Foods You Think You Could Eat On A Keto Diet But Can't

Registered dieticians have named the keto diet as the most popular diet in the United States again. While the high-fat, low-carb diet is somewhat effective, it is less clear as to how long it can work. Based on reaching ketosis, the diet pushes bodies to use fat instead of glucose as the main energy source. To achieve this, dieters eat a large percentage of daily calories in fats like meats, cheeses, and dairy while forgoing things like whole grains, fruits, and starchy vegetables (via The New York Times).

There are different types of keto diets, which range in the percentage of fats, carbs, and protein the dieter should in a day. Some include 60 to 75 percent of calories from fat each day with 35 to 20 percent protein, while around 5 percent comes from carbs. The percentages presented in each type of diet affect what kinds of foods you can and cannot eat on each keto diet, but there are some foods to steer clear of regardless (via Healthline).

Carbs on the keto diet tend to come from good, healthy sources like vegetables. Again, these are not starchy vegetables, so good choices include produce like eggplants, tomatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, spinach, and bell peppers, among others (via Woman's Day).

Protein typically comes from meats like chicken, beef, pork, and fish like tuna, though there are some vegetarian protein options. Things like whole milk ricotta and cottage cheeses are good sources of vegetarian protein as well as plain, whole milk Greek yogurt. Eggs are also on the menu.

Fats tend to include healthy oils like avocado and olive oils. Other sources include chia seeds, flaxseeds, avocados, olives, hemp hearts, coconuts, and pumpkin seeds.

However, you may be unintentionally wrecking your efforts by eating things you thought were keto, but actually aren't. Surprising foods that should be avoided are items like legumes such as beans, peas, lentils, and peanuts. Starchy vegetables and grains like potatoes, corn, rice, pasta, and oatmeal are not on the shopping list either. Added sugars, alcohol like beer and wine, and low-fat dairy products are also not on the keto diet.

So, double-check your grocery list with an official keto checklist to ensure your hard work on the diet is not sabotaged.