The ketogenic diet, characterized by high fat, moderate protein, and very low carbohydrate intake, has gained immense popularity. The ketogenic diet macros require a dieter to consume 70-80% of their daily calories from fat, 10-20% from protein, and only 5-10% from carbohydrates. Beginner keto dieters might think keto simply boils down to eating more meat and fewer carbs. While beef jerky, pork crackers, chicken, or turkey are all suitable for keto, many varieties of this diet exist. When following the keto diet, only consume plain, uncured, and unglazed ham to avoid added sugars and carbohydrates.
This article explores the suitability of ham within a ketogenic lifestyle.
Ham and the Keto Diet: The Basics
The short answer that keto practitioners will give to this question is, “Yes, ham is keto-friendly.” In its natural state, ham is high in fat and protein while having virtually zero carbs. Ham, in its natural state, will not kick you out of ketosis because it’s virtually carb-free. However, the story isn't always that simple.
The Catch: Curing and Glazing
Ham is commonly cured or glazed to enhance its flavor. Some varieties are cured in honey, while others are glazed in brown sugar. In its natural state, a slice of non-cured and non-glazed ham contains only 1.02 grams of carbohydrates. It’s a whole different story if the ham was prepared with added sugars. One food you should avoid on the keto diet is glazed ham. It’s a processed meat that is also often cooked with a sugar coating. One serving (about 1.9 oz) contains 4 g of net carbs.
Identifying Hidden Sugars
Keto dieters say they can add ham into their meals, provided they only consume plain, regular ham without added sugars. If you’re looking for ham, go for a traditional sliced deli ham, which has 0 g of carbs per slice. Still, you’ll want to read the ingredients list to make sure there’s no added sugar.
Read also: Can You Eat Honey on a Ketogenic Diet?
Health Considerations
It’s a good source of fat, protein, and micronutrients. Sure, eating ham every day sounds like heaven. But nutritionists warn about certain health risks associated with overconsumption of ham. Some types of ham have been cured with artificial preservatives and contain nitrites and nitrates, which are not healthy for your body over time. Ham is also high in sodium.
For some folks, there’s more to healthy eating than nutrition. Like many Dietz & Watson products, our Organic and Natural lines offer foods that are free from added hormones, nitrates or nitrites, artificial ingredients, and fillers. Another great thing about our Organics and Naturals line? No antibiotics ever! Many of our Organic options also happen to be certified USDA organic and meet, if not exceed most organic standards.
Healthier Alternatives and Options
Luckily, there are several alternatives you can use to switch up your fat and protein sources. Just keep in mind that if you want to consume ham while on keto, try opting for plain ham-not cured or glazed with added sugars.
At Dietz & Watson, we wanted to make finding the healthiest deli meats as easy as possible, so we created the Healthier Lifestyle seal. When you see the seal, you know you’re getting delicious, premium meats that meet and go beyond the standard FDA and USDA definition of “healthy,” and are lower in fat, saturated fat, sodium, and cholesterol. Keeping your heart healthy can mean more than keeping an eye on saturated fats, especially if high blood pressure is a factor. So we developed the first ever reduced sodium deli meat in 1978. Ask your local deli counter for Dietz & Watson's No Antibiotics Oven Roasted Turkey Breast, with 50% less sodium, or go for the No Salt Turkey Breast. When in doubt, look out for ‘No Salt Added’ or ‘Reduced Sodium’ on our labels.
Keto-Friendly Meal Planning with Deli Meats
If a good, basic Keto diet is what you’re aiming for, you’re going to want to heavy up on the fats. And you’ll be surprised at how hard it is to hit that 75+% goal on fat intake, even when you’re eating traditionally fatty foods. Look to higher-fat content cheeses like our Bacon & Horseradish Cheddar Cheese Wedge with 9 grams of fat per serving. For meats, you can’t beat our Classic Cheddarwurst for upping your fat macros at 20 grams per serving, or our No Antibiotics Ever Italian Style Chicken Sausage with 6 grams.
