Are Lentils Keto or Should They Be Avoided?
Lentils are tiny bean-looking legumes that are common in many dishes, especially soups. Lentils provide fiber, folate, and potassium and thus are often seen as a health food. But, are lentils keto friendly? Can you enjoy this legume on a low carb diet?
Lentil Nutrition Information
100g of cooked lentils contains 114 calories, 9.02g of protein, 0.38g of fat, 19.5 of carbohydrates, and 7.8g of fiber. Additionally, this serving size also contains 369 mg of potassium, 181 µg folate, and 180mg of phosphorus. [1]
100g of uncooked, raw lentils contains 352 calories, 24.6g protein, 1.06g fat, 63.4g carbohydrates, and 10.7g of fiber. [2]
Are Lentils Keto?
Since one serving of cooked lentils contains 11.7g of net carbohydrates, they aren’t typically considered acceptable for consumption on a keto diet. That being said, that doesn’t mean you have to completely eliminate lentils from your diet altogether.
As with eating grains on keto, since lentils are higher carb, it is safer to just stay away from them altogether, but if you would like to incorporate them into your keto diet, it can be done so in moderation. As long as you don’t have a sensitivity to legumes, lentils could be added to your favorite keto soup (this sausage and bacon soup is the perfect candidate) in small quantities.
For example, if a soup recipe calls 1 cup of lentils, instead add ¼ cup of lentils and swap out the remaining portion for edamame, hemp hearts, cauliflower or shirataki rice, or lupini beans.
As previously stated, however, it is a good rule of thumb just to avoid lentils altogether on a ketogenic diet, especially when consuming foods that you did not prepare yourself. Lentil soups at restaurants likely contain more carbohydrates than if you were to prepare it at home.
Do You Eat Lentils On Keto?
Comment below and share your thoughts about eating lentils on a low-carb diet.
References
USDA FoodData Central. Lentils, mature seeds, cooked, boiled. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/175254/nutrients
USDA FoodData Central. Lentils, Raw. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/172420/nutrients
