The Diet Doctor food policy

Which foods should be part of a healthy low carb or keto diet? Sometimes, it may seem confusing to know what to eat — and what to avoid. In this food policy, we explain our position on nutritional matters and what foods you can expect from our low carb and keto recipes.

Our goal, to empower people everywhere to revolutionize their health, reflects our belief that everyone is unique and may have different needs at different times. We hope you will find this policy helpful when you embark on your journey of finding out what foods work best for you.

---

Different levels of low carb¹

Here’s how we define different levels of low carb at Diet Doctor:

• Ketogenic low carb <20 grams net carbs per day.²This level of carbohydrates is defined as below 5 energy percent (E%) carbs in our recipes or, if it is a meal, 7 grams of carbs or less. In our ketogenic recipes the amount of carbs per serving is shown in a green ball.
• Moderate low carb 20-50 net grams per day. This level is defined as between 5-10 E% carbs in our recipes and the amount of carbs per serving is shown in a yellow ball.
• Liberal low carb 50-100 net grams per day. This means 10-20 E% carbs in our recipes and the amount of carbs per serving is shown in an orange ball.

 

---

Carbohydrates (carbs)

We aim to provide recipes with 0–20 percent of the total energy coming from carbs, mainly from unprocessed whole food sources (e.g. vegetables).

Carbs are not essential to the human body, but if they come from unprocessed food they can contribute nutrients and fiber.³⁴ They can also add variety to your diet and texture and color to your plate.

We show net carbs (total carbs minus dietary fiber) because in most people, fiber doesn’t cause a rise in blood glucose or insulin.⁵

Visual guide: Low-carb vegetables – the best and worst

---

Protein

We recommend meat, poultry, fish, seafood, eggs and/or dairy as the best sources of protein, preferably as unprocessed as possible.⁶

Protein is essential to the human body. Some people fear that amino acids from protein foods can be converted to glucose, thereby raising insulin levels. Although this occurs under experimental conditions, only a small percentage of amino acids are actually converted to glucose.⁷

People with type 2 diabetes usually do well with the adequate levels of protein Diet Doctor recommends, if their diets are also low carb.⁸ We recommend prioritizing your protein intake and focusing on foods that provide high nutrition at a lower calorie intake.

At Diet Doctor, we define adequate protein as 1.2 to 2.0 grams per kilo of reference body weight per day, or 15 to 35% of calories. This is the higher end of the US Institutes of Medicine definition, which sets 10% to 35% of calories as the acceptable range for protein intake.⁹

We believe most people would benefit by increasing their protein intake to 1.6 to 2.0 grams per kilo per day, or 25 to 35% of daily calories. Use this simple chart to find out what your minimum daily protein target should be, based on your height.¹⁰

Minimum daily protein target

As the chart indicates, you should try to get around 100 grams if you’re a woman and 120 grams if you’re a man of average height and build. Eat more if you’re a man taller than 6 feet (183 cm) or a woman taller than 5’6″ (168 cm) or if you’re very physically active. Eat less if you’re shorter or have a very small frame.

Our complete guide provides much more information about the best high-protein foods to choose for weight loss.

Learn more about our policy on protein

Check out our guide about protein

Our high protein recipes

If a meal (lunch, dinner, or main course) has more than 25 energy percent (E%) protein and includes at least 30 grams (25 grams for breakfasts), we consider it a high protein meal.

For the rest of our recipes, such as desserts and bread, they need to have at least 25 E% protein per serving to be labeled as high protein.

These recipes are marked with a blue outline around the colored carb circle so you can easily spot them.

Learn more about why a higher protein diet could be beneficial for you in our practical guide.
 

All our high-protein recipes >

---

Fat

Some dietary fat is essential to the human body.¹¹ We primarily recommend fat that’s part of natural foods such as fatty cuts of meat, eggs, and avocados over added oils and butter.¹²

Minimally processed added fats — such as butter, olive oil, and coconut oil — can be used in amounts needed to add flavor to your meals, and the extra calories may also help with satiety.¹³ However, they should still be seen as a modest part of one’s diet and not the main component due to their relative lack of protein and other essential nutrients.

