Being on a keto diet means eating healthy fats and low-carb foods. Since most fruits, legumes, and whole grains are restricted, you need to know which foods you are allowed to consume. Today’s question is, are artichokes keto friendly? Yes, Artichokes are keto-friendly. However, there are other better low-carb vegetables like cauliflower, broccoli, and asparagus. But, let’s focus on artichokes!
How Many Carbs Can You Eat On A Keto Diet?
The normal dietary recommendation for carbohydrates is 60% of total caloric intake, so your daily carb count should be 300g. Although, in a keto diet, the carb count is reduced to 20g to 50g a day and your net carbs are 5% to 10% of your total calories.
Healthy keto foods include low-starchy vegetables like avocado, spinach, broccoli, cucumbers, and zucchini and other low-carb foods like brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, root vegetables, and parmesan cheese.
How Many Net Carbs Are In Artichokes?
According to the U.S. Department Of Agriculture, one medium artichoke (128g) contains 11.5g of total carbs and 5.4g of total dietary fiber. For 1 cup serving size of artichokes hearts, the total carbs are 15.4g. One artichoke heart (2.49g) contains 2.49g of total carbs. Finally, a large artichoke contains 14g of total carbs. Now for keto dieters, these would be many carbs for their ketogenic diet.
Yet we still consider artichokes keto-friendly, why? The total carb count is high but artichokes are very high in fiber which decreases their net carbs. One cup serving size of artichoke hearts contains 2g of carbs.
Another reason why artichokes are keto-friendly is apart from them being low-carb, we usually consume them as sides or minor ingredients hence we end up consuming little carbs.
Artichoke Nutritional Data
Artichoke’s nutritional benefits include being high in dietary fiber, and rich in potassium, vitamin c, magnesium, copper, and folate.
A survey carried out in Spain in 2011-2012, showed that many plant food supplements were consumed for weight loss and the most popular ingredient was artichokes.
A study on Jerusalem artichoke showed it lowered blood pressure and could be used for medicinal purposes. Moreover, it lowered high cholesterol, glucose, and triglyceride levels promoting weight loss.
In addition, artichokes are minimally processed whole foods. Whole foods are high in dietary fiber which promotes digestion and reduces the risks of chronic diseases.
Keto Dieters Worried About Artichokes
Because of their benefits and essential vitamins, I am pro artichokes for a keto diet. Yet, if you are still concerned about artichokes’ net carbs, you can still enjoy artichokes in a moderate amount.
You can eat them once in a while, to add variety to your diet. Also, be mindful of how much artichokes you are consuming per serving. The net carbs of cooked artichokes hearts are considered fair, as long as intake is monitored. This will ensure you do not exceed the required carb intake for a keto diet.
Are Artichokes Good For Belly Fat?
Our guts contain good bacteria that promote digestion. Prebiotics are foods that promote the growth of good bacteria. These are fiber-rich foods like artichokes. Combining artichoke hearts and fermented foods like yogurt will improve the functionality of gut bacteria in reducing inflammation and storage of fats interference.
Artichoke hearts contain a chemical compound, cynarin that helps in fat metabolism. Artichokes also contain inulin, a prebiotic that promotes balance in the gut microbiome. A study on the effects of inulin supplementation proved a reduction in BMI, body fat, and weight in obese adults.
Are Artichokes Inflammatory?
No. An artichoke is ranked the number one vegetable for antioxidants. Besides being keto, they have anti-inflammatory properties that help reduce oxidative stress, a risk factor for chronic diseases. A study on the biological activity of human cells after being enriched by artichoke leaf extracts provided evidence that plant nutrients and polyphenols reduce inflammation and can be used as alternative strategies to curb chronic diseases.
Can Artichokes Detox Your Liver?
Artichokes are great for detoxifying the liver. These low-starch vegetables contain two chemical components, silymarin, and cynarin, that help remove toxins from the liver and stimulate bile production promoting breakdown of fats.
Research has also shown that the supplementation of artichokes extract increases glutathione and glutathione peroxidase levels and reduced malondialdehyde in the liver. This promotes the overall health of the liver by reducing inflammations and promoting antioxidant activities.
