7Foods to avoid on Keto diet

If you're thinking about starting a ketogenic diet, you're probably aware that you'll be avoiding foods high in processed grains and sugar, such as pizza and muffins. After all, it's a high-fat, low-carb diet, and those are two of the more obvious carbohydrate culprits. However, many of the foods you'll avoid aren't necessarily bad for you. In fact, many "no" foods are high in health-promoting vitamins, minerals, and fiber but contain a lot of carbs, which isn't ideal for a low-carb diet, especially one as strict as the keto diet.

Here are 15 foods — some healthy, others not so much — that you should try to avoid on keto and what to choose instead.

1. Bread, pasta, rice, and other refined carbs

Consuming refined high carb foods such as white bread, pasta, rice, and pastries may prevent you from entering a ketogenic state if you exceed your daily carb allowance.

While these are fine to eat in moderation if you aren't on a low carb diet, those trying to achieve or maintain ketosis should limit them.

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

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2. Starchy Peas

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Peas are a starchy vegetable with a higher carbohydrate content than green nonstarchy vegetables like broccoli or zucchini. However, if you've recently consumed a bowl of them, don't feel bad: "If the food you're going overboard on is peas, it's not the worst thing you can do" in terms of health, according to Herrmann. Just keep in mind that because they have 14 g net carbs per cup, they're likely to throw you off track with your keto diet.

3. Juice

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Although juice contains more vitamins and minerals than honey and syrups, it is still high in naturally occurring sugar. It is also deficient in dietary fiber. This is problematic because fiber is required for proper digestion and can be difficult to obtain on the keto diet (Trusted Sources).

Fiber is important because it slows the transit time of food through your digestive tract, which helps with blood sugar control (Trusted Source).

If you want to stay in ketosis, you should avoid high carbohydrate, low fiber foods like juice, as well as the associated blood sugar spikes (Trusted Sources).

4. Sodas with added sugar

Sodas are essentially bubbly sugar water with no nutritional value and a high carb count.

One 12-ounce (372-mL) can of Coca-Cola, for example, contains 39 grams of carbs (Trusted Source).

Depending on your daily carbohydrate intake, one drink can easily push you over the limit (Trusted Source).

If water isn't cutting it, a sugar-free soda won't knock you out of keto. While the long-term health effects of these drinks are debatable, an occasional sip is unlikely to be harmful (Trusted Sources).

You can also try sparkling water or still water with mint, lemon, or cucumber infusions.

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5. Foods that are low in fat

ALSO READ: WHAT'S A GOOD KETO MEAL PLAN?

To compensate for the lack of fat, foods marketed as low fat tend to be higher in sugar (Trusted Source).

As a result, it's a good idea to keep an eye out for these items. Carefully read the nutrition label so that you can account for carbs in your daily totals.

Common low-fat foods high in added sugars include (Trusted Sources):

>Yogurt that is low in fat or fat-free

>mayonnaise that is low in fat or fat-free

>Salad dressings with a low fat content

>Lower-fat peanut butter

>Milk, whole or skim

Also, keep in mind that the keto diet aims to be high in fat in order to provide energy to your body. As a result, full fat options are preferable.

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6.Yogurt with added sugar or dairy

The carbohydrate content of natural yogurt and dairy products can vary.

When incorporating dairy into your diet, avoid flavored or sweetened varieties, which will increase your carb count. This is particularly prevalent in flavored yogurt and cottage cheese.

Per cup of whole milk, there are 11 grams of carbohydrates (244 mL). While you can have it on occasion, unsweetened almond milk has only 3 grams of carbs in the same serving size, making it a more keto-friendly substitute (Trusted Source).

7. Ketchup, barbecue sauce, and other condiments

Ketchup, barbecue sauce, and sweet chili sauce are just a few examples of sugary condiments that don't offer much in the way of nutrients or fiber (Trusted Source).

Per 9-gram packet of these condiments, ketchup has about 3 grams of carbs and barbecue sauce has about 4 grams of carbs. Each 35-gram serving of sweet chili sauce contains 15 grams of carbohydrates (Trusted Source).

While some of these aren't as high in carbs as others on this list, they're easy to consume in large quantities. Eating more than small portion sizes may quickly turn them non-keto.

In conclusion

The keto diet is high in fat, low in carbs, and moderate in protein. Its goal is to put your body into a ketogenic state, where fat is used as fuel instead of carbohydrates.

Its long-term health effects are unknown, and it may put you at risk for nutritional deficiencies in the short term.

Avoid high carb foods such as dried fruits, refined carbs, sweet sauces, and low fat diet foods when following the diet. These can provide too many carbs or not enough fat, thereby preventing ketosis.

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