What Vitamins Should I Take on Keto? A UK Guide
What vitamins should I take on keto? For most adults, the only supplement the NHS advises for everyone is vitamin D: 10 micrograms a day in autumn and winter. If you could get pregnant, the NHS also advises a 400 microgram folic acid supplement. Otherwise, the NHS says most people can get the vitamins and minerals they need from a varied and balanced diet, so on keto the job is to plan low-carb sources of each one.
At a glance
- 10mcgvitamin D a day: the NHS says everyone should consider a supplement in autumn and winter
- 40mgvitamin C a day for adults aged 19 to 64 (NHS)
- 30gfibre a day for adults, in government guidelines (NHS)
- 126mgvitamin C per 100g of raw red pepper, with 4.3g of carbs (CoFID)
On this page
What vitamins should I take on keto, and do you need supplements at all? This guide sets out what the NHS advises, which vitamins and minerals need more planning when you cut bread, cereals and potatoes, and the low-carb foods that provide them, using the UK's official food composition data.
What vitamins should I take on keto?
The NHS doesn't give separate vitamin advice for keto or other low-carb diets. Its general advice for adults is:
- Vitamin D: everyone should consider taking a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms (400 IU) of vitamin D during autumn and winter. People who are rarely outdoors, who usually cover most of their skin outdoors, or who have dark skin should consider taking it all year.
- Folic acid: if you're pregnant, trying for a baby or could get pregnant, take a 400 microgram folic acid supplement every day until you're 12 weeks pregnant.
- Everything else: most people should be able to get all the nutrients they need from a varied and balanced diet.
The British Dietetic Association says ketogenic diets shouldn't be followed by women who are pregnant. It also recommends planning a low-carb diet so it includes all the nutrients your body needs, and says a dietitian can help with this.
Nutrients that need planning on keto
The BDA lists bread, breakfast cereal, potatoes, pasta and rice among the foods generally avoided on a low-carb diet, and says some people include pulses depending on how strictly they cut carbs. Several of these are on the NHS's lists of good sources of vitamins and minerals:
| Nutrient | A day (NHS) | NHS sources usually cut on keto |
|---|---|---|
| Vitamin D | 10mcg | Fortified breakfast cereals |
| Vitamin C | 40mg | Potatoes |
| Folate | 200mcg | Chickpeas, kidney beans, fortified breakfast cereals |
| Calcium | 700mg | Bread and anything made with fortified flour |
| Iron | 8.7mg (men), 14.8mg (women 19 to 49) | Beans such as kidney beans and chickpeas, fortified breakfast cereals |
| Magnesium | 300mg (men), 270mg (women) | Wholemeal bread |
| Fibre | 30g | Wholemeal bread, wholegrains, potatoes with skins, pulses |
Daily amounts and sources from the NHS vitamins and minerals guide and the NHS fibre page. Foods usually cut on keto from the BDA low carb diets fact sheet.
The sections below give low-carb foods for each of these, with figures from CoFID, the UK's food composition data.
Vitamin D on keto
The NHS says most people can make all the vitamin D they need from sunlight between late March or early April and the end of September, but not between October and early March. It also says it's difficult to get enough vitamin D from food alone, which is why it advises everyone to consider a 10 microgram supplement in autumn and winter.
Vitamin D is found in a small number of foods. Oily fish, red meat and egg yolks are on the NHS list, and they fit a keto diet:
| Food | Vitamin D |
|---|---|
| Herring, raw | 19.0mcg |
| Salmon, wild, raw | 8.6mcg |
| Mackerel, raw | 8.0mcg |
| Rainbow trout, raw | 7.9mcg |
| Salmon, farmed, raw | 4.7mcg |
| Sardines, canned in brine, drained | 3.3mcg |
| Eggs, whole, raw | 3.2mcg |
| Beef mince, raw | 0.7mcg |
| Cheddar | 0.3mcg |
CoFID 2021 food codes 16-175, 16-360, 16-393, 16-395, 16-356, 16-424, 12-937, 18-469 and 12-346. CoFID lists 0g of carbs for the fish and beef, a trace for eggs and 0.1g for Cheddar.
If you take a supplement, the NHS says 10 micrograms a day is enough for most people, and adults shouldn't take more than 100 micrograms (4,000 IU) a day. Labels may give vitamin D in IU: 1 microgram is 40 IU.
