Free Printable: Low Carb & Keto Food List
- What Is Intermittent Fasting?
- Does Intermittent Fasting Work For Weight Loss?
- How Does Intermittent Fasting Work?
- Intermittent Fasting Benefits
- How To Intermittent Fast
- Intermittent Fasting FAQs
- Conclusion: Should You Intermittent Fast?
- Recipe Reviews
Intermittent fasting is one of the most popular dieting trends in the last several years, including intermittent fasting on keto. However, much like the keto diet itself, intermittent fasting for beginners can be difficult to understand and carry out correctly. This guide will tell you everything you need to know: how to intermittent fast, intermittent fasting benefits, and how it aligns with a low carb lifestyle so you can enjoy everything this way of eating has to offer.
What Is Intermittent Fasting?
Intermittent fasting is an intentional approach to eating that cycles between periods of eating and periods of fasting (aka, not eating). It doesn’t tell you what to eat, so it’s not a diet — it influences when you eat instead. That means you can not only practice intermittent fasting on keto, but on any kind of eating plan.
Although humans have fasted for thousands of years out of necessity (in times of food scarcity) or for religious reasons, people now use intermittent fasting for weight loss and other health benefits.
Does Intermittent Fasting Work For Weight Loss?
Is it practical to do intermittent fasting for weight loss? Absolutely. Studies show that intermittent fasting can naturally restrict calorie intake and appetite, which can lead to weight loss [ * ].
However, intermittent fasting also works on a hormonal level by releasing more norepinephrine, a fat burning hormone. This hormonal shift can increase your resting metabolic rate [ * , * ], which means you can burn more calories, more efficiently — even in a resting state.
By restricting calories and increasing the rate at which you burn calories, an intermittent fasting schedule can lead to weight loss.
How Does Intermittent Fasting Work?
Although an intermittent fasting plan works for weight loss, it also kickstarts other biological processes depending on how long you do it:
- Intermittent fasting results occur as soon as 12 hours after you stop eating. At this point, the body enters ketosis, stabilizes blood sugar, and switches from using its preferred glucose stores to burning stored fat [ * ].
- Fasting even longer (up to 24 hours or more) generates more ketones and burns more fat, and signals the body to begin cellular recycling and repair [ * ].
- Longer intermittent fasting hours (48 or more) can help build muscle and even create new immune cells [ * , * ]. However, this is not a recommended approach to intermittent fasting for beginners.
Intermittent Fasting Benefits
Fasting, especially intermittent fasting on keto, allows you to gain an array of key health benefits:
Reduce insulin and blood sugar levels.
Fasting lowers insulin levels and triggers fat burning mechanisms in the body [ * ]. After a short period of hunger while your body adjusts to fasting, this approach also stabilizes blood glucose levels [ * ].
Strengthen cardiovascular health.
Fasting is linked with better markers for heart health, including lowered cholesterol and blood pressure [ * ].
Slow down aging.
Fasting “turns on” a cleanup process in the body called autophagy, which protects against oxidative stress and can help keep your cells younger [ * ].
Reduce disease risk.
Through autophagy, fasting reduces inflammation [ * ], defends against Alzheimer’s disease in the body [ * ], and may even assist with killing cancer cells [ * ].
Burn stubborn fat.
Studies show that intermittent fasting targets and burns more visceral fat, the tough-to-lose fat around your midsection [ * ].
Gain mental clarity.
Fasting helps you think clearly by boosting brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein linked with learning and better mood [ * , * ].
Enjoy more convenience.
Intermittent fasting cuts down on decision fatigue over what to eat, time spent on cooking, and food cleanup. When you don’t stop to eat as much, you can spend more time on other things.
How To Intermittent Fast
How To Intermittent Fast
Intermittent fasting on keto is easy, as long as you follow a few simple guidelines.
Intermittent fasting rules:
- Decide how long you want to fast. Start with a smaller fasting window (such as 12 hours) and build your way up. (Note: Sleeping can count toward your fasting window.)
- Avoid eating during your fasting window. You may drink zero-calorie beverages such as plain water, tea, or black coffee.
