While many diets are restrictive when it comes to permitted foods, the keto diet is quite flexible. Personally, I have never felt like I have had a lack of choice of delicious meals and snacks to eat. Your primary goal on keto or low carb eating is to stay below your daily net carb target. As long as you do that, you are following a keto or low carb diet, technically speaking. That said, some foods are better than others for your body weight and health.  

What follows is a list of LEAN Keto approved foods, which should provide at least 80% of your food intake. I have categorised them by food group so that you can easily take your pick when preparing a meal.

Bacon, beef, chicken, duck, biltong, turkey, pork, lamb, game, offal, oxtail, goat, mutton, cured meats, and sausages.

Note: To excel at the keto diet, avoid meat products that contain additives, added sugars, and artificial sweeteners. Also, it is best to select meat cuts from animals that ate their most natural food. An example is beef that comes from grass-fed rather than grain-fed cattle. These cuts have superior nutritional value.

Fish and seafood are naturally low in carbohydrates making them an excellent option for those following a Keto or low-carb or even diabetic diet.

The types of fish or seafood you can eat include:

Anchovies, angelfish, calamari, dorado, haddock, hake, kob, mackerel, mussels, prawns, salmon, sardines, scallops, snoek, squid, trout, tuna, sea bream, sea bass and yellowtail.

Note: Eat at least 300g of fish a week, half of which in the form of oily fish (i.e. salmon and mackerel). Fish has many nutrients that are crucial for your body and brain, including omega-3 fatty acids.

Eggs are one of the healthiest and most versatile foods on the planet. 

You can enjoy them as much as you like on a kept and low carb diet.

Prepare your eggs fried, hard boiled, scrambled, omelette or poached.

Note: Eggs are truly a superfood. They are packed with a wealth of beneficial nutrients, including vitamin A, B, D, and E, iodine, and choline. Besides, data by Dr Paul Jaminet shows that eating more eggs lowers mortality rate and increases life expectancy.

Avocado, berries, ackee and coconut meat. 

Note: Most fruits are not keto-friendly because they have too many carbs. The exceptions are avocados, berries, ackee and coconut meat, but since these still contain some carbs, consume them only in limited amounts, which the exception of avocados as they contains lots of good monounsaturated fat.

Above-ground vegetables tend to be lower in carbs and are thus excellent keto options.

Examples are spinach, lettuce, asparagus, cucumbers, and broccoli. Below ground vegetables are generally higher in carbs, so they make inferior keto options. Examples are potatoes, yams, cassava, dasheen, carrots, and beetroot.

Other great kept or low carb options include:

Asparagus, artichokes, aubergine, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, cucumber, green beans, kale, lettuce, marrows, mushrooms, olives, onions, peppers, pumpkin, radishes, spinach, callaloo, chocho and tomatoes.

You can drink any sugar-free tea, herbal teas, coffee, sparkling water, and water.

I like to add freshly squeezed lemon to my water; it tastes so refreshing. Kombucha is also a keto friendly drink, however, check the label as the flavoured version can have added sugar.

Note: Stay away from sugar-sweetened drinks. I would also stay away from sugar-free drinks containing artificial sweeteners like aspartame. The best options for sweeteners are stevia, erythritol, and monk fruit. You can also use these sweeteners in your cooking.

The type of oils you can use for cooking include: Animal fats, goose fat, avocado oil, beef tallow, butter, coconut cream, coconut milk, coconut oil, coconut butter, duck fat, virgin and extra olive oil, ghee, heavy cream, lard, macadamia nut oil, mayonnaise, sesame seed oil, MCT oil, MCT powder, and walnut oil.

Note: Avoid hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils. They contain trans fats that cause inflammation in your body and increase your risk of high cholesterol, heart disease, and cancer. 

Also, steer clear of highly processed vegetable oils, such as soybean oil, sunflower oil, peanut oil, corn oil, and grapeseed oil. Besides containing many omega-6 fatty acids, they are often made from genetically modified seeds and have too low a smoke point for cooking.

You can eat nuts but be aware of the carbs content as some nuts contain higher carbs than others, especially cashew nuts.

You can enjoy, almonds, brazil nuts, chia seeds, flax seeds, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, pine nuts, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, and walnuts.

Note: Avoid many nut mixes as they contain vegetable oils and sugars. So, buy a product that does not have these additives. 

Avoid dairy products that contain sugars or at least too much sugar to maintain your daily net carb target. In particular, fat-free, low-fat, and reduced-fat dairy products tend to have many sugars, so make sure you read the food labels.

The types of dairy and cheese you can enjoy include: Blue cheeses, butter, cream, cream cheese, cottage cheese, feta cheese, ghee, greek yoghurt (not greek style yogurt, as this version contains added sugars), parmesan cheese, and all other full-fat, low carb cheeses. 

It is best to drink alcohol in moderation on a keto diet. That said, if you can stay within your carb intake, it is okay to have a drink every now and then, preferably sticking to the low carb alcoholic options.

Alcoholic drinks that contain low amount of carbs include: Brandy, red wine, cognac, dry wine, gin, rum, tequila, vodka, and whiskey. 

In general, these are fine as long as they are free of sugar, carbs, and vegetable oils. 

All herbs and spices are fine as long as they have no added sugars (note: many spice mixes do). Some of the healthiest options are basil, cayenne pepper, chilli powder, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, nutmeg, oregano, parsley, pepper, rosemary, and turmeric.