07/22/2020
KETO CHEAT SHEET FOR BEGINNERS!! 🥑 🥓 🧀
So many of you are either starting or re-starting keto for the new year and I think that is absolutely amazing! 🙌🏼
I have researched and tried dozens of different styles of eating (vegan, IIFYM/flexible dieting, Paleo, clean eating… You name it, I’ve tried it) and keto is the one that I feel most satisfied with, see amazing results and have no problem sticking to.
Don’t over complicate it! If you need to eat string cheese, bacon, broccoli dipped in ranch and hard-boiled eggs for the first couple of weeks until you get the hang of it, that is absolutely fine-there is nothing wrong with that!
Don’t overwhelm yourself by thinking you need to make every fancy Pinterest recipe you see online… You can keep it very basic and then start branching out later if you feel like it.
Here are some amazing cheat sheet lists that my girl Jenay Pressly shared earlier that I think will be very helpful!!

If you are a keto newbie- This should help pretty much all you need to know:
- Meats: ZERO CARBS 😍😍😍😍
• Beef- Ground beef, Steak, Ribs, and Roasts
• Pork- Chops, Ribs, BACON, Loins, sausage
• Chicken/ Turkey- Thighs w/ skin or wings are the best because breasts are high in protein. However, you CAN eat breasts, just have to eat more fat to compensate.
• Fish- Tuna, Salmon, Cod, Haddock, etc.
• Shrimp/ Lobster- Go crazy, use lots of butter!
• Pepperoni
-Cheese: MOST are no carb, almost all are low carb
• Mozerella & Cheddar- Buy in bulk, they freeze well and are insanely versatile!
• Colby jack, pepper jack, monterrey jack
• Taco style, Mexican style
• Parmesan, Asiago
• Ricotta- Freezes well, very versatile
• Cottage cheese- Good to throw in your lunch with berries, usually around 4-8g of Carbs per serving
• Cream Cheese- Freezes very well, this is one of the things that I always glance at whenever I go to the store, and always buy a bunch of if it's under 75 cents per 8oz.
- Vegetables: No potatoes! Get your carbs from above ground veggies!!!
• Leafy greens- Spinach, Spring mix, Kale, Romaine
• Zucchini- Great for a noodle substitute!
• Avacado- Awesome source of natural fat!
• Eggplant
• Brussels sprouts
• Tomato
• Spaghetti Squash- Versatile, makes a great spaghetti substitute and is even great for making hash browns!!
• Cucumber
• Peppers- Jalepeño, banana, green/ red/ yellow/ orange bell
• Broccoli- Great with cheese, steamed or just raw!
• Asparagus- Awesome roasted or sautéed with bacon and garlic!
• Cauliflower- AWESOME potato substitute!!
• Celery- Great with cream cheese or all natural peanut butter!
• Cabbage
• Pickles (Read nutrition labels, watch for sugar and carbs)
• Olives
• Green beans- Awesome sautéed in bacon grease with garlic, (watch portion size, though).
• Onions- Red, yellow: use somewhat sparingly, to taste
- Fruits: Most are a no-no, especially bananas, oranges and grapes.
• Strawberries
• Blueberries
• Raspberries
• Blackberries
• Lemon/ Limes- Adds great flavor!
- Nuts (grams of Carbs per 100 grams, or 3.5 oz)
• Pecans/ Brazil (4g)
• Macadamia (5g)
• Hazelnut/ Walnut/ Peanut (7g)
• Pine (9g)
• Almond (10g)
• Pistachio (18g)
• Cashew (27g)
- Oils/ Fats
• Coconut Oil
• Butter: Kerry Gold is best but just make sure it's REAL butter and not a spread or margarine
• Olive Oil
• Vinaigrette
• Hollandaise
• Bacon/ sausage grease
• MCT oil- easily ordered online/ in specialty stores
-Dressings/ Condiments/ Fats
• Ranch, Blue cheese, Cesar, Thousand Island, Balsamic- Watch carbs/ sugar, but there's tons of brands, so you can find one you love!
