The best low-carb high-fat foods are delicious, satiating, and the key to getting the many health benefits of LCHF diets.
The best low-carb high-fat foods are whole foods, and most of them come from animal sources. This means they are minimally processed while providing a complex blend of macro and micronutrients.
In fact, many of the foods on this list are among the most nutrient-dense and healthiest foods to eat on earth.
A low-carb high-fat diet calls for reducing carb intake to between 0 and 100 grams per day depending on the type of LCHF diet you’re practicing.
There are many different variations of high-fat low-carb diets including:
While the carnivore diet is Dr. Kiltz’s preferred approach, a diet formulated around this list of the best low-carb high-fat foods will support you in eliminating high-carb processed foods, sugar, grains, pasta, bread, rice, and legumes.
People choose low-carb high-fat (LCHF) diets for numerous established health and lifestyle benefits.
Studies have shown that LCHF diets are effective against [1]:
The importance and benefits of whole animal meats and fats on our low-carb high-fat food list is supported by research showing that:
These 10 low-carb high-fat foods provide a full spectrum of macro and micronutrients including complete proteins, healthy fats, essential vitamins, and vital meat-specific compounds.
If the foods on this list were all you ate on an LCHF diet, you wouldn’t only survive, you’d thrive.
Most people prize ribeye and other fatty cuts of steak for their succulent flavor and tender, juicy texture. But what most people miss is that fatty steak is among the most nutrient-dense foods on earth.
In fact, it’s entirely possible to thrive off of only ribeye, salt, and water–a version of the carnivore diet called, the lion diet.
Ribeye in particular is one of the fattiest keto meats, making it a perfect centerpiece of an LCHF diet.
In addition to healthy fats, complete proteins, and high amounts of B vitamins, zinc, and selenium, ribeye also provides beneficial compounds found only in meat:
Let’s take a look at the specific nutrient abundance provided by a 7 oz of ribeye steak.
Though ribeye is the gold standard of steak on keto and other low-carb high-fat diets, it’s by no means the only worthy cut. The following fatty cuts of steak can all be part of a well-formulated LCHF meal plan.
Pork belly is carb-free, loaded with fat, and surprisingly high in various important micronutrients. It’s also one of the most affordable animal sources of quality fat and protein.
Most people are familiar with pork belly in its cured and smoked form: bacon. Bacon is also a legitimate addition to an LCHF diet, but it does contain nitrates which can be problematic if overconsumed. Pork belly is essentially fresh bacon.
When pork belly is pasture-raised it is a good dietary source of vitamin D. Pork belly is also high in omega-3s, B vitamins, and selenium [23]
Like the other low-carb high-fat foods on this list, lamb is rich in vital nutrients and antioxidants.
Lamb also contains over 100% of your RDV of B12 and B3 vitamins. But lamb’s main claim to nutritional fame is the healthy trans fat called conjugated linoleic acid (CLA).
Lamb provides more CLA than any other meat, and CLA is associated with numerous health benefits including [26][27][28][29][30]:
It is crucial to get CLA from food because the human body cannot manufacture CLA on its own.
For a lot of people low-carb high-fat eating can feel like you’re giving up a lot. But what if we told you you didn’t have to give up ice cream?
Most ice cream is, of course, loaded with sugar. But Dr. Kiltz has perfected a low-carb homemade recipe that fits perfectly into a LCHF diet.
There are other store-bought keto ice creams out there, but most are highly processed and loaded with fillers, gums, and emulsifiers.
Dr. Kiltz’s keto ice cream recipe has only 5 whole food ingredients, and you can make it in 20-45 minutes depending on your ice cream maker.
It does call for a small amount of sugar, but only contributes 4.5 to 9 grams of carbs to ⅓ pint serving.
We bet this will be the most delicious low-carb high-fat ice cream you’ve ever had. Give it a try!
Ingredients:
Follow the directions of your specific ice cream maker.
Yet most keto treats–ice cream included–are loaded with highly processed ingredients. These commonly include:
To avoid these processed ingredients the only truly guilt-free keto ice cream is the kind you make at home with just a few ingredients.
You can follow along with Dr. Kiltz below:
Full-Fat dairy like butter and ghee, fatty cheeses, and low-carb yogurt are excellent whole food sources of quality fat and fat-soluble vitamins.
