Pickles are a delicious addition to any burger or sandwich — but can you eat them on keto?
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Are Pickles Keto? Yes — pickles are a delicious low-carb snack that is easy to grab and will keep you satisfied until your next meal.
It might sound interesting that you can pickle almost everything.
From yellow squash and green beans to cherries and strawberries, the list can go on.
But cucumber is one of the most-liked ingredients that make a stellar combination for pickles.
While cucumbers make a must-to-add ingredient when people make homemade pickles, they are equally popular among keto-ers.
Many dieters love to add the juicy and tangy flavor of pickles to their diet-friendly recipes.
These keto-ers not only enjoy pickles' delish sweet and sour taste but also consider them a good source of essential nutrients.
However, another school of thought believes that pickles contain hidden, high sugar content and are not keto-friendly.
And if you want to live a low-carb life, you should limit your consumption of pickles during the keto diet.
So which is the right idea?
Are pickles keto-friendly?
Let’s delve into the details to find the answer to this question.
What are Pickles?
As mentioned above, pickles are the flavorful solutions that make a crunchy treat to eat with burgers and sandwiches.
People make them by submerging fresh cucumbers in saltwater brine.
Fermented pickles with Lactobacillus bacteria to break down the sugar and produce a sour taste are also available.
Although the brine in pickles makes them high in salt flavor and sodium, they offer some potent minerals, fiber, and vitamins.
Fermented pickles greatly reduce inflammation, improve complexion, and improve insulin sensitivity.
They contain probiotics that are mandatory for promoting a healthy gut.
Many keto-ers add fermented pickles to their diet to boost healthy bacteria.
Do Pickles have Carbs?
As a Ketogenic diet is all about replacing your carbs with healthy fats, determining the carb content in pickles is important to see if they are keto-friendly.
When people are on a keto diet, they need to limit their intake of certain vegetables or fruits, especially if they contain a high carb content.
It is worth noticing that raw cucumbers contain a very low quantity of carbs.
A 100g cup of sliced cucumbers has only 2g of carbs.
For instance, if you choose a pickle that includes more ingredients and has a different pickling process, it might increase the carb content in the product, mainly if it contains sugar.
That means if you are using sour pickles that do not add sugar to the brine, you will not consume more than 2 to 2.5g of carbs and 1g of fiber, which makes 1 to 1.5g of net carbs.
However, sweet pickles are not the same as sour pickles.
A large variety of sweet pickles come with butter and candied flavors.
In short, sweet pickles are made with lots of sugar, and that is why they have a high carb content.
Keep an eye on your carb intake if you enjoy eating sweet pickles, and make sure you don't exceed your 20-30g intake.
Are Pickles Keto Friendly?
The answer to this question largely depends on the composition and number of pickles one eats.
In the Ketogenic diet, people can eat only 20g to 30g of carbs daily.
As mentioned earlier, a 100g cup of sweetened pickles may contain 20g to 30g of carbs.
That means you would eat your entire daily carb intake in one meal.
Eating the same amount with all meals a day can exceed your allowance of carbs, knocking you out of ketosis.
On the other hand, pickles with no sugar can be a wiser choice, adding far fewer carbs to your daily diet.
In general, you must limit the consumption of pickles that contain more than 15g of carbs.
You must read labels with due diligence if you want to stick to the correct carb intake to stay in ketosis while on the keto diet.
Make sure you choose pickles with no sugar content or light sweetener.
And if you have a sweet tooth and love eating candied or butter pickles, limit your intake to a small slice to avoid exceeding your daily carb intake.
Pickles Nutritional Information
This is the nutritional information for 3.53oz/100g of cucumber, dill, or kosher dill pickles. USDA FoodData Central provides this information.
| Calories | 14 kcal |
| Protein | 0.48 g |
| Fat | 0.43 g |
| Carbohydrates | 1.99 g |
| Sugars | 1.28 g |
| Fiber | 1 g |
| Net Carbs | 0.99 g |
| Sodium | 808 mg |
| Calcium | 54 mg |
| Potassium | 112 mg |
| Magnesium | 7.1 mg |
Final Verdict
Pickles are a unique side dish that can make any boring meal juicy and flavorful.
Pickle varieties with no sugar are tasty and suitable additions to your Ketogenic diet.
Thus, don’t forget to scan through the ingredients list to ensure that your pickles don’t contain sugar.
I been on the keto diet for 7months now and so far I have loss 88lbs. and I feel wonderful, I sleep ? better my blood ? sugar have went down (myA1CI mean ) to 5.3 which is amazing also my ? pressure is down I just feel so much better thanks ?? to all the research I have been doing help me a lot,but never have I found information like yours to be so informative.and inspiring ,thanking the Holy Father for you sending me a email about the keto diet
Thank you for the kind words, Peggy!
I'm glad you're enjoying the content, and wish you the best.
Jennifer.