What Bread is OK on Keto?

Keto was the country’s most popular diet in 2020.

If you fancy finding out whether a keto diet could work for you, it’s time to learn the keto basics.

How does a keto diet work? What can and can’t you eat on a keto diet? And — perhaps most importantly of all — how exactly do you get your bread fix when carbs are off the menu?

Keto diet: what you can and can't eat

The keto (or ketogenic) diet involves drastically reducing your intake of carbohydrates. As such, it’s got some similarities to the famous Atkins and Paleo diets.  

Where keto differs is in its recommendations regarding fats. On a ketogenic diet, you actively increase your intake of fats.

If you’re sticking religiously to a keto diet, you’ll get:

• A whopping 70% of your calories from fat
•  Less than 10% of your calories from carbs
• Less than 20% of your calories from protein

With those percentages in mind, let’s take a look at the dos and don’ts of keto eating.  

The foods you CAN eat on a keto diet

To get your fat intake up, fill your boots with any of the following:

• Any kind of meat
• Fatty fish like salmon, trout, mackerel or tuna
• Eggs
• Butter and cream
• Full fat yogurt
• Cheese
• Nuts and seeds, including almond, walnuts, flaxseeds and pumpkin seeds
• Healthy oils like olive oil, coconut oil and avocado oil
• Avocados
• Low carb veggies — tomatoes, onions, peppers and basically anything green

The foods you CAN’T eat on a keto diet

And here are the high carb foods you should try your best to avoid:

• Regular bread products
• Grains, like rice, pasta and cereal
• Fruit
• Beans, peas, lentils and peanuts
• Root vegetables
• Sugary foods like pastries, cakes and biscuits
• Sugary drinks like soda and fruit juice
• Low-fat dairy
• Alcohol

How does the keto diet work?

A keto diet has been shown to promote weight loss, particularly in the short term. When you don’t eat carbs for a few days, your body enters a state called ketosis.

Usually, your body would use the glucose from carbs to give you energy. During ketosis, your body starts to break down fat and protein for energy instead. This helps you to shed those pounds.  

But, the keto diet may actually do way more than that.

The diet has been used to treat epilepsy in children since way back in the 1920s. And there are studies to suggest it can help in the management of other medical conditions, including heart disease, Alzheimer’s, polycystic ovary syndrome and even acne.  

Pretty impressive, right? 

5 of our favorite keto-friendly breads

So it seems adopting the keto diet can provide a number of health benefits, with weight loss up at the top of the list.

But if you’re anything like us, there’s just one small problem. What is life without grilled cheese sandwiches and French toast and garlic bread? Can you really manage a diet where bread is banned?

Luckily, there are many great brands out there making keto dieting that bit easier.

These guys have all mastered the art of low-carb, keto-friendly bread making — and the finished product tastes a heckuva lot like the real, carb-filled thing.

Stock the larder with any of these products and keto with confidence!

• L’Oven Fresh Zero Net Carb Bread

Available at ALDI, this keto bread has 0g net carbs, 1g of fat and 5g of protein per slice. You’ll find it in wheat and multi-seed varieties, if you can get hold of a loaf that is — this stuff is seriously popular!

• Mikey’s Grain-Free Sliced Bread

This keto bread is made from almond flour, coconut flour, eggs and flaxseed meal. It contains some honey, which helps to account for the slightly sweet taste and the 4g of net carbs per slice. Each slice also contains 9g of fat, 3g of fiber and 6g of protein.

• SoLO Carb Bread

However you like your bread, SoLO have you covered. Their low-carb keto bread comes in three varieties — Harvest Wheat, Artisan Rye and Country White.

All varieties are made with a teensy amount of flour and you’ll get 3g net carbs per slice, along with 1.5g of fat, 2g of fiber and 5g of protein.

• Franz Keto Bread

Franz keto bread is a really good bread alternative. It has the texture and the taste down to a t. Each slice contains 0g net carbs, 1.5g of fat, 12g of fiber and 4g of proteins. Franz also does delicious keto burger buns if you’re planning on firing up the grill.

• Sami’s 7-Grain Low-Carb Bread

Last but by no means least we have Sami’s 7-grain loaf. Made of almond and soy flour as well as wheat and oats in small amounts.

Each slice contains just 2g net carbs, 4g of fat, 8g of fiber and 3g of protein. Sami’s is also all-natural meaning there are no preservatives or additives in this tasty loaf.

3 bread alternatives to try

We love the all keto bread listed above and think they do a pretty incredible job of looking, feeling and tasting like bread.

But we get it. For some, keto bread is just no substitute for the real thing. And the prospect of consuming any wheat ingredients, however small the quantities, just doesn’t stay true to the keto code.

If this sounds like you, check out our list of bread alternatives.

Cauliflower flour and ‘bread’ 

Cauliflower bread acts as a great base for all kinds of great foodie treats. Use them for sandwiches, treat them like tortillas or load with keto toppings for a mini pizza.

Portobello mushrooms

Craving a burger? Swap out that bread bun for large Portobello mushrooms. Brush with olive oil and roast in the oven before filling with your favorite burger ingredients.

Lettuce leaves

Iceberg lettuce leaves make a great tortilla wrap substitute. Add in hot and smoky chicken, play around with Asian flavors or do brunch with bacon and avo.

Want more healthy living advice? Visit the Buffalo Market blog where you’ll find articles on eating right and living better, improving your health and that of the planet too.