Vegetable and seed oils (except olive or coconut oil) are often highly processed and high in omega-6 fats and, therefore, are not something we recommend. Examples of these non-recommended vegetable and seed oils are soybean oil, corn oil, and sunflower oil. In large quantities, omega-6 fats might potentially increase inflammation.¹⁴ These fats may also be less tolerant to heating, potentially forming harmful substances when used for frying.¹⁵ Processed fats such as margarine are not used on our site.

• Visual guide: Low-carb fats and sauces – the best and worst
• Learn more about fat
• Vegetable oils: What we know and what we don’t

---

Higher-carb ingredients

We see whole foods high in carbs, like potatoes and rice, as something that can be a part of a healthy diet in small to moderate amounts, for some people (especially if they are insulin sensitive).

However, such foods are high in carbs, reduce the effects of a low carb diet, and can be a problem for people who are more insulin-resistant.¹⁶ Therefore, we have chosen to not include potatoes and rice in our meal plans or recipes.

Certain seeds, like buckwheat and quinoa, are not something we recommend eating large amounts of, but are theoretically allowed in quantities that keep the recipes within our set limits for carbs. As a general rule, we don’t use them in our keto recipes.

 

---

Fruits and berries

We see fruits and berries as nature’s candy and something that can be a part of a healthy diet, in small to moderate amounts, for many people.¹⁷ However, fruit contains a large proportion of calories from sugar. Thus, people with insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes may want to limit their fruit intake to low-sugar, high-fiber sources such as raspberries.¹⁸

We aim to clearly mark recipes with a significant amount of sugar in them as moderate or liberal. This is to make it simple for people sensitive to sugar, such as people with diabetes, to take that into consideration.¹⁹

As a general rule, we avoid fruit in our keto recipes. Berries are usually a lower-carb option and are used in recipes as long as they stay within our set limits for carbs.

Additionally, although we occasionally use very small amounts of citrus juice in some of our recipes, we ensure that they fall within our established carb limits.

Avocados and olives are technically fatty fruits, although they are often grouped with vegetables. Because they contain very few net carbs, they are included in many of our keto recipes.

Visual guide: Low-carb fruits and berries – the best and worst

---

Sweeteners

We recommend minimizing the use of non-caloric sweeteners due to the potential for maintaining a preference for sweet tastes or stimulating over-consumption.²⁰ Some people can also experience gastrointestinal problems when consuming them.²¹

Certain sweeteners that we deem potentially less harmful, such as erythritol and stevia, may be used mainly in our dessert and smoothie recipes.²²

Visual guide: Low-carb sweeteners – the best and worst

---

Sugar

As a rule, we don’t use white sugar, brown sugar, honey, agave, or other sugars in our recipes because they don’t provide anything necessary for a healthy diet. However, we do use a small amount of sugar (no more than 1 teaspoon for an entire recipe) in a few of our bread recipes in order to activate the yeast.

Sugar raises blood glucose which causes insulin release, and it also has other potentially negative effects (see guide below).²³

Learn more about sugar and its effects on your health

 

---

Gluten

In most of our recipes, we don’t use ingredients known to contain gluten because it can cause problems for people sensitive to it, even in small amounts.²⁴

There is an exception for recipes that contain seitan (vital wheat gluten), a plant-based protein source. Any recipes with gluten will be clearly labeled as “This recipe contains gluten.”

We can’t guarantee that some ingredients used in our recipes (ground psyllium husk, oat fiber, and protein powder, etc.) haven’t been contaminated in production.²⁵

However, we acknowledge that those who are not sensitive to gluten may be able to add it sparingly in low-carb diets.

Learn more about gluten and wheat

 

---

Gluten-free grains

Gluten-free grains, such as oats, are not something we recommend eating a lot of due to their high carb content.²⁶

We do think that in small to moderate amounts, they can be part of a healthy diet for insulin-sensitive people. That’s why small amounts of gluten-free grains are allowed in our moderate and liberal low-carb recipes as long as they stay within our set limits for carbs. As a general rule, we don’t use them in our keto recipes.

However, some of our keto and low-carb recipes do contain oat fiber, which does not raise blood sugar and insulin levels because it is not digested and absorbed by your body.²⁷

---

Dairy products

We use full-fat and low-fat dairy products such as butter, heavy whipping cream, yogurt, and cheese in our recipes unless they are marked as dairy-free.²⁸ Many dairy products have a high protein content, which can increase satiety.²⁹

Learn more about dairy on a low-carb diet

 

---

Nuts and seeds

Nuts and seeds are used in our recipes, both in their natural form and as flours. They add texture and flavor and can be used as a handy snack.³⁰

The amount of carbs in different nuts and seeds varies quite a lot. They may be used in our recipes as long as they stay within our set limits for carbs.

