In this article we give you a list of foods that are high in carbohydrates that you should try and avoid on a keto diet.

This is not a definitive list but covers most of the popular options
All Sugars
White sugar
Brown sugar
Powdered sugar
Any food with added sugar
Processed food with added sugar
Junk food with added sugar
Jams and Preserves
Some Sauces (check nutritional label and ingredients)
Fructose (sugar in fruit)
Some Salad Dressings (check nutritional label and ingredients)
Cocoa mix
Molasses
Honey
High-fructose corn syrup and foods made with it
Syrups
The food industry has a lot of different names for sugar, in fact there are over 60 ways that they try and sneakily hide it in products. Are you ready for this
Agave nectar, Barbados sugar, Barley malt, Barley malt syrup, Beet sugar, Brown sugar, Buttered syrup, Cane juice, Cane juice crystals, Cane sugar, Caramel, Carob syrup, Castor sugar, Coconut palm sugar, Coconut sugar, Confectioner’s sugar, Corn sweetener, Corn syrup, Corn syrup solids, Date sugar, Dehydrated cane juice, Demerara sugar, Dextrin, Dextrose, Evaporated cane juice, Free-flowing brown sugars, Fructose, Fruit juice, Fruit juice concentrate, Glucose, Glucose solids, Golden sugar, Golden syrup, Grape sugar, HFCS (High-Fructose Corn Syrup), Honey, Icing sugar, Invert sugar, Malt syrup, Maltodextrin, Maltol, Maltose, Mannose, Maple syrup, Molasses, Muscovado, Palm sugar, Panocha, Powdered sugar, Raw sugar, Refiner’s syrup, Rice syrup, Saccharose, Sorghum Syrup, Sucrose, Sugar (granulated), Sweet Sorghum, Syrup, Treacle, Turbinado sugar, Yellow sugar
WOW
Baked Goods and Sweets
These are a goner, you will not be surprised to hear – sorry
Cookies
Cake
Pie
Brownies
Donuts
Pastries
Muffins
And all others
Candy
No chance with most of these – the sugar content in common chocolate brands is stunning
Chocolate Bars
Hard Candy
Milk Chocolate
Cotton Candy
And all others made with sugar
Now I don’t want to pick on a certain chocolate manufacturer that sells in the UK and elsewhere but here are some of the figures for sugar in a couple of their brands, as you can imagine most other common products are similar
These are truly staggering numbers and in fact evidence is showing that since the 90’s the percentage in the products is actually INCREASING
Flake (32g) | 18g Sugar | 4.5 Teaspoons |
Wispa (39g) | 20.5g Sugar | 5 Teaspoons |
Dairy Milk (45g) | 25g Sugar | 6.25 Teaspoons |
Crunchie (40g) | 26g Sugar | 6.5 Teaspoons |
Double Decker (54.5g) | 29.5g Sugar | 7.5 Teaspoons |
As a general guideline over half the product is sugar by weight – jeez
Packaged/Processed Snacks
Flavored Nuts
Pretzels
Rice Cakes
Breakfast Bars
Cheese and Crackers Snacks
Raisins
Potato Chips
Tortilla Chips
Popcorn
Pop-tarts
Granola Bars
Twinkies
Cupcakes
And other boxed snacks and products
Some of these products often have the double whammy of being high in salt as well – nuts, pretzels and crackers in particular depending on the brand
Dairy
Flavored Dairy
Added Sugar Dairy
Fruit At The Bottom or Sugar Added Yogurt
Whole and Skimmed Milk
Soy Milk
Ice Cream
Margarine
Pudding
Cottage Cheese
Sugary And Starchy Fruit
Medium Sugar Fruit which includes the following
Blueberries
Coconut Meat
Cantaloupes
Watermelons
Nectarines
Papaya
Peaches
Apples
Grapefruit
Honeydew Melons
Guavas
Apricots
High Sugar Fruit
If the fruit is sweet there is a basic reason for it – it is full of fructose
Oranges
Kiwifruit
Pears
Pineapple
Plums
Cherries
Grapes
Figs (Also Starchy)
Bananas (Also Starchy)
Mangos
Tangerines
Pomegranates
Dates
Applesauce
Dried fruit (worst choice as it has very high concentrations of sugar from the drying process)
Also bear in mind tinned and pots of fruit which can be stored in sugar as well – just to make things worse
Starchy Vegetables
White Potatoes (French fries and potato chips)
Sweet Potatoes or Yams
Corn
Peas
Squash
Root vegetables not advised for very low carb diets (beets, carrots, parsnips, rutabaga, turnips, butternut squash, and winter squash)
Grains And Starches
Any Fried Food
White Rice
Bread, Bagels and English Muffins
Croissants
Tortillas
Pasta
Cold Breakfast Cereals
Oatmeal
Cream of Wheat
Porridge
Barley
Amaranth
Millet
Quinoa
Spelt
Couscous
Bulgur
Rye
Muesli
Crackers
Pizza
Corn Starch
Pancakes
Waffles
French Toast
White Flour
Whole-Wheat Flour
Rice Flour
Corn Flour
All Whole Grains Too
Legumes
Pinto Beans
Black Beans
Kidney Beans
Chickpeas
Navy Beans
Lima Beans
Baked Beans
Lentils
Drinks
One of the easiest way to pile on the calories and the amount of sugar is Soda
Soda
Juice
All Sweetened Drinks
Sweetened Or Flavored Tea
Sweetened Or Flavored Coffee
Frappuccino Coffee Drinks
Milk Shakes
Root Beer Floats
Malts
Frozen Coffee Drinks
Sports Drinks (unless zero calorie)
Beer
Sweet cocktails – (Pina colada, daiquiri, mai tai, bloody Mary, margaritas, screwdriver, white Russian, rum drinks etc.)
Wine coolers and alcopops
OK, we alluded to the amount of sugar in Soda – here we go
For us non US folks – 12 oz = 354.882 ml
Product | fl oz | Sugar(g) | g/oz |
7-Up | 12 | 37 | 3.08 |
Cherry Coke | 12 | 42 | 3.5 |
Coca-Cola Classic | 12 | 39 | 3.25 |
Dr Pepper | 12 | 41 | 3.42 |
Fanta | 12 | 22.8 | 1.9 |
Mountain Dew | 12 | 46 | 3.83 |
Pepsi 1893 Cola | 12 | 39 | 3.25 |
Pepsi Cola | 12 | 41 | 3.42 |
Slurpee | 16 | 50 | 3.12 |
Sprite | 12 | 38 | 3.17 |
Vanilla Coke | 12 | 42 | 3.5 |
A staggering 40g of sugar in a 330ml glass or bottle, now think of the sizes served in the cinema and popular food chains that serve burgers and claim to be healthy. Lets look at their serving sizes
In America, a small drink is 16 oz., a medium is 21 oz., and a large is 30 oz – now look at the table above.
So never mind a keto diet even following a healthy lifestyle you should be very careful.