What Low Carb Legumes Are There? [FACTS & KETO GUIDELINES]

Legumes, like beans and peas, are high in carbohydrates, making them inappropriate for a low-carb or ketogenic diet.

There are, however, certain outliers and specialized varieties that are lower in carbohydrates.

Mung beans, lentils, fava, black-eyed peas, and black, lima, and navy beans are other legumes with a modest carbohydrate content.

Legumes are the seeds or fruits of plants of the Fabaceae family.

They have long been associated with several health advantages, including cholesterol reduction, blood sugar regulation, and the promotion of good gut microbes.

Moreover, beans are a good source of protein and fiber.

They provide more protein per calorie than meat, making them a crucial element of the vegetarian and vegan diet.

Including beans into a low-carb diet requires careful planning and portioning.

A normal low-carb diet calls for 20 to 50g of net carbs per day, depending on the individual’s size, age, and activity.

The carbohydrate content of legumes varies widely.

For example, a single cup of chickpeas has roughly 35g of net carbohydrates, whereas a cup of green beans contains about 7g.

Total carbs are not the same as net carbohydrates.

Fiber, natural sugars, and starches make up total carbohydrates.

Because of the body’s inability to digest complex carbohydrates like fiber and certain sugars, they are not included in the net carb calculation.

To get the net carb, deduct the quantity of fiber from the total carb.

Moreover, the body only digests a subset of carbohydrates.

To get the net carb, remove half the quantity of sugars from the total carb.

1 cup of chickpeas, for example, provides 44.7g of carbs, 7.8g of sugar, and 12.5g of fiber.

A cup of chickpeas will so have the following net carbs:

2 = 28.3g (half the sugars) 44.7g (total) (total) 12.5g (fiber) (fiber) 7.8

Are Beans High Carb Or Low Carb?

Beans are a fantastic source of nourishment packed into little quantities.

They are high in fiber, protein, iron, folate, and antioxidants, as well as a variety of other nutrients.

They have been shown to aid in cancer prevention, heart disease prevention, blood sugar regulation and diabetes prevention, fatty liver prevention, gut health improvement, and weight reduction.

Beans, on the other hand, provide too many carbs on any low-carb diet and should be confined to smaller servings.

Black soybeans and green beans are the exceptions.

Green beans, for example, contain 3.7g of net carbohydrates per 100g, but adzuki beans have a staggering 50.2g.

Garbanzo beans (chickpeas) fall midway in the center at 19.8g.

The high carbohydrate content of beans demonstrates that there are many healthful carbohydrate-rich meals.

They not only provide the essential energy, but they are also high in minerals, protein, and fiber, making them a good option for all diets other than a low-carb diet.

Take attention to the carb amount of each variety of bean, the portion size, and how much you may eat without exceeding the RDA.

Since beans are a high-carb food, most keto dieters skip them entirely.

In recent years, the keto diet has grown in popularity.

It was first created to treat epilepsy and was first introduced in the 1920s.

Researchers discovered that putting epileptic patients on low-carb, high-fat diets caused their systems to utilise fat for fuel rather than carbs.

Soon after the introduction of anticonvulsant medicine, this diet was abandoned.

Even now, data show that the ketogenic diet is one of the most effective therapies for epilepsy.

The contemporary keto diet has just recently gained popularity.

The worldwide keto market was worth $9.7 billion in 2018. This is expected to reach $15.64 billion by 2027, with a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 5.5%. (Source)

The keto diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet in which daily carbohydrate intake is limited to 20mg to 50mg depending on size, lifestyle, and age.

In example, 100g of kidney beans has 22.8g of carbohydrates, which is more than the daily carbohydrate allowance for a tiny person on a keto diet.

Following this diet is supposed to induce ketosis, a condition in which energy is primarily fuelled by fat.

It reduces insulin levels and shifts the body’s metabolism away from carbohydrates and toward fat.

Ketosis occurs when you restrict your carbohydrate intake, which reduces your body’s supply of glucose.

Protein should also be controlled since excessive quantities may be turned into glucose.

Weight reduction and increased mental function have also been claimed by keto diet followers.

The Standard Keto Diet (SKD), the High Protein Keto Diet (HPKD), the Cyclical Keto Diet (CKD), and the Targeted Keto Diet are the four kinds of ketogenic diets (TKD).

The SKD and the high protein keto diet are the two most popular diets.

Professional athletes and bodybuilders are the primary users of the CKD and TKD.

The SKD is normally composed of 70% fat, 20% protein, and 10% carbohydrates, while the high protein diet is composed of 60% fat, 35% protein, and 5% carbohydrates.

Meat, eggs, nuts, fish, and oil are all good sources of fat.

Chickpeas are regarded as a superfood with several health advantages.

They are high in nutrients, high in fiber and protein, aid digestion, aid in weight management, and prevent diabetes.

How can we include chickpeas into the keto diet while staying under the daily carbohydrate allowance? And there’s hummus!

Hummus is a chickpea dip prepared with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, garlic, sesame paste, and tahini.

Hummus, which is mostly comprised of chickpeas, may be taken in moderation because to its high fiber content.

Since net carbohydrates are determined by subtracting fiber from total carbs, increasing the fiber content will reduce net carbs and make hummus more keto-friendly.

Even better, when hummus is served with veggies rather than crackers, the fiber level of your snack skyrockets.

2 to 3 tablespoons of hummus contains around 3g of carbs.

Thus, keto fans and chickpea fans, rejoice!

Following the keto diet does not mean giving up chickpeas completely.

Hummus has a place in your life as long as you keep an eye on the carbohydrate bank.

8 Interesting Facts About Hummus

1. Hummus was first mentioned in 13th-century Egyptian recipes.
2. Nobody knows where hummus originated.
3. In Israel, rivalries have sprung over who produces the finest hummus. They certainly like their hummus!
4. Hummus literally translates to chickpea in Arabic. Hummus bi tahina is an abbreviation for chickpeas with tahini.
5. The Lebanese presently hold the Guinness World Record for the biggest platter of hummus, which weighs 10,452kg (23,042 lbs).
6. A couple in Canada discovered a massive garbage full with unexpired hummus tubs. They then lived on it for eight weeks!
7. Hummus is an aphrodisiac due to the chickpeas in it. Chickpeas are high in arginine, an amino acid that aids in blood circulation and internal lubrication.
8. Hummus is safe for pregnant women because it contains B vitamins, which help prevent the birth condition known as spina bifida.

For thousands of years, legumes have provided humans with nourishment.

They are nearly widely recognized as a fantastic source of carbs, protein, fiber, and minerals.

As a result, many people on low-carb or keto diets avoid them like the plague.

But, there are exceptions to every rule, and as previously said, black soybeans and green beans are low-carb legumes, and others may be used sparingly with adequate information.

Be well and continue to appreciate the small bundles of potent nutrients!