- Stay hydrated. Water is most important, but you can also have plain tea or coffee. If you fast for longer periods, add electrolytes to avoid keto flu .
- You can exercise during your fasting window, but you may want to do it closer to your eating window for intense workouts.
- Plan your meals before your eating window to avoid last-minute food choices when you’re already hungry.
- When your fasting window closes, re-feed with balanced, nutrient dense foods. Don’t use your re-feed time to binge or eat unhealthy, processed foods.
How to start intermittent fasting:
Wondering how to do intermittent fasting for the first time? Start with a smaller fasting window, such as 12 hours, before exploring longer fasting times.
With an early dinnertime or late breakfast (and no snacking), you can easily achieve a 12-hour fast. Then, you can experiment with the fasting schedules below.
Ideal intermittent fasting schedule:
There are no intermittent fasting times that work for everybody – experiment to find the best one for you! Here are some of the most popular ones, any of which will work as an intermittent fasting keto schedule:
- 16:8 – Fast for 16 hours, with an 8-hour eating window
- 5:2 – Eat normally for 5 days, restrict calories to 500-600 for 2 days spaced in between
- Eat stop eat – Eat normally for 5 days, fast for 24 hours two days per week (spaced apart)
- 4:3 – Fast every other day, and eat normally on non-fasting days
- One meal a day (OMAD) – Fast for 23 hours daily, eat a balanced meal during a 1-hour window
- Skip meals spontaneously when you don’t feel hungry
16:8 is one of the most popular ways to practice intermittent fasting for beginners. This keto beginner meal plan provides a way to practice keto and intermittent fasting with easy low carb meals for your eating window — just omit the breakfast to practice fasting.
Intermittent fasting for beginners comes with a lot of questions. Here are the most common ones:
Can you drink water while intermittent fasting?
Yes, you can and should drink water! You can also enjoy any zero-calorie beverages.
Can you drink coffee while intermittent fasting?
Intermittent fasting coffee is fine to drink, but make it plain. (Same with tea !) Avoid adding anything to it that will add calories, and thus break your fast.
Can I have cream in my coffee while intermittent fasting?
Cream contains enough calories to potentially break a fast and lose out on the benefits, so it is not recommended.
Can I have (some other thing) during a fast?
The general rule is that anything with calories breaks a fast. The main exceptions are supplements, electrolytes, and medications:
- Supplements: You can continue taking any that are recommended to take on an empty stomach. Read labels to know for sure, and pay attention to how you feel if you take them while fasting.
- Electrolytes: It’s a good idea to take these during a fast. Just make sure they don’t have calories or sugar. If you want to be less strict, you can have a keto electrolyte drink which has 8 calories, probably few enough to be okay for a fast.
- Medications: Many of these need to be taken with food or taken at certain times for optimum absorption. Talk to your doctor before changing when and how you take medications.
What to eat while intermittent fasting?
During your fasting window, you shouldn’t eat anything. 😉 During your eating window, enjoy nutrient-dense keto foods like healthy proteins, vegetables, and fats.
Avoid breaking your fast with processed foods and carb-heavy meals, as these can hinder the health benefits of fasting in the first place.
Is intermittent fasting safe?
Research shows that people can fast successfully with mild, minimal side effects. Dangerous intermittent fasting side effects are more likely to occur when people undergo long-term fasts, continue fasting despite feeling serious side effects, or re-feed with unhealthy foods [ * ].
Intermittent fasting side effects are minor for most people. You may feel mild hunger or weakness, and these are normal. Generally, electrolytes can minimize these side effects so the transition into fasting is not so harsh.
For the average person with no health conditions, fasting is generally safe and aligns with human biological processes for waking, metabolizing food, and repairing cells [ * ].
However, you should check with your healthcare provider before fasting. Fasting is also not recommended for children, pregnant or breastfeeding women, or anyone with a medical condition a history of disordered eating.
How long should you intermittent fast?
How long is intermittent fasting sustainable? When it comes to intermittent fasting for beginners, 24 hours or fewer is a safe limit.
