Can I Eat Pickles On Keto?
Pickles add a crunchy, tangy touch to your food and are common in sandwiches and burgers. They are made by soaking cucumbers in saltwater brine, and Lactobacillus bacteria ferment some.
Brine produces high-sodium pickles, but they offer some vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Additionally, fermented pickles can aid gut health by increasing the number of beneficial bacteria in the digestive system.
However, you may be wondering if pickles fit the keto diet, which replaces most carbs with fat. This article will explain whether pickles are suitable for the keto diet.
What Are Pickles?
A pickle is a pickled cucumber that has been put in brine, vinegar, or other solution and allowed to ferment over some time. So basically, a pickle is a better cucumber.
Carbs Content of Pickles
The keto diet severely restricts the intake of fruits and some high-carb vegetables.
In particular, raw cucumbers are very low in carbs. For example, 3/4 cup (100 grams) of sliced cucumbers contain only 2 grams of carbs. With 1 gram of fiber, this amount provides around 1 gram of net carbs.
Net carbs refer to the number of carbs in a portion of food that your body absorbs. It is calculated by subtracting the grams of fiber and sugar alcohols in a food from its total carbs.
However, depending on the type of pickle and the brand, the pickling process can significantly increase carbs in the final product, especially if sugar is added to the brine.
For example, dill and sour pickles aren’t typically made with sugar. A 2/3 cup (100 gram) serving contains 2 to 2.5 grams of carbs and 1 gram of fiber, or 1 to 1.5 grams of net carbs.
Sweet pickles, on the other hand, such as candied pickles or those with bread and butter, are made with sugar.
A 2/3 cup (100 gram) serving of various types of sliced pickles provides the following amounts of net carbs:
- Candied: 39 grams
- Bread and butter: 20 grams
- Sweet: 20 grams
- Sour: 1 gram
- Dill: 1.5 grams
What About It’s Sodium And Lectin Content?
The ketogenic diet tends to increase fluid loss, so some people find that increasing sodium intake from pickles can help you retain fluids.
However, high sodium intake is linked to adverse health effects. For example, a research study linked it to a 9.5% increased risk of death from heart disease.
Additionally, eating too many salty foods on the ketogenic diet can replace several healthy foods, such as nuts, seeds, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
Some people also claim that pickles are not keto-friendly due to their lectin content.
Lectins are plant proteins that many people avoid on the ketogenic diet because they make weight loss difficult. However, these claims are not accepted by researchers.
However, if you choose to eat pickles on this diet, you should do so in moderation.
Pickling at home is another great option if you want to monitor your sodium and carbohydrate intake closely.
How To Make Keto Pickles At Home?
If you are concerned about the carbs content of commercial pickles, you can make them yourself at home.
Here is our recipe for keto-friendly dill pickles that are ready overnight.
Ingredients:
- Six mini cucumbers
- one cup (240ml) of cold water
- one cup (240ml) of white vinegar
- One tablespoon (17 grams) of kosher salt
- One tablespoon (4 grams) of dill seeds
- Two cloves of garlic
Directions:
- Wash your mini cucumbers, then slice them thinly and set them aside.
- To make the brine, combine the vinegar, water, and salt in a saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring gently until the salt dissolves.
- Let the brine cool before adding the dill and garlic.
- Split the cucumber slices into two Mason jars. Pour the pickle brine over it.
- Refrigerate the pickles overnight to enjoy them the next day.
You can adjust the toppings for this recipe however you like. For example, if you like spicy pickles, you can add jalapenos or chili flakes to the brine.
Nutritional Benefits Of Pickles On The Keto Diet
1. A healthy snack.
Having pickles on a ketogenic diet will give you a healthy way to diet. It is due to the low-calorie content of the pickles. Therefore, it can be helpful for those who want to control their body weight.
For example, if you eat a cup of pickles, you’ll only get 17 calories. In this case, you can wish to have pickles alongside bread and even butter. However, it is also recommended that you keep an eye on your calories.
