The keto diet may limit your carb intake, but with these 8 keto diet foods, it doesn’t have to limit your culinary pleasure. Keto’s low-carb guidelines leave plenty of room for rich, satisfying foods.
Numerous studies show that a high-fat, low-carb keto diet can reduce health problems like epilepsy, obesity, diabetes, infertility, and more. [1] [2] [3] [4] Here are 8 keto diet foods that can help deliver these benefits in the most delicious way.
Keto diet food 1: Cheese
There are hundreds of types of cheese — and nearly all of them are considered keto friendly foods.
On average just one ounce of cheese provides roughly 7 grams of high-quality protein, plenty of calcium, and only 1 gram of carbs.
Cheese’s high saturated fat content may have given it a bad rap, but it’s no cause for concern. Far from being harmful, the fatty acid profile found in cheese may protect against cardiovascular problems. [5]
One of the most beneficial fatty acids found in cheese is called CLA, or conjugated linoleic acid. This fat has been linked to improved body composition and increased strength. [6] [7]
Aged cheeses contain more vitamin K2 than fresh varieties, so opt for aged, especially if you enjoy the taste. It’s also a good idea to switch up your cheese selection from time to time to ensure you get their different nutrient profiles. [8]
Some of our favorite types of cheese include gouda, parmesan, cheddar, along with cultured cheeses like creme fraiche.
Gouda
This popular Dutch cheese is rich in calcium, B12, and menaquinones (vitamin K2).
A single ounce of gouda contains 15% of the recommended calcium intake. The longer gouda is aged, the higher its K2 content gets. [9] [10]
Macronutrient Profile of Gouda Per 1 oz. (28grams)
Parmesan
Parmesan is Italy’s best-known cheese. Its high protein content and rich flavor mean it pairs well with eggs, meats, and more.
If pricing permits, opt for Parmigiano Reggiano, an ultra-pure aged parmesan that’s made according to strict standards. Studies have found that Parmagiano Reggiano may have both prebiotic and probiotic effects. It also has more bioavailable amino acids than most other types of cheese. [11] [12]
Macronutrient Profile of Parmesan Per 1 oz. (28grams)
Aged Cheddar
Cheddar cheese far transcends those grilled cheese sandwiches you had as a kid. Authentic aged cheddar is denser and more flavorful than non-aged varieties. It’s also far more nutritious. Some types of cheddar are aged for 10-20 years! [13]
Aged cheddar can develop a delicious crunch over time as its calcium content changes forms. Like parmesan, it’s rich in probiotics. [14]
Macronutrient Profile of Aged Cheddar Per 1 oz. (28grams)
Creme Fraiche
Milder than sour cream, Creme Fraiche offers millions of probiotics per serving with zero carbs.
Macronutrient Profile of Creme Fraiche Per 1 oz. (28grams)
Keto diet food 2: Organ Meats
Organ meats might be nature’s most underrated superfood. They’re impressively rich in B-vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids. Organ meats also provide us with many nutrients that aren’t usually found in muscle meats. They’re the perfect way to round out your keto diet.
Liver
The most nutrient dense superfood, loaded with bioavailable vitamins that combat numerous diseases including heart disease and Alzheimer’s.
Tongue
A tender muscle, high in healthy fats as well as zinc, iron, choline, and vitamin B12.
Based on 100 grams
Heart
A great source of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), an antioxidant that treats and prevents numerous diseases.
Kidney
High in omega 3 fatty acids, and known to contain anti-inflammatory properties.
Brain
A delicacy in many cultures, and a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids.
Sweetbreads
Neither sweet, nor a bread, this organ meat comes from the thymus gland and pancreas. It’s loaded with healthy mono- and polyunsaturated fats that improve blood cholesterol levels, lower the risk of heart disease, and help regulate blood sugar.
Tripe
The lining of an animal’s stomach, tripe packs an impressive amount of nutrients, including selenium, zinc, and vitamin B12.
Keto diet food 3: Eggs
Eggs are one of nature’s quintessentially perfect foods. Containing everything needed for a future chick to live and thrive, they provide nose-to-tail eating in an ultra-convenient format.
The high protein and low carb content of eggs make them an easy addition to any keto diet. Eggs may also ward off carb cravings. Studies show they trigger satiety hormones that help you feel fuller, longer. [15]
Most of an egg’s nutrients are found in its yolk, including its antioxidant content [16] And don’t let the yolk’s cholesterol scare you off. Consuming egg yolks may result in your body producing larger — i.e, less dangerous — LDL particles. [17]
Keto diet food 4: Animal Tallow
Tallow refers the rendered (heat processed) fat from an animal. The most common types of tallow come from duck, buffalo, and beef.
Tallow is very heat-stable, which makes it ideal for cooking and frying keto foods. Its fatty acid profile is very similar to our skin’s, so it can even be used as a salve or lip balm! Grass-fed bison tallow is especially great for skin care. [18]
Tallow made from an animal’s kidney fat may have additional health properties. Known as suet, rendered kidney fat is impressively saturated and contains mitochondria-boosting stearic acid. [19]
Keto diet food 5: Seafood
Seafood offers a variety of compatible options for the keto diet. Many types of fish and shelfish are rich in protein and fat — and low to no carbs. [20]
Nutrients per 1 oz
While shellfish do contain some carbs, they’re so high in nutrients that you don’t typically have to eat much of them, which essentially keeps total carbs low.
