Whether you’re trying to increase your nutrition consumption, create a more balanced diet for yourself, lose weight, or become more active, you’ll likely be focused on eating more vegetables.
Beets are one of the most nutrient-packed vegetables out there, and with the ability to prepare and consume them in a number of ways, they’re a great addition to pick up on your weekly grocery shop!
However, if you’re on a keto diet, should you be consuming beets to keep your nutrient levels high, or should you be avoiding them because they’re too high in carbohydrates?
Well, if you’re trying to figure out the answer to that question, or you want to know more about both beets and the keto diet, stick around!
In this article, we're going to be taking a deep dive into the relationship between beets and other vegetables and the keto diet, ultimately answering the question, “are beetroots keto diet-friendly or do they have too many carbs?”.
What Is A Keto Diet?
Before we even talk about the nutrients that are found within beets, it’s important to first have a clear understanding of what a keto diet is.
The keto (ketogenic) diet was coined by Dr. Russell Morse Wilder, at the Mayo Clinic, in 1923.
Although the diet was originally created for those dealing with epilepsy, it’s now a popular diet for those who are looking to lose weight and improve their overall level of health and wellbeing in a relatively short amount of time.
The keto diet, which should generally be used in cycles and for a maximum of 3-6 months per cycle, is a type of low-carb, high-fat diet.
By cutting down on carbs, the diet is supposed to put your body into a state of ketosis – this is when the body burns fat within the liver (known as ketone bodies) instead of carbohydrates for energy.
Therefore, helping you to lose weight and providing a range of other health benefits.
The keto diet is one of the strictest out there, but it promises results fairly fast, which is likely why the diet has become so popular! In fact, most research has shown that on a keto diet you can achieve a state of ketosis within 3 days.
Before we go on and take a look at the foods that you are and are not allowed to consume on a keto diet, it’s important to note that the keto diet does have its side effects, like any other diet that cut main foods groups out and stop you from having a balanced diet.
In fact, I’ve recently written an article on keto flu and how to beat it. So, you may want to take a look at that first, before taking the plunge and going keto!
Anyway, back to it!
If you are going to start a keto diet, these are the foods that you are allowed and not allowed to consume, in order to reach a state of ketosis…
Foods Allowed On A Keto Diet Include:
- Fish and seafood
- Meat
- Cheese
- Eggs
- Avocado
- Nuts, seeds and healthy oils
- Berries
- Unsweetened coffee and tea
- Dark chocolate
- Low carb vegetables
Foods Not Allowed On A Keto Diet Include:
- Grains
- Sugar (in any form)
- High carb vegetables
- High sugar fruits
- Juices
- Honey or syrup
- Chips and crackers
- Processed or fatty foods
- Baked goods
So, this leads to the question, can you eat beets on a keto diet?
Beets are notorious for being one of the most nutritious, beneficial, and easy to consume vegetables out there.
So, can you improve your nutrition levels on a keto diet with beets?
Nutrition Facts About Beets
According to FoodDataCentral, a 100-gram serving of boiled beetroot provides:
- Protein – 1.7g
- Fat – 0.2g
- Carbs – 10g
- Fiber – 2g
- Folate – 20% of the DV
- Manganese – 14% of the DV
- Copper – 8% of the DV
- Potassium – 7% of the DV
- Magnesium – 6% of the DV
- Vitamin C – 4% of the DV
- Vitamin B6 – 4% of the DV
- Iron – 4% of the DV
So, although beets are clearly good at providing a wide range of essential micronutrients, are they too carb-heavy for a keto diet?
So, Are Beets Keto Diet Friendly?
In short, no, because beets contain too many carbs to be suitable for a keto diet.
However, when consumed in small amounts, or in a powder (again, in small amounts), they may be suitable and will not knock your body out of a state of ketosis.
Generally, if you are just starting a keto diet, you should avoid beets. If you consume beets as part of your diet when trying to reach a state of ketosis, you may not.
Unless you are very confident in working out what you’re consuming on a keto diet, don’t consume beets.
However, if you are already on a keto diet, have reached a state of ketosis, and want to add a very small amount of beets or beet powder into your diet, it shouldn’t affect ketosis.
Although certain people on keto diets restrict their carbohydrate intake to 20 grams a day, most people on keto diets consume up to 50 grams of carbohydrates per day.
Therefore, as long as you are careful about the other carbohydrates you’re consuming, you could consume half or a whole beet per day.
Does It Make A Difference How You Prepare Beets?
Apart from the amount of beets you consume, one of the most important things to know when it comes to ensuring beets are consumed in a keto-friendly way is that the way you prepare beets can determine whether it’s suitable for a keto diet or not.
You shouldn’t consume pickled beets or beetroot juice, as these are both high in calories and carbohydrates, meaning they will knock your body out of a state of ketosis.
However, you can consume a very small amount of raw or cooked beets, as well as beetroot powder – this shouldn’t provide you with high levels of carbohydrates.
5 Keto Diet Friendly Beet Alternatives
If you are new to the keto diet or you’re not willing to risk consuming too many carbohydrates by eating beets, here are some of the best keto-friendly beet alternatives that you can use!
Radishes
Radishes are one of the best beet alternatives you can consume on a keto diet, especially since they contain dietary fiber too! Radishes are low in calories (around 16 calories per radish), low in carbs (2g per radish), and they contain dietary fiber (around 1 gram per radish).
Red Cabbage
Red cabbage is also a great alternative to beets, especially since it contains high levels of both vitamin A and C, both of which are essential micronutrients and provide a wide range of health benefits.
100g of red cabbage contains just 31 calories, three grams of carbs, and two grams of dietary fiber.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes are extremely low in calories, with only 22 calories per average size tomato, they contain dietary around 1g of dietary fiber per tomato, and they have around 2g carbs per tomato.
Tomatoes also contain high levels of vitamin C, beta carotene, folic acid, and potassium.
Therefore, tomatoes are a great alternative to beets!
Celery
Celery is a wonderful alternative to beets, especially since it’s one of the best low-calorie vegetables out there. One stalk of medium-sized celery contains around 10 calories and contains 1.2g of carbs.
Celery is also a great source of vitamin A, C, K, potassium, and folate.
Beet Powders
If you really want to incorporate beets into your diet, one of the ways that you can do this is through the consumption of beetroot powder.
Unlike fresh or cooked beets, beet powder contains fewer calories and fewer carbohydrates, whilst still retaining a lot of the nutrients found within fresh beets.
Therefore, if you’re looking to consume beets, this could be a great choice for you!
Take a look at these beetroot powders I have reviewed.:
The Conclusion:You Can Consume Very Small Amounts of Beets
The bottom line is that if you are uninformed about the keto diet and you’re just starting out, or you struggle to keep track of how many carbs you’re consuming, consuming beets is not a good idea.
Instead, you may want to stick to consuming beet alternative vegetables that are definitely keto-friendly.
However, if you’re good at tracking your nutrient intake and you really want to add beets to your keto diet, you can in very, very small amounts.
Just make sure you’re not consuming more than one cup of beetroot per day, since this would provide you with a very large dose of carbohydrates and may stop ketosis.