Therefore, having pickles in your ketogenic diet may be something to consider.
2. Source of sodium.
The next benefit of pickles in the ketogenic diet is to provide the source of sodium. We know that sodium is the essential mineral that plays a role in the balance of body fluids.
So, at this point, the sodium in the pickles is also involved in controlling body weight.
Sodium can cause your body to retain water, so you gain a few pounds from the importance of the added water.
Plus, if you eat a cup of pickles, you can get 1,157 milligrams of sodium or a 48% daily value. So by supplementing with sodium, you’ll get the best health benefits from this nutrient.
3.Source of fiber.
Pickles contain the source of fiber. By adding this food to your diet, you will get the best benefits from fiber. As a result, the fiber will help promote digestive health and help you lose weight.
It is also known that fiber can help reduce cholesterol levels and blood sugar levels in the body. So you can consume high-fiber foods like green vegetables and pickles to get the best results from the diet for tips.
4. Source of protein.
One of the health benefits of pickles in the ketogenic diet is providing a source of protein. Consequently, it is proteins that play an essential role in promoting the body’s energy.
In addition, it will help regenerate the broken cells with new ones. So, if you want to meet the body’s nutritional needs, you can have healthy meals by adding pickles as a diet snack.
5. Source of antioxidants.
If you want to protect your body from disease, then you need to consume antioxidant foods safely. In this case, when on a diet, it is essential to keep your body healthy.
So it turns out that one of the benefits of pickles is how they contain a great source of antioxidants.
By having antioxidants, pickles will provide you with significant health benefits, such as protecting the body from free radical damage. Not only for this, but it is also helpful in preventing some diseases, including cancer.
6. It Makes you feel full longer.
Pickles are the option for you who want to have a healthy diet.
It turns out that this meal can make you feel full for longer. It is due to the presence of vinegar as an ingredient and the fiber content. Also, according to a review published in Nutrition Reviews in 2014, vinegar has been shown to increase calorie consumption.
As a result, it can help you control your body weight. So, are you interested in adding pickles to the ketogenic diet?
Can You Eat Pickles On The Keto Diet?
Whether pickles are acceptable on the keto diet largely depends on how they are prepared and how much food you eat.
Keto generally allows 20 to 50 grams of carbs per day.
Because 2/3 cup (100 grams) of sliced sugary pickles contain between 20 and 32 grams of net carbs, these types can meet or exceed the daily amount of carbs with just one serving.
Alternatively, those with no added sugar add significantly fewer carbohydrates to your daily ratio.
In general, try to limit yourself to pickling items with less than 15 grams of carbs per 2/3 cup (100 grams).
It means that you will need to read food labels carefully to choose mildly sweetened varieties or forgo the sugary types entirely and eat only sour dill and pickles.
If you think you can’t do without candied pickles or bread and butter, limit yourself to a small serving or two to make sure you don’t exceed the number of carbohydrates.
Tips For Eating Pickles On The Ketogenic Diet
Having pickles is a good idea in your diet. In this case, you can have chopped pickles with a green leafy salad. Also, it’s a good idea to eat pickled slices on a turkey sandwich or chicken breast.
Next, you can have pickled vegetables made from pickled beans, beets, cauliflower, and asparagus for the healthier option.
At this point, I need to limit the salt and sugar content in the pickles. If you buy it, I recommend that you read the label first.
Additionally, by following a healthy ketogenic diet, you can enjoy other great foods such as olives, as you have less than one net carbohydrate for every 15 olives you eat.
Also, there are cheese slices that are very delicious and have 0 net carbs per slice.
Conclusion
Pickles are a popular condiment or topping for their juicy, tangy crunch.
While varieties such as acid and dill are suitable for the ketogenic diet, types with added sugar, such as sweet bread, candied and buttered, are not.
To be safe, you can check the ingredients list to see if yours contains sugar. Of course, you can also make your keto pickles at home.
If you want to know more about keto info, please check the following link.