Most types of seafood are also high in omega-3 essential fatty acids, like EPA and DHA, that can’t be produced by your body on its own. The presence of these fatty acids mean seafood is anti-inflammatory, pro-insulin-sensitivity, and more. [21] Perhaps unsurprisingly, seafood intake has been associated with improved cognitive health in old age. [22]
Keto Diet Food 6: Butter
For many people just getting into the keto diet, the ability to consume as much butter as you want makes the cutting carbs part with it!
Butter is low in carbs and high in all sorts of fat-soluble nutrients. [23]
Butter, for example, contains more than 400 different healthy fatty acids. Roughly 70% of its fat content is saturated. Butter and cream are also rich in conjugated linoleic acid and butyrate, a special fat that fuels the cells in your digestive tract and protects against inflammation. [24]
Butter is better tolerated than most other dairy products, especially if you opt for no-lactose butter oil or ghee. [25]
Butter and cream are also fairly heat-stable, which makes them easy to incorporate into keto recipes.
Keto diet food 7: Bone Broth
Bone broth is delicious, nutritious, and completely keto friendly.
Bone broth was used in one form or another by virtually every ancient culture — they recognized it as one of the most healing, nourishing foods. [26]
Bone broth may be even more important in modern times. Its collagen protein is rich in inhibiting amino acids, which most people have subbed out for excitatory amino acids (tryptophan, cystein, etc) found in muscle meats.
Eating too many excitatory amino acids can negatively impact neurotransmitters (especially GABA), depress parathyroid function, and spike your blood sugar. [27] [28] [29] It’s possible that the correlations some studies make between increased meat consumption and mortality are actually a result of imbalanced meat consumption — consumption of muscle meat without its relaxing counterpart.
Bone broth’s uniquely ‘relaxing’ blend of inhibitory amino acid may improve sleep, reduce inflammation, and more. [30] [31]
Bone broth’s main amino acid, glycine, is especially interesting. It was used to treat diabetes more than 100 years ago, and more recent research shows that it may even reverse some of the ‘symptoms’ of aging by improving mitochondrial function. [32] [33]
Keto diet food 8: Ice Cream
Yes, you read that right: ice cream can be keto-friendly.
Ice cream can be so healthful, in fact, that it’s a vital part of Doctor Kiltz’s BEBBI diet:
- Bacon (or better yet, fresh pork belly)
- Eggs
- Butter
- Beef
- Ice Cream
Just as long as it’s prepared correctly. We suggest making ice cream at home with an ice cream maker in order to avoid all the added sugars and gums found in the store-bought stuff. Here’s Dr. Kitlz’s recipe:
- 1 pint heavy cream (Dr. Kiltz recommends Sidehill Farm)
- 1 egg (free-range eggs are best)
- 2 tbsp white/pure cane granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
We think you’ll find this keto-friendly ice cream delicious — and nourishing. Check out the full recipe here.
The Takeaway
A ketogenic diet limits daily carbohydrate intake to under 50 grams. While keeping carbs so low might seem challenging at first, plenty of foods can make the transition easy, far more satiating than high-carb diets, and 100% delicious.
The 8 foods that made it onto our keto diet food list are really just the start. Focus on nose-to-tail, animal-based eating, and a whole new world of culinary possibilities opens up.
Article Sources
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- 5. Cheese consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease: a meta-analysis of prospective studies
- 6. A review on effects of conjugated linoleic fatty acid (CLA) upon body composition and energetic metabolism
- 7. Nutrient-rich dairy proteins improve appendicular skeletal muscle mass and physical performance, and attenuate the loss of muscle strength in older men and women subjects
- 8, 10. Menaquinone Content of Cheese
- 9. A Brief History of Gouda Cheese
- 11. Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and bone health
- 12. Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 13. 500 Pounds of 20-Year-Old Cheddar
- 14. Probiotic Cheddar cheese: Influence of ripening temperatures on survival of probiotic microorganisms, cheese composition and organic acid profiles
- 15. Energy Intake and Satiety Responses of Eggs for Breakfast in Overweight and Obese Adults
- 16. The Impact of Egg Nutrient Composition and Its Consumption on Cholesterol Homeostasis
- 17. Whole egg consumption improves lipoprotein profiles and insulin sensitivity to a greater extent than yolk-free egg substitute in individuals with metabolic syndrome
- 18. How Is Tallow Made?
- 19. Grassfed Beef Suet is an Excellent Source of Stearic Acid
- 20. FoodData Central
- 21. Higher omega-3 index is associated with increased insulin sensitivity and more favorable metabolic profile in middle-aged overweight men
- 22. Nutrients in Fish and Possible Associations with Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors in Metabolic Syndrome
- 23. Fat-Soluble Vitamins and Nutrients
- 24. Butyrate: The Surprising Ingredient For Gut and Brain Communication
- 25. Does Buttermilk Contain Lactose or Is It Lactose-Free?
- 26. Broth is Beautiful
- 27. Actions of GABA, glycine, methionine-enkephalin and beta-endorphin compared with electrical stimulation of nucleus raphe magnus on responses evoked by tooth pulp stimulation in the medial reticular formation in the cat
- 28. Deletion of PTH rescues skeletal abnormalities and high osteopontin levels in Klotho-/- mice
- 29. Gluconeogenesis and energy expenditure after a high-protein, carbohydrate-free diet
- 30. Amino Acid Neurotransmitter
- 31. Mapping the ligand-binding sites and disease-associated mutations on the most abundant protein in the human, type I collagen
- 32. 6 Reasons Diabetics Should Drink Bone Broth Everyday
- 33. Scientists reverse aging in human cell lines and give theory of aging a new lease of life