Remember the food pyramid you learned in school? This image has declined in the last few years, but the food pyramid has been a useful guide in understanding what proportions certain food groups should be represented in our diet. It also recommends that certain foods be restricted. To get our body into ketosis, the keto diet is recommended to get rid of the traditional food pyramid. But what does a keto food pyramid actually look like? Let’s find out!
Keto food pyramid
Certain levels of the food pyramid may be slightly adjusted depending on the exact macros you have chosen in your keto diet, but our recommendation is 70-80% fat, 20-25% protein and 10% carbohydrates.
So how is the keto food pyramid used? Simply start from level 1 and work your way up to level 6. You can take level 1 as the „base“ of your food pyramid. Contains foods that you should eat most often. While level 6 is the „top“ keto food pyramid, it contains foods that you should consume in limited portions.
Of course, this is not an exhaustive list of keto food options, but you will find the best resources here (and hopefully some of your favorites). So let’s start!
Level 1 – Fats and oils
⦁ Fats: Butter, ghee, coconut butter, avocado, olives, tallow, lard, bone marrow, bone broth, duck fat, goose fat, bacon fat
⦁ Oils: Coconut, MCT, linseed, avocado, fish, krill , extra-virgin olive oil, cod liver, palm oil
⦁ Meat: Fat beef, pork (bacon, ribs,), chicken (thighs), offal, veal, lamb, smoked meat
Čné Fatty / fatty fish: Salmon, tuna, mackerel, trout, sardines, herring)
⦁ Seeds: pumpkin, chia, flax, hemp, sunflower, sesame.
⦁ If you have grass-fed butter, beef, and fish caught at your local store, and if these products fit your budget, opt for them. They may be a little more expensive than conventional options, but generally have better nutritional profiles.
Level 2 – lean meat, fish, seafood and eggs
⦁ Lean meat: chicken / turkey breast, lancum
⦁ Lean fish: cod, plaice, mahi mahi, catfish, tilapia, cod, plaice, perch
⦁ Seafood: shrimp, scallops, oysters, clams, crab, mussels, lobster, squid, shrimp
⦁ Eggs
⦁ Make sure you don’t overdo it with lean proteins. Depending on the macros, you will probably only need 90 to 140 grams of protein a day, so you may want to choose fatter meat or fish. Of course, if you find that some of your favorite foods are on this list, you can enjoy them more without falling out of ketosis.
Level 3 – non-starch vegetables as the main source of carbohydrates in the keto food pyramid.
⦁ Leafy vegetables: spinach, cabbage, dandelion cabbage, green leaves, Swiss chard,
⦁ Salad: arugula, watercress, leaves, romaine lettuce, watercress, lettuce
⦁ Alfalfa sprouts
Level 4 – Other vegetables suitable for keto
⦁ Cross vegetables: broccoli, cauliflower, bok choy, cabbage, brussels sprouts, turnips
Oblíbené Other popular keto: radish, zucchini / summer gourd, cucumber, celery, asparagus, mushrooms, eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, green beans, garlic
⦁ Although these vegetables do not necessarily fall into the „non-starch“ category, they still tend to be low in carbohydrates. Pay attention to the portion sizes for these options, as some can have many carbohydrates.
Level 5 – Whole milk products
⦁ Full fat cream
⦁ Full-fat Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, processed cheese
⦁ Kefir
⦁ Hard cheeses: Gouda, parmesan, blue cheese, Swiss, provolone, colby
⦁ Soft cheeses: Monerey Jack, brie, mozzarella, cheddar, mascarpone, muenster
⦁ Why aren’t dairy products on the upper floor of the keto pyramid? Basically, dairy products have little effect on ketosis. If you don’t eat dairy products, that’s fine! Of course, many of us LOVE cheese, so that’s probably out of the question!
If you decide to include milk in your keto diet, try to avoid or limit milk as it tends to have a moderate amount of carbohydrates. Unsweetened milk (eg almond or coconut) tends to be more suitable for keto.
Level 6 – Fruits And Nuts
⦁ Nuts: macadamia nuts, pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, chestnuts, pine nuts, almonds, pistachios, pili nuts, peanuts, cashews
⦁ Fruit: blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, lemons, Sour limes, coconuts (fresh or unsweetened flakes / crushed)
Fruits and nuts are excellent and nutritious for the keto diet, but should be limited to small amounts because they contain carbohydrates. Nuts should be as unflavored as possible – dry, salted and raw versions tend to have much less carbohydrates.
⦁ If you can’t live without your nuts, then it’s perfectly okay to enjoy small parts of them on a keto! Just try to limit them to 1 serving a day, as they tend to be high in sugar and carbohydrates, and opt for nuts with the lowest amount of carbohydrates that can be found.
What are the drinks in the keto food pyramid?
In general, you need to be a little picky about what you drink, so you don’t have to have these drinks in the keto food pyramid at home. Many popular drinks are high in carbohydrates, sugar and definitely not suitable for the keto diet. However, you still have a few delicious choices left!
⦁ Caffeine Drinks: You can drink many (of course, sensibly!) Impervious coffee, unsweetened tea (green, black and turmeric are great options) and unsweetened coffee as you wish.
⦁ Alcohol: If you decide to enjoy them (stick to small portions!), Dry wines and clear spirits / liqueurs are the best choices.
⦁ Water and sparkling water is (almost) infinity Just make sure that any sparkling water or mineral water does not have sugar, because sugar sometimes creeps into the couple
⦁ Kombucha is also an excellent, healthy choice for a keto! Be sure to check your sugar content before you buy kombucha, as they can vary widely across different brands and flavors.
So you have it! When you’re new to the keto diet, learning what you should and shouldn’t include in your diet can be really overwhelming, but having a keto food pyramid to guide you will definitely help you understand all the complications of keto. Even if you’ve been a keto for what looks like forever, checking out this pyramid food pyramid should help you remind yourself what your „food priorities“ should be, or simply make sure you’re still on the right track!
