The Simple Keto Food List for Beginners

Keto meals are built mostly from protein foods, non-starchy vegetables, natural fats and some dairy, with smaller portions of nuts, seeds and berries. Use this page as a reference for what fits. When you are ready to actually shop, the grocery-run guide turns it into a checklist:

• Your first keto grocery run, simplified →

Protein foods

• Eggs
• Chicken, turkey and other poultry
• Beef, pork and lamb
• Fish and shellfish, such as salmon, tuna and shrimp
• Plain Greek yogurt and cottage cheese (check the label, since carbs vary by brand)

Non-starchy vegetables

• Leafy greens: spinach, lettuce, kale, arugula
• Broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage
• Zucchini, cucumber and asparagus
• Peppers, green beans and mushrooms

Fats and oils

• Olive oil and avocado oil
• Butter
• Avocado
• Olives

Dairy

• Cheese
• Cream
• Sour cream and cream cheese

Enjoy in smaller portions

• Berries — a small handful fits more easily than a bowl
• Nuts and seeds — nourishing, but easy to eat a lot of
• Low-carb packaged snacks — check the label, not the front of the box

Foods most people limit

Sugar, bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, most fruit juice and sweetened drinks are the foods most people cut back on first. Limiting them does much of the work on its own — and nothing here needs to be labeled good or bad.

• Foods most people limit on keto, and what to choose instead →

A note on labels

Look at total carbohydrate, then subtract fiber. If the ingredient list is long and unfamiliar, the product is usually more of a treat than a staple.

• How to read keto labels and net carbs →