16 Foods to Avoid (or Limit) on the Keto Diet

The keto diet is an extremely low carb, high fat diet. The goal is to achieve a metabolic state of ketosis, in which your body burns mostly fat instead of carbs for energy.

If you’re looking to begin or maintain ketosis, there are some foods to consider limiting — specifically, foods that are too high in carbs.

On the keto diet, carbs are typically restricted to 20 to 50 grams (g) per day. Generally, this total doesn’t include the portion of carbs made up of dietary fiber, as these aren’t digested by your body.

On a 2,000-calorie diet, a keto diet will typically be composed of:

• Fat: 55% to 60%
• Protein: 30% to 35%
• Carbs: 5% to 10% carbs

Here are 16 foods to avoid or limit on the keto diet, some of which might surprise you.

Here are some foods to limit if you’re following a ketogenic diet.

Eating refined high carb foods may prevent a ketogenic state if you consume more than your daily carb allowance.

Here’s the carb count per portion of these starchy foods:

Try mashed or riced cauliflower as a substitute, or experiment with low carb bread made from eggs, nuts, and seeds.

Honey-baked ham is a bone-in ham usually baked with a honey-butter blend slathered on top and in between slices. After cooking, a dry spiced sugar mix is applied to the outside of the ham and broiled until it forms a crackling glaze.

Glazed ham is similar, but baked with a thick sauce made of a sweet and pungent element like maple syrup and mustard or fruit jam and vinegar.

While delicious, the sugar baked onto or infused into these sweetened hams can keep you from reaching or maintaining ketosis.

Instead, opt for regular deli ham, which has less than 1 g of carbs per slice (13.5 g).

Starchy vegetables are usually limited on the keto diet due to their high carb content, despite their other nutritious benefits. Some starchy vegetables may include:

Starchy vegetables with slightly fewer carbs per serving include beets and carrots. You may be able to include modest amounts of these if they fit your daily carb allowance.

Mashed or riced cauliflower can also be a good substitute for starchy potato-centered recipes.

Non-starchy vegetables like spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, cucumber, and celery are usually better suited for keto diets.

Natural yogurt and dairy products can vary in their carb content.

When adding dairy to your diet, steer clear of flavored or sweetened varieties, which will add to your carb count. This is especially common in flavored yogurt, milk, and cottage cheese.

For instance, a 1-cup (250 mL) serving of chocolate milk has 26 g of carbs, while the same serving of whole cow’s milk has 11 g.

Unsweetened almond milk may be a better option for keto diets. It has only 3 g of carbs in the same serving size.

Aim for plain, full fat yogurt or cottage cheese. Some strained options to consider include:

Be mindful of what you pair with these foods. For instance, nuts and unsweetened peanut butter can help make a filling keto-friendly snack, while granola or fruits can increase their carb count.

Some fruits may be higher in carbs than others, which could keep you from reaching or maintaining ketosis.

Here’s the breakdown of some high carb fruits:

Although these can’t be staples in a keto diet due to their high carb content, they still boast an array of nutrients and dietary fiber, which is good for digestion and heart health.

As such, you may choose to eat them occasionally, but be mindful of your portion sizes and daily macronutrient targets.

If you’re still craving more fruit, reach for keto-friendly fruits like berries, avocado, raspberries, unsweetened açaí puree, watermelon, and coconut.

Some legumes and beans may be challenging to incorporate into your keto diet due to their high carb content.

Still, they boast dietary fiber, protein, calcium, and other micronutrients. As such, fitting in small portions might be worth the effort.

Here’s the carb content for popular legumes for reference:

Processed legumes could fit into your keto diet in modest portions, too. For example, in the form of hummus, which is made from chickpeas and tahini, a type of sesame butter. You can also try non-bean-based dips like baba ganoush or guacamole.

Grains like quinoa and millet are higher carbohydrate foods and may not fit in a keto diet.

For example, a 1/2-cup (93-g) serving of cooked quinoa packs 20 g of carbs, while a 50-g serving of millet has 37 g of carbs.

If you still want to include quinoa in your keto diet, consider it a garnish rather than a central part of your meal.

Here are some beverages to limit if you’re following a keto diet.

Beer, liqueurs, and mixed liquor-based drinks have a high carb and low nutrient count, which makes them foods to limit on a keto diet. Here’s the carb content of some popular options:

Most of the carbs in mixed drinks like vodka tonic or rum and coke are from sodas, juices, purees, and liqueurs. Instead, consider lower carb drinks like red wine or spirits. These provide 5 g of carbs or less per standard serving.