Read also: The Ultimate Guide to Black Beans and Keto
If you’re trying to build or maintain muscle, you may want to keep your protein macros a little higher than the standard 25% of your daily calorie intake. Some experts recommend a gram of protein per pound of body weight, or more if you’re really hitting the gym often. If that’s you, look to higher protein options like our Organic Chicken Breast with 10 grams of protein per serving.
Are you busy? Like, really, really busy? We got you. While sticking to Keto AND a hectic schedule can be challenging, these convenient snacks can help you hit your daily macros. Our Pepperoni Panino Snack Sticks with no antibiotics ever and rBGH-free cheese are perfect for a quick fix. And if you’re living that fully-on-the-go, no-time-for-refrigeration life, throw some of our Sriracha Landjaegers or Uncured Sopressata into your gym bag and you’re ready to go!Ps. Don’t forget about Dietz Nuts with 16g of protein per pack! Short answer: Turkey. Fat content in turkey is much less than that in chicken, pork, and beef. Plus, it’s typically made with less salt because it’s already #blessed in the flavor department. But that said, ‘healthy’ can mean something different for everyone. Deciding which foods are the best choice starts with having clear health goals that are specific to you.
Keto Holiday Ham
Making the switch to keto doesn’t mean giving up on a delicious, satisfying holiday meal-especially when you have options like Tyner Pond Farm’s all-natural ham. For those of us committed to a low-carb lifestyle, the key is focusing on nutrient-dense, real foods, and this ham fits the bill perfectly. Our Tyner Pond Farm ham is crafted with clean, straightforward ingredients, free from chemical nitrates, artificial additives, and hidden sugars. Each ham is gently smoked to bring out its natural richness, making it a great choice for keto meals.
- Prepare the Ham: Place the ham in a shallow baking dish or roasting pan.
These simple, keto-friendly recipes allow you to enjoy all the traditional flavors of a holiday meal without straying from your low-carb lifestyle.
Foods to Avoid on Keto
If you’re thinking about embarking on a ketogenic diet, you probably already know you’ll be avoiding processed grains and sugar like pizza and muffins. But many other foods you’ll nix on this extremely low-carb, high-fat diet aren’t necessarily unhealthy. Indeed, many “no” foods are packed with health-promoting vitamins, minerals, and fiber but also have too many carbs for the restrictive keto diet.
Read also: The Keto Diet and Cherries: A Guide
Many people following keto aim for 20 to 50 grams (g) of net carbohydrates per day. (Net carbs, though not a widely accepted nutrition term, can be calculated by subtracting fiber and sugar alcohols from the total carbohydrates. The idea is to switch your body into ketosis, a state where it burns fat for fuel rather than carbohydrates (its preferred and easy-to-access source of energy). The plan may drastically limit many fruits, whole grains, and some vegetables.
Here are 16 foods to avoid or limit on the keto diet, some of which might surprise you.
- Bread, pasta, rice, and other refined carbs
Eating refined high carb foods may prevent a ketogenic state if you consume more than your daily carb allowance.
Here’s the carb count per portion of these starchy foods:
Try mashed or riced cauliflower as a substitute, or experiment with low carb bread made from eggs, nuts, and seeds.
- Potatoes and other starchy vegetables
Starchy vegetables are usually limited on the keto diet due to their high carb content, despite their other nutritious benefits. Some starchy vegetables may include:
- white potatoes
- sweet potatoes
- yams
- peas
- corn
Starchy vegetables with slightly fewer carbs per serving include beets and carrots. You may be able to include modest amounts of these if they fit your daily carb allowance.
Mashed or riced cauliflower can also be a good substitute for starchy potato-centered recipes.
Non-starchy vegetables like spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, cucumber, and celery are usually better suited for keto diets.
- Sweetened yogurt or dairy
Natural yogurt and dairy products can vary in their carb content.
When adding dairy to your diet, steer clear of flavored or sweetened varieties, which will add to your carb count. This is especially common in flavored yogurt, milk, and cottage cheese.
