Ketogenic Diets are a modern way to either manage weight loss or optimize your body for athletic endeavors.
After recent surges in popularity, lots of people around the world are trying this unique diet out to help them with a variety of different health issues or goals.
There’s a big chance you’ve heard of keto and how restrictive it is as a diet, so you’re likely to have a lot of questions about what you can and can’t eat.
Some of the staples are obvious – there are big limitations on carbohydrates! But what about other, smaller additions to meals?
What about herbs and spices? Are these going to massively affect your diet?
Ginger is one of those gray-area foods because it has a lot of obvious health benefits but does contain some amount of carbs.
So if you’re wondering about whether or not Ginger is Keto, you’ve come to the right place!
In this article, we’ll be taking you through everything you’ll need to know about Ginger and keto diets!
We’ve included some additional information about how this food will interact with your body so that you can make the decision for yourself.
What Is A Ketogenic Diet?
We’re going to start with this, in case you’re not familiar with what keto means.
In short, a ketogenic diet is a diet that revolves around limiting the number of carbs in your diet and swapping these out for fat.
There is a lot of research to show that ketogenic diets are incredible for fast weight loss, and doctors sometimes recommend them for people with serious weight issues.
It may seem counter-intuitive to swap out carbs for fat – after all, fat is the enemy, right?
Well, the truth about this is that it’s only certain kinds of fat that are bad for you.
If you limit the number of carbs you’re eating, over time your body will become an expert at burning fat as its primary energy source.
This will cause your body to turn fat into something we call ‘ketones’ which are well known to give you energy.
It is because of this that many athletes have chosen to switch to a keto diet to help their overall performance in whatever sport they are competing in.
So then, the central idea around ketogenic diets means massively limiting carbohydrates.
Simple carbs such as pasta, bread, and brown rice are all out, but that’s not as far as it extends – there are also massive amounts of carbs in other food sources such as fruit and other food items you wouldn’t even think of.
Because of this, a ketogenic diet can be hard to keep up with, and many people who are new to the diet struggle with completely minimizing the carbs from their diet.
Is Ginger Keto?
If you’re a lover of ginger then what you should know is that it is considered suitable for a ketogenic diet.
Ginger is good for a ketogenic diet because it is very low in carbs. In a 10g serving of Ginger (which is likely more than you’d use in any dish), it will only have around 1.50g of carbohydrates.
Another very important aspect of a ketogenic diet is limiting processed food and artificial sugar.
If you’re looking to adopt this as a way to lose weight, then it’s especially important to limit your interactions with foods like these.
Thankfully, ginger is rarely modified by toxic ingredients and tends to just contain ginger and nothing else.
This means that it ticks both of the boxes you’re looking for as a low-carb, natural food.
Ginger Breakdown
We’re going to give you some additional information about ginger and some of the other things that it contains.
Generally, 1 gram of raw ginger is going to include 0.15g of carbs, 0.03g of fiber, 0.01 grams of fat, and 0.02g of protein – and it will ultimately come to around 0.8 calories in total.
You’ll notice that it is low in fat, and this can cause some concern. Whilst ginger is low in fat, it’s never going to be a food source that will act as a staple of your diet.
You will get your fat from other sources such as meat, oil, or certain other foods like avocado.
Ginger as a part of a ketogenic diet is a spice for you to make things taste better!
Final Thoughts
So there you have it! In conclusion, ginger is a great keto-friendly spice for you to add to a variety of different dishes.
If you’re cooking any kind of east Asian dish, then don’t feel worried to throw some ginger in as per the recipe!
Ginger also has a variety of other health benefits including help with nausea, weight loss, joint pain, indigestion, and more!
We hope that this article has told you everything you needed to know about this issue and that you’re now happy to add ginger to your diet.
Ketogenic diets are a fantastic way to lose weight or just to get healthier in general, and with a little bit of care and work, you’ll find it easy to adapt to your life!
If you still have some questions, keep reading our short FAQ below.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Foods Are Not Keto?
Some of the worst foods for the upkeep of a ketogenic diet include juices, sweetened yogurt, chips, syrup or any kind of sugar, baked goods, grains, and vegetables that are high in starch.
A good rule to follow is to check if the food in question contains either high carbs, sugar, or both.
Why Is Sugar Bad For Keto?
You should limit sugar in a keto diet because any sugar will cause your blood sugar levels to rise.
This means that your body can more easily slip out of ketosis, which will halt weight loss or any other kind of benefits that you’re trying to gain.
Other articles to read:
What Makes Keto Diet Perfect For Weight Loss?