Are Beans Keto-Friendly? (2024)

FAQs

Are beans considered keto-friendly? ›

Beans are linked to health benefits, including a lower risk of chronic diseases such as obesity, cardiovascular issues, and type 2 diabetes. However, beans aren't the best choice for a strict keto diet because of their carbohydrate content. You could include them in small amounts or when keto cycling.

Beans and legumes provide many health benefits, including reduced inflammation and heart disease risk . While they're high in carbs, they also contain a fair amount of fiber.

Beans and Legumes

Packed with protein and fiber, beans are a nutritious choice for people on most kinds of diets. However, they and other legumes such as chickpeas and lentils are also high in carbohydrates. Eat them in moderation when on a low carb diet.

The good news is green beans are also low-carb, so they can be incorporated into a keto-friendly diet. A strict keto diet limits carbs to less than 50 grams daily.

Baked beans are not considered keto-friendly due to their carbohydrate content. Baked beans typically contain a significant amount of carbohydrates, particularly from the beans themselves and the added sugars found in the sauce.

THE WORST: Refined or processed carbohydrates. These are carbohydrates like white bread, white sugar, white flour pasta, and white rice that have been stripped of their blood-sugar-buffering fiber, as well as vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, things both your body and hair are big fans of.

Severe carb limits can cause your body to break down fat into ketones for energy. This is called ketosis. Ketosis can cause side effects such as bad breath, headache, fatigue and weakness. It's not clear what kind of possible long-term health risks a low-carb diet may pose.

Highest and Lowest Carb Beans

Among these, black soybeans and green beans have the lowest carbs, potentially making them better for a keto diet. On the other hand, chickpeas, pinto beans, and navy beans have high carbs. You might want to avoid these if you're strictly following a keto diet.

Your body doesn't digest fiber so not all of the carbohydrate from beans will be turned into blood sugar. Additionally, the protein will slow down the digestion of beans. These factors give beans a low glycemic index, meaning they are unlikely to cause a spike in blood sugar.

Food and drinks allowed on a no-carb diet include meat, fish, eggs, cheese, butter, oils, water, and plain coffee or tea. If you're less stringent, you can also eat nuts, seeds, non-starchy vegetables, and high fat fruits like avocado and coconut since these foods are low in net carbs.

Are beans better carbs than rice? ›

Campos and her colleagues found that people who increased daily servings of white rice over time had higher blood pressure and higher levels of sugar and harmful fats in their blood—warning signs for type 2 diabetes. Those who ate more servings of beans than rice greatly reduced their risk.

Eating Vegetables on the Keto Diet

To eat vegetables in a keto diet, limit those that contain a lot of carbs, like potatoes, corn, and peas. 4 Instead, up your intake of non-starchy vegetables.

Cottage cheese, like ricotta, is not as keto-friendly, and you should limit the amount you eat if you're on a strict keto diet, says Weiss. While cottage cheese is known for its high protein content, it also contains a relatively high amount of carbs and not that much fat, making it a less-than-ideal choice for keto.

Is Corn Keto? It shouldn't be a surprise to you, based on the amount of carbs in corn, that corn is not keto. But remember, Boehmer says, keto dieters are allowed roughly 3o to 40 grams of carbs per day. A half-cup of corn contains about 15 grams of carbs, which makes it a tasty salad topper or egg scramble mix-in.

Peanut butter can definitely be part of a keto diet, but it's best to stick to plain options that are free of extra flavors and sweeteners. Almond butter is a good choice, too, and it's slightly lower in carbs. Additionally, you should be mindful of your portion size if you're trying to lose weight.

One of the initial food categories to steer clear of on the keto diet is grains and starchy foods. Examples include wheat, rice, corn, and oats, which are rich in carbohydrates. These goods can have a notable impact on blood sugar levels and impede the body's ability to enter ketosis.

When following the diet, avoid high carb foods like dried fruits, refined carbs, sweet sauces, and reduced fat diet foods. These can provide too many carbs or not enough fat and inhibit ketosis. Also, limit your portions of healthy, higher carb fruits, vegetables, and grains.

Botanically speaking, tomatoes are considered a fruit. However, unlike other fruit, they're considered keto-friendly. That's because tomatoes contain around 2–3 grams of net carbs per 3.5 ounces (100 grams) — or up to 10 times fewer net carbs than most fruit — regardless of their variety ( 5 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ).