Anyone starting a keto lifestyle knows: this is going to require a lot of label reading at the supermarket. Ingredients matter over carb count and just because something is low carb does not necessarily mean it is good for your health.
Coming off a standard high carb diet filled with processed and pre-packaged foods it is very important to learn what to look out for in terms of ingredients and not just nutritional facts. This is why I get send a lot of photos of product labels with the question ‘Is this actually keto?’ An avocado or a head of lettuce may not solicit such a question but deciding if a pre-packaged food is okay to purchase can be a true minefield.
Below you will find a list of the main non-keto culprits:
A
Acesulfame potassium (a.k.a. ace-k)
Aclame
Agave
Agave nectar
Agave Syrup
Alitame
Amaranth
Aspartame
Autolyzed yeast
B
Barbados sugar
Barley
Barley malt
Beet sugar
Blackstrap molasses
Bran
Bran fiber
Brown rice
Brown rice flour
Brown rice syrup
Brown sugar
Buckwheat
Bulgur
Burghul
Buttered syrup
C
Calcium caseinate
Cane juice (and crystals)
Cane sugar
Canola oil
Caramel
Carob syrup
Carrageenan
Cassava
Castor sugar
Chickpea flour
Cellulose
Cellulose gel
Cellulose gum
Confectioner’s sugar
Coconut palm sugar
Coconut water (extract)
Corn
Cornmeal
Corn oil
Corn starch
Corn sugar
Corn syrup (and solids)
Cottonseed
Cottonseed oil
Couscous
Crisco
Cyclamate
D
Dates
Date sugar
Dehydrated cane juice
Demerara sugar
Dextran
Dextrin
Dextrose
Diastatic malt
Diatase
Diglycerides
Disaccharides
Dried fruit
Durum
E
Einkorn
Emmer
Ethyl maltol
Evaporated cane juice
F
Farina
Farro
Fava bean
Fillers
When looking for supplements it is advised to pay attention to any fillers used. Click here for an article on 11 fillers that are always best avoided
Florida crystals
Flour
Fructooligosaccharides
Fructose
Fruit concentrate
Fruit extract
Fruit juice
Fruit juice concentrate
G
Galactose
Glucitol
Glucose (and solids)
Glutamic acid
Glycerol
Golden sugar
Golden syrup
Graham flour
Granulated sugar
Grapeseed oil
Grape sugar
H
High fructose corn syrup (HFCS)
High maltose corn syrup
Hydrogenated anything
Hydrolyzed protein
Hydrolyzed vegetable protein
Honey
I
Icing sugar
Interesterified oils
Invert sugar
Isoglucose
Isomalt
Isomaltooligosaccharide (IMO)
J
Juice concentrate
K
Kamut
L
Lactitol
Lactose
Lentil
Levulose
Locust bean gum
M
Malt
Malt syrup
Maltitol
Maltodextrin
Maltose
Manioc
Mannitol
Maple syrup
Margarine
Mesquite
Millet
Modified food starch
Molasses
Monoglycerides
Monosodium glutamate
Msg
Muscovado sugar
N
Natural flavours
The term ‘natural flavours’ can be very misleading as it can also encompass unnatural additives. By law companies are allowed to do this. For more info on natural flavours click here
Neotame
O
Oat fiber
Oats
Orzo
P
Palm oil
Palm sugar
Panocha
Partially hydrogenated anything
Pea protein (and isolate)
Pectin
Phenylalanine
Polydextrose
Potassium sorbate
Potato starch
Protein isolates (milk, casein, soy & whey)
Powdered cellulose
Powdered sugar
Q
Quinoa
R
Rapadura
Raw sugar
Refiner’s syrup
Rice
Rice bran oil
Rice flour
Rice syrup
Rye
S
Saccharin
Saccharose
Safflower oil
Sago
Semolina
Sodium Caseinate
Soluble corn fiber
Sorbitol
Sorghum
Sorghum syrup
Soy
Soy lecithin
Soy protein (and isolate)
Spelt
Sucanat
Sucaryl
Sucralose (powder)
Sucrose
Sugar
Sunflower lecithin
Sunflower oil
Sweet ‘n Low
T
Tapioca
Tapioca fiber (a term to disguise the use of IMO)
Tapioca starch
Taro
Teff
Transglutaminase (T-enzyme)
Treacle
Triticale
Turbinado sugar
V
Vegetable glycerin
Vegetable shortening
Vegetable starch
W
Wheat
Wheat berries
Whey protein (and isolate)
White flour
Wild rice
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