7 Key Keto Foods You Must Never Forget In Your Ketogenic Diet

author avatar Dr. Eric Berg 08/31/2023

Today, we are going to talk about keto foods that are key to your low-carb, high-fat diet to give you the right nutrients while on this eating plan. Read on to find out more.

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Keto Foods You Need to Include in Your Diet

1. Bell Peppers and Sauerkraut

The first on my list of keto foods is bell peppers and sauerkraut. These low-carb foods are rich in Vitamin C. All peppers have good amounts of the vitamin, though, but bell peppers have tremendous amounts, especially the green ones. Also, if you have half a cup of sauerkraut every day, that gives you way more Vitamin C than you need. Some people don't like sauerkraut, so they can go with bell peppers, which are a great addition to your keto recipes. 

Why do you need Vitamin C on a keto diet? Vitamin C helps repair all the damage caused by high levels of sugar and Fat Storing Hormone, which is what you need to work on when on keto. High levels of sugar and Fat Storing Hormone in the body have to do with vision, arteries, kidneys, and nervous system problems. The vitamin is necessary to avoid these issues. It's also essential in healing Fat Storing Hormone resistance

Vitamin C is found in vegetables, but people think they are getting the vitamin when they consume commercially sold bottled lemon juice, which they pour in their water and drink. This should not be the case because the products you buy on the market claiming to have Vitamin C have been pasteurized, cooked, and heated.

So, there is no Vitamin C left in them really. If you are taking an actual lemon and juicing it, that’s the time you are getting some Vitamin C. The advantage of consuming lemon juice is to counteract some of the stones that can develop on a ketogenic diet plan but not necessarily getting Vitamin C. 

2. Salmon and Fatty Fish

Fresh raw salmon on wooden cutting board  | Key Keto Foods You Must Never Forget In Your Ketogenic Diet | keto approved foods

Next on our keto diet food list is fatty fish. When on a keto diet, you also need salmon and other fatty fish because these keto foods contain high levels of omega-3 fatty acids.

Consuming more of this fatty acid from these high-fat foods can help keep a healthy ratio of omega-3 and omega-6 in your body, which can lower inflammation and reduce the risk of developing inflammatory diseases.

Salmon is rich in omega-3 fatty acid, but make sure it's wild-caught. You can also try other fatty fish diet foods like swordfish, Atlantic herring, and mussels. 

3. Sunflower Seeds, Pork, and Nutritional Yeast

What’s in sunflower seeds, pork, and nutritional yeast? Vitamin B1 and other B vitamins, but B1 is the most important one. The need for B vitamins goes up when you enter into ketosis.

Pork is a good source of Vitamin B1 and other B vitamins but some people may not like pork and that’s okay. They can opt for sunflower seeds or nutritional yeast, which are also other good sources of B vitamins.

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4. Vegetables

Young man chopping vegetables in the kitchen | Key Keto Foods You Must Never Forget In Your Ketogenic Diet | high fat foods for keto

Eating vegetables every day is always good for your overall health, and it can be beneficial to your keto diet as well because of the potassium and magnesium content. Potassium and magnesium are really important on keto because potassium is necessary to heal Fat Storing Hormone resistance and magnesium is also at the heart of Fat Storing Hormone resistance. They are present in chlorophyll found in leafy greens.

The way you can get these is through eating large amounts of non-starchy vegetables, 7-10 cups a day. A lot of people don't like consuming their low-carb vegetables, but you have to do it if you want to get these nutrients. 

Beet tops have the most potassium. I think this keto-friendly food has 1,300 mg per cup. Avocados are high in these nutrients as well. You need to get large quantities of these keto diet foods to get the right amounts of potassium and magnesium you need. 

5. Seafood and Sea Kelp

Consuming seafood and sea kelp is also important for your diet. These keto foods contain the trace mineral iodine, which is hard to get from just eating foods. You need iodine on this high-fat diet because it can help stabilize blood sugar levels and lower the need for Fat Storing Hormone. Healthy levels of this mineral in your body can aid in alleviating pancreatic stress, which may lead to diabetes. Iodine is also important for healthy granular tissue, uterus, thyroid, and estrogen levels. 

6. Red or Organ Meat

Raw fresh marbled meat Steak filet | Key Keto Foods You Must Never Forget In Your Ketogenic Diet | best foods for keto diet

Red meat or organ meat is also a good addition to your keto diet because it contains iron. Iron is very important in fortifying your blood so you can have endurance. Keeping a good level of iron in your body can also remove fatigue and can help keep a good immune function. 

7. Sprouts

Although I mentioned earlier in this keto food list that you need a lot of vegetables while on a keto meal plan, I want to highlight sprouts as well. These low-carb veggies contain phytonutrients beneficial to your weight loss journey and overall health. 

So, what are phytonutrients? They are plant-based chemicals that give you additional health benefits way beyond just vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and fatty acids. They are anticancer and anti-estrogen, so they are really good for cleaning your body and protecting your cells against all sorts of environmental damage.

Consuming certain sprouts, like broccoli sprouts, is great because these foods low in net carbs have 50 times more phytonutrients than regular adult vegetables.     

The keto foods list I mentioned in this article is a wonderful addition to your meal plan. Eating a combination of vegetables and sprouts can really help you thrive in this low-carb diet to help you lose weight. The important thing here is to get the nutrients these keto foods have to keep you going strong in your weight loss journey.

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Disclaimer: Our educational content is not meant or intended for medical advice or treatment.

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