Note, consume artichoke hearts in a fair amount so as not to overwork your liver.
Does Artichoke Spike Insulin?
Can diabetics eat artichokes or do they spike insulin? The good news, diabetics can eat artichokes without worrying about their blood sugar levels rising. Artichoke hearts are high in fiber which helps in slowing down the absorption of glucose into the blood. Low blood sugar equals low insulin levels.
A clinical trial testing the effects of artichokes on the glycemic indices concluded that consuming supplementation of artichokes regulated Fasting Blood Sugar (FBS) because the vegetables are low in net carbohydrates.
Are Canned Artichokes Good For You?
Yes, they are. Canned artichoke hearts are more practical and more affordable while fresh artichokes can be costly and take more time to trim and cook. Canned artichoke hearts are either frozen, canned in olive oil and spices, or canned in brine.
My recommendation for keto artichoke hearts would be those canned in oil because they are high in healthy fats which will increase ketosis promoting your brain and overall health. Be sure to read the nutritional facts in the can to know how many carbs are in a 100g serving of your artichokes.
What Is The Healthiest Way To Eat Artichokes?
The best way to eat these low-carb vegetables is steamed. In your saucepan steam artichoke hearts with your favorite herbs and spices. Cook for about half an hour until the leaves are tender.
Another way to enjoy artichokes keto is by baking them stuffed with parmesan cheese and vegetables. The crunchy and creamy dish is a delicious delight!
You know we can’t go without leaving some easy keto artichoke recipes for you to add to your keto diet recipes.
Artichokes Keto-Friendly Recipes
We know the theoretical part of artichoke keto, now to my favorite part, let’s get cooking!
Keto Spinach Artichoke Dip Recipe
The artichoke dip is the perfect high-fat, low-carb side for all. It is a good appetizer and will only take you 30 minutes to prepare.
Ingredients
- I batch of spinach
- Olive oil
- 2 tablespoons Mayonnaise (I’d recommend the one with avocado oil or olive oil)
- Parmesan cheese
- Greek Yoghurt
- Artichokes hearts in oil
- 1 small garlic (minced)
- Preferred spices (you can use black or cayenne pepper)
Procedure
- Cook your spinach in oil until tender then set aside.
- In a saucepan, heat your parmesan cheese until creamy then add mayonnaise, spices, chopped artichoke, Greek yogurt, spices, and minced garlic and stir.
- Strain your cooked spinach to remove excess water
- Add your spinach to your mixture.
- Transfer to a ceramic dish, and add more parmesan cheese on top.
- Bake your keto spinach artichoke dip.
- Serve.
Grilled Artichoke Recipe
This delicious crunchy recipe is great for anyone on a keto diet.
Ingredients
- Cooking oil
- 1 garlic clove cut in half
- 1 lemon, sliced
- Sea salt/ Himalayan pink salt to taste
- A single-medium artichoke
- Preferred herbs, chopped
Method
Heat your chopped herbs in cooking oil until warm. Set them aside and let to cool.
Trim your artichoke and rub lemon on the edges to prevent oxidation. Trim off your stems, 2 inches from the base of your artichoke. The top 1/2 inch of the artichoke should be cut and discarded. Cut your vegetable into two.
Remove chokes and fuzzy inner leaves with a metallic spoon then rub lemon juice all over the inside.
Heat water and garlic in a pot until it boils, then place your artichokes on the steamer rack cut side down. Steam for half an hour on medium heat.
It’s okay for the artichokes to be undercooked. Drain water and dry artichokes with a paper towel. Use a brush to brush the herb-infused oil on the artichokes, sprinkle oil, and grill cut side down for 10 minutes until there are grill marks on the cut sides.
Sprinkle with lemon juice and serve. You can enjoy this with other veggies or alone.
There you have it, all you need to know about artichokes and a keto diet. Consume them in a fair amount and you have nothing to worry about. Tell us in the comment sections which recipe you like for the artichokes keto diet. Don’t be shy to ask any question on keto too!
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