Keto doesn’t have to be complicated. You won’t need every item on this keto groceries list every time you shop, rather, use it as a guide to save time when meal planning and make smart shopping decisions at the store. Choose the ingredients you and your family like the most!

To get you started, the following items are approved for Atkins 20 Phase 1 (the most ketogenic phase). 

Fish, Shellfish, Meat, and Eggs

Eating a variety of foods is important to any healthy diet. Make sure to get your protein from different categories and aim for three 4-6 ounce servings of protein each day. And while all fish are acceptable low carb foods for Phase 1, we recommend eating the types listed here a couple times a week.

• Flounder
• Herring
• Salmon
• Sardines
• Sole
• Tuna
• Trout
• Cod
• Halibut
• Cornish hen
• Chicken
• Duck
• Goose
• Pheasant
• Quail
• Turkey
• Ostrich
• Clams
• Crabmeat
• Mussels
• Oysters
• Shrimp
• Squid
• Lobster
• Bacon*
• Beef
• Ham*
• Lamb
• Pork
• Veal
• Venison
• Egg

* Be sure to avoid pork products that use a sweetened glaze or additive, such as honey ham or maple bacon.

Fats and Oils

Consuming a healthy amount of fat is an important part of keto diets like Atkins, and the recommended daily intake for added fats is 2-4 tablespoons daily.

• Butter
• Mayonnaise (make sure it has no added sugar)
• Coconut oil
• Avocado oil
• Ghee
• Olive oil (look for
• “cold pressed” or
• “expeller pressed”)
• Canola oil
• Walnut oil
• Soybean oil
• Grape seed oil
• Sesame oil
• Sunflower oil
• Safflower oil

Artificial Sweeteners

Limit your sugar substitutes to no more than three servings a day.

• Erythritol-based sweetener
• Allulose
• Sucralose
• Saccharine
• Stevia

Beverages

It is important to drink at least 2 litres of water a day during keto diets. Keep in mind that beverages other than water are often a major source of sugars and carbs, so make sure you read your labels closely.

• Club soda
• Cream, heavy or light
• Decaffeinated or regular coffee and tea*
• Diet soda (be sure to note the carb count)
• Flavored seltzer (must say no calories)
• Herb tea (without added barley or fruit sugar added)
• Unflavored soy/almond milk
• Atkins shakes

* One to two cups of caffeinated tea or coffee is allowed as desired and tolerated by each individual.

Cheese

Although cheese contains only a low amount of carbs, we recommend consuming no more than 110g of cheese per day. 

• Parmesan
• Goat
• Bleu cheese
• Cheddar
• Gouda
• Mozzarella, whole milk
• Cream cheese, whipped
• Swiss
• Feta

Foundation Vegetables

Aim for 12-15g of carbs from these nutrient-dense, higher-fiber foundation vegetables per day.

• Alfalfa sprouts
• Arugula
• Artichoke
• Asparagus
• Avocado
• Beet greens
• Bell peppers (any color)
• Black olives
• Bok choy
• Broccoli
• Broccoli rabe
• Broccolini
• Brussels sprouts
• Cabbage
• Cauliflower
• Celery
• Chicory greens
• Collard greens
• Cucumber
• Eggplant
• Endive
• Escarole
• Dill pickles
• Fennel
• Garlic
• Green beans
• Green olives
• Hearts of palm
• Jicama
• Leeks
• Lettuce
• Kale
• Kohlrabi
• Mushrooms
• Okra
• Onion (any variety)
• Pumpkin
• Radicchio
• Radishes
• Rhubarb
• Sauerkraut
• Scallions
• Shallots
• Snow peas
• Spaghetti squash
• Spinach
• Sprouts, mung beans
• Swiss chard
• Tomatoes
• Turnip greens
• Turnips
• Watercress
• Yellow squash
• Zucchini