Those more experienced with fasting may go 48-72 hours, or even longer — however, you’ll have to experiment and work up to a long fasting window, and stop if it doesn’t feel right or keeps you from doing daily tasks.
You can incorporate some form of fasting into your schedule every day, as long as you stay healthy and nourished with the right foods during your eating windows.
Is intermittent fasting keto?
This way of eating can align with keto, and some research shows that it can help you achieve better fasting results [ * ].
Rather than thinking of these approaches as “intermittent fasting vs keto,” they can work together to ensure you don’t feel hungry since you’ll enjoy healthy and satisfying fats during your eating widow.
Conclusion: Should You Intermittent Fast?
As long as you are generally healthy and have no underlying medical conditions, learning how to intermittent fast can help you gain all the amazing benefits of this dietary approach. Try intermittent fasting on keto to stay nourished with healthy fats, and feel less hungry during your fasting window.
Free Printable: Low Carb & Keto Food List
- Want The Keto Cheat Sheet Printable PDF System?
- The Basic Keto Meal Formula
- Understanding Macros
- Keto Food Swaps
- Keto Food List
- Electrolyte Basics
- Keto Diet Types
- Want The Keto Cheat Sheet Printable PDF System?
- Recipe Reviews
Even though I have a great guide to starting a keto diet , people often ask me for a quick keto cheat sheet they can use. That’s why I created this simple keto diet cheat sheet , so that you can have all the info you need handy. We’ll cover the basic keto formula for building meals, foods to eat and to avoid, delicious keto swaps for high-carb foods, electrolyte basics, and 4 ways to follow the keto lifestyle.
You can keep reading to view this info, or download my keto cheat sheet printable pdf to print out or save ad-free on any device (plus the pdf has more details!).
Want The Keto Cheat Sheet Printable PDF System?
Get all this information and MORE in convenient printer-friendly format – 13 cheat sheet pages you can take with you anywhere or keep in your kitchen, plus 4 recipe cookbooks! Includes:
- Keto food list (230+ foods) – Super detailed & color-coded, with net carb counts, so you’ll know exactly what to eat.
- Foods to avoid on keto – Detailed and specific list so that you know exactly what to watch out for.
- Macros cheat sheet – Explains everything you need to know about macros to succeed on keto.
- Keto food swaps (60+ foods) – Covers virtually every food you love, so you don’t have to miss out!
- Keto meal formula – With specific food ideas, so it’s easy to mix-and-match.
- Keto flu guide – Understand what it is and exactly how to avoid it.
- Electrolyte cheat sheet – With whole food ideas + bonus keto tips.
- Keto Diet Types – Summary of 4 ways to do keto, so you can choose what fits you best.
- FOUR (4!) Keto Swaps Recipe EBooks – Dozens of recipes to replace bread, rice, potatoes, pasta, desserts, and other carbs you’d otherwise miss.
Get The Printable Keto Cheat Sheet System + EBooks (Only $37)
The Basic Keto Meal Formula
Eating keto doesn’t have to be complicated! While there are plenty of delicious easy keto recipes to choose from, you don’t even have to cook from a recipe to get started.
Simply follow the keto cheat sheet formula of protein + veggie + fat for your meals.
Be sure to choose a moderate amount of protein, only low carb vegetables (mostly ones that grow above ground), and generous fat to attain an optimal macro ratio. That’s approximately 60-75% of calories from fat, 20-25% protein, and 5-10% from carbohydrates. The table below will give you ideas for what to choose.
| Pick A Protein | Pick A Veggie | Add Fat |
|---|---|---|
| Beef Chicken Pork Eggs Lamb Turkey Fish Shellfish Protein powder Venison | Cauliflower Broccoli Zucchini Leafy Greens Cucumbers Brussels Sprouts Cabbage Asparagus Radishes Bell Peppers Jicama Celery | Butter Avocado Oil Cheese Bacon Avocado Lard Ghee Mayo Nuts MCT Oil |
Understanding Macros
Macros are macronutrients for short. They include fat, protein, and carbohydrates.
You can calculate your own macros using the macro calculator , but the macro keto cheat sheet below will explain how to look at macros when following a keto lifestyle.
