The ketogenic diet revolves around consuming low-carb foods to shift the body's primary fuel source from glucose to ketones, derived from fats. When following the ketogenic approach to food, you'll need to base your diet around low-carb foods. Food quality is just as important as the amount of carbohydrates in your diet. It's so important to make sure that you’re eating a variety of well balanced meals while still keeping the carb content in mind. In the keto diet, we know that most green leafy veggies are fairly safe bets, while certain fruits and starchy vegetables can be a bit more confusing. An antioxidant powerhouse, eggplants are a fabulous vegetable to include in your cooking. In this post, we're exploring eggplant's macro and micronutrients to determine whether it's suitable for a low-carb lifestyle. But is eggplant keto-approved? Many people following the keto diet love making use of eggplant to make a variety of tasty low carb dishes.
Is Eggplant Keto-Friendly?
Yes, eggplant is 100% keto-friendly and can be safely included as part of your keto diet meal plan. Eggplant is low in net carbs, high in fiber, and perfectly suitable for a keto diet. For raw eggplant, there are 6g total carbs and 3g net carbs per 100g. For cooked (boiled) eggplant, there are 9g total carbs and 6.5g net carbs per 100g.
When calculating eggplant carbs, there are different counts depending on how you prepare this vegetable. Macros for raw eggplant are even more preferable for a keto diet due to lower total carbs and higher fiber content. Eggplant is a-ok for a keto diet because it contains low enough carb counts to seamlessly fit a serving into your daily macronutrients of 50g per day. But remember, just because food can fit into this allotment doesn't necessarily mean it's optimal for a low-carb diet. Eating high-carb foods makes it difficult to maintain a balanced meal plan.
Nutritional Profile of Eggplant
Eggplant is obviously incredibly nutrient-dense, providing you with a wealth of essential vitamins and minerals. Eggplant is a surprisingly versatile fruit when it comes to nutrition.
A one-cup serving of cooked, cubed eggplant contains around 8.64 grams of carbohydrates, out of which 2.5 grams are dietary fiber, so the net carbs becomes around 6.14 grams. A single one-cup serving (about 99g) of raw eggplant contains approximately 2.5g of fiber. The same one-cup serving size contains just about 1 gram of protein. One cup of raw eggplant contains about 2.4 grams of sugar, which is relatively low. One cup of cooked eggplant contains around 0.4 milligrams of iron. A typical serving of eggplant, about 1 cup or 82 grams, contains roughly 2 grams of net carbohydrates. A one-cup serving of raw eggplant only contains around 2 mg of sodium. One half-cup of eggplant could contain approximately 6.4 milligrams of oxalates. A one-cup serving of cooked, cubed eggplant contains about 2.9 micrograms of Vitamin K. A one-cup serving of cooked eggplant provides about 15 mg of phosphorus which is only about 2% of the recommended daily value (700 mg for adults).
Read also: Healthy Italian Classic: Eggplant Rollatini
Eggplant is a fair source of potassium. A one cup serving of cooked, cubed eggplant contains approximately 122 milligrams of potassium.
Health Benefits of Including Eggplant in Your Keto Diet
Including eggplant in your diet also comes with several reported health benefits.
- Rich in dietary fiber: As eggplant is an excellent source of dietary fiber, it provides many great digestive benefits. For a healthy adult, the recommended daily intake from the American Dietetic Association is around 25-38g of fiber.
- Excellent source of antioxidants: Eggplants are also a great source of disease fighting antioxidants. Studies have indeed proven that eggplant fruit protects against DNA damage, which in turn directly helps to prevent diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s.
- Great for heart health: Another great benefit that eggplant provides thanks to its high concentration of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants is the fact that it’s cardioprotective. What this means is that studies have found that by including eggplant in your diet, you can help to reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke.
- Including eggplant in your diet can potentially aid in fertility due to its high content of antioxidants. Antioxidants may play a role in improving fertility in both men and women by protecting the reproductive system from damage caused by free radicals. However, more definitive scientific research is needed to establish a direct link between eggplant consumption and improved fertility.
Addressing Common Concerns
- Is eggplant high in sodium? No, eggplant is not high in sodium.
- Is eggplant high in sugar? No, eggplant is not high in sugar.
- Is eggplant high in oxalates? Yes, eggplant is indeed high in oxalates. A low-oxalate diet typically limits daily oxalate intake to less than 50 milligrams.
- Does eggplant contain uric acid? No, eggplants do not contain uric acid themselves. Uric acid is produced by the human body when it breaks down purines, which are substances found in many foods but not eggplant. An excess intake of high-purine foods can contribute to high levels of uric acid in the body, which in turn can lead to conditions like gout and kidney stones.
- Is eggplant high in histamine? No, eggplants are not high in histamine. While they contain some histamine, the amount is generally low.
- Is eggplant high in purines? No, eggplants are not high in purines. They contain about 21 mg of purines per 100 grams, which is considered low. High purine foods typically contain over 100 mg per 100 grams.
- Is eggplant high in phosphorus? No, eggplants are not high in phosphorus.
- Does eggplant increase testosterone levels? There is no scientific evidence to suggest that eggplant directly contributes to an increase in testosterone levels.
- Is eggplant vegan? Yes, eggplants are vegan. They are a vegetable, and therefore plant-based, making them suitable for both vegetarians and vegans.
- Is eggplant gluten-free? Yes, eggplant in its raw form is gluten-free. Gluten is a type of protein that can be found in wheat, barley, and rye. Eggplants don't naturally contain these grains, so they're free from gluten.
- Is eggplant vegetarian? Yes, eggplants are indeed vegetarian. They are a plant-based food and do not contain any animal by-products.
- Is eggplant low carb? Yes!
- Is eggplant good for diabetes? YES! This low calorie, low carb, low glycemic index, polyphenol rich vegetable is great for diabetics.
Eggplant Alternatives
If you would rather use something else besides eggplant but you don’t want to miss out on any of those yummy keto-friendly eggplant recipes, then we’ve got you covered.
Cooking with Eggplant on Keto: Tips and Ideas
Here are some questions people often ask about eating eggplant on a keto diet.
Simply layer eggplant rounds with sliced tomato and mozzarella cheese.
Read also: Delicious Paleo Eggplant
You can cook eggplant in a variety of ways, including air-frying, stir-frying, sautéing, roasting, and braising.
If preparing fresh eggplant, be sure to wash first. If purchasing eggplant, store wrapped loosely in plastic in the fridge.
Make sure you are preparing diabetic and keto friendly eggplant recipes.
Slice eggplant thin. Dip in egg wash. Dredge in almond flour (or low carb flour mixture). To keep heart-healthy, do not fry eggplant on the stove, instead cook in the air fryer! Personally, this is my favorite way to have this diabetic eggplant recipe.
Look for a smaller eggplant.
Read also: Healthy Chicken and Eggplant
Eggplant and Diabetes
Eggplant has little effect on your blood sugar levels. With promising studies showing the relationship between consumption of eggplant and improved blood sugar control, add these versatile vegetables into your life.
As a dietitian, I am noticing a huge increase of prediabetes (or elevated blood sugar) in my clinic. As much as I hate to say this, patients are often given a HUGE amount of medicines to help with diabetes. While that is ok for some, it often breaks my heart to see meds handed out with ZERO diet education.
Fiber helps to slow down the absorption of blood sugar levels. In addition to the fiber in eggplant slowing down the absorption of blood sugar levels (YAH!), eggplants contain a polyphenol that can influence carbohydrate metabolism. A recent study found the polyphenols, like those in eggplant, can help to lower blood sugar levels.