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Nutritionists have come a long way from the days of recommending low-fat foods.

Despite popular belief, eating fats or fatty foods does not directly correlate to weight gain. We know now that your body is heavily reliant on carbohydrates and simple sugars to function. Or to put it another way—you’re looking to gain weight, some fettuccini Alfredo will get you a whole lot further than some bacon and egg omelets.

Whether you’re embarking on a ketogenic diet or simply hoping to cut back on carbs, we have the comprehensive list of everything you need to eat to keep your (healthy) fat counts high, and carb counts low.

Here’s the low carb, high-fat foods cheat list:

Meats!

This one couldn’t be any simpler.

Meats are the ultimate in food items that will fill you up quickly without going crazy on the carbs. Lean cuts of grass-fed meats are going to be your bread and butter when it comes to a low carb diet. However, maybe it’s best not to call it your bread and butter—since you need to stay as far away from bread as possible.

That reality is mostly what makes eating meats difficult for most. Many people aren’t used to eating meat unless it’s sandwiched in between two slices of bread. Since bread needs to be avoided like the plague on a diet like this, you can opt for salads, fresh, seasoned cuts of meat, or similar to get your meat fix without compromising with the sides.

Do be careful about preparation, however. Going for deep-fried options brings in entirely too many carbs from the flour needed, so make sure everything gets grilled, boiled, or roasted.

Here’s your quick list of meats to stick with:

  • Chicken
  • Turkey
  • Seafood (shrimp, tuna, flounder)
  • Beef
  • Pork
  • Lamb, venison, and similar grass-fed meat

Diary Products

Unlike meats, you’ll need to be a little more careful when implementing dairy products into your diet.

While it’s true that dairy products are relatively low in carbs and high in simple and monounsaturated fats, there’s also the issue of caloric intake. Too much dairy will through your diet off balance, and thus eliminate the reason to cut down on carbs in the first place!

We recommend keeping a close eye on the easily-consumed diary products like milk, yogurt, and soft cheeses. Stick to those you can only eat in smaller quantities, like butter and creams.

Diary is also a massively convenient option for low carb, high-fat foods because of their proliferation in many menu items. Almost everyone can find a use for dairy products—whether it’s crumbling some feta on top of a fresh salad or cooking with unsalted butter to liven up a meal.

Here’s the shortlist to remember when it comes to dairy products.

  • Butter
  • Heavy cream
  • Milk (in small quantities)
  • Yogurt (in small quantities)
  • Fatty/sharp cheeses

Veggies & Greens

While you were probably raised thinking that fresh fruits like oranges or mangoes were good for you, unfortunately, they pose a bit of a problem when it comes to a low carb, high-fat diet.

You’ll wait to skip out on the fruits all together and go for leafy greens and vegetables. What’s great about greens and vegetables is that they tend to pair well with many of the other acceptable items on our cheat list, so you can mix and match to make your veggies go down easier.

Not a big fan of broccoli? Try garnishing with spices, cooking for a bit in butter, and finally topping off with melted cheese. The resulting flavor is so fresh and enjoyable; you’ll probably forget that you’re keeping within your carb and fat requirements.

Likewise, a fresh batch of string beans made with butter goes great with fresh cuts of bacon or even some seafood on the side. The goal here is to pay attention to your carb count, but use anything possible to garnish, butter, oil, and flavor up those vegetables.

What you’ll need to pay special attention to are those thicker, below-ground vegetables that tend to be a whole lot higher in their carb count, like potatoes. Make sure everything checks out before tossing it into a meal, and never assume any “healthy” foods will keep their carb levels low enough for your diet.

Here’s your quick reference list for veggies and green that pass the low carb/high fat test:

  • Lettuce
  • Spinach
  • Broccoli
  • Green beans
  • Avocado
  • Tomato
  • Cucumbers
  • Brussels sprouts

Nuts

Finally, nuts are the ultimate in hacking your diet and keeping full all day long.

One of the biggest problems with going for a low carb, high fat diet is that many feel as if going in between meals is much harder. Without those carb-bombs like plates of pasta and bread to keep your stomach churching away, you’ll be left emptier longer. Which is great for weight loss, but not so great for sticking with a diet.

To combat this, try incorporating as many nuts as possible into meals.

Nuts are essentially small balls of fat—keeping you away from carbs while you munch on a handful in between meals. While not every nut is going to be acceptable for these purposes (for instance, cashews are a bit too carb-heavy for our liking), most will get you to the next meal without cheating on a diet.

Try out the following nuts to fill in the spaces between meals and help you stick to your diet. Just try not to over-do these; lest you blow past your caloric needs for the day.

  • Pecans
  • Peanuts
  • Almonds
  • Walnuts
  • Hazelnuts

Final Thoughts

While we tried to give as many suggestions as possible within our chosen categories, there are so many different low carb, high-fat foods you can try out either to stick to a ketogenic diet or just eat healthier. Everything from low carb peanut butter cookies to keto-friendly smoothies are available to make sure you get in all of your guilty pleasure meals with none of the consequences.

Just check the labels on everything in your grocery cart, try out a few of the items on our cheat sheet, and get started!