Visual guide: Low-carb nuts – the best and worst

 

---

Meat

A healthy low-carb diet can, and often does, contain meat. But, it’s also possible to eat a meat-free low-carb diet.

We recognize that individuals have their own preference, and we aim to support people with guides and recipes whether they choose to eat meat or not.

The Diet Doctor policy on eating meat

Guide to red meat – is it healthy?

How to follow a healthy vegetarian keto diet

---

Legumes

Some legumes (also referred to as pulses) – such as beans, lentils, peas, and peanuts – are fairly high in carbs but are allowed in our recipes as long as the recipe itself stays within our set limits for carbs.

Legumes have varying amounts of resistant starch, which may have a lowering effect on blood sugar for some people, potentially mitigating the effects of the other carbohydrates somewhat.³¹

Learn more about resistant starch

 

---

Soy

Products made from soy, like tofu, can provide a good source of protein for vegetarians and vegans who follow a low-carb diet. However, concerns have been raised about the health effects of soy isoflavones based on animal and test-tube studies.³² By contrast, the research on soy in humans is mainly positive regarding safety and disease risk.³³

Although soy doesn’t seem to cause problems for people with normal thyroid function, there’s been conflicting evidence in those with subclinical hypothyroidism (also known as mild thyroid failure).³⁴

Soy isoflavones may interfere with thyroid hormone absorption when iodine intake isn’t sufficient.³⁵ Therefore, it is important to get enough iodine when consuming soy regularly, especially for those with hypothyroidism. Good sources of iodine include iodized salt, seaweed, seafood, and yogurt.

At this time, some concerns remain about soy consumption in people with thyroid problems, as well as the long-term health effects of consuming ultra-processed soy protein powders and supplements.³⁶ Choosing whole and/or fermented soy (tempeh, natto) might be a better option than other soy products. Also, people who take thyroid replacement should eat soy at least three hours before or one hour after taking their medication.

Some people have raised concerns that many soy products in the US may contain residues of glyphosate (Roundup), a controversial herbicide used on soy and other crops that requires further study.³⁷ Fortunately, organic and non-GMO soy products contain no glyphosate.³⁸ If you want to eat soy while avoiding glyphosate, choose tofu, tempeh, and natto labeled “non-GMO.”

For people who want to avoid animal products, the benefits of soy seem to greatly outweigh the risks. Although the potential risk to thyroid function appears very small, those who consume soy on a regular basis may want to consider having their thyroid function monitored periodically and including iodine food sources in their diet.

Guide: How to follow a healthy vegetarian keto diet

 

---

Chocolate

Dark chocolate with ≥70% cocoa solids (preferably ≥85%) and sugar-free chocolate may be used in our dessert recipes if they stay within our set limits for carbs. It’s only allowed in desserts and intended for occasional consumption, not in breakfast or snack recipes or in recipes that can be considered everyday foods.

However, unsweetened cocoa powder may be added to coffee or consumed as hot cocoa on a more frequent basis, as it contains a minimal amount of net carbs.³⁹

 

---

High-oxalate foods

Oxalate is a compound found in many plants that we eat, like vegetables, nuts, and seeds. Foods especially high in oxalate include spinach and other leafy greens, beets, rhubarb, almonds, cocoa, sesame seeds, and sweet potatoes.

The body makes oxalate, too. In most people, roughly half of the oxalate eliminated in urine is produced by the body, and the remainder comes from dietary oxalate.⁴⁰

After being absorbed, oxalate is usually eliminated from the body without any problem. However, in susceptible individuals, it can bind to calcium in the urinary tract and form kidney stones.

Because high amounts of urinary oxalate increase the risk of stone formation, people who are prone to forming calcium oxalate stones may need to avoid high-oxalate foods.⁴¹

However, there is a lack of convincing evidence that high-oxalate foods are harmful for people without a history of kidney stones. Therefore, we do not recommend that they restrict vegetables, nuts, and other nutritious low-carb foods that are high in oxalate.

 

---