Vitamin C on keto
Adults need 40mg of vitamin C a day, and the NHS says you need it in your diet every day because the body can't store it. Peppers, broccoli, brussels sprouts and strawberries are on the NHS list of good sources, and CoFID shows they have far fewer carbs than potatoes:
| Food | Vitamin C | Carbs |
|---|---|---|
| Red pepper, raw | 126mg | 4.3g |
| Green pepper, raw | 120mg | 2.6g |
| Brussels sprouts, raw | 115mg | 4.1g |
| Curly kale, raw | 110mg | 1.4g |
| Broccoli, raw | 79mg | 3.2g |
| Watercress, raw | 62mg | Trace |
| Strawberries, raw | 57mg | 6.1g |
| Cauliflower, raw | 56mg | 4.4g |
| Broccoli, boiled | 44mg | 2.8g |
| Oranges, flesh | 52mg | 8.2g |
| Potatoes, boiled | 9mg | 17.5g |
CoFID 2021 food codes 13-524, 13-318, 13-177, 13-234, 13-502, 13-669, 14-324, 13-512, 13-503, 14-327 and 13-490 (old potatoes, flesh only). Carbohydrate excludes fibre, as on UK labels.
An 80g portion of raw red pepper has about 101mg of vitamin C and 3.4g of carbs. CoFID lists less vitamin C in boiled broccoli (44mg per 100g) than in raw broccoli (79mg), so 80g of boiled broccoli gives about 35mg.
Folate, calcium, iron, B12 and iodine
Folate. Adults need 200 micrograms a day. Broccoli, brussels sprouts and leafy greens such as kale and spinach are on the NHS list. Per 100g, CoFID lists 161mcg for raw baby spinach, 135mcg for raw brussels sprouts, 120mcg for raw curly kale, 95mcg for raw broccoli and 47mcg for raw eggs.
Calcium. Adults need 700mg a day. Cheese, other dairy foods, kale and fish where you eat the bones are on the NHS list. CoFID lists 739mg per 100g for Cheddar, so a 30g piece has about 222mg. Canned sardines in brine, drained, have 679mg, almonds 269mg and boiled curly kale 231mg. The NHS notes that spinach contains calcium but the body can't digest it all.
Iron. Men need 8.7mg a day and women aged 19 to 49 need 14.8mg. Liver, red meat and nuts are on the NHS list. Per 100g, CoFID lists 10.4mg for sesame seeds (0.9g carbs), 7.5mg for raw lamb's liver, 3.7mg for almonds, 3.6mg for grilled lean rump steak and 1.7mg for raw eggs. The NHS says not to eat liver more than once a week, because of its vitamin A, and to avoid it if you're pregnant. It also says Department of Health and Social Care advice is to limit red and processed meat. Women with heavy periods may need iron supplements, so speak to a GP or registered dietitian.
Vitamin B12. Adults need about 1.5 micrograms a day. The NHS says that if you eat meat, fish or dairy foods you should be able to get enough from your diet, but vegans may not.
Iodine. Adults need 140 micrograms a day. Cows' milk, dairy products, eggs, sea fish and shellfish are on the NHS list. Milk has 4.7g of carbs per 100g (semi-skimmed), so if you use less of it on keto, other sources count for more: CoFID lists 196mcg per 100g for raw cod, 50mcg for raw eggs and 30mcg for Cheddar.
Fibre on keto
Government guidelines say adults should have 30g of fibre a day, and the NHS says most adults only eat about 20g. The BDA lists eating less fibre among its concerns about low-carb diets. The usual NHS tips, such as wholemeal bread, wholegrains, potatoes with skins and pulses, are mostly foods you'd cut on keto, so the fibre has to come from nuts, vegetables and some fruit:
| Food | Fibre | Carbs |
|---|---|---|
| Almonds, whole | 12.5g | 5.3g |
| Hazelnuts | 6.9g | 6.0g |
| Green cabbage, raw | 4.1g | 4.1g |
| Green beans, boiled | 4.1g | 4.0g |
| Broccoli, raw | 4.0g | 3.2g |
| Raspberries, raw | 3.7g | 5.1g |
| Curly kale, boiled | 3.5g | 1.0g |
| Avocado (Hass) | 3.1g | 1.8g |
| Wholemeal bread, for comparison | 7.0g | 42.0g |
CoFID 2021 food codes 14-896, 14-874, 13-510, 13-515, 13-502, 14-375, 13-649, 14-386 and 11-981. Fibre is AOAC fibre. Carbohydrate excludes fibre, as on UK labels.
