Keto diets offer a unique way of eating. And the taste of transitioning to the low-carb, high-fat lifestyle is even sweeter when you try the variety of fat-fueled products available.
Innovative food and supplemental offerings providing energy and fat-burning benefits to those watching their carb intake broaden the horizon of nutritional options for those following a low-carb diet.
Furthermore, companies continue developing and releasing keto-friendly comfort foods in response to the persistent market demand. As a result, you can choose from tons of sweet and sugar-free options that won't affect the level of glucose in your blood.
Moreover, it’s become increasingly easier to find keto-friendly packaged products that are convenient with premium ingredients––an ideal combination.
A variety of keto supplements are available, offering various solutions for those following a low-carb, high-fat (LCHF) diet. From those trying to avoid the keto flu to those seeking increased collagen protein, ketone bodies, MCTs, or other nutritional components to achieve an optimal dietary experience; there’s a bounty of options to consider and implement.
Our goal is to provide some insight to help you choose the products that will best support your keto journey based on those we've found most helpful so that you don't waste your time and money.
Choosing Keto Products
It may be overwhelming as you decide which low-carb products to choose as you embark on your low-carb journey; there are nearly endless options, each catering to a specific taste and health need.
But as we consider a plethora of culinary options available to those curbing carbs, here are a few general pointers to follow when evaluating keto products:
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Make sure you read the ingredients list
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Stay away from sugar (both obvious and hidden)
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Eliminate artificial sweeteners and sugar alcohols that are not keto-friendly
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Avoid trans fats and highly processed oils
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Stay away from starchy foods
Moreover, if you’re following a keto diet, you want to get approximately 75% of your calories from fat, 20% from protein, and 5% or less from carbohydrates. Look for products with a high-fat, moderate protein, low-carb ratio, and you'll keep your macros well-aligned. The ideal macronutrient ratio to follow is 70% fat to 30% combined carb and protein––leaner, lighter, obviously, on the carbs.
What is a Keto Diet?
The keto diet aims to put the body into ketosis. When this happens, the body uses fat for energy instead of carbs and sugar, typically leading to weight loss.
Individuals who want to achieve ketosis must drastically reduce their carb intake while eating healthy fats for fuel. Plus, the carbs consumed are essential while on keto to avoid wild fluctuations in blood glucose levels.
We often hear community members asking for low-carb alternatives to favorite snacks, wraps, bread, and other supplements; inquiring about which standouts we like to use.
No worries, our job is to point you in the right direction and eliminate most guesswork, and we’ll share our top picks with you below.
Best Keto Meal Replacement Shake
We confess to a slight bias as lovers of our Konscious Keto Shake, brimming with clean protein and other energy-boosting ingredients. However, aside from our premium proprietary blend, you would want to consider the following aspects of a product when deciding whether or not to add a protein shake or meal replacement supplement to your arsenal.
- Look for products made with keto-friendly sweeteners, like monk fruit, stevia, erythritol, and allulose. Avoid artificial sweeteners, such as sucralose.
- Look for blends that are high in fat, moderate in protein, and low in carbohydrates.
Best Keto-Friendly Mayo: Using condiments to substitute sugar and carbs can help create various mouthwatering dishes. However, although all mayonnaise appears to be keto-friendly, a closer look may reveal that some brands contain cane sugar listed under lesser-known names and/or unhealthy oils. Look for a mayo made with only keto-friendly oils, like olive and avocado.
Go ahead and easily whip up an animal or plant-based mayo at home, or consider the following store-bought brands to add creaminess to your recipes without the carbs:
- Chosen Foods Avocado Oil mayo
- Thrive Mayonnaise (e.g., coconut oil and avocado oil)
- Primal Kitchen Avocado Mayo
- Sir Kensington’s Avocado Oil Mayo
Best Keto Snacks
We can’t all exist on OMAD (one meal a day) alone: some of us want to eat more than once a day and the foods we enjoy include snacks! Adding the right snacks and foods in general plays a significant role in your feelings of well-being as well as the progress you may or may not experience while following a keto diet.
- Low carb yogurts sweetened with stevia, such as the Two Good brand come in a variety of flavors, such as strawberry, blueberry, and vanilla.
- Nush Foods: These fruit-flavored snack cakes are a fan favorite, with a loyal following praising the delightful taste and texture of these sweet keto snacks, which come in at less than 4 grams of net carbs per serving.