Carbs Are A Limit.
Keeping carbs low is what gets you into ketosis and keeps you there. Ketosis means that you’re using fat as your primary energy source instead of sugar, and requires keeping carbs very low.
A good starting point is 20-25 grams net carbs per day, but you can experiment after a few weeks to see if your body stays in ketosis at higher levels. People who are very active may be able to do more and stay in ketosis, up to around 50 grams per day.
“Carbs are a limit” means that you set a limit for how many carbs to eat per day and don’t exceed it. You don’t have to hit that limit, so if you’re under that’s okay, just don’t go over. Ideally most of your carbs would come from low carb vegetables, and if you’re eating enough veggies, you’ll usually get close to the limit naturally.
A common misconception is that reaching ketosis requires a certain macro ratio, but it’s really only restricting your carb intake that gets you there [ * ]. In the absence of sufficient carbs to use as energy, the body will switch to using fat as fuel. This is called the metabolic state of ketosis.
Protein Is A Goal.
Protein is made up of amino acids, the building blocks of all our cells. It’s a crucial for keeping our muscles strong and for many cellular functions [ * ].
“Protein is a goal” means that you always want to eat enough protein to reach the goal each day, but not exceed it too much. You want enough for your needs, but excess protein can trigger gluconeogenesis, which is protein being converted to sugar [ * ] and can kick you out of ketosis.
Fat Is A Lever.
Fat is the primary macronutrient in a keto lifestyle, because being in ketosis means that fat is your primary fuel source. Fat as a fuel source will come from your food, and if you are losing weight, from your body.
A big advantage of a keto lifestyle is the high fat intake. It keeps you full and satisfied, making it easier to stick to, and using it as the primary fuel source makes it easier on your body to burn body fat, with a lower chance of breaking down your muscle (provided you get enough protein).
Aside from reaching your protein goal and limiting your carbs, the remainder of your calories on a keto diet comes from fat.
Don’t fear fat – it’s your main energy source on keto, and getting enough of it trains your body to use fat for fuel instead of sugar. That means that as long as you are not overdoing your overall calorie intake, you’ll efficiently burn your body fat for fuel as well.
“Fat is a lever” means that you can increase or decrease your fat intake depending on your goals and hunger levels. Increase it (along with exercise) to gain muscle, or decrease it to lose weight.
Keto Food Swaps
One of my favorite challenges is creating recipes, or just discovering, keto food swaps. These are delicious keto replacements for traditionally high-carb or high-sugar foods.
So, I created this keto diet cheat sheet with all the swaps in one place! I also have more keto food swaps in my Easy Keto Cookbook .
Keto Swaps For Breakfast
| Instead Of This… | Eat This |
|---|---|
| Pancakes | Almond flour pancakes or coconut flour pancakes |
| Oatmeal | Keto oatmeal with hemp seeds |
| Cinnamon rolls | Fathead cinnamon rolls |
| Cereal | Keto nut granola |
| Muffins | Almond flour muffins or coconut flour muffins |
| Donuts | Almond flour donuts |
| Scones | Almond flour scones |
| High-sugar smoothies | Smoothie with berries or avocado |
| Hash browns | Cauliflower hash browns |
| Breakfast casserole | Breakfast casserole with no potatoes |
| Egg whites | Whole eggs |
| Turkey bacon | Bacon |
| Waffles | Chaffles |
Keto Swaps For Bread
| Instead Of This… | Eat This |
|---|---|
| Bagels | Fathead bagels |
| English muffin | Almond flour English muffin |
| White bread | Keto white bread |
| Multigrain bread | Coconut flour bread with seeds |
