Are Raisins Keto Friendly?

Would you believe it if someone told you raisins and grapes are related? Sounds absurd.

We're yet to explore many weird and mind-boggling facts in this article. Raisins are part of our daily meals. They're used in cooking, baking, and brewing; therefore, many people want to know are Raisins keto?

People on keto must be ten times more cautious because you're kicked out of ketosis with one wrong step. Whether preparing a meal for yourself or someone on a keto diet, it's essential to know whether all ingredients are keto or not.

It's a piece of valuable information that helps in the long run. Now, without wasting time, let's get started with today's dose of keto info!

Stay tuned.

What Are Raisins?

Raisin comes from Old French, and means “Grape.” They're produced after drying different varieties of grapes in several parts of the world. The Middle East and Asian countries are famous for producing excellent grape qualities needed to make raisins.

Did you know India, Turkey, Iran, and the United States are the largest raisin producers in the world?

Due to the number of different dried grape types in these countries, there are several different terms. Raisins are dark-colored dried large grapes, Sultana are golden-colored dried grapes, while currents are dried small Black Corinth seedless grapes. 

Varieties

Raisins vary in color, size, and shape. Sultana is a popular variety known as Thompson seedless, second to Zante Currants or Black Corinthian Raisins. Dark Black Corinths are small and sometimes seedless, but they stand out due to their tangy tart flavor. If you want something sweeter, go for Muscats.

Other types of raisins are as follows:

• Aftabi Raisin
• Kashmiri
• Red Raisins

Drying Process for Raisins

In the day, grapes were sun-dried, but now they're artificially dried as the demand increased worldwide. Dehydrators allow for better temperature and humidity control to help produce Golden Raisins. Finally, the Golden Raisins are dried with sulfur dioxide.

On a commercial level, there are 3 steps involved in Raisin production.

• Pretreatment

Pretreatment ensures water removal to decrease raisins' browning rate to produce desirable results. It's a historical method developed in Mediterranean and Asian areas.

The technique involves the use a potassium carbonate and ethyl ester dry emulsion cold dip.

• Drying

You can dry grapes via the sun, shade, and mechanical drying. Although, using the sun is an oldest and cheapest method, there's a massive risk of environmental contamination and infections that produce low-quality raisins.  

Unlike slow sun drying, mechanical drying is safe and controlled with rapid drying. It also includes microwave heating and the rapid evaporation of water molecules in grapes to produce puffy raisins.

The drying process makes raisins dense in nutrients and calories; therefore, it's best advised to eat them cautiously.

• Post Drying

After drying, clean the raisins with water to eliminate any unnecessary debris, steam, and off-grade raisins. This step causes rehydration; raisins undergo another drying step to add lost moisture.

Sulfur dioxide is an essential component added to raisins to help retain the flavor, and eliminate vitamin loss during the drying process, and decrease the rate of browning.

Interesting Facts About Raisins

• Raisins had their origins in the Middle East before they traveled to Europe.
• Greeks and Romans were vast fans of raisins.
• People eat raisins, but they also serve the purpose of currency and awards in sports events.
• Golden raisins are used in baking.
• Red and brown raisins are mainly produced for snacking
• Raisins are minimally processed without additional preservatives or ingredients.
• People consume raisins as a snack.

Health Benefits of Raisins

• Raisins are recommended for food poisoning.
• Raisins help maintain bone and joint health due to a vital mineral, boron.
• It's beneficial in healing wounds and improving your cognitive performance.
• The fiber in raisins maintains your heart health by decreasing bad cholesterol and the risk of heart disease, blood pressure, and blood sugar.
• Its potassium content prevents high blood pressure, heart disease, and the risk of stroke.
• Helps to detoxify the body
• Works as an excellent blood purifier
• Helps against PCOS
• Regulates female menstruation process
• Eliminates menstrual issues
• Helps in conceiving
• Relieves constipation during pregnancy
• Anti-oxidants in raisins prevent cell damage caused by aging and natural reasons.
• It contains phytonutrients that reduce the risk of diabetes, osteoporosis, and cancer and provides pain relief.
• Helps with several stomach problems due to the high levels of soluble fiber.
• Improve intestinal functions and help regulate bacteria balance in the gut, due to the presence of tartaric acid.
• They might help to maintain oral health by limiting the plaque-forming bacteria in the mouth.
• They prevent our saliva from turning acidic and provide cavity protection.
• They have a low glycemic index, which makes them a great sweet snack for diabetic patients.

