Who among us hasn’t thought of standing our ground and saying yes to a keto diet? Times are hard, but it’s always good to look and feel good about ourselves to get a little morale boost. And anyway, dieting is tough. Without the knowledge of what ketogenic foods to avoid, it gets even tougher. So, here we are with a full and simplified keto diet food list to help you out!
First of all, let’s discuss what a ketogenic diet is. It’s a high-fat and low-carb diet. A ketogenic diet helps us lower our insulin and blood sugar levels. It further forces our body to burn fats faster rather than carbohydrates. Sounds great, isn’t it?
Well, read along, we will give you a detailed what to and what not to during a keto diet!
What Ketogenic Foods To Avoid?
There are several dietary restrictions that you can take up in your daily routine to help you with the process. Diets are only so good as when you maintain it.
Grains
First up, it’s grains. Grains have massive amounts of carbohydrates in them, and that’s a total no for our keto diets. Grains are definitely among ketogenic foods to avoid.
When we are following a keto diet, our aim is to limit taking in carbs. The majority of our calories must come from fat-based foods. If it’s possible, we should try to avoid all kinds of grains.
But, these are the ones to keep an eye out for:
- Oatmeal
- Pumpernickels
- White
- Wheat
- Corn tortillas and Flour
- Sourdough
- Rye
- Corn
- Oats
- Sandwich wraps
- Buckwheat
- Sorghum
- Quinoa
- Rice
- Barley
Sounds like a lot? We know! It’s tough, but the results are amazing. And if you think you are determined and up for it, no one can stop you.
One important thing to note is that any pasta, bread, crackers, pizza crusts, or cookies made out of these ingredients are also on the ketogenic foods to avoid list. There’s no exception to these carbohydrates. Anyway, let’s move on!
Fruits
Yes, the ever benevolent and healthy fruits are also on the ketogenic foods to avoid list. While they are extremely healthy, if we are following a ketogenic diet, we must follow the rules.
While fruits contain several natural sugars, it’s still sugar. One trick we can pull is to choose certain types of fruits with low glycemic. Some of them include blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, tomatoes, and raspberries. And the best thing is, they taste great! So, you might not even miss the regular fruits.
The ones to avoid at all costs are:
- Oranges
- Tangerines
- Bananas
- Pineapples
- Pears
- Apples
- Mixed Fruits juices
- Grapes
- Mangoes/ dried mangoes included
- Peaches
- Nectarines
- Dates
- Raisins
- Fruit smoothies
And the list ends. Note that the carb count varies from fruit to fruit. So, if you drink a fruit juice of blueberries or blackberries, you are good to go. For those of you who are dreading this list, you can drink a nice and refreshing lemon drink. And even if you want to eat fruits, eat them fresh, and avoid frozen products.
Vegetables
When we talk about ketogenic foods to avoid, vegetables that grow below the ground is an absolute no. They generally contain high quantities of starch and carbohydrates. They can sometimes even make you feel bloated. And that’s why they always go on the negative in a keto food diet list.
Here are the vegetables you need to keep away from:
- Sweet potatoes
- Potatoes
- Baked potatoes
- Peas
- Yams
- Corn
- Parsnips
- Artichokes
- Cassavas
While you need to actively avoid these food items, you also need to watch out for them in packaged foods. Many types of casseroles contain these veggies. Let’s hop onto the next one on the negative of the keto diet food list!
Legumes
Legumes might have helped Jack slay the giants, but they are not doing ketogenic dieters any good. Even though they are high-quality protein foods, they still contain tons of carbs. Here are some of the legumes that come under ketogenic foods to avoid!
- Chickpeas
- Baked beans
- Lima beans
- Black beans
- Pinto beans
- Lentils
- Black-eyes peas
- Kidney beans
- Great peas
- Cannellini beans
- Lima beans
- Great northern beans
- Navy beans
Diary
Next in the line for the keto diet food list that we must avoid are dairy products. Some of the dairy products contain low carbs. However, we must remember to eat them in moderation. Meanwhile, these dairy products are loaded with carbs. So, it’s best to keep our hands off of these products:
- Most of the milk
- Cream cottage cheese
- Condensed milk
- Low- fat or fat-free yogurts
Protein
Eating high-quality protein foods is one of the essential steps in maintaining our mass muscle. Poultry and fish are some of the great food products that we must include in our ketogenic diet. However, there are some meat products that come under ketogenic food to avoid.
- Breaded meats
- Bacon with artificial sugar
- Most processed meats
Beverages
Many of us just focus on what we eat and not on what we drink. Drinks are the hidden source of a lot of our carbs and sugar intake. Some beverages that signal negative under the keto diet food list are:
- Cola
- Ginger ale
- Hot chocolate
- Grape soda
- Tonic water
- Root beer
- Sports drink
- Energy drinks
- Fruit juices
- Vitamin water
- Lemonade
- Frappuccino
- sweetened iced tea
- Mocha
- Cocktails
- Non-light beers
Unhealthy fats and oils
Just because you are allowed to consume fats in your keto diet doesn’t mean you need to have more than necessary. Don’t consume more than 2/4 tablespoons of fats/oil on a daily basis.
Now, you know all there is to know about which ketogenic foods to avoid. We wish you luck on your diet. Hope you get the desired results soon!