Before eating that pickle that comes on the side with your meal… can you eat pickles on the keto diet? Are pickles keto friendly?
I did a bit of research to find out if I could chomp down on a delicious pickle without having the negative effects of being kicked out of ketosis.
Are pickles keto friendly?
The short answer is – YES pickles are keto-friendly, and they will be suitable for your diet if you are looking to embrace the keto way of life.
Easy, right? Well, not exactly. Not every keto expert or practitioner agrees with the above statement! In fact, some people say that keto eaters should not eat pickles or any other forms of fermented food.
Pickles Nutritional Facts
Here is the nutritional information per 1 Pickle Spear via nutritionix.com.
- Calories – 4.2
- Protein – 0.2 g
- Carbs – 0.8 g
- Fiber – 0.3 g
- Fat – 0.1 g
Why some people think pickles are not keto friendly?
As you might know, pickles are a product of fermentation.
This means that they release sugars, and the brine that is used to preserve them might contain sugar or other forms of starch and gluten, in some rare cases.
Some pickled products might feature fairly high concentrations of lectin, another ingredient that shouldn’t be a part of a keto diet because it might mess with the process of ketosis, which is so essential to the way a ketogenic diet affects metabolism and calories burning.
Make sure the pickle brand you purchase is keto friendly.
At the end of the day, the correct answer is that pickles can indeed be keto-friendly.
The caveat is that you need to make sure that you are aware of what goes into the pickles you chose.
Check out the ingredients list closely, and if in doubt, don’t be afraid to scour the web for additional information on any given product.
If it all else fails, you should be able to contact the manufacturer directly for more information and knowledge about the pickled products that you are interested in buying.
List of Keto Friendly Pickle Brands
Here is a quick list of brands you can have while on the ketogenic diet:
- Bubbies Kosher Dills – Check Price on Amazon
- Claussen Kosher Dill Halves – Check Price on Amazon
- McClure’s Spicy Pickles – Check Price on Amazon
This list was provided by chomps.com.
Can you make your own keto friendly pickles?
There is another option, and it is a bit more time-consuming. However, it can be very rewarding and exciting.
Why don’t you try making your own pickles?
Playing with fermentation can be scary at first, and many people are quite afraid to make mistakes when using these procedures.
However, people have been fermenting foods at home for many thousands of years, and even most of our grandparents knew a thing or two about creating amazing fermented foods at home.
In many parts of the world, people still ferment their own foods at home.
An example? Most Korean households actually make their own Kimchi, a delicious and extremely healthy meal made with fermented cabbage and other condiments.
What are the benefits of making your own pickles?
There are some benefits to making your own pickles if you follow a ketogenic diet.
1) Quality Control of Ingredients
First and foremost, you are going to be able to have a say on what goes into your food. You can keep the ingredient list under control, and make sure that you have the healthiest final product possible.
2) Flavor Profile Control
In addition to that, you can tailor the flavor profile of your pickles based on your taste, and even develop your recipes!
Whether you make them at home or buy a keto friendly pickle brand, pickles can be great on their own, and they can be a perfect addition to so many different meal types!
In Conclusion
Pickles are keto friendly and can be a great addition to any keto diet.
If you buy them, you need to make sure you know exactly what ingredients are featured in the jar, so you can make sure you avoid any sugars, carbs, or lectin that might be present in some pickled products.
In addition to that, you can also try making your own pickles, and discover a whole new world of fun, culinary creativity, and keto-friendly deliciousness.
The possibilities are truly endless, and the keto diet is quite versatile. Most people are a bit afraid of the limitations.
Still, the more you understand it, the more you realize that anything you need to give up can be seamlessly replaced with a keto-friendly alternative, which is often going to be better, healthier, and equally as tasty, if not even more so.
If devoid of sugars, starches, and carbs, pickles can be quite healthy, since fermented foods are linked with better immunity rates as well as improved heart health, and more.
Because of these characteristics, pickles can be a great match with some typical keto meals, including beef, chicken, as well as no-cook plates with deli meats, cheese, and vegetables.
