Is the Keto Diet Gluten Free?

The keto diet is a low-carb high-fat diet that takes advantage of the metabolic state of ketosis. Because of the reduction of carbs, including bread products, the diet is naturally low in gluten but not necessarily gluten free.

The aim of a keto diet is to force your body to enter ketosis, which is a metabolic state that causes your body to use fat for fuel rather than carbs. This is achieved by severely limiting carb consumption to about 20-50 grams per day and instead eating a diet high in fat and moderate in protein.

keto gf

Eggs & bacon from James Kern

A keto diet is often used as a way to lose weight, and has been shown to be more effective than a low fat diet. There is also evidence that a keto diet can help control blood sugar and increase insulin sensitivity. Other health benefits may include reductions of seizures in epileptic children, as well as slowing the progression of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. If you do want to try out a keto diet and you also have diabetes or other serious health conditions, please check with your doctor first. To learn more about keto diets and determine if they’re a good fit for you, I recommend checking out this article from Wholesome Yum.

keto gf

Green curry kale and crispy coconut tempeh from The First Mess

While a keto diet is almost always gluten free due to the removal of grains, there are still some sneaky sources of gluten that could be included in keto foods. Be sure to check labels for things like jerky, soup, prepackaged low-carb bread and snacks, and sausages, because these are common keto foods that could include gluten.

Low-Carb Ingredients That Contain Gluten

Soy sauce (most commonly found in jerky and sauces)
Malt vinegar (seasoning in meat products and sauces)
Oat fiber that is not certified GF (used to increase fiber content in keto foods to bring down net carbs)
Wheat flour in very small amounts to thicken sauces or help with pliability of low-carb breads
Vital wheat gluten as a supplement and flour sub in low-carb breads

As long as you stay away from these few sources of gluten, it will be an easy transition from a gluten-free diet to a keto diet. It will be a bit more challenging to be vegetarian or vegan on a keto diet, because keto meals are usually built around dairy and meat products, but it’s very possible. I’ve included recipes links below for both meat and dairy-based keto recipes as well as vegan keto recipes.