Here's how one day could add up, using the CoFID figures above:
| Food | Fibre | Carbs |
|---|---|---|
| 30g almonds | 3.8g | 1.6g |
| 100g raw broccoli | 4.0g | 3.2g |
| 80g boiled green beans | 3.3g | 3.2g |
| 80g raspberries | 3.0g | 4.1g |
| 80g avocado (Hass) | 2.5g | 1.4g |
| Total | About 16.5g | 13.5g |
Worked out from CoFID 2021 per-100g figures. Rounded to 0.1g; totals are worked out before rounding.
That's just over half of 30g, for 13.5g of carbs, so reaching the guideline on keto takes some planning. Seeds and fibre ingredients can add more: our guide to carbs and fibre in flaxseed has the figures for linseed. On UK labels, fibre isn't part of the carbohydrate figure, as our guide to net carbs on UK food labels explains.
Sodium, potassium and magnesium
The NHS says adults aged 19 to 64 need 3,500mg of potassium a day, 300mg of magnesium (men) or 270mg (women), and should have no more than 6g of salt a day. It also says you should be able to get all the potassium and magnesium you need from a varied and balanced diet.
Some of the NHS sources, such as bananas and pulses for potassium and wholemeal bread for magnesium, are hard to fit into keto, so our guides list the low-carb foods with the most of each: keto foods with the most potassium and how much magnesium you need on keto.
Do you need supplements on keto?
Apart from vitamin D in autumn and winter, and folic acid if you could get pregnant, the NHS doesn't advise supplements for most adults. If you do take a multivitamin or other supplements, the NHS says not to take too much, as this could be harmful. These are the NHS amounts for adults:
| Nutrient | NHS amount |
|---|---|
| Vitamin A | An average of 1.5mg or less a day, from food and supplements combined |
| Vitamin B6 | No more than 10mg a day from supplements, unless a doctor advises more |
| Vitamin C | Less than 1,000mg a day from supplements |
| Vitamin D | No more than 100mcg (4,000 IU) a day |
| Folic acid | 1mg or less a day from supplements |
| Calcium | 1,500mg or less a day |
| Iron | 17mg or less a day from supplements, unless a GP advises more |
| Magnesium | 400mg or less a day from supplements |
| Potassium | 3,700mg or less a day from supplements; older people only if a doctor advises |
| Zinc | No more than 25mg a day from supplements, unless a doctor advises more |
| Iodine | 0.5mg or less a day from supplements |
From the NHS vitamins and minerals guide. For most of these the NHS says the amount shown or less is unlikely to cause harm (for potassium, unlikely to have obvious harmful effects); for vitamin B6, vitamin D and zinc it says not to take more.
Add up everything you take, including electrolyte drinks and single-vitamin supplements, and check the total against these amounts. The NHS says many multivitamins contain vitamin A, and that if you eat liver every week you shouldn't take supplements that contain it. If you take any medicines, ask your pharmacist or GP before you start a supplement.
It's also worth reading the ingredients. The amounts of vitamins in a supplement are measured in milligrams or micrograms, but chewable and gummy supplements can be made with sugars. For example, the ingredients of Vitabiotics Ultra Vitamin D Gummies start with wheat glucose syrup and sugar, and UK ingredient lists are in descending order of weight. Check the label for the carbohydrate per dose and count it in your daily total.
Speak to your GP, diabetes nurse or a registered dietitian before you make big changes to your diet. This is especially important if you have diabetes and take insulin or other medicines that can cause hypos, or take SGLT2 inhibitors, as your medication may need to change. The same goes if you're pregnant, breastfeeding or have a history of eating disorders.
Our Keto Electrolytes and Psyllium Husk Powder
Our Keto Electrolytes Powder comes in three flavours: lemon, forest fruits and passionfruit papaya. According to the labels, a 5g scoop has 20mg of vitamin C (25% of the NRV), about 50mg of magnesium, 504mg of potassium and 0.1–0.15g of carbs. Each scoop also has 1.02g of salt, so count it towards the NHS limit of 6g a day.
Our Psyllium Husk Powder is a baking binder for low-carb bread, rolls and pizza bases. According to the product page, it has 88g of fibre and 3g of carbs per 100g, so 5g adds about 4.4g of fibre. The label says excessive consumption may cause a laxative effect. Free delivery on orders over £30.
