The keto dieters have debated the benefits of pickles for a long time. Once, people believed pickles have lectin and sugar, which can have a reverse effect on keto diet.
The difference it makes on your health depends on your choice. Pickles can be a delicious snacks for keto-dieters. It has everything low other than sodium.
But you should be aware while picking up pickles, some manufacturers add sugar to make it flavoursome which can spoil your keto diet.
Here you will learn everything about pickles and keto diet.
Are pickles keto friendly?
Pickles will fit right into your keto diet only when you choose them based on their ingredients and quantity. You just need to know which one and how much of pickle you should eat.
In keto diet, generally, guides allow you to have 20 to 50 grams of carbs per day. As in 2/3 cup of slices, there will be 20 to 30 grams of carbs. In general, make a limit for yourself to have pickle products, which have more grams of carbs for per 2/3 cups.
This means you have to read the label of the product carefully so that you could choose the right product, which can be lightly sweetened or frozen or sweetened type. But one thing is important the sweetner used in your pickle should be keto friendly.
Make a limitation for yourself to have pickles in small slices. So that you will not exceed your carb intake. If you follow this, then pickle would surely keto-friendly.
What kind of pickles are acceptable on a ketogenic diet?
Except sodium, pickles being low in everything, are a great snack. It’s adviced to choose pickles carefully. Just look at the nutrition label to see if it is sugar-free or not.
Some keto approved pickle varieties:
Pickle Variety | Keto Friendly Brands |
Dill | Clausen, Boar’s Head, and Mt Olive |
Cornichons | Maille |
Sours | Vlasic, and Mt Olive, Boar’s Head |
Bread and butter | Mt Olive |
Sweet | Mt Olive |
Kosher | Bubbies |
How many carbs does pickle contain?
A low carb keto diet should look like one among the three, strict, moderate, and liberal. The keto diet limits your fruits and certain vegetables intake.
Considerably, the raw cucumber has very low carbs. In fact, in only 2 to 3 slices of fresh cucumber, you will get just 3 grams of carbs. Having 1 gram of protein, 1 gram of fibre and the rest with minerals.
These all will only depend on the type of pickles and the brand. The preserving process of a pickle can increase the number of carbs in the product significantly. Depends on whether sugar has been added to the pickle. For example, dill and sour pickles doesn’t contain sugar. Usually, it includes 2 to 2.5 grams of carbs in 2/3 cups.
But if you go with the sweet one such as canned or bread and butter, then it will be a sugary for you with high carbs.
But it also depends on type of sweetner they used. Some sweetners are keto friendly.
Following are the carbs content in different pickles:
Pickle Variety | Carb |
Bread and butter | 20g |
Candied | 39g |
Sweet | 20g |
Sugar | 1g |
Dill | 1.5g |
How many calories are in pickles?
Some brands have sugar and serve carbs. Keto-friendly pickles would be low in carbs. Hundred gram of pickled cucumber will give 2.3 grams carbs and 11 calories. Just a hundred gram of dill pickles would have 1.4 g of net carbs. The same quantity also contains 809 milligrams sodium, which is more than CDC’s recommendation for sodium intake (2300 mg per day). Standard keto-friendly pickle is pickle spear which has 4.2 calories, 0.9 grams of carbs, and 0.2 grams of protein.
On the other hand, most pickles are fermented and provide a significant amount of probiotics. To find out if a pickle is fermented or not check out the ingredients list. Also, fermented pickles might tingle your tongue like they are carbonated.
Adding spices or vinegar doesn’t add more calories but popular pickle brands come with added sugar.
Nutritional facts
Nonetheless, pickles are great for your health. They contain natural antioxidant, which is present in all vegetables and fruits. They can help you get rid of free radicals and remove unstable chemicals from the body, which can lead to heart diseases or cancer. Eating healthy pickles will give you healthy guts as it will produce probiotic properties and reduce your anxiety.
Just a cup of Kosher dill pickles will serve you these benefits:
Calories | 17 |
Fat | 0g |
Carbohydrates | 3.7g |
Sugars | 1.9g |
Fibre | 1.6g |
Sodium | 1,251g |
Cholesterol | 0g |
Protein | 0.9g |
Potassium | 4% DV |
Calcium | 6% DV |
For a cup of pickles (143gm), these nutritional benefits will be served:
Vitamin A | 262IU | 5% |
Vitamin C | 1.1mg | 2% |
Vitamin D | 1.1mg | 2% |
Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol) | 0.1mg | 1% |
Vitamin K | 55.8mcg | 70% |
Thiamin | 0.0mg | 3% |
Riboflavin | 0.0mg | 2% |
Niacin | 0.1mg | 1% |
Vitamin B | 60.0mg | 2% |
Folate | 1.4mcg | 0% |
Vitamin B1 | 20.0mcg | 0% |
Pantothenic Acid | 0.1mg | 1% |
Choline | 4.9mg |
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Betaine | 0.0mg |
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Sodium and lectin contents
The main content we all should look for in keto-friendly pickle is the amount of sodium. On a ketogenic diet, sodium intake should be maximum. Just two small spheres (56g) of pickle has almost enough 600 mg of sodium.
The excess sodium content in pickles will remove any keto flu symptoms. The fermentation will give you a healthy gut and antioxidants. It is recommended to consume 2000 to 4000 milligrams of sodium when you are on a keto diet. It can be fulfilled if you are eating keto-friendly pickles.
Without a doubt, pickle is a healthy meal for your body. However, cucumber seeds may contain lectin that can promote weight gain. They also contain inflammatory agents which counteract the benefits of your diet plan. By doing proper fermentation, you can remove lectin to some extent. Another solution is that , make your own keto-friendly pickles by removing the seeds and dipping them in the vinegar mixture for a long time.
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Is pickle good for you?
There’s no answer for this particular question as it depends on your choice. If adults can limit their sodium intake to 1500 milligrams per day, then it is most beneficial for health. Just one Dill pickle contents 500 milligrams sodium which can take up most of the sodium content. So as said, pickles are not always bad if you know its contents and limits.
Can I buy a pickle on keto diet?
Having pickles while you are on a Keto diet is a good thing if you can make the right choice. Now that you know enough about pickles and their incorporation with keto, take a right decision for your health. Make sure you avoid any sugary pickle brands as they can be high in carbs. Pickles are some perfect low carb snacks which can fill the gaps of your ketogenic diet and will keep you satisfied until your next bite.
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