Remaining carbohydrate restricted can support glycemic control, broader metabolic health and craving management. These guides offer practical substitutions for familiar foods and drinks to help you sustain that eating pattern. Weight loss is not a required goal or a guaranteed result.
Replacement foods are tools for adherence and flexibility, not weight-loss tools in themselves. Some options satisfy a craving; others may leave you wanting more. Check the ingredients and total carbohydrates in the portion you eat, then notice your glucose response, hunger and cravings. Choose the options that work for you.
Your usual coffee order may be easier to adjust than you think. Start by knowing what is in the cup, then make changes you can comfortably keep.
In this guide
| Option | Type |
|---|---|
| Coffee at home and cafés | Overview |
| Starbucks orders | Ordering |
| SweetLeaf stevia drops and coffee bundle | Sweetener |
| Chocolate and mocha syrups | Sweetener |
| Vanilla syrups | Sweetener |
| Heavy cream and serving sizes | Guidance |
| Choosing milk or cream | Guidance |
| Gradually reducing cream or dairy | Guidance |
| Nutpods creamers | Ready-made |
| Coffee during a fast | Guidance |
| Butter and MCT coffee | Guidance |
Browse all replacement guides.
Coffee at home and at cafés
I really miss my regular “fancy” coffee. What can I use at home to replicate my favorite Starbucks drink?
See below for some Starbucks/Dunkin’ Donuts options, but these are some good, flavored options for at-home drinks. Some of these syrups may cause residual cravings/hunger, so proceed with caution:
- Keto Connect Starbucks Primer
- Keto Connect Dunkin Donuts Primer
- Instagram feed with lots of Keto Starbucks ideas
Starbucks
A few practical points for ordering at Starbucks:
- Plain iced coffee is now served unsweetened by default. Check the exact drink and customizations; syrups, sauces and toppings can change it. Current iced-coffee menu.
- Start with brewed coffee, an Americano, plain cold brew or unsweetened tea, then choose the additions you want.
- Ask which sugar-free syrups are currently available. Notice any blood-sugar response, cravings or hunger after using them, as described in the original guide.
- Ask for milk or cream on the side if you want to measure it. A “splash” is not a reliable serving size.
- Check the particular milk and the amount used. Do not assume café almond milk has the same nutrition as an unsweetened carton you use at home.
- Whipped cream, drizzles and blended-drink bases can add sugar. Ask what is included and which parts can be left out.
- For a blended coffee without the usual Frappuccino base, ask whether the café can blend your preferred coffee, milk and available sugar-free syrup.
Use the current Starbucks ingredient and customization information for the drink you order.
Flavored stevia drops
- Sweet Leaf stevia drop: available in many popular flavors including vanilla, chocolate, pumpkin spice, toffee, etc.
- Coffee bundle
Syrups
- Chocolate/Mocha: Pyure Sugar Free Chocolate Syrup, Torani Sugar Free Chocolate Syrup, Jordan Skinny Mocha Syrup
- Vanilla: Jordan’s Skinny Vanilla Syrup; Starbucks Vanilla Sugar Free Syrup (make sure to purchase the sugar-free option); Torani Sugar Free Vanilla Syrup
- The companies listed above also make sugar-free caramel, hazelnut and other flavored syrups
Why does heavy cream say zero carbs per serving?
Manufacturers are allowed to claim something has zero grams if it is less than .5g per serving. A tablespoon of HWC has about .5g carbs, 50 calories and 5-6g fat.
Compare the amount of milk or cream you actually use
Once you are fat-adapted and your appetite is suppressed, adding in fat just for the sake of adding it, is not going to serve you well. The carbs in milk, even skim milk, are not that high that it is worth significantly increasing the fat content in a drink that will likely not give much satiety. First thing to do is measure how much milk/cream you are using in your coffee each morning to get it to the desired color. Once you know how much you’re consuming every morning, you can decide how to proceed. Many people are shocked to find out they are using more than a few tablespoons of HWC in each cup of coffee. Multiply 4 T by however many cups and you are drinking quite a bit of your day’s energy intake – without getting the benefit of really being satiated by it.
How to gradually reduce cream or dairy
Either cold-turkey or slowly reducing it down. If you want to taper down, the first thing to do is measure the amount you are using to get your beverage to the color you like it.
- Now that you know the amount you are using, slowly lower the quantity by one teaspoon or so. Use this amount for a few days to allow your taste buds to acclimate. Keep reducing every few days/weeks until you are as low as possible.
- Another method is to reduce from HWC to Half & Half, then to whole milk, then skim, etc. Almond milk/creamers like Nutpods are another option and may have fewer calories and less fat than many dairy products.
- Try Nutpods, a non-dairy almond/coconut based “creamer” available in both sweetened (with erythritol) and unsweetened versions. They make many flavor varieties – like French vanilla, caramel, chocolate, hazelnut, etc. Use a combination of dairy and Nutpods to help reduce the amount of calories/fat being consumed with each cup of coffee. You can also use the taper down method to get your coffee as close to black as possible. These can be purchased in stores (Whole Foods, many supermarkets, or online at Amazon or the Nutpods website). They are available in both refrigerated and shelf-stable containers.
- Many people have trouble with black coffee, but enjoy black iced coffee, cold brew coffee or nitro cold brew (cold brew infused with light bubbles).
Does cream or sweetener break a fast?
Technically, yes, but do your best and work at reducing the amount of both in your coffee. Black coffee/tea is always the best option, but if that is not realistic, tapering slowly will allow your taste buds to get used to less. You are much more likely to stick with the routine if it’s something you have acclimated to.
What is Bulletproof Coffee?
Bulletproof Coffee is the name that originally referred to a type of coffee that blended Bulletproof-brand coffee with grass-fed butter and Bulletproof-brand MCT oil. The definition has since changed and now refers to any kind of coffee that is blended and emulsified with fat to create a frothy, latte-like drink.
Many people read about BPC on the keto blogs and start out thinking they are a must in order to be on a ketogenic diet. They can often help get started fasting and not eating breakfast, however, one cup of BPC can have nearly a day’s worth of fat and calories. If it is not used as a meal replacement, these can add up quickly and end up derailing weight loss goals. Once you’ve been in ketosis for a little while and your appetite is reduced, you can give up the BPC in favor of black coffee (or work towards black coffee), intermittent fasting and skipping your morning meal entirely.