Full-fat dairy has been linked to numerous health benefits:
This chart offers a comparison of the macronutrients in popular low-carb high-fat cheeses
Eggs are one of the most convenient low-carb high-fat foods. They contain all the nutrients required to create an entire animal.
In addition to healthy fats and proteins, eggs provide abundant choline.
Your body requires choline for the production of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. This transmitter plays a key role in memory, mood, and intelligence.
Choline is also involved in synthesizing DNA, which makes it an important nutrient for supporting infant brain development [40].
Unfortunately, eggs have been the subject of poor science and nutritional misinformation. The good news is that modern, high quality studies are setting the record straight.
Fatty fish is an excellent low-carb high-fat food. They are generally high in omega-3 fatty acids, B vitamins, and selenium.
Mackerel, sardines, and anchovies provide impressive amounts of dietary vitamin D. Vitamin D can be hard to get for people who spend a lot of time indoors and who live in higher/lower latitudes. It’s a crucial vitamin for immune support and hormone synthesis.
Fatty fish is the center of the pescatarian keto diet. For carnivore dieters, and nose-to-tail eaters, fatty fish can provide
Wild king salmon is the “ribeye” of fatty fish–it’s butter, mild, and delicious while providing an abundance of omega-3s, B vitamins, and selenium. Unlike farmed salmon, wild king salmon isn’t subjected to antibiotics and parasites and processed feed.
If wild king salmon is out of your price range or inaccessible, these other fatty fish can be more convenient and affordable while providing even greater nutrient density.
Nutrition info per 100g
Foie gras made from duck liver is one of the most nutrient-dense low-carb high-fat foods.
Vitamin A in foie gras can play a vital role in the cellular regeneration of the eyes and skin. It’s also a precursor (building block) for important eye pigments like rhodopsin.
Foie gras is a great source of selenium. Selenium is involved in the creation of special proteins that are crucial to key reproductive health and DNA synthesis [43].
Selenium also provides antioxidant properties, while increasing the levels of the powerful antioxidant glutathione [44] [45].
A review of 69 studies with data from over 350,000 participants shows that high blood levels of selenium are associated with a lower risk of lung, breast, colon, and prostate cancers [46].
Selenium may also be neuroprotective as people with Alzheimer’s disease have low levels of selenium [47][48].
Fois Gras Nutrition
Tallow is rendered beef fat and can be used to boost the fat content of leaner meats. The benefits of tallow are attributable to the specific complex of saturated fatty acids.
The high saturated fat content of tallow makes is a great high heat cooking oil. The 420° smoke point makes tallow great for baking, sautéing, and frying.
Coconut oil is a staple on most low-carb high-fat food lists and can ease the transition into the metabolic state called ketosis.
Coconut oil is has a high concentration of a type of saturated fat called medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs). MCTs make up 54% of the fat in coconut oil. When consumed, MCTs tend to be transported directly to the liver where they are metabolized into ketones [51].
But long before science explored the benefits of coconut oil, it had been a staple among tropical dwelling peoples.
A 1981 study of the Tokelau islanders who received more than 60% of their calories from coconuts found taht they were exceptionally healthy and had extremely low rates of heart disease [52]. While a study looking at the health of coconut eating Kitavan people of Papua New Guinea found that they had almost no incidences of stroke or heart disease.
On a low-carb high-fat ketogenic diet avocados is one of the few low-carb foods that provide potassium and vitamin C.
Avocados provide various B vitamins including a significant amount of folate. Folate is a key factor in the production of red and white blood cells in bone marrow, DNA and RNA, and fetal development [52]
For low-carb high-fat vegan or vegetarian keto dieters, avocados are a staple.
High in potassium, avocados may support nervous system function and blood pressure regulation and protect against stroke and hypertension [53][54].
Avocados may also be beneficial to gut health. One study found that consuming 1 avocado a day for 12 weeks lowered concentrations of fecal bile acid while increasing the diversity of healthy gut bacteria [55].
It’s important to note here that avocados are a plant food, and all plant foods have defense mechanisms. For some people, the plant toxins in avocados can cause mild to severe allergies [56[57].
Choosing the right low-carb high-fat foods is the key to getting the benefits from your HFLC diet. Nutritionists like to trumpet the need for variety, but variety is only necessary when you’re eating low-nutrient foods, especially plant foods high in antinutrients.
These 10 low-carb high-fat foods are loaded with all the healthy fats, proteins, and bioavailable micronutrients that your body needs to thrive.
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