Are Bananas Keto? This informative guide will help you to enjoy your favorite fruits while sticking to a keto diet!
Are Bananas Keto?
No, Bananas are not keto. There are too many natural sugars in bananas to make them reasonable for a ketogenic diet. As bananas ripen, the sugars in them increase, so an overripe banana is going to contain even more sugar than a less ripe banana. While the carbs in bananas are natural, the amount is still too high to be considered a keto fruit.
If you are new to a keto diet, or you’re trying to figure out which foods are and are not considered to be keto friendly, this guide is for you. It can be difficult to always know which items in your regular rotation are best, or which are naturally low carb. If you regularly eat bananas, unfortunately you cannot continue to do so and maintain a low carb diet.
Carbs in Bananas
In a medium sized banana there are about 27 grams of carbs and 3 grams of fiber, meaning there are about 24 total net carbs. Since you want to stay under 50 grams of carbs a day on a keto diet, that means that there are too many carbs in a banana to be safely enjoyed while maintaining a low carb lifestyle.
Keto Banana Substitutions
There are a few different options on how to still enjoy the flavor of bananas while on a keto diet, or ways that you can substitute different ingredients to reach the same results to what you could expect from bananas in recipes. Banana Extract can provide you with the flavor of bananas while omitting the carbs, making it a great choice.
If you are used to putting bananas in your smoothies as a way to add thickness, there are few different keto options to achieve similar results. Chia Seeds have a generous serving of protein and fiber, meaning they are a very healthy choice as well as keto friendly. Avocados are also a fantastic ingredients to add to your smoothies- they are high in healthy fats and fiber, while being low in carbs.
Greek yogurt is another great option- there is a huge amount of protein and minimal carbs. You can find Greek yogurt in a variety of flavors- be sure to carefully read the label to ensure that you don’t get a type that contains a large amount of sugar. You can also get a yogurt that contains full milk fat- a keto diet works because you are taking in large portions of fat, so this type of yogurt can be especially beneficial.