| Tortillas for wraps | Coconut flour tortillas |
| Corn taco shells | Cheddar cheese taco shells |
| Burger buns | Oopsie rolls , portobello mushroom caps |
| Breadsticks | Cauliflower breadsticks |
| Biscuits | Almond flour biscuits |
| Cornbread | Almond flour cornbread |
| Croutons | Parmesan crisps |
| Rice | Cauliflower rice , konjac rice |
Keto Swaps For Meals & Side Dishes
| Instead Of This… | Eat This |
|---|---|
| Breaded wings | Crispy air fryer wings (unbreaded) |
| Low-fat meat & poultry | High-fat cuts, or cook low-fat cuts with fat |
| Mashed potatoes | Mashed cauliflower |
| Roasted potatoes | Roasted or fried radishes |
| Tacos | Taco salad |
| Pizza | Fathead crust , chicken crust , or cauliflower crust pizza |
| Lasagna | Eggplant lasagna |
| Potato salad | Cauliflower “potato” salad |
| French fries | Jicama , rutabaga , or zucchini fries |
| Tater tots | Cauliflower tots |
| Wraps | Lettuce wraps , almond flour tortillas |
| Sushi | Naruto-style or homemade rice-free sushi |
| Breaded chicken or fish | Breaded cuts with almond flour or pork rinds |
| Spaghetti | Zoodles , spaghetti squash , shirataki noodles, kelp noodles |
Keto Swaps For Snacks & Sauces
| Instead Of This… | Eat This |
|---|---|
| Nachos | Cheese crisps |
| High-sugar fruit | Berries & other keto fruits |
| Crackers | Almond flour crackers |
| Hummus | Cauliflower hummus |
| Soft pretzels | Fathead pretzels |
| Popcorn | Puffed cheese |
| Granola bars | Grain-free granola bars |
| Jam | Sugar-free berry chia jam |
| Sweet fruity yogurt | Full-fat plain Greek yogurt with berries |
| Sweet salad dressing | Ranch , blue cheese , or plain vinaigrette |
| Ketchup | Mustard and/or sugar-free ketchup |
| BBQ sauce | Sugar-free BBQ sauce |
| Sweetened peanut butter | Natural, sugar-free nut butters |
| Light mayo | Avocado oil mayo |
| Maple syrup | Sugar-free, maple flavored syrup |
| Potato chips | Zucchini chips , pepperoni chips , pork rinds |
Keto Swaps For Cooking & Baking
| Instead Of This… | Eat This |
|---|---|
| Sugar | Monk fruit or allulose |
| Powdered sugar | Powdered monk fruit or allulose |
| White flour | Almond or Coconut flour (use in tested recipes) |
| Making baked goods soft/chewy | Xanthan gum, flax seed meal, psyllium husk powder |
| Breadcrumbs | Pork rinds or almond flour |
| Margarine | Butter, coconut oil, or ghee |
| Vegetable oil | Olive or avocado oil |
| Bananas | Banana extract |
| Chocolate chips | Sugar-free chocolate chips |
| Cornstarch or flour roux | Xanthan gum or gelatin powder (used at the end) |
| Simple syrup | Dissolve monk fruit allulose blend in water over heat |
Keto Swaps For Drinks
| Instead Of This… | Eat This |
|---|---|
| Lemonade | Water with lemon |
| Soda | Flavored sparkling water |
| Milk | Almond milk, coconut milk, heavy cream |
| Latte | Butter coffee |
| Coffee creamer | Heavy cream |
| Sweet wine | Dry wine |
| Beer | Ultra light beer |
| Mixed drinks | Hard liquor with soda + lemon |
If you’re looking specifically for keto alcohol options, browse the full keto alcohol guide .
Keto Food List
When looking for a keto cheat sheet printable, the most-requested information is a keto food list.
The great thing is that keto doesn’t have to feel restrictive. It’s incredibly satisfying and there’s such a wide variety of foods you can eat!
Foods To Eat On Keto
- Leafy greens – Such as spinach, chard, and lettuce.
- Above-ground veggies – Such as peppers, zucchini, and cauliflower.
- Full-fat cream & cheese – Such as heavy cream, sour cream, and full-fat hard cheeses.
- Natural meats – Such as beef, lamb, and pork.
- Berries – Such as raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries.
- Avocados
- Unsweetened nut milks – Such as almond milk and coconut milk.
- Almond flour and coconut flour
- Eggs
- Healthy fats – Such as coconut oil, avocado oil, olive oil and butter.
