The Role of Carbohydrates in a Keto Diet

Carbohydrates are compounds in foods that, once fully digested and absorbed by the body, are broken down into sugars and used for energy or stored as fat. On the keto diet, carbohydrates make up only 5 percent of your total calories.

Keeping Carb Consumption Low

A common misconception is that keto diets are carbohydrate free, when in fact certain carbohydrate foods are essential for health. However, in order for your body to begin producing ketones, carbohydrate foods must be limited. If you eat too many carbohydrates at one meal or throughout the day, it can have an antiketo effect.

Your carbohydrate intake on the diet will consist of foods that provide the most nutritional value with the fewest grams of net carbohydrate.

Net Carbohydrate Foods with minimal starch or natural sugars and high fiber content are considered low in net carbohydrate. On the keto diet, your net carbohydrate should be limited to 20 to 60g per day.

COLORFUL CARBS Foods with the lowest net carbohydrate content include leafy green vegetables, nuts and seeds, and berries.

CALCULATING NET CARBOHYDRATE You can find out the net carbohydrate of a food with this formula:

Net carbohydrate = grams total carbohydrate – grams fiber

Let’s use a nutrition label for baby spinach to try it out.

1

2 3

NUTRITION FACTS

Serving Size 1 cup (57g) Servings Per Container 8

Amount Per Serving Calories 15 Calories from Fat 0

Total Fat 0g

Saturated Fat 0g

Trans Fat 0g Cholesterol 0mg Sodium 45mg Total Carbohydrate 2g

Dietary Fiber 1g

Sugars 0g Protein 1g

% Daily Value 0% 0%

0% 0% 0% 0%

1Take a look at the serving size—1 cup, in this example. All of the numbers on the label will be for 1 cup of baby spinach.

2Look for total carbohydrate. This food has 2g total carbohydrate in a 1-cup serving. 3 Find fiber, which is often listed as dietary fiber, soluble fiber, or insoluble fiber. A 1-cup serving of baby spinach has 1g fiber.

4Subtract grams total fiber from grams total carbohydrate. In this case, 2g total carbohydrate minus 1g fiber leaves 1g net carbohydrate.

Carbs to Eat

When choosing carbohydrates to eat, you’re looking for ones packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that are low in net carbohydrate and high in fiber.

• Nonstarchy vegetables, such as green leafy vegetables, zucchini, and eggplant • Nuts, such as walnuts, almonds, pecans, pistachios, and nut flours • Seeds, such as sunflower, hemp, sesame, and pumpkin seeds • Small portions of highfiber fruit, such as berries

Carbs to Avoid

Certain foods have a net carbohydrate that will likely exceed your needs in one serving.

• Grains, such as wheat, rye, barley, rice, quinoa, oats, cereals, bread, and pasta • Starchy vegetables, such as potatoes, corn, peas, and winter squash • Large quantities of fruit • Fruit juices • Sugar and honey