but avoid those containing nitrates and check the label for gluten, sugar, and starch fillers.

Some people find that including low-carb pre-made products helps with their transition. Tread lightly here since many of these can stall your progress. Again, use only in the first few weeks and aim to ween off.

Can I have Dairy On A Keto Diet?

If you are not sensitive to dairy, you have many options for dairy products. Consuming dairy can help boost fat macros with little to no carbs.

Milk must be avoided; choose heavy cream in its place. All cheeses, from the gourmet to the humble, are permitted, as are butter, cream cheese, sour cream, and plain Greek yogurt, in moderation.

Keep in mind that some people report that their weight loss is hindered when they consume lots of dairy on a low-carb diet.

As a reminder, everyone needs to customize their diet to fit them perfectly.

Embrace Healthy Fats

You will need to learn to embrace fat. In a low-carb keto plan, your body uses fat for fuel, so adding natural fats to your diet makes sense.

No need not fear fat. What spells disaster is eating these saturated fats with a high-carb diet. I

Use hearty, healthy oils high in omega 3, and avoid partially hydrogenated oils like canola, margarine, and all other man-made oils.

Oils such as olive, coconut, avocado, ghee, and MCT oil should be included while doing keto.

Eggs will be a big part of your diet, and we are discussing the real thing here.  Ditch those egg white substitutes that come in a box.

Use real butter, not fake margarine, as our bodies cannot recognize overly processed oils.

Oils And Fats To Avoid

You should avoid certain types of fats, such as the hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils found in fast foods and margarine.

You also want to avoid seed oils, which are quite high in the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio. These include canola oil, corn oil, grapeseed oil, soybean oil, and peanut oil.

What Are Permitted Sweeteners On The Keto Diet

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

When it comes to choosing which sugar substitute to consume while following a keto diet, I have several options for you. 

My go-to choice is Lakanto Monk Fruit because the texture is spot on since there is barely any aftertaste. It is a monk fruit and erythritol blend.

Lakanto Monk Fruit gets its sweetness from antioxidants called mogrosides instead of fructose or sucrose. It’s why it’s a great all-natural sugar substitute and has zero calories and zero glycemic index.

I’m also partial to  Swerve, an erythritol blend. Unlike other natural sweeteners like stevia, it has no bitter aftertaste and measures just like sugar.

It’s also a sugar substitute that browns and caramelizes just like sugar. Swerve is made from ingredients found in select fruits and starchy root vegetables and contains no artificial ingredients, preservatives, or flavors.

Swerve is the name brand of Erythritol it’s unlike other sugar alcohols since it has a 0 % impact on blood sugar.

You could also use the stevia and erythritol-based brand Pyure for most of my baked goods.  But if using Pyure, you will want to use 1/2 the amount called for in this recipe since it’s much sweeter.

Lastly, if you can easily find a more natural sugar substitute, you can also use Splenda. 

However, when you need a confectioner sugar substitute, both Lakanto and Swerve have great ones.

Grab Our Books & APP

In case you don’t know, we have authored two books for you, Essential Keto Bread and Essential Keto Desserts, both inspired by your requests over the years. It’s my prayer these keto cookbooks will help make keto a delicious breeze for you.

Gain access to simple and delicious recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and even desserts with our FITTOSERVEGROUP APP.

Join Our Jesus And Keto Movement 

Are you looking for an online support system to help you stay the course on keto? As a family, we came to the keto diet, looking at it from a Christian perspective. As believers, we live our lives supported by God’s grace.

Knowing firsthand the benefits of this decision, we have created a closed Christian group that is using the keto diet to transform their lives. 

We invite you to join our Private Facebook Group and see if it’s not the key you have been missing.

Be sure to request our FREE Jesus and Keto E-Book (First 7 Days). We hope it blesses you.

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