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Is Hummus Keto?

Carbs are one of the primary nutrients found in chickpeas. Almost 67% of calories available in a cup of chickpeas come from carbs, while the remaining comes from protein and fat. Hummus is a popular dish liked by food enthusiasts worldwide. Primarily prepared from chickpeas, it is also one of the super dishes enjoyed by fitness enthusiasts as a healthy snack option.  

Thus the question to ask here is, can you have hummus on a keto diet? The article will attempt to clarify and answer the question.

What is the Keto Diet?

A keto diet is a diet wherein you get most of your calories from protein and fat rather than carbs. Ketosis is the principle on which the diet works. When you cut back on carbs and restrict your daily limit to around 50g, your body will quickly run out of fuel. 

The body requires energy to function, and in the absence of carbs, it will start breaking down protein and fats for energy. This process is known as ketosis, and it could help people lose weight and manage other conditions like heart diseases and diabetes. If you suffer from an ailment, it would be best to talk to your doctor before trying out a new diet.

What Is Hummus Made Of?

Hummus is primarily made of chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and water. You can add variations in the form of spices to customize the taste according to your liking. The dish can be eaten with falafels, pita bread or chips, vegetables, or used as spreads in sandwiches. 

When eaten in moderation, hummus is a healthy dish to eat even when on a diet. It is a good source of plant-based protein and provides a good mix of vitamins and minerals. 

The dish on its own, though, is rich in carbs as the base is mainly the chickpea blend. Any other accompaniment that you have with hummus overall makes the snack a bit carb-heavy according to keto standards.       

Can You Have Hummus on a Keto Diet?

A single tablespoon of plain hummus (approximately 15g), here is the nutritional breakdown:

  • Calories: 37
  • Protein: 1.23g
  • Carbs: 2.98g
  • Fat: 2.5g

If you have three to four tablespoons of hummus, you can easily consume 10 to 12g of carbs in one serving, just having hummus by itself. On the other hand, if you have bread or even vegetables like carrots, you could end up filling almost half of your carb intake for the day with a single snack.

If you enjoy eating hummus, prepared the traditional way using chickpeas, it is recommended you use it as a dip. Limit the number of tablespoons you consume in a day. Start planning your other meals better, so you can compensate for the carbs you consume. 

To answer the question, if hummus is keto, it would be a no. Hummus is a healthy snack option filled with vitamins and minerals. But, if you are on a keto diet, where your focus is to limit the number of carbs, you will have to give the dish a miss or strictly restrict the serving size. 

Keto-Friendly Hummus Recipes

With the rising popularity of keto, there has been much emphasis on tasty and sustainable recipes. People want to enjoy good food on a specialized diet, and keto-friendly recipes help you do exactly that.

Cauliflower is one of the versatile vegetables that is used as a primary ingredient in many keto recipes. For example, the low-carb vegetable has been used to make pizza bases, used in casseroles, or marinated and roasted as healthy snack options. 

You can also use cauliflower to prepare the hummus base instead of chickpeas. There are several recipes that you can find online suited for your taste buds. You can add different oil, herbs, and spices to customize the dish to your liking.  

Baba ganoush prepared from eggplant is a hummus alternative that you can give a try. Its carb content is comparatively lower than chickpeas. Black soybean is another alternative you can try to include different varieties of dips and spread in your diet.  

Hummus and vegetables are some of the most loved snack options by people. It is filled with healthy nutrients and can work wonders for your digestion and immune system. But as the main ingredient of the dish is chickpeas, carb becomes the majority nutrient. Thus, having a good serving of hummus daily can send your keto diet on a toss.

If you want to have hummus, you can occasionally have 1 to 2 tablespoons as a dip, or you could experiment with keto-friendly alternative recipes to keep your diet interesting. 

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