It’s worth noting that most alcoholic drinks provide little micronutrients like vitamins and minerals.

Generally, it’s best to save your sparse daily carb allowance for nutrient-rich fruits, vegetables, legumes, and grains. When you’re on a low carb diet, eating nutrient-rich foods can help reduce the possible risk of nutrient deficiencies associated with keto diets long term.

Natural fruit juice is high in naturally occurring sugars, and juices with added sugars are even higher in total sugars.

Fiber is key for proper digestion because it helps slow down the transit time of food along your digestive tract, thereby assisting with blood sugar management.

However, it can be tricky to get enough of on the keto diet.

Consider eating whole fruits instead of consuming high carb, low fiber juices to help maintain ketosis.

Sodas are essentially bubbly sugar water that provides zero nutrition and a high carb count.

For instance, one 12-ounce (372-mL) can of Coca-Cola packs 39 g of carbs, most of which are added sugars.

Depending on your daily carb allowance, just one drink can easily get you over the limit.

Some beverages to consider drinking instead include:

• sugar-free soda (though only occasionally)
• sparkling water with a slice of cucumber, lemon, or lime
• still water
• unsweetened tea

Adding some sauces, condiments, or sweeteners to food and drinks may increase the carb content.

Honey and syrups like agave or maple are concentrated sugars, so they can easily increase your daily carb count without otherwise providing significant nutrition.

Honey, for instance, packs 17 g of carbs into 1 tablespoon (21 g), while maple syrup has 13 g per tablespoon (20 g).

• Ketchup: 3 g per 9-g packet
• BBQ: 4 g per 9-g packet
• Sweet chili: 15 g per 35-g serving

Some condiments aren’t as high in carbs as other foods on this list, but it’s easy to eat a lot of them, so the carbs might add up quickly.

Just remember to check the carb content on the label.

Some dietary foods have reduced fat and may not be suitable for a keto diet.

Therefore, it’s a good idea to watch out for these items. Read the nutrition label carefully so that you can account for carbs in your daily totals.

Common low fat or fat-free foods that may be high in added sugars include:

Remember, the keto diet aims to be high in fat to provide your body with energy, so full fat options are the better choice.

Light or low fat margarine is a staple in some weight loss diets. Although it’s low carb, it’s also low in fat, which is your main fuel source on the keto diet and important for maintaining a ketogenic state.

Instead, consider reaching for unsalted butter or moderate servings of regular margarine.

Here’s how light margarine compares with regular margarine and unsalted butter:

Note that while margarine is higher in heart-healthy polyunsaturated fat than butter, some types have more trans fat, which has been linked to detrimental effects on the heart.

Some common snack foods may put you over your carb limit.

When fruit is dried, its sugar is concentrated into smaller serving sizes, increasing the carb content.

For instance, a 40-g serving of raw figs contains 8 g of carbs, while the same serving of dried figs contains 27 g of carbs.

Similarly, mixed dried fruit packs 31 g of carbs per 1/4 cup (40 g), which can easily put an end to ketosis. These are often blended into trail mix, which may include chocolate chips, candies, or sugar-coated nuts — high sugar foods that may easily put you over your carb allotment for the day.

Instead, aim for fresh berries to satisfy your sweet tooth. These are fairly low carb, with less than 4 g of carbs per 1/4 cup (38 g).

Dark chocolate with a cacao content of at least 70% can be part of your keto diet in small amounts. A 1-oz (28-g) serving contains 13 g of carbs, but it’s higher in fat.

Meanwhile, milk and white chocolates aren’t keto-friendly, given their added sugar content:

Look for chocolate that is more than 70% cacao and is low in added sugar. Or, consider dark chocolate made especially for keto diets.

The keto diet is high in fat, moderate in protein, and very low in carbs. It aims to put your body in a ketogenic state, in which fat is used as fuel instead of carbs.

Limiting your intake of high carb foods like dried fruits, refined carbs, sweet sauces, and reduced fat foods could help you maintain a low carb diet. Consider eating nonstarchy vegetables and foods high in protein and fats.

It’s important to remember there are few long-term studies on the health effects of a keto diet, so making small dietary changes may be more sustainable. Following a keto diet also means limiting high fiber foods, which have long-term health benefits.

If you’re unsure about the best diet for you, speak to a doctor or registered dietitian. They could help you develop a dietary plan.