Key takeaways
- Vitamin D is the one supplement the NHS suggests for everyone. The NHS says to consider 10 micrograms a day in autumn and winter.
- Plan the gaps. Cutting bread, cereals, potatoes and pulses cuts out some NHS sources of folate, iron, calcium, vitamin C and fibre.
- Low-carb vegetables do a lot. Raw red pepper has 126mg of vitamin C per 100g and baby spinach 161mcg of folate.
- Check supplement totals and labels. Keep within the NHS amounts and count the carbs in gummies.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need to take supplements on keto?
Not usually, apart from vitamin D. The NHS says everyone should consider 10 micrograms of vitamin D a day in autumn and winter, and that most people can get other vitamins and minerals from a varied and balanced diet. On keto, plan low-carb sources of vitamin C, folate, calcium, iron and fibre, as some usual sources are cut.
Should I take vitamin D on keto?
The NHS advice is the same on keto as on any diet: everyone should consider a 10 microgram supplement each day in autumn and winter, and some people all year. Oily fish, eggs and red meat contain some, but the NHS says it's difficult to get enough from food alone. Adults shouldn't take more than 100 micrograms a day.
Can vitamins kick you out of ketosis?
The vitamins themselves are measured in milligrams or micrograms, but what a supplement is made with can add carbs. Some gummies are made with sugars: one UK vitamin D gummy lists wheat glucose syrup and sugar as its first two ingredients. Check the carbohydrate per dose on the label and count it in your daily total.
Do you need a multivitamin on keto?
Not necessarily. The NHS says most people can get the nutrients they need from a varied and balanced diet. If you take a multivitamin, add up what it gives you with any other supplements, and keep within the NHS amounts, such as 100 micrograms of vitamin D and 17mg of iron a day. Many multivitamins contain vitamin A.
How can I get enough fibre on keto?
Adults should aim for 30g of fibre a day, and on keto most of it has to come from nuts, vegetables and some fruit. Per 100g, CoFID lists 12.5g of fibre for almonds, 4.0g for raw broccoli and 3.7g for raspberries. Our example day of almonds, broccoli, green beans, raspberries and avocado gives about 16.5g.
Sources
- NHS. Vitamins and minerals, including the pages on vitamin A, B vitamins and folic acid, vitamin C, vitamin D, calcium, iodine, iron and other vitamins and minerals.
- NHS. How to get more fibre into your diet.
- NHS. Salt in your diet.
- British Dietetic Association. Low carb diets food fact sheet.
- Public Health England / Food Standards Agency. Composition of Foods Integrated Dataset (CoFID) 2021: sheets 1.3 Proximates, 1.4 Inorganics and 1.5 Vitamins, food codes 16-175 (herring, raw), 16-360 (salmon, wild, raw), 16-393 (mackerel, raw), 16-395 (rainbow trout, raw), 16-356 (salmon, farmed, raw), 16-424 (sardines, canned in brine, drained), 12-937 (eggs, whole, raw), 18-469 (beef mince, raw), 12-346 (Cheddar), 13-524 (red pepper, raw), 13-318 (green pepper, raw), 13-177 (brussels sprouts, raw), 13-234 (curly kale, raw), 13-502 (broccoli, raw), 13-503 (broccoli, boiled), 13-669 (watercress, raw), 14-324 (strawberries, raw), 13-512 (cauliflower, raw), 14-327 (oranges), 13-490 (potatoes, old, boiled), 13-521 (baby spinach, raw), 14-896 (almonds), 13-649 (curly kale, boiled), 14-844 (sesame seeds), 18-413 (lamb's liver, raw), 18-474 (rump steak, grilled, lean), 12-313 (semi-skimmed milk), 16-372 (cod, raw), 14-874 (hazelnuts), 13-510 (green cabbage, raw), 13-515 (green beans, boiled), 14-375 (raspberries, raw), 14-386 (avocado, Hass) and 11-981 (wholemeal bread).
- Retained Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on food information to consumers: Article 18 (list of ingredients), via legislation.gov.uk.
- Vitabiotics. Ultra Vitamin D Gummies product page, with the same ingredients listed by UK retailers Weldricks and The Health Pharmacy, checked 30 October 2026.
- Groovy Keto product labels and pages: Keto Electrolytes Powder (lemon), (forest fruits), (passionfruit papaya) and Psyllium Husk Powder, checked 30 October 2026.