Disadvantages of Raisins

• A high intake of raisins can trigger weight gain.
• The fiber in raisins is helpful, but a concentrated amount might cause digestive issues like gas, bloating, and cramps.
• As raisins are produced from dried grapes, the latter might contain pesticides despite washing and drying. High levels of pesticides cause cancer; therefore, choose organic raisins containing fewer pesticide content.
• Some people are allergic to raisins causing nasal congestion, runny nose, breathing issues, rashes, eczema, coughing, wheezing, and increased histamine.
• Raisins are suitable for pregnant women, but excess could negatively impact the fetus's health.

Are Raisins Keto Friendly?

Despite its abundant benefits, raisins aren't keto friendly.

As per keto definition, a proper keto diet consists of low carbs and low proteins, and high fats. You must cut high-carb foods like sugar, sods, pastries, and white bread. It helps lose weight because when your body needs energy, it starts burning fat instead of carbs.

Nonetheless, raisins are entirely the opposite of a healthy keto diet. You should avoid dried food during keto because it is high in carbs, glucose, and fructose. Raisin consumption during keto would kick you out of ketosis.

The enormous amount of carbs and sugars in raisins aren't healthy for people on keto. In addition, raisins are comparatively low in fats, which makes them a typical non-keto food. Keto people must have 70% fat on keto, but raisins don't provide that significant amount. Therefore, it's best to avoid raisins on keto.

 Nutritional Profile: Raisins

A 100 g serving of raisins contains 299 calories. Here's a brief nutritional chart for your guidance:

Keto Friendly Raisins

1. Keto Raisin Bread

Keto raisin bread is made with natural yeast bread and only contains 4g net of carbs per slice. It's a portion of classic comfort food for people who love raisins but abstain because of keto. It's made from almond flour, coconut flour, flaxseed meal, and wheat gluten.

2. Keto Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

The keto oatmeal raisin cookies contain 6g of net carbs and 134 calories. It has rolled oats, almond flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, eggs, coconut oil, vanilla extract, raisins, sugar-free maple syrup, and shredded coconut. It takes 7-9 minutes to bake, and you can keep it in an airtight container for a week.

3. Low Carb Cinnamon Raisin Biscuits

Eat low-carb, keto-friendly biscuits for breakfast and fulfill raisin cravings without breaking your diet. It contains raisins, heavy cream, butter, vanilla extract, sugar-free syrup, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, baking powder, egg, and baking mix.

4. Keto Cuban Picadillo

Cuban Picadillo is a keto-friendly dish solely for your comfort. It's a tasty,  friendly, budget meal made with ground beef that makes you healthy.

5. No Churn Keto Rum and Raisin Ice-cream

It's insanely delicious ice cream with low cars and a silky smooth taste to satisfy you while on keto. You don't need an ice cream maker to make it. It's made with dark rum, sugar-free vanilla extract, and keto condensed milk made with allulose. It doesn't contain egg or dairy products.

6. Cottage Cheese Pie with Raisin

The cottage cheese pie with raisins is a delicious creamy custard texture cake made with low-carb and keto-friendly ingredients. Adding raisins to the cake adds a unique flavor to this healthy dessert. It's made with cottage choice, sugar, raisins, flour, egg, sour cream, and powdered sugar for dusting.

7. Low Carb Almond Flour Cinnamon Raisin Muffins

Craving muffins? Have these raisin muffins made with almond flour, all-purpose flour, Splenda sugar substitute, baking soda, ground cinnamon, salt, eggs, apple cider vinegar, and raisins?

Alternatives to Raisins

• Blackberries
• Raspberries
• Strawberries
• Avocado
• Salmon
• Ghee
• Fresh Figs
• Cantaloupe
• Watermelon
• Plums
• Olives
• Acai Berry
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Lemon

Wrapping Up

Whether raisins are keto friendly or not, they aren't ideal for daily consumption as it leads to weight gain and various digestive problems. You should eat raisins in moderation, but if you're on a keto diet, it's best to avoid them at all costs.

Raisin fans find it hard to avoid munching on this dried fruit. Instead, they could switch to fruits and snacks that are both keto-friendly and healthy without compromising on taste. 

Is Salsa Keto Friendly?

Is Guava Keto Friendly?

Is Iceberg Lettuce Keto Friendly?