by Caitlin H,
Oct 11, 2021
By now you’ve heard all about the keto diet — eat more meat and vegetables, avoid sugary foods and things like bread, and you’ll shed pounds, right?
That’s the general idea. In essence, a ketogenic diet is one that focuses on high-fat, high-protein foods in an effort to force the body to burn fat instead of carbs. Most experts recommend aiming to eat 30 net grams of carbs per day to maintain a proper keto diet.
But if you’ve tried the keto diet and found it hasn’t elicited quite the results you’re looking for, there is a chance that you’re consuming foods that are actually laden with more carbs than you realize and preventing your keto diet from being fully effective.
Below, we list six sneaky foods that might be the reason you’re inadvertently eating too many carbs.
Greek Yogurt
Many creators of Greek Yogurt pop something like, “High in protein!” on the label, meaning you may easily think snacking on one each morning or as a mid-afternoon snack is just the thing for your keto diet. In fact, Greek Yogurt has 6 carbs per serving — meaning it can quickly add up and derail your keto diet if you’re not conscious of how much of it you’re eating — and how often.
Still want yogurt? Try a keto-friendly alternative instead!
Bananas
Fruit may seem like a safe bet on a diet, but it’s actually a sneaky source of adding carbs — especially bananas. One banana alone has about 27 carbs! That means it’s probably a fruit you should avoid altogether if you’re aiming to keep your keto diet on track.
Love fruit? Try watermelon or raspberries as an easy replacement!
Peanut Butter
Peanut butter jars almost always boast their high levels of protein, and while they do typically have about 8 grams of it, they also pack quite the carbohydrate bunch. A traditional, two-tablespoon serving of peanut butter has about 14 grams of carbs. That means just four big bites of it would tap out your carb total for the entire day!
Still want peanut butter? Try swapping it with macadamia nut or hazelnut butter instead!
Salad Dressing
Think you’re okay to squirt a bunch of balsamic onto your chicken salad? Think again. Many salad dressings are laden with sugar and carbs, and even the ones you think are freebies (like balsamic, for example), can have about 6 grams or more. Be sure to check the labels of all your salad dressings before you coat your meal in it.
Still want to enjoy salad dressing? Try Healthline’s list of keto-friendly salad dressing recipes.
Milk
Milk has carbs?! You bet it does. While most of us think of milk as a dairy, it also contains high amounts of sugar. In fact, one cup of both 1% and 2% milk contains up to 12 grams of carbs. Whole milk is only a tiny bit better, with about 11 grams.
Still need your milk fixing? Opt for almond milk instead!
Cashews
Keto dieters often turn to nuts as a crunchy alternative to potato chips. Most nuts are very low in carbs and likely safe to eat (in moderation) on the keto diet. But some varieties, like cashews, are better avoided. That’s because they have about 9 grams per ounce, meaning more than a tiny handful of them could quickly put you over your carb limit line by the end of the day.
Need your nut fixing? Munch on some almonds, chia nuts, pecans or walnuts instead!
Ultimately, counting carbs can get confusing, particularly when you’re eating foods you think are actually okay when they’re not. Have questions? We can help!
If you’re ready for a low-carb, keto-friendly diet that takes the thinking out of it, try our Keto-Carb30 diet, which carries less than 30 grams of net carbs per day. We ensure you get the proper balance amount with our delicious, chef-crafted meals — delivered right to your door, anywhere in the continental U.S.
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Author: Caitlin H
Diet-to-Go Community Manager
Caitlin is the Diet-to-Go community manager and an avid runner. She is passionate about engaging with others online and maintaining a healthy, active lifestyle. She believes moderation is key, and people will have the most weight loss success if they engage in common-sense healthy eating and fitness.
