One of the most common questions for newbies starting the keto diet is how to incorporate more fat. The keto diet is, after all, high fat and low carb diet, which means there needs to be a lot of high-quality fats involved. As a resource, the Body Reboot book is a valuable resource that lays out what type of fats to focus on eating as well as other ways to succeed on the keto diet.

When consuming more fats as opposed to carbs, it’s important to not only consume the right kinds of fat but make sure you’re eating enough fat! It may take a while to get the hang of the keto diet, but after getting into the habit of regularly eating and incorporating fat into your diet, you should be a pro. Here are ten ways to get more fat, and fat in general on the keto diet, beginning with whole, high-fat ingredients.

Whole, Full-Fat Ingredients

It may seem counterintuitive at first feeling like you can eat fat and not feel guilty for it, but if you’re going to make the keto diet work, you need plenty of fat. Real whole food options, which are what Die Doctor recommends consuming, include avocados, heavy cream, and that’s not all:

Say goodbye to low-fat and fat-free products. Say good riddance to Egg Beaters, artificial creamers, and reduced-fat peanut butter. Banish any item labeled ‘light’ or ‘lite’ from your pantry and refrigerator.

Forget nonfat and low-fat dairy. (If your grocery store doesn’t carry plain, full-fat yogurt, buy the plain low-fat version and add back the fat by stirring in heavy cream, sour cream, or crème fraiche.)

Rethink your grocery list and stock your refrigerator and pantry with real whole food, including fat-rich options like avocados and eggs. Try to add natural fat rather than avoid it.

Fatty cuts of meat can be more flavorful, tender and inexpensive than leaner cuts. Salmon and sardines contain plenty of healthy fats and are a terrific addition, too. Invite these delicious items back onto your plate.

Fatty Cuts of Meat

Happy.Healthy.Smart recommends eating fattier cuts of meat. Fatty meat is an excellent way to provide your body with lots of fat, which will expedite ketosis! Plus, meat that has more fat usually will cost less than leaner pieces of meat, and they’ll be much tastier!

Another way to make sure you’re eating enough fat when keto dieting is by opting for fattier cuts of meat. Packaged meat supplied by supermarkets is usually trimmed, so find a butcher you can rely on to provide you with fatty, high-quality meats.

The Wellness Blog on US Wellness Meats also recommends eating fatty meats and gives examples as to which meats to purchase:

While consuming very low carbs is essential for achieving ketosis, it can also be beneficial to eat the right cuts of meat, as well as high-quality meat. Grass-fed and pastured meats are higher in nutrients and more beneficial fats, especially since they contain higher levels of the anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids.

One of the more common cuts of meat, the New York Strip steak is widely available. A 7-ounce portion of New York Strip contains 53% daily value of fat, with 34 grams. Most would consider this to be excessive for a meal, but this ultra-fatty dish is perfect for a keto-based food plan.

One of the more gourmet steaks you’ll find on restaurant menus, Delmonico steaks have 50 grams of fat per 8 ounces, or 77% daily value. You can level up your at-home grilling game by adding these to your dinner rotation.

High-Fat Oils and Butters

Another perk to being on the keto diet? The Diet Doctor mentions you can use eat and cook with butter and high-fat oils! Say goodbye to low-fat butter; you can now use grass-fed margarine without feeling guilty and don’t forget to prepare your meals in oils and butter to get plenty of fat in your diet!

Fats can change the flavor of a dish, which adds variety to your meals. For example, top green beans with butter for a comforting, familiar taste. Or, sauté them in peanut oil and drizzle with sesame oil for a delicious, Asian-inspired variation.

Experiment with new combinations to see what you like best. Stock several of these healthy fats in your fridge or pantry:

butter
lard, tallow, duck fat, and other animal fat
coconut oil
olive oil
avocado oil
peanut oil
other nut oils (macadamia, almond, walnut, etc.)
sesame oil

Opt for Poultry Legs and Wings

Eating chicken will provide you with lots of protein, but remember on the keto diet it's important to eat high fat and moderate protein, so the emphasis should be on getting enough fat in your diet. If you love chicken opt for the legs and wings instead. The same goes for eating duck! Carbophobic mentions what else to look for when eating fatty poultry:

Chicken drumsticks and wings have more fat than breast meat. Roast, slow-cook or fry them for a perfect high-fat meal.  

Duck breasts have a nice layer of fat under the skin. Many recipes call for scoring the skin to drain some of the fat. Skip this step to retain all the fatty goodness. Duck legs are fantastic when slow-cooked.

Obviously, forget the standard diet advice of discarding poultry skin. On Keto, skin is the best part!

Yummy Bacon!

Who can live without bacon? Bacon is yummy and has lots of fat, which makes it ideal to eat on the keto diet. Plus, it also happens to go with just about everything. Add it to vegetables, make a BLT sandwich with romaine lettuce on the outside, make a bacon burger, and the list goes on and on. Carboholic provides some fantastic ideas on how to incorporate bacon into your daily recipes, besides just eating it solo, of course.

“Bacon is carnivore’s candy. You can pan-fry bacon, grill it or cook it in the oven. Lean meats like chicken breasts can benefit from a bacon layer – just wrap it up in bacon and roast. Add chopped bacon to salads and cooked vegetables for an extra oomph. Finally, another cool way to cook bacon is to make a bacon weave.”

Eggs, Nuts, and Avocados

Three staple food items on the keto diet you should get used to eating are eggs, nuts, and avocados. We agree with Healthline that eggs, nuts, and avocados are all very delicious and healthy too! Nuts make a great snack while on the go (though be wary of some nuts because they have more carbs than others), and eggs make a quick lunch tastier! Add some salt to your eggs, and you’ll also get enough sodium in your diet too.

Eggs are among the healthiest foods on the planet.

They are very filling, incredibly nutritious and contain an excellent ratio of amino acids.

Eggs are also high in cholesterol, which is not a problem as dietary cholesterol doesn't raise blood cholesterol in most people. Choose pastured and/or omega 3-enriched eggs.

Nuts are very nutritious and also high in fat. Eat a handful of nuts a few times a week, and you will up your fat intake quite a bit while satisfying your body's need for other important nutrients like magnesium and vitamin E.

Avocados are another healthy, delicious, high-fat food. You can eat an avocado with almost anything, and it is very rich in healthy monounsaturated fats.

Mayonnaise and Guacamole

If you happen to love mayonnaise and guacamole, you are in luck, because you are allowed to eat plenty of both while on the keto diet! Healthline says to get creative with both because they can go with just about anything, and we agree!

A great way to include more fats in your low carb meal plan is to use condiments like mayonnaise and guacamole. They are nutritious, high in fat and go with almost anything.

Just make your own or at least read the ingredient labels before buying.

If you choose to make your own mayo, use butter and olive oil instead of any nasty vegetable oils.

Bearnaise is another easy way to add some extra fat to your diet. If you lack in fat putting some mayo, guac, or bearnaise on your food will always help amp up the fat. Healthline explains what ingredients makeup Bearnaise  below:

There are many sauces you can eat, for example Bearnaise, which is composed mostly of butter and egg yolks.

Any sauce that uses lots of butter, heavy cream or other high-fat foods is a great addition to pretty much any meal.

At the time of writing this post, we're currently giving away free copies of the Body Reboot book because it's our mission to increase awareness and to help people lose weight and get healthy! If you help us cover the cost of shipping, we’ll send a copy to your door FREE. Go over to this page to see if there are any copies left.

Sources: Diet Doctor, The Wellness Blog, Happy.Healthy.Smart, Carbophobic, Healthline