What is the Ketogenic Diet?
The ketogenic diet is a type of diet that involves consuming a very low amount of carbohydrates and replacing them with fat to help your body burn fat for energy. (1)
The ketogenic diet is also known as the keto diet. (1)
On the ketogenic diet, carbohydrates are typically restricted to 20 to 50 grams per day, excluding dietary fiber. (2)
On a 2,000 calorie diet, a ketogenic diet will typically be composed of 55 to 60% fat, 30 to 35% protein, and 5 to 10% carbohydrates. (2)
What does a ketogenic diet do?
can help lose weight and improve health (1)
may help with diabetes, cancer, epilepsy, and Alzheimer’s disease (1)
A reduction is carbohydrates puts the body into ketosis. (1)
lowers blood sugar and insulin levels (1)
shifts the body’s metabolism away from carbohydrates and toward fat and ketones (1)
lower risk factors for disease (1)
reduces diastolic blood pressure and triglyceride levels (1)
may increases ketones, lowers blood sugar levels, and improves insulin sensitivity (1)
may help improve Parkinson’s disease (1)
may help polycystic ovary syndrome (1)
may help Alzheimer’s disease (1)
may help slow tumor growth in cancer (1)
may help heart disease (1)
What are types of the ketogenic diet?
standard ketogenic diet (SKD) (1)
cyclical ketogenic diet (CKD) (1)
targeted ketogenic diet (TKD) (1)
high protein ketogenic diet (1)
What are foods to avoid or limit on a ketogenic diet?
foods high in carbohydrates
white bread (2)
pasta (2)
rice (2)
pastries (2)
oat milk – because even unsweetened oat milk is too high in carbs (3)
potatoes (3)
sweet potatoes (3)
onions (in large amounts) (3)
certain winter squashes, such as acorn squash and butternut squash (3)
corn (3)
beets (3)
What foods are allowed on a ketogenic diet?
seafood (3)
fish (3)
shellfish (3)
salmon (3)
shrimp (3)
oysters (3)
octopus (3)
sardines (3)
mackerel (3)
fatty fish (3)
meat (3)
poultry (3)
grass-fed meat (3)
grain-fed animal meat (3)
whole eggs (3)
dairy (3)
cheese (3)
cheddar cheese (3)
ricotta cheese (3)
blue cheese (3)
brie (3)
Camembert (3)
chevre (3)
Colby jack (3)
cottage cheese (3)
cream cheese (3)
feta (3)
goat cheese (3)
Havarti (3)
Limburger (3)
manchego (3)
mascarpone (3)
mozzarella (3)
Muenster (3)
Parmesan (3)
pepper jack (3)
provolone (3)
Romano (3)
string cheese (3)
Swiss cheese (3)
plain Greek yogurt (3)
cream (3)
half-and-half (3)
butter (3)
cream (3)
unsweetened soy milk (3)
unsweetened almond milk (3)
unsweetened coconut milk (3)
green leafy vegetables (3)
spinach (3)
kale (3)
collard greens (3)
oregano (3)
rosemary (3)
lettuce (3)
baby spinach (3)
arugula (3)
escarole (3)
frisee (3)
bok choy (3)
mustard greens (3)
Swiss chard (3)
cabbage (3)
thyme (3)
sage (3)
mint (3)
dill (3)
parsley (3)
cilantro (3)
basil (3)
lemongrass (3)
peppers (3)
small hot peppers (3)
jalapeños (3)
bell peppers (3)
poblanos (3)
summer squash (3)
yellow squash (3)
zucchini (3)
avocado (3)
olives (3)
cauliflower (3)
jicama (3)
turnips (3)
asparagus (3)
broccoli (3)
mushrooms (3)
cucumber (3)
green beans (3)
eggplant (3)
tomatoes (3)
spaghetti squash (3)
radishes (3)
turnips (3)
Brussels sprouts (3)
celery (3)
okra (3)
Resources
1. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/ketogenic-diet-101
2. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/what-not-to-eat-on-keto
3. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/ketogenic-diet-foods#animal-proteins
