Now, when looking for keto friendly foods, you might come across Chorizo– a luscious meat-based treat that most people love. However, people are simply consuming Chorizo for its taste without knowing what it actually is and what makes it so tasty.
Due to the out of the ordinary taste of Chorizo, you’ll simply want to incorporate it into your ketogenic diet. But, before you go ahead, you need the answer to is chorizo keto friendly or not!
Without any further ado, let’s dive into this to help you make an informed decision regarding Chorizo!
An Insight Into Chorizo:
Chorizo is basically pork sausage. Its roots are from the Portuguese, Latin and Spanish parts of the world, with a key distinction between the regions. Ideally, it’s available in 3 forms including:
- Fermented
- Cured
- Smoked
Talking about the distinction in different regions of Chorizo, there are 2 main types. Latin, and Spanish. The prior has a crumbling texture and is available in raw form which requires cooking. Latin chorizo is also commonly known as mexican chorizo.
Whereas the latter, Spanish Chorizo, is available in a cured and dry form. Generally speaking, Chorizo can simply be consumed without cooking or added as a secondary ingredient to other meals to add flavor to them depending on where you source it from.
Now talking about the general characteristics of Chorizo, it has a vivid red color and is absolutely luscious. The reason behind its out of the ordinary flavor is the spices that are added to it:
- Salt
- Pepper
- Garlic
- Paprika
- Oregano
- Cumin
- Ground chili peppers (dry)
Despite the addition of multiple spices to Chorizo, it’s not actually a hot or spicy food. Now that you have an idea of what Chorizo actually is, let’s move towards a more pressing concern that is, whether or not Chorizo is keto friendly.
Is Chorizo Keto Friendly?
Yes, Chorizo is Keto friendly. If you’re on the hunt for keto friendly foods, Chorizo can be an absolute winner amongst other foods of similar nature and here is why.
Chorizo has an extremely low amount of carbs which makes it suitable for ketogenic diets. In numbers, it only has about 0.5 grams of total carbs per oz. Now considering the dietary requirements under a ketogenic diet, it recommends up to 20 – 50 grams of total carbs a day to stay in ketosis.
Based on this, Chorizo is perfectly fine to add to your ketogenic diets. In fact, you can eat more than one keto Chorizo sausage without having to worry about drifting away from ketosis.
However, you should know that before adding multiple keto Chorizo sausages to your meals, you should consider the carbs you’re getting from other meals in your diet. Make sure the total number of carbs you’re consuming per day is within the allowed limit of 20 – 50 grams.
Other than that, there’s nothing that can go wrong with incorporating Chorizo in your ketogenic diets.
On a side note, when purchasing Chorizo, make sure to go through the nutrition facts mentioned on the packaging. It should not have added sugars or other added preservatives.
Nutritional Facts Of Chorizo:
Chorizo is keto friendly due to the small number of carbs in them. But does this mean you should consume Chorizo in large quantities or every day? Absolutely not. Here’s a detailed insight into the nutritional profile of Chorizo.
According to USDA, a 1 oz (28.35 grams) portion of Chorizo contains the following nutrients:
| Nutrient Name | Amount |
| Total Carbs | 0.5 g |
| Water | 15.5 g |
| Calories | 129 kCal |
| Protein | 3.86 g |
| Total Fats | 7.12 g |
| Total dietary fibers | 0 g |
| Sugars | 0 g |
| Calcium | 5.39 mg |
| Iron | 0.4 mg |
| Magnesium | 5.67 |
| Phosphorus | 42.2 mg |
| Potassium | 87.3 mg |
| Sodium | 223 mg |
| Copper | 0.024 mg |
| Selenium | 5.27 µg |
| Vitamin C | 0 mg |
| Vitamin B-6 | 0.089 mg |
| Vitamin B-12 | 0.567 µg |
| Vitamin E | 0.062 mg |
| Vitamin D (D2 & D3) | 17.3 IU |
| Thiamin | 0.059 mg |
Source: USDA
Considering Chorizo as a snack, it’s an excellent option for the keto diet. However, there are certain nutrients of concern in Chorizo.
For instance, the sodium content in chorizo is 223 mg per ounce. However, if you consume a full Chorizo meal, the sodium content may exceed to a whopping 1235 mg, which equates to 51.5% of the daily value.
It’s a way too high figure considering the overall daily consumption only from a single meal of Chorizo. So, when consuming Chorizo, you need to make sure you’re not affecting ketosis in your body.
How To Consume Chorizo Properly?
The reason why you may be inclined towards adding Chorizo to your keto diet is the fact that it’s versatile. Chorizo can be consumed in a number of ways, whether it’s breakfast tacos or lunch snacks.