For instance, a 1-cup (250 mL) serving of chocolate milk has 26 g of carbs, while the same serving of whole cow’s milk has 11 g. Unsweetened almond milk may be a better option for keto diets. It has only 3 g of carbs in the same serving size.
Aim for plain, full fat yogurt or cottage cheese. Some strained options to consider include:
- Greek yogurt
- Icelandic skyrun
- unsweetened coconut-milk-based yogurt
Be mindful of what you pair with these foods. For instance, nuts and unsweetened peanut butter can help make a filling keto-friendly snack, while granola or fruits can increase their carb count.
- Certain fresh fruits
Some fruits may be higher in carbs than others, which could keep you from reaching or maintaining ketosis.
Here’s the breakdown of some high carb fruits:
Although these can’t be staples in a keto diet due to their high carb content, they still boast an array of nutrients and dietary fiber, which is good for digestion and heart health.
As such, you may choose to eat them occasionally, but be mindful of your portion sizes and daily macronutrient targets.
If you’re still craving more fruit, reach for keto-friendly fruits like berries, avocado, raspberries, unsweetened açaí puree, watermelon, and coconut.
- Beans and other legumes
Some legumes and beans may be challenging to incorporate into your keto diet due to their high carb content. Still, they boast dietary fiber, protein, calcium, and other micronutrients. As such, fitting in small portions might be worth the effort.
Here’s the carb content for popular legumes for reference:
Processed legumes could fit into your keto diet in modest portions, too. For example, in the form of hummus, which is made from chickpeas and tahini, a type of sesame butter. You can also try non-bean-based dips like baba ganoush or guacamole.
- Quinoa and other grains
Grains like quinoa and millet are higher carbohydrate foods and may not fit in a keto diet.
For example, a 1/2-cup (93-g) serving of cooked quinoa packs 20 g of carbs, while a 50-g serving of millet has 37 g of carbs.
If you still want to include quinoa in your keto diet, consider it a garnish rather than a central part of your meal.
- Alcohol drinks
Beer, liqueurs, and mixed liquor-based drinks have a high carb and low nutrient count, which makes them foods to limit on a keto diet. Here’s the carb content of some popular options:
Most of the carbs in mixed drinks like vodka tonic or rum and coke are from sodas, juices, purees, and liqueurs. Instead, consider lower carb drinks like red wine or spirits. These provide 5 g of carbs or less per standard serving.
It’s worth noting that most alcoholic drinks provide little micronutrients like vitamins and minerals. Generally, it’s best to save your sparse daily carb allowance for nutrient-rich fruits, vegetables, legumes, and grains. When you’re on a low carb diet, eating nutrient-rich foods can help reduce the possible risk of nutrient deficiencies associated with keto diets long term.
- Juice
Natural fruit juice is high in naturally occurring sugars, and juices with added sugars are even higher in total sugars.
Juice also lacks most of the dietary fiber found in whole fruits. Fiber is key for proper digestion because it helps slow down the transit time of food along your digestive tract, thereby assisting with blood sugar management. However, it can be tricky to get enough of on the keto diet. Consider eating whole fruits instead of consuming high carb, low fiber juices to help maintain ketosis.
- Sugary sodas
Sodas are essentially bubbly sugar water that provides zero nutrition and a high carb count.
For instance, one 12-ounce (372-mL) can of Coca-Cola packs 39 g of carbs, most of which are added sugars.
Depending on your daily carb allowance, just one drink can easily get you over the limit.
Some beverages to consider drinking instead include:
- sugar-free soda (though only occasionally)
- sparkling water with a slice of cucumber, lemon, or lime
- still water
- unsweetened tea
- Honey and syrups
Honey and syrups like agave or maple are concentrated sugars, so they can easily increase your daily carb count without otherwise providing significant nutrition.
Honey, for instance, packs 17 g of carbs into 1 tablespoon (21 g), while maple syrup has 13 g per tablespoon (20 g).