Beans are typically regarded as nutritious food, and they are high in protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. For thousands of years, they’ve been utilized as a source of protein by various cultures. Moreover, beans can be found in a variety of cuisines all around the world. Although, if you’re following a strict keto diet, you must have noted it’s the low-carb beans that fit right into your diet.
Yes, low-carb beans can be effectively integrated into a keto diet. But how about we talk about other options that might be considered better and easier to add to your everyday lifestyle. I will be highlighting some substitutes for keto beans that can be included in a well-planned diet. You don’t need to worry about introducing them into your everyday cooking since I will be showing you how to use them in recipes.
Keto Bean Nutrition Facts
What is Keto Bean
First of all, let me answer this question, what is a keto diet? A keto diet is a low-carbohydrate diet to put your body into ketosis – when your body prioritizes fat as an energy source. This is accomplished by limiting your carb intake to 20 to 50 grams per day, depending on your weight. Your diet should consist primarily of fat calories, which is somewhat limiting compared to many other eating patterns.
Now, the main question is, what are keto beans? There might be a somewhat complex answer. Nonetheless, I refer to only two kinds of beans as keto beans: green beans and black soybeans. If you are on a keto diet, these are your best bet if you enjoy beans so much.
However, some people recommend avoiding black soybeans on a keto diet due to its potential impacts on hormone balance, even though no firm conclusions have been established regarding these possible effects.
Keto Bean Uses in Recipes
The keto bean is a pretty standard meal, and because they’re so tasty and protein-packed, you could find yourself asking for recipe suggestions if you’re trying to make them yourself.
Notably, one of the finest keto beans to enjoy is green beans. They’re low in net carbohydrates, with only about 4g per 100g. Moreover, if you eat meat, they’re a terrific side dish; if you’re a vegetarian, they’re a great snack or even a main course. There are so many recipe choices.
See a fine list of dishes and recipes option you can make from keto bean:
- Keto refried beans.
- Keto skillet green beans.
- Keto smothered green beans.
- Cheesy garlic green beans.
- Low carb fried beans.
- Keto green beans with parmesan.
- Keto buttery herbed green beans.
- Green bean casserole.
- Parmesan garlic green beans.
- Low carb baked beans with beans.
- Bean salad.
- Flat bean and cherry tomato mash-up.
- Keto chili.
- Keto green beans casserole with cheese.
- Bacon-wrapped green beans bundle.
Keto Bean Substitutes
Even though you may have all the knowledge you need about beans and their relevance to the keto diet in this piece, it is still essential to show you how you can integrate other low-carb, similarly textured foods into your daily meals and meal recipes.
Moreover, can you eat beans daily when you’re on a low-carb diet, even if they’re pretty good for you in general? I seriously doubt that since they will consume a significant percentage of your daily carb intake. Therefore, beans can be challenging to incorporate into a low-carb, high-fat keto diet. Alternatively, if you don’t like beans in general, you may be seeking substitutes. Here are a few excellent choices.
Mushrooms
With their creamy texture, Mushrooms are very nutritious foods that you can enjoy and eat on a keto diet. They are categorized with low carbohydrate, calorie, and fat value. You can fix mushrooms into your salad recipes or a great cream of mushroom soup and sauteed veggies with mushrooms.
However, green beans and mushrooms have similar calorie counts: 31 calories per 100 grams for green beans and 22 calories for mushrooms. In macronutrient ratios, mushrooms are substantially higher in protein, lower in carbs, and higher in fat per calorie than green beans. Cooked mushrooms can be used in soups, stews, and chili in place of beans to cut carb levels substantially.
Eggplants
Diced eggplant, like mushrooms, can be substituted for beans in some recipes. You can also use eggplant to make baba ganoush, a keto-friendly dip that may be used instead of chickpea-based hummus.
Eggplants and green beans have similar calorie counts: per 100, 25 calories grams, and 31 calories, respectively. In terms of macronutrient ratios, eggplant has a lower protein, carbohydrate, and fat content, similar to green beans. For protein, carbs, and fat from calories, eggplants have a macronutrient ratio of 14:82:4 while green beans have a macronutrient ratio of 20:76:5.
Boiled Peanuts
Boiled peanuts are just raw peanuts that have been cooked for hours in salty water. These salted soft peanuts are incredibly irresistible and go great with a cold drink.
Notably, peanuts have a very similar texture to that of cooked beans when they are boiled. Peanuts are technically a legume in the bean family, not a nut; thus, they’re substantial in protein and fiber. In terms of protein, carbohydrates, and fat, peanuts are lower in protein, carbs and higher in fat than green beans. Green beans have a macronutrient ratio of 20:76:5 for protein, carbs, and fat from calories, whereas peanuts have a macronutrient ratio of 16:14:71.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Which beans have a high protein content while being low in carbs?
Chickpeas, lentils, peas, kidney beans, black beans, soybeans, pinto beans, and navy beans are known to be high in protein and considerably low in carbs.
Can you eat beans on a keto diet?
This is not a straightforward answer. Technically, yes, but you need to be sure of the most keto-friendly beans to incorporate into your keto diet.
Are carrots keto-friendly?
Carrots can be eaten on keto, but because they contain a lot of carbs, it may be challenging to include them regularly or in significant quantities.
Conclusion
Most beans are too high in carbs to be keto. However, small amounts of beans can be added to your diet occasionally with proper preparation. Notably, green beans and black soybeans are super keto-friendly beans.
Fortunately, there are some keto bean substitutes that you can utilize in your keto diet. If you stick to the keto bean substitutes listed in this article, you should have no trouble incorporating them into your diet.