Either way you consume chorizo, you’ll absolutely love the luscious and out of the ordinary flavor of Chorizo. But, if you’re not sure about how you should eat Chorizo, here are some options for you to choose from.
- As a filling in tacos – The most common way to enjoy mexican Chorizo is in taco fillings. Grab a crumbled chorizo, prepare and cook it. Add some scrambled eggs to the mix, and simply add them to your tortilla with your favorite seasoning or sauces.
- Enjoy it as a snack – Grab a Chorizo, chop it into small pieces using a knife and enjoy a Chorizo snack right from your plate! Spanish chorizo works great as a snack
- As a luscious topping – The best thing about Chorizo is the fact that it can be added to almost anything to add flavor to your meals. You can simply add it to your soups or any other food of choice and enjoy the luscious taste of Chorizo on your favorite meals. it works exceptionally well with cauliflower rice.
Keto Friendly Chorizo Recipes
Aside from just consuming keto chorizo as a snack, the ingredient also fits well into different recipes. Here are a few tasty recipes that you should definitely try!
Keto Chorizo Cheese Omelet
Ingredients:
- Eggs x 2
- Chorizo (Finely Chopped) x 250g
- Cilantro (Chopped) x 1/4 cup
- Heavy Cream x 2 tbsp
- Cheddar Cheese (Shredded) x 1/4 cup
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions:
- Beat the eggs together with heavy cream, salt, and pepper.
- Chop up the cilantro and add into the egg mixture
- Brush up the pan with olive oil and add in the Chorizo to cook for a bit
- Then add in the omelet and let it cook together with the Chorizo
- Once the egg settles a bit, add in the cheddar cheese.
- Flip over the omelet once the bottom has settled and cook the eggs properly
- Cook for a few minutes and take the eggs out.
- You can enjoy them as is or toast some bread to enjoy alongside
Are There Any Health Benefits of Eating Chorizo?
When considering Chorizo as a meal, many people only research on whether or not it’s keto. People often overlook the health benefits of eating Chorizo. Yes, you read that correctly.
In fact, Chorizo has certain health benefits and can be an excellent addition to your diet apart from being safe for ketosis.
Generally speaking, the primary ingredient in Chorizo is ground pork. It essentially has the same nutritional benefits as in meat. Here’s an insight into the benefits you can receive from consuming Chorizo as part of a balanced diet.
A Source Of Vitamin B:
Chorizo has a good amount of vitamin B, including Vitamin B-6, B1 (Thiamin) and B-12 amongst other B vitamins. Vitamin B is extremely beneficial for your health in terms of energy production in your body.
Rich In Proteins:
Chorizo is rich in proteins. A 1 oz serving of Chorizo contains 3.86 grams of protein. Now, equating it to a proper meal size, the total proteins per serving increases to over 100 grams, which is more than enough to support your bodily functions.
Rich In Selenium:
The selenium content in Chorizo aids in supporting the immune system of your body. Collectively with proteins and vitamin C, selenium is an excellent means of increasing the efficiency of your body’s immunity against a wide range of diseases.
An Excellent Source Of Probiotic Bacteria:
This might come as a shock, but Chorizo also contains probiotics in them. Lactobacillus bacteria in Chorizo serves the purpose of probiotics and helps in improving your gastrointestinal health.
Aside from the health benefits, another main drawing point for a keto dieter is the quick to prepare nature of chorizo sausage. It'll make your meal prep a lot easier.
Are There Any Risks And Drawbacks Of Chorizo?
Just like everything else, Chorizo too has certain risks and drawbacks that you need to consider. However, they’re mainly concerned with the ingredients involved and how it’s preserved.
Here’s an insight into some of the most common risks and drawbacks of Chorizo.
Chorizo Has Extremely High Concentration Of Salt:
Chorizo contains a high amount of salt or is also referred to as sodium. The sodium content in a full serving of Chorizo is over 51.5% of the daily recommended value.
Added with your other meals through the day, you might end up exceeding the daily recommended value of sodium.
It May Contain Nitrites and Nitrates:
Nitrites and nitrates are essentially food preservatives. These are added to Chorizo by manufacturers to improve their shelf-life if they have to be stored for longer periods of time.
Due to the addition of nitrites and nitrates as preservatives, foods like Chorizo are protected against the growth of harmful bacteria.
To sum up, when purchasing Chorizo from your local stores, make sure to go through the product packaging. You should only purchase ones that don’t have these harmful compounds and/or other preservatives that are used to improve the shelf life of Chorizo.
Please click on one of the links below to learn about more keto friendly foods:
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