- Kiss My Keto has a line of snacks, including cookies and gummies with flavors ranging from chocolate chip to watermelon, respectively.
- Nu Trail offers a wide range of keto-friendly granola and cereal for those who have missed the classic healthy snack since cutting out fast-acting carbs and sugars on keto.
- Even though Moon Cheese is not a new product, it continues to be popular. These keto pods are salty, crunchy, and savory––an excellent swap for chips or pretzels, or a low-carb frying dredge.
- Whisps cheese snacks are a great alternative to cheese flavored crackers and come in a variety of flavors, including parmesan and cheddar.
Best Tortilla
Wraps add a welcome flair to meals, but the masa and corn flour varieties are too high in fasting-acting sugars for a keto diet.
Yet, quesadillas and other stuffed cheesy casseroles aren't out of the question on keto as many store-bought tortilla options will suffice while sparing you of the unwanted carbs. Just be mindful of ingredients and always avoid sugar and wheat flour.
Here are a few keto-friendly tortilla options that are a great alternative on a low carbohydrate diet:
- NUCO coconut wraps
- Julian Bakery Keto Thin Wraps
- Folio’s natural cheese wraps
Best Konjac Plant Noodles
Fathead recipes have their place in recreating keto pasta and pizza crusts, but konjac noodles are another element that you may want to include in your keto pantry. Here are some brands that offer the versatile zero-carb noodle:
- Miracle Noodle
Best Keto-Friendly Soda/Seltzer
Burgers and keto-friendly fries are meals that beg for the accompaniment of a soda, but you may figure you must forgo the fizzy beverage while limiting carbs.
Fortunately, Zevia and similar soda brands that sweeten their soda with options such as stevia are a perfect accompaniment to comfort food sessions or as an effervescent daily pick-me-up.
Here are some exciting keto-friendly sodas to consider, some of which even contain probiotics to help optimize gut flora:
- Culture POP Probiotic Soda
- Zevia soda sweetened with stevia
- Virgil’s Zero-Sugar Soda
- Polar Sparkling Flavored Water
- Bubly flavored sparkling water
Best Savory Snacks
Although sweets fill a dietary void, sometimes nothing will satisfy a craving like a salty, crunchy, and fatty snack. The following are some savory snack options to consider in 2022:
- Flackers flax seed crackers
- Bubba's Fine Foods Savory Keto Nut Mix
- Simple Truth Keto Cheese Crisps
- Whisps cheese crisps
- Epic Ketogenic Pork Rinds
- Catalina Crunch Mix Keto Snack Mix
- Paleo Pure - Keto Crackers - Savory
Many report experiencing cravings for savory foods while following a high-fat diet, but some people––even despite eliminating carbs from the diet––still gravitate toward sweeter treats.
Try incorporating some of these keto-friendly confections, if your sweet tooth still reigns supreme even after swapping stevia for sugar:
- Curly Girlz Candy Milk Chocolate Almond Toffee
- ChocZero Chocolate Keto Bark
- Lily’s sugar-free Chocolate bars and chocolate chips
- HighKey Chocolate Chip Mini Cookies
- Smart Baking Company SmartCakes
- Fat Snax Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Stoka Nutrition Vanilla Almond Stoka Bar
- Magic Spoon Frosted Cereal
- Revol Snax Double Dark Chocolate Bites
- Nui Chocolate Chip Cookie
- Kiss My Keto Keto Gummies
Best Keto Breads
Many people don't want to give up fluffy or hearty bread. A keto diet that eliminates bread may delay people from starting one, but there are plenty of low-carb bread options to buy or make at home to fit any dietary need––so there’s no need for such a steep sacrifice.
There are endless keto-friendly bread recipes online, our cloud bread, pumpkin walnut bread, or delightful zucchini bread, are also a great place to start.
Plus, the following are fantastic everyday keto sandwich bread brands to consider adding to your keto pantry:
- Julian Bakery KetoThin Bread
Best Keto Sauces and Condiments
Condiments, sauces and dressings can add a unique flair to foods, but they are also landmines for hidden carbs and sugars––so, it’s imperative to source your selections carefully. As always, read ingredients labels and select products made with keto friendly oils and no added sugars.
