The ketogenic diet is a low-carb, high-fat dietary plan that has become increasingly popular. As part of this diet plan, it’s essential to be aware of how to count and track carbohydrates.
This can be difficult when it comes to vegetables, as some have higher sugar and lower fiber content than others. In this article, we will compare the carbohydrate content of tomatoes and carrots so you can decide which is better for your keto diet.
Understanding Net Carbs
When counting carbs on a keto diet, you should aim to keep your total carbs between 20 and 50 grams per day. It’s recommended to count the net carbs instead of just the total carb content; this is the total carbohydrates minus the fiber as fiber does not have any influence over insulin levels.
Comparing Tomatoes and Carrots
Tomatoes contain 11 grams of carbohydrates, 1.5 grams of fiber, and 3 grams of sugar per serving. Carrots contain 8 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, and 5 grams of sugar per serving.
Both are well within range for a keto diet but tomatoes have a lower net carb amount with less sugar than carrots do.
Avoiding Potatoes
Potatoes are also considered a vegetable but they are actually more like starch than anything else due to their high carbohydrate content – one cup contains 37 grams of carbs with 4.7 grams of fiber and 1.7gramsofsugar!
For this reason potatoes should be avoided in the form chips, fries or mashed potatoes as these can spike blood sugars quickly when cooked.
Conclusion
It’s important to understand how to count carbohydrates when following a ketogenic diet plan; tomatoes are generally a better choice than carrots due to their lower net carb amount and less sugar while potatoes should be completely avoided due to their high carbohydrate content and starch level that can affect blood sugars quickly when cooked . As always speak with your doctor before starting any new dietary plan .