Foods To Avoid On Keto
- White flour & sugar
- Rice & grains – Such as barley, wheat, and corn.
- Milk & yogurt – Such as fruit on the bottom yogurt, sweetened Greek yogurt, and all milk.
- Cereal
- Processed food – Such as granola bars, candy
- Most fruit – Such as apples, bananas, and grapes
- Hydrogenated fats – Such as vegetable oil, soybean oil, and margarine
- Sweetened beverages & condiments – Such as soda, ketchup, and sweet dressings
- Starchy veggies – Such as peas, carrots, and beets.
- Potatoes – Such as sweet potatoes and white potatoes.
That’s the short keto diet cheat sheet version of all the keto food categories, but I recommend downloading the full Keto Cheat Sheet System. It includes a super detailed printable keto food list with over 100 items, including 2 color-coded pages with net carb counts, along with 6 more pages of keto cheat sheets:
Get The Keto Cheat Sheet System PDF (Only $37)
Electrolyte Basics
Getting enough electrolytes is crucial for anyone, but especially so on a keto diet. The reason is that ketosis has a diuretic effect, which increases excretion of water and electrolytes, especially sodium [ * ]. This is often the cause of the keto flu.
For more details on electrolytes and avoiding keto flu, check out the full keto flu guide here .
The important thing to know about electrolytes is that replenishing them will keep keto flu away and keep your body functioning well. I always recommend an electrolyte drink and whole food sources of anything your body needs before resorting to supplements, so I made a list of what to eat to get each of the 3 major electrolytes – sodium, magnesium and potassium.
Here’s your keto diet cheat sheet for getting electrolytes from food:
| Sodium | Magnesium | Potassium |
|---|---|---|
| Bone broth Boullion cubes Bacon Salted nuts Pickles | Seaweed Seeds Nuts Avocado Leafy greens | Potassium chloride Avocado Bone broth Spinach Broccoli Mushrooms Beef Pork |
Keto Diet Types
People follow a keto lifestyle for different reasons. Some do it just to lose weight, others are after better overall health, increased energy, and reduced inflammation.
Strictly speaking, the defining factor of a keto diet is the metabolic state of ketosis, which is achieved by restricting carbs. However, many people (myself included) also reduce or eliminate processed, inflammatory, or low-nutrient foods.
Below is your keto cheat sheet summary of the different ways that people follow keto. You choose what works best for your goals and lifestyle!
- Strict Keto – Up to 20-30g net carbs daily, count all calories and macros, and eat clean, unprocessed foods.
- Lazy Keto – Up to 20-30g net carbs daily, and track only net carbs OR eat keto foods without tracking.
- Dirty Keto – Up to 20-30g net carbs daily, with “if it fits your macros” approach including processed foods.
- Low Carb – Up to 50-100g net carbs daily, less strict.
For a more detailed listing of these different types of keto with pros and cons, grab the Easy Keto Cheat Sheet Printable PDF below!
Want The Keto Cheat Sheet Printable PDF System?
Get all this information and MORE in convenient printer-friendly format – 13 cheat sheet pages you can take with you anywhere or keep in your kitchen, plus 4 recipe cookbooks! Includes:
- Keto food list (230+ foods) – Super detailed & color-coded, with net carb counts, so you’ll know exactly what to eat.
- Foods to avoid on keto – Detailed and specific list so that you know exactly what to watch out for.
- Macros cheat sheet – Explains everything you need to know about macros to succeed on keto.
- Keto food swaps (60+ swaps) – Covers virtually every food you love, so you don’t have to miss out!
- Keto meal formula – With specific food ideas, so it’s easy to mix-and-match.
- Keto flu guide – Understand what it is and exactly how to avoid it.
- Electrolyte cheat sheet – With whole food ideas + bonus keto tips.
- Keto Diet Types – Summary of 4 ways to do keto, so you can choose what fits you best.
- FOUR (4!) Keto Swaps Recipe EBooks – Dozens of recipes to replace bread, rice, potatoes, pasta, desserts, and other carbs you’d otherwise miss.
Get The Printable Keto Cheat Sheet System (75 pages, Only $37!)
