"If It Fits Your Macros" (IIFYM) is not sufficient for a healthy diet. This applies in particular to the ketogenic diet. This section intends to give you orientation when choosing your foods and supplements. The weighting proposed in the following, and the usually characteristic nutrient profiles of the respective food (groups), will already give you a sound basis for your supply with nutrients and a healthy ketogenic diet. The chapter Nutrient Management will give you more tips on how to adjust your nutrient supply optimally to your requirements.
FOOD GROUP ANIMAL PRODUCTS |
|
|---|---|
HEN'S EGGS |
|
| Energy | about 65-95 kcal apiece (depending on size) |
| Digestable Carbohydrates | < 1 g apiece |
| Fat | 4,5-7,5 g apiece |
| Protein | 5,7-8,5 g apiece |
| Notes | The information relates to the total content of the chicken egg. The compositions of egg yolk and egg white differ significantly. |
LEAN MEAT WITH FAT AND CONNECTIVE TISSUE |
|
| Energy | in one piece, depending on the fat content, mostly 120-180 kcal per 100 g, belly meat with a high fat content up to about 300 kcal per 100 g, minced meat with fat and connective tissue content about 200-250 kcal per 100 g |
| Digestable Carbohydrates | none or only traces |
| Fat | in one piece mostly 2-15 g per 100 g, with minced meat often 14-18 g, belly meat up to over 20 g per 100 g |
| Protein | mostly 17-21 g per 100 g |
| Notes | Meat parts with a medium to high fat content are suitable for the ketogenic diet. |
OFFAL: LIVER (E.G. FROM BEEF, PIG, LAMB, CHICKEN) |
|
| Energy | 120-140 kcal per 100 g |
| Digestable Carbohydrates | about 1-5 g per 100 g |
| Fat | 2-5 g per 100 g |
| Protein | 19-22 g per 100 g |
| Notes | The liver of healthy animals for slaughter is highly recommended due to its high content of vital substances; small amounts are sufficient. |
FAT FISH (HERRING, MACKEREL, SALMON / SALM) |
|
| Energy | 180-230 kcal per 100 g |
| Digestable Carbohydrates | none or only traces |
| Fat | ca. 12-18 g per 100 g |
| Protein | 18-20 g per 100 g |
| Notes | Fatty sea fish are recommended for the ketogenic diet, especially because of the omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA they contain, and they contribute to a balanced fatty acid distribution. |
COD LIVER OIL |
|
| Energy | about 900 kcal per 100 g |
| Digestable Carbohydrates | none |
| Fat | 100 g per 100 g |
| Protein | none |
| Notes | Cod liver oil is one of the few food sources for relevant amounts of vitamin D, it is also rich in long-chain omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin A. |
HARD CHEESE |
|
| Energy | depending on fat in dry matter 350-470 kcal per 100 g |
| Digestable Carbohydrates | traces |
| Fat | about 30 g per 100 g |
| Protein | 25-28 g per 100 g |
| Notes | The milk protein casein is difficult to digest. For some people it is beneficial not to consume dairy products. |
BUTTER |
|
| Energy | 740-750 kcal per 100 g |
| Digestable Carbohydrates | < 1 g per 100 g |
| Fat | 80-83 g per 100 g |
| Protein | < 1 g per 100 g |
| Notes | From a nutritional point of view, butter is more valuable than margarine, margarine is not recommended. |
FOOD GROUP VEGETABLES, HERBS, MUSHROOMS, ALGAE |
|
VEGETABLES, MUSHROOMS |
|
| Energy | mostly in the range of 18-35 kcal per 100 g |
| Digestable Carbohydrates | 1-5 g per 100 g, often < 3 g per 100 g |
| Fat | < 1 g per 100 g |
| Protein | 1-3 g per 100 g |
| Notes | Vegetables, in particular, are the only noteworthy or mainly possible sources of some essential nutrients (e.g. vitamin C). It is therefore advisable to reserve a larger proportion of the carbohydrates that can be consumed in the ketogenic diet for vegetables. Seaweed should also be mentioned as vegetable food from the sea, they are available in dried form and thus, with just a few grams per week, the needs of the trace element iodine is covered. |
FOOD GROUP NUTS AND PEANUTS |
|
NUTS, PEANUTS INCL. NUT BUTTER (HAZELNUTS, WALNUTS, PECANUTS, PEANUTS) |
|
| Energy | 580-700 kcal per 100 g |
| Digestable Carbohydrates | 6-12 g per 100 g |
