What Makes a Food or Ingredient Keto?
When you follow the ketogenic approach to food, you'll need to base your diet around low-carb foods. When unsure whether to include an ingredient in your ketogenic lifestyle, there are several factors you should consider:
1) Keep your carbohydrates low
Depending on your own carbohydrate limit which can vary between 20 and 50 grams of total carbs (or 15 to 30 grams of net carbs), you can include a variety of meats, dairy, eggs, vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds.
If you are not sure whether to count total or net carbohydrates, read this post on total vs net carbs
2) Always consider the serving size
When counting carbs, follow at the amount of net carbohydrates "per serving" such as one cup of broccoli, two eggs, half an avocado, one pork chop, or a quarter cup of berries.
Some foods are seemingly high in carbohydrates (per 100 grams) but you will only need to use a small amount when used in recipes. For example, dried porcini mushrooms, garlic or spices are all ideal for the ketogenic diet because the amount of carbs per serving is low.
Want to learn more? Here's a detailed list of foods you should eat and avoid on a ketogenic diet
3) Quality over quantity
Food quality is just as important as the amount of carbohydrates in your diet. Base your diet around healthy whole foods and avoid or at least minimise the consumption of ultra processed foods, especially if they are high in sugar.