The following are some healthy, low-carb sauces to consider when following a low-carb diet:
- Primal Kitchen BBQ Sauce
- Primal Kitchen Ketchup
- Primal Kitchen Ranch Dressing
- Primal Kitchen Buffalo Sauce
- Primal Kitchen Steak Sauce
- Primal Kitchen Mayos
- Chosen Foods Ranch Dressing
- Chosen Foods Green Goddess Dressing
- Chosen Foods Lemon Garlic Dressing
- Chosen Foods Mayos
- Rao’s Pasta Sauce
- Rao’s Pizza Sauce
Best Keto Ice Cream Options
Halo Top reigned supreme for years, barely challenged by another ice cream option claiming to be keto-friendly, but some new selections are staking their claim in the low-carb dessert space worth noting.
Try any of the following selections to enjoy the creamiest sugar-free frozen desserts on the market:
- Rebel Ice Cream
- Nick’s Ice Cream
- Halo Top Keto Ice Cream
- Enlightened Keto Ice Cream
- Keto Pint Ice Cream
- Killer Creamery
Best Keto Dietary Supplements
A low-carb, nutrient-dense diet is vital to optimal health while curbing carbs and sugars. However, supplementing with premium products has a place, especially for athletes, people with medical issues, and pregnant women and nursing mothers.
Since we are passionate about some of our most recent releases, we acknowledge our bias. However, we first and foremost, advocate eating a clean keto diet, exercising regularly, and getting quality sleep daily. But with that said, we’d remiss if we didn’t acknowledge that our metabolic booster further supports your healthy lifestyle decisions; it’s a game-changer!
We created Metabolic Energizer to help you switch your metabolism into overdrive and help you burn fat throughout the day.
Constructing a well-rounded nutritional and lifestyle plan, and focusing on improving sleep hygiene all contribute to effortless and lasting weight loss. However, you may find many benefits in adding premium products, like those we’re sharing, to your low-carb protocol:
We have also created a Pre-immunity Booster Defense containing vitamin C, zinc, vitamin D, cordyceps extract, echinacea extract, and elderberry extract. Plus, adding our delicious and anti-inflammatory Supreme Greens blend to your diet is a delicious way to promote an alkaline state that aids in optimal brain and body functioning.
Here are some of the most beneficial supplements to take on a keto diet:
- Magnesium provides energy, regulates blood sugar levels, and supports the immune system.
- MCT Oil provides plenty of fuel for the brain and body.
- Healthy fats such as omega-3 fatty acids improve focus and heart health.
- Vitamin D
- Digestive Enzymes
- Exogenous Ketones
- Greens Powder
- Electrolyte Supplements or Mineral-Rich Foods
- Research has shown that creatine monohydrate promotes muscle gain, enhances exercise performance, and improves strength, benefiting athletes following a keto diet.
- Caffeine: Drinking an extra coffee or green tea will boost athletic performance and energy, especially for athletes transitioning to a ketogenic diet.
- Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs): Branched-chain amino acids are known to reduce the effects of workout-related soreness, fatigue, and muscle damage–ideal for those engaging in HIIT exercises or powerlifting on a keto diet.
- HMB (beta-hydroxy beta-methylbutyrate): HMB may help reduce muscle loss and increase muscle mass in those just beginning an exercise program or increasing the intensity of their workouts.
- Beta-alanine: Taking beta-alanine during a ketogenic diet may help reduce body and muscle fatigue.
The Takeaway
The foundation of any healthy keto diet is whole, high-quality foods and ingredients, and a focus on consuming adequate fiber, electrolytes and hydration to support optimal health.
However, using fresh foods as well as supplements does not need to be mutually exclusive. Each component enhances the benefits of the other in a symbiotic partnership.
Focus on quality and sourcing premium nutrition instead of getting sucked into the hype of unfounded fads. And feel free to adjust your options as you go; the ketogenic diet can adapt to support you through your various phases and stages in life.
Resources
- Low-carb diet beats low-fat for HDL-cholesterol levels. (2010). SciVee. https://doi.org/10.4016/20185.01
- Erkmen, O. (2022). Analysis of Canned Foods. Microbiological Analysis of Foods and Food Processing Environments, 409–419. https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-323-91651-6.00053-7
- Slomski, A. (2019). Low-carb diets help maintain weight loss. JAMA, 321(4), 335. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2018.22031
- NW, B., SW, F., HS, B., B, P., DD, H., & CL, R. (2017). Insulin resistance improves more in women than in men in association with a weight loss intervention. Journal of Obesity & Weight Loss Therapy, 08(01). https://doi.org/10.4172/2165-7904.1000365