• Mayo- Natural/ organic is best, but I use Hellmann's all the time.
• Aioli
• "NO SUGAR ADDED" Ketchup or sugar free ketchup
• G. Hughes brand sugar free BBQ sauce
• Yellow/ Spicy Brown Mustard
• Soy sauce
• Hot sauce
- Liquids: Use as base for sauces/ soups
• Heavy Whipping Cream (HWC)
• Broths/ Stocks: Stay away from reduced fat. Bone broth is awesome!
- Snacks
• Pepperoni
• Slim Jims/ jerky (watch carbs)
• Homemade cheese its/ tortilla chips
• Cheese
• Pork rinds (0 carbs, very versatile. Can be used as breading, nacho substitute or even sprinkled with cinnamon & stevia and eaten like cereal with Almond milk and tastes like cinnamon toast crunch!)
- Drinks
• WATER- Lots of it!
• Crystal Light- Tons of options and very convenient!
• Tea
• Coffee- Add a Tablespoon of coconut oil or MCT oil, Stevia/erythritol, heavy whipping cream and vanilla, pumpkin extract or Cocoa powder & peppermint extract *BOOM* Homemade creamer!
- Alcoholic Beverages
• Beers (grams of carbs per 12 oz serving)
▪ Bud Select 55 (1.9)
▪ MGD 64 (2.4)
▪ Rolling Rock Green Light (2.4)
▪ Michelob Ultra (2.6)
▪ Bud Select (3.1)
▪ Beck's Premier Light (3.2)
▪ Natural Light (3.2)
▪ Michelob Ultra Amber (3.7)
▪ Coors Light (5)
▪ Amsterdam Light (5)
▪ Bud Light (6.6)
• Vodka: Whipped Vodka & flavored water or pineapple Pinnacle with crystal light are a couple of my favorites!
• Whiskey shot (0g carbs)
• Brandy shot (0g carbs)
• Dry Martini (0g carbs)
• Tequila shot (0g carbs)
• Champagne (~1g per serving)
• Dry wine (~2g per serving)
- Sweeteners
• Stevia drops (0g)
• Erythritol (0g)
• Truvía (0g)
• Monkfruit (0g)
- Other common Ingredients I use
• Almond flour
• Spices: Garlic powder, onion powder
- Dont forget your electrolytes, they are needed daily.
• A good form of electrolytes is:
• Powerade zero
• Pickle juice
• Pink Himalayan salt added to your food
- Strict keto - counts all macros, does not eat processed foods.
- Lazy keto - doesn’t track all macros, still eats processed foods, as long as they are on plan
- Macros are a break down of the calories you intake for the day.
- Carbs are a limit - try not to go over your carb limit. 20 NET CARBS!
- Fat is a lever - you don’t have to meet your fat macro, it’s simply there to help you get full.
- Protein is a goal- try your best to reach your protein goal.
Make sure to read over the files section at the top of this group for an inclusive five day mini course that includes sample meal plans, food and grocery lists, macro calculator and all the basics.
Make use of the search bar in this group! If you search the words “meal plan”, I have posted hundreds of free keto meal plans you can use to make life easy (you can even be more specific like beginners meal plan, vegetarian or vegan meal plan)! You can also search keywords, recipes or topics you want to learn more about!
BE ACCOUNTABLE! As a health and fitness coach specializing in weight loss for more than five years now, another huge mistake I see people making is not staying accountable to their goals. A couple weeks in and you think “who will know if I have a cheat meal” or “nobody’s watching if I just finish my kid’s macaroni”… And you’re right, nobody’s watching... but you’re literally wearing your results around for everyone to see. The actions you take now will reflect on your body later. The only person you’re hurting by not staying consistent is YOU!! Stay accountable by posting to the group, reaching out to me personally with check-in messages or weighing in every week and sending me your progress & photos!! I’m always here to be your check-in buddy! Another idea is to have a friend or family member do this with you and hold each other accountable! 🤜🏼🤛🏼
