We all know quinoa is very healthy if we talk about its nutritional value but at the same time we should also keep one thing in mind that it consists of good amount of carbs. If you are following a keto diet then you should limit their consumption of carbs. Because keto diet is all about low carbs intake and at the same time increasing the intake of the fats. Now this shifts the body to use fats for energy production.
Quinoa ketogenic Diet? is it possible, because grains have good amount of carbs but in keto diet you should reduce the carbs. Now you might be wondering if you can have quinoa with keto diet or not.
So today we will find out whether we can have a quinoa ketogenic diet or not?
Although quinoa is famous for a lot of health benefits that reduces risk of different diseases. This article we help you understand whether quinoa is low carb food or not.
Nutrition fact of Quinoa
Research says that quinoa does not get fully digested into the human body (The digestibility of the cooked and uncooked quinoa after simulation of human digestion was 69.04% and 64.09%, respectively, click here to check the research paper). In 100 grams of quinoa almost 69 grams of carbs are there. So depending upon the low carb diet, you should be very precise while adding it in your meal
Net Carbs
100 gm of carbs consists of almost 21.25 gm of total carbs and 18.6 gm of net carbs, thus making it a high carb food. Now let’s understand what does Net Carbs means: It is the amount of carbohydrates in a food that can be digested by the body for energy production.
How to calculate Net Carbs
- Do check the total carbs on the food’s nutrition label
- Reduce the amount of fiber in it
- Subtract almost half the amount of sugar alcohols
But at the same the net carbs are controversial, the reasons are mentioned below
- FDA does not recognise net carbs
- The equation used to calculate it is not quite accurate
- Some fibers and sugar alcohols raise the blood sugar levels
Can you have a quinoa ketogenic diet?
Most of the people who are following a keto diet wants to have a quinoa because of its rich nutrient profile
Moreover, serving size is key. If you are thinking of having it then you should realise 100gm of carbs consists of 69gm of carbs, which exceeds the daily carbs allowance. To make it work you should take somewhere around 50gm daily, then also you should be careful. After taking quinoa you should restrict all other carbs and stick to food that are rich in protein and fat for the rest of the day.
If you are not following a strict keto diet then also you should limit your carbs consumption to 40gm. If you want to eat quinoa then have it in very small portion or else it will affect your keto diet.
For example: you can sprinkle quinoa over salad for flavour and at the same time managing your carbs consumption.
If you have to ask us can you have a quinoa ketogenic diet? then our answer would be no, because you have to limit quinoa to an extent and that’s very difficult to track. Basically risk to reward ratio here is not at all good. It will mess up your keto diet if you even had a little bit more than usual.
How to prepare it
One should not prepare quinoa with sauces because sauces and vegetable consists of further carbs and that will negatively affect your diet. So for preparing quinoa be sure to make it plain and at the same time avoid starchy vegetables like potato.
You can use it for garnishing purposes of your primary dish or else it will again affect your keto diet
Why quinoa can’t fit in Ketogenic Diet?
From the above discussion we know that quinoa is high in carbs and keto diet consists of negligible amount of carbs. To understand it properly lets understand what keto diet is: It involves consuming very low carbs and replacing these carbs from healthy fats. When you do so, body shifts from producing energy from carbs to fats, thus making you lose fat. In short in this diet we reduces carbs consumption and increases fat consumption.
Now if we add a good amount of quinoa in our diet then our carbs consumption will increase, that will eventually messes up with your keto diet.
The bottom line
Although, it is considered a healthy food option but to make it work with keto diet is bit difficult because of limited consumption of it.
You can have it with salads, stew, sandwiches etc but can’t have it as a primary meal.
If you want to play safe then we would suggest to avoid quinoa in ketogenic diet.
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