If you're following a ketogenic (keto) diet, you might be curious about the carb content of various fruits, including pomegranate. Packed with antioxidants and bursting with flavor, pomegranate is a popular fruit known for its health benefits.
In this article, we'll answer the question is pomegranate keto friendly? You’d be happy to know that Yes, pomegranate is keto-friendly. While it contains natural sugars, its net carb count is relatively low, making it suitable for a ketogenic diet when consumed in moderation.
Understanding how this vibrant fruit fits into your keto lifestyle will help you make informed choices and continue enjoying a delicious and nutritious diet. Let's delve into the world of pomegranates and their compatibility with the keto way of eating.
What is a Pomegranate?
A pomegranate is a round, red fruit with an inner white flesh that is densely packed with crunchy, juicy, and edible seeds – arilis.
While pomegranates are best known for their vibrant color, the fruit is packed with nutritional and health benefits. The small pink seeds inside the pomegranate are the edible part of the fruit with a rich nutritional profile and flavor, both.
Overall, the fruit is low in calories and fat but has high fiber, vitamins, and minerals content. Below is the nutritional value of 100 grams of pomegranate fruit:
- Calories: 60
- Protein: 1.67 g
- Fat: 1.17 g
- Carbohydrates: 18.7 g
- Sugar: 13.7 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Calcium: 10 mg
- Iron: 0.3 mg
- Magnesium: 12 mg
- Phosphorous: 36 mg
- Potassium: 236 mg
- Vitamin C: 10.2 mg
Nutritional information for pomegranate varies for pomegranate juice and does not provide much fiber or vitamin C. This generally applies to all fruits, eating the whole form of the fruit will provide more fiber.
Pomegranates are also rich in antioxidants and polyphenolic compounds that help protect the cells of the body from damage caused by free radicals. Getting antioxidants from fruits such as pomegranates is a great way to support overall health.
Similarly, while more research is needed on how pomegranate helps reduce inflammation, studies have found that having pomegranate juice can reduce markers of inflammation in the body. Other studies have also found that pomegranate helps slow the growth of tumors in the early stages of liver cancer.
Is Pomegranate Keto Friendly?
The keto diet aims to force your body into ketosis, a process in which the body doesn’t have enough carbohydrates to burn for energy. Instead, burns fat to make ketones that can be used for fuel.
While burning fat for energy may seem like an ideal way to lose weight, getting the liver to make ketones is the tricky part. The diet requires you to restrict yourself to fewer than 20 to 50 grams of carbs per day. Lots of fruits are very high in carbohydrates. A medium-sized banana contains 27 grams of carbs. Interestingly, pomegranate seeds contain only 4g of carbs.
Which means that unlike other fruits, pomegranates are keto-friendly. But there are some ground rules. You can only enjoy a small amount of pomegranate to stay in your keto macros. What’s more, if you want to keep the carb count low, you should not have an entire fruit at once.
How many calories are in a pomegranate?
The small seeds inside a pomegranate are approximately 282 grams and contain 234 calories. A ½ cup or 87-gram serving of pomegranate seeds equals to 72 calories. The number of calories, however, varies for pomegranate juice.
The juice doesn’t provide fiber or vitamin C. Pomegranates in their whole fruit form are high in fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Whereas low in fat and calories. The fruit is also rich in protein. You can add it to your keto salads or have it as is. Adding it to your salads will be easy to put together, healthy, and super healthy.
Add the pomegranates in a bowl of leafy greens of your choice, toss in some hard-boiled eggs, other vegetables of your choice, drizzle with fresh lime juice and enjoy! You can always switch things up and swap ingredients to make your favorite pomegranate salads.
Keto Friendly Pomegranate Recipes
It's all good telling you that a food is keto friendly, but what's the point without a few recipes on how to incorporate it in your diet. If you're looking to do a bit more with Pomegranates, here are some recipes that you can try!
Keto-Friendly Pomegranate Avocado Salad:
Ingredients:
- 1 ripe avocado, diced
- 1 cup pomegranate arils
- 2 cups mixed salad greens (spinach, arugula, or kale)
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (optional)
Instructions:
- In a large bowl, combine the mixed salad greens, diced avocado, and pomegranate arils.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the extra-virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and black pepper to create the dressing.
- Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss gently to coat all the ingredients.
- If desired, sprinkle crumbled feta cheese on top for added flavor.
- Serve immediately as a refreshing and nutrient-packed keto-friendly salad that's perfect for any meal.
Note: Adjust the ingredients to your taste preferences and nutritional requirements for a delightful and satisfying keto-friendly pomegranate salad.
Keto-Friendly Pomegranate Sparkler:
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup fresh pomegranate juice (unsweetened)
- 1/2 cup sparkling water or club soda
- 1 oz vodka (optional, for alcoholic version)
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1/4 tsp liquid stevia (or sweetener of choice)
- Ice cubes
- Fresh mint leaves and pomegranate arils for garnish
Instructions:
- In a shaker, combine the fresh pomegranate juice, sparkling water, vodka (if using), lime juice, and liquid stevia.
- Add a few ice cubes to the shaker and shake well to mix all the ingredients.
- Strain the mixture into a chilled glass filled with ice cubes.
- Garnish the cocktail with fresh mint leaves and a few pomegranate arils.
- Serve immediately and enjoy this refreshing keto-friendly pomegranate sparkler as a delightful low-carb cocktail option.
Note: You can adjust the sweetness level by adding more or less liquid stevia according to your taste. Always consume alcohol responsibly, and omit the vodka for a non-alcoholic version of the cocktail.
Wrapping up!
While eating a fat-rich diet to lose fat may sound quite unrealistic, the ketogenic diet offers many health benefits including the benefit of weight loss. In fact, many studies have shown that the diet can help you trim down, lose weight, and improve your health. The diet drastically reduces your carbohydrate intake and replaces it with fat. This puts your body in a state of ketosis and your body becomes incredibly efficient in burning fat.
As for pomegranates, they are a great source of fiber and vitamin C when you’re on a fat-rich diet. What’s more, the fruit isn’t only high in nutritional value but also tastes amazing. Big or small, a pomegranate is several healthy nutrients in a bowl. However, you can only enjoy a small number of pomegranates to stay in your keto macros. It’s a good idea to connect with a nutritionist before starting any diet to ensure that the diet is safe and effective for you in the long run! Your nutritionist will also help you set realistic weight loss goals and stay on track.
If you'd like to learn more about keto friendly foods, please click on one of the links below:
