Are Bean Sprouts Keto?

In the modern age of food and health, many specific diets are rising in popularity due to their overall benefits. Some diets will achieve specified goals while others may be more for moral or ethical reasons such as veganism. A lot of diets are about changing your intake to be more centered around a single goal such as losing weight or gaining weight. This is exactly what a keto diet is. What shocks a lot of people about starting a diet is that it can be really overwhelming to know what you can and cannot eat. So if you are wondering if bean sprouts are keto-friendly, then you are in the right place.

Table of Contents

• What Is A Keto Diet?
• What Are Bean Sprouts?
  • Different Types Of Bean Sprouts
• Are Bean Sprouts Keto-Friendly?
• Best Keto Recipes To Use Bean Sprouts In
  • Chinese style stir-fry
  • Pad Thai
  • Vegetable Omelette
• Bean Sprouts; Keto-Friendly And Delicious
• FAQs On Bean Sprouts

What Is A Keto Diet?

A keto diet, otherwise known as a ketogenic diet is used as a way to lose a lot of weight. This works by putting your body in a state of ketosis where all energy is sourced from your fat cells. To do this, you must eat a low number of carbs. Keto is one of the most popular low-carb diets around as it is so easy. You can eat as many calories as you want but it is essential to find your limit. A lot of people limit themselves to the number of carbohydrates they can eat while remaining in a state of ketosis. Once this limit is established, you can eat as much as you want as long as this limit is not exceeded.

The reason this helps with weight gain is that carbohydrates are broken down into glucose which is a type of sugar used as a fuel for your body. Once the body does not get enough of these sugars, it enters ketosis and will therefore start burning your fat supply for energy instead. The adjustment period can be difficult as a lot of foods will now be restricted or limited to you, but the net carbs are listed on a lot of the packaging so it should not be too difficult to keep a track of. How many carbs you have a day is up to you as long as you find your limit. This limit will vary depending on body sizes, lifestyles, and current dietary habits.

What Are Bean Sprouts?

Bean sprouts are formed after a process known as sprouting has happened. The process is commonly done to mung beans so you are actually eating mung bean sprouts. The process of sprouting is where nuts, beans, and grains are continuously soaked to encourage them to sprout. After several days and several soaks, sprouts will start to appear on the beans. This is a really easy process to do at home and will leave you with delicious sprouts that are healthy and can be used in a variety of different recipes and dishes.

Different Types Of Bean Sprouts

The majority of bean sprouts are sprouted from mung beans, which is why it is normally a safe bet to assume that bean sprouts in shops are from mung beans. Other beans can have sprouts such as soybeans, Soybean sprouts are not very different but they do have a varying flavor, similar to that found in other soy products.

Are Bean Sprouts Keto-Friendly?

For people following any ketogenic diets, you may be wondering if bean sprouts are usable in keto recipes or keto meals. The average limit set by people following the ketogenic diet is 20 grams of net carbs. In a 100g serving of bean sprouts, there are roughly 6 grams of carbs. This makes bean sprouts a great addition to any salad or stir-fry. The usage of beans sprouts rarely exceeds 200g and even then that is still in the 20g limit of carb intake. You can eat mung bean sprouts while following a ketogenic diet, which finally stops you from asking ‘are bean sprouts keto-friendly?’.

Soybean sprouts are also a good keto-friendly snack as they also have limited carbs in them. All bean sprouts such as soybean sprouts, mung bean sprouts, and kidney bean sprouts, are low carb snacks that are ready to be eaten with a salad or stir-fry.

Best Keto Recipes To Use Bean Sprouts In

Using bean sprouts in any recipe or meal is not at all difficult as they are so versatile and can be added to almost anything. The subtle flavor yet crunchy texture they have allows for them to be perfect in salads but where they really shine is in oriental and Asian dishes.

Chinese style stir-fry

As bean sprouts are easily flavored by even the more subtle of seasonings, they can be the perfect ingredient to use in dishes that are heavily seasoned. A Chinese-style stir-fry uses a lot of seasonings to get that flavor perfect, and the mung bean sprouts will be easily flavored and will add a great texture to the dish as a whole. The dish can be as simple or as complex as you choose for it to be when it comes to the ingredients used. For a quick and simple stir-fry, you can use only bean sprouts and green onion with the rest of the ingredients consisting of flavorings. A brilliant flavor to try is adding salt, black pepper, sesame oil, toasted sesame seeds, and garlic to the dish. This will result in a hearty and delicious stir-fry that takes minutes to prep and make and will leave you satisfied and happy.

Pad Thai

This Pad Thai is delicious, filling, fun, and only takes up 11g of your net carbs allowance. The Pad Thai is also very protein-heavy to help bulk it out due to the lack of carbs. The main ingredients are chicken thighs, shirataki noodles, eggs, and various veggies. The mung bean sprouts can be added to this to give the main bulk of the dish a crunchy and satisfying texture without taking away from the traditional flavor of the dish.

Vegetable Omelette

The only difference between these and normal omelets is that the ingredients are more vegetable focuses. Don’t let that make you think they are any less good, though. Substituting the cheese and meat for mushrooms, mung bean sprouts, and red bell peppers is an amazing way to make this simple yet delicious dish a lot more keto-friendly. To flavor it even further, you can cook it in sesame oil and garnish it with some tamari sauce and chopped scallions. If you prefer the taste of soy then you can use soy bean sprouts instead and the dish will still be amazing. Eating bean sprouts as a snack is always a good idea, but adding them to even the simplest of dishes is an easy way to make them an even bigger part of your diet.

Bean Sprouts; Keto-Friendly And Delicious

Bean sprouts are a great addition to a ketogenic diet and can be added to a huge variety of dishes without changing their flavor too drastically. The crunchy sprouts are easily farmed at home by sprouted mung beans or can be bought cheaply in a lot of shops. There really is no excuse to have a boring diet while being under ketosis.

If you’re still trying to find more exciting things to eat during a keto diet, then check out what you can eat at Arby’s without being knocked out of ketosis. Or if Mexican is more your style, check out what dishes you can eat at any Mexican restaurant.

FAQs On Bean Sprouts