The keto diet has become one of the most popular weight loss diets in recent years. It comes with some strict rules you need to follow, which include consuming less than 50 grams of carbs a day. Needless to say, that’s not easy to do and many usual foods are off the table. Think: bread, pastries, some fruits, and certain legumes. Hearing that, you may wonder, Is hummus keto?
Before getting to that, you should know how the keto diet works. It’s a very low-carbohydrate diet, meant to shift the body from using its preferred source of fuel, glucose, to burning fat for energy. To do that, your body needs to use up its stored carbs first, which can take a few days. After that, the maximum amount of carbs you can eat to keep this process going varies by person, and can depend on body size, age, hormones (time of the month), and other factors.
Hummus is made from ground up chickpeas. And a ½ cup serving of chickpeas contains about seven grams protein, 22.5 grams carbohydrates (6 grams fiber), and 2 grams fat. “While most foods can fit into a ketogenic diet, chickpeas do contain a fair amount of carbohydrates, therefore making staying within the carbohydrate allowance more difficult,” says Melissa Majumdar, RD, CSOWN, LDN, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
So, where does that leave you with hummus? Here’s what experts think and how you can still enjoy this delicious snack while on keto.
How many carbs does hummus have?
This depends on the type of hummus you are eating and how it’s prepared. Hummus can contain added spices, oils, herbs and more, which can potentially contribute to extra carbs. But overall, the number of carbs in hummus is pretty uniform—a two-tablespoon serving of hummus packs about five grams carbohydrates.
“The amount of hummus someone can eat while trying to remain under the carbohydrate maximum for their day will depend on how many carbs their body typically requires, what they are eating the hummus with, and what other foods containing carbs were consumed in the day,” notes Majumdar. So you can eat hummus while on keto, just don’t go crazy and pick your sides carefully.
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