What is the Keto Food Pyramid?

This Keto Food Pyramid represents the general consensus of what we should eat on the ketogenic diet.

The Ketogenic Diet Food Pyramid an Illustration of what to eat

When you think food pyramid, you probably think of the food recommendations that the United States Department of Agriculture has been publishing since 1992.

For many years, you have probably based your dietary decisions on their food pyramid.

Their food guide was abandoned in 2011 and replaced by MyPlate, but the thinking and recommendations haven’t changed that much.

If you want to understand how this food guideline was developed, then check out the history here

Given the prevalence of obesity and diabetes, this dietary guidelines have not been good for us.

When you look at our ketogenic food pyramid here, you will find that it completely turns this SAD (Standard American Diet) food recommendations on its head. 🙂

Moving from eating almost no fat, to consuming most of your calories from fat, is a complete mind shift.

When you make this change your effectively change your body's fuel from glucose to ketones.

Keto - Change your fuel

It is sad that the keto way of eating is not new and in fact has preceded these official guidelines.

Unfortunately, most likely as a result of food politics, the ketogenic way of eating never made it into the official guidelines.

This infographic shows in a simple way what should be eaten on a keto diet and summarizes the basic principles of the ketogenic lifestyle.

Keto Food Pyramid

Want to share this image on your site? Then copy and paste the embed code below:

<img src="https://www.essentialketo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Keto-Food-Pyramid.webp?x90863&x57571&x57571&x57571" width="740" alt="Keto Food Pyramid">
<a href="https://www.essentialketo.com/keto-food-pyramid">
</a><p><strong>Keto Food Pyramid</strong> courtesy of <a href="https://www.essentialketo.com/keto-food-pyramid">Essential Keto</a></p>

Want to print it? Then here is the link.

Pyramid FAQ Summary

So let's summarize...

What is a food pyramid?

It is a way to visualize in diagram form what and how much of each macro nutrient you should eat each day.

What is the standard food pyramid?

It is the standard diagram that was developed by the United States Department of Agriculture and published since 1999. In 2011 it was replaced by the MyPlate diagram.

What is the keto food pyramid?

It is a visual representation in the form of a triangular diagram of what and how many macro nutrients to consume when you adopt fat as your main source of fuel on a keto diet.

What should I eat on a ketogenic diet?

Ideally you should eat 75% fat, 25% protein and 5% carbohydrates. 

If you are ready to change your fuel then carry on reading...

How do I get started?

Use this ketogenic food pyramid as your starting point and if you are not sure exactly what you should or shouldn't be eating or just want more information, then check out our ketogenic checklists.

Here you will find what to eat and a list of the foods to avoid. 🙁 There is also a shopping list of food to stock your pantry with and great healthy low carb swaps you can replace your favorite foods with. 

If you are looking for a simple plan to get into ketosis, then you'd want to check out our 4 Step Guide here.

Or 

If you need "done for your recipes", my favorites are these from TasteAholics.

They have a one week FREE trial, which gives you some great recipes and enough time to decide whether these are right for you.

Keto Weight Loss Meal Plans

Your Turn

We are happy to respond to any questions about our keto food pyramid or the keto lifestyle in general.

Please leave a comment below or send us a message on our contact us page and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.

Noline
 

Noline is a therapeutic reflexologist who converted to the keto lifestyle after losing 55 pounds without counting calories or starving herself. She is a Professor Tim Noakes and the Nutrition Network student and feels compelled to share the low-carb lifestyle with as many people as possible. She does this at Essential Keto, where she shares resources, recipes, and experiences while working on losing that last 10 pounds.