| Fat | about 50-65 g per 100 g |
| Protein | about 12-30 g per 100 g |
| Notes | Nuts richer in carbohydrates (e.g. cashews, chestnuts) are not very suitable for the ketogenic diet, in case of doubt, note the nutritional information. Nut butter without further additives usually corresponds to the composition of the respective nut kernels and can also be used. |
FOOD GROUP VEGETABLE OILS |
|
OLIVE OIL, LINSEED OIL, CONOLA OIL, HEMPSEED OIL, WALNUT OIL AND OTHERS |
|
| Energy | about 900 kcal per 100 g |
| Digestable Carbohydrates | none |
| Fat | 100 g per 100 g |
| Protein | none |
| Notes | Vegetable oils should be cold-pressed and unrefind. They should be stored in light and oxygen-protected packaging. Those kinds of vegetable oils are valuable sources of essential fatty acids. The fatty acid distribution differs between the oils. The ratio of omega-6 fatty acids to omega-3 fatty acids in the overall diet should be about 5: 1. In the case of a ketogenic diet, this can be managed by adding different vegetable oils. |
FOOD SUPPLEMENTS |
|
PROTEIN POWDER (FROM HEN'S EGG WHITE PROTEIN, SOY PROTEIN ISOLATE, ETC.) |
|
| Energy | abot 320-350 g per 100 g |
| Digestable Carbohydrates | mostly 0-4 g per 100 g |
| Fat | < 1 g per 100 g |
| Protein | 75-85 g per 100 g |
| Notes | Suitable for shifting macronutrient proportions to a lower carbohydrate proportion, usually in combination with a fat fortification. Pure protein fortification is usually not necessary in a ketogenic diet. |
PREPARATIONS WITH VITAMINS, MINERALS, TRACE ELEMENTS |
|
| Energy | Energy and macronutrient content according to nutritional labeling, in the case of formulations as capsules, soft capsules or Tablets mostly negligible |
| Digestable Carbohydrates | |
| Fat | |
| Protein | |
| Notes | The need for most of the essential nutrients can also be found in the ketogenic diet via natural ones Groceries are covered. However, some nutrients can be scarce despite well-composed foods, for example with vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin D, calcium, magnesium, copper, chromium and iodine. If in doubt, take a vitamin or mineral supplement used to prevent nutritional deficiencies. |
BEVERAGES |
|
MINERAL WATER, TAP WATER, TEA, COFFEE |
|
| The energy and carbohydrate content must also be taken into account in beverages. Mineral water, tap water, and unsweetened tea are good choices for the ketogenic diet. | |
Prefer natural foods
Try to buy
as few processed goods as possible. When it comes to
meat and fish and eggs, prefer animal products of natural origin or animal welfare. In the ketogenic diet, fatty fish and meat ingredients
make more sense than lean varieties. Offal (micronutrients) and meat with edible connective tissue components (amino acid ratio)
also upvalue the nutritional composition. Minced meat, for example, works well.
Packaged goods help to assess the properties of the product if there is a nutritional label.
Try to only buy natural oils in dark bottles.
Vegetables can be pre-packaged or frozen (without additives)
or fresh.
Use pure (100 %) (pea)nut butter and preferably natural nuts. When making your selection, check the
carbohydrate content according to the product label.
In the ketogenic diet, protein powder (e.g. egg protein powder based on hen's egg white)
and high-quality vegetable oils can be used to increase the fat and protein content.
This is particularly important when the intended amount of carbohydrate is reached faster than
the required amount of energy. With selected vegetable oils, the fatty acid distribution of
the overall diet can also be positively influenced.
As you can see, some foods (groups) are completely missing in the table above. These are in particular the typical carbohydrate suppliers such as cereals and their products (bread, pasta, rice, etc.), fruit, most legumes, sweets and beverages containing carbohydrates. Ready meals and preparations usually also fall into this category. You have to avoid these foods because of their carbohydrate content.