Is Gluten Free Keto?
I see and hear this question a lot – Is Gluten Free Keto Approved?
To understand this let’s dig in a little deeper.
Most people who are living Keto try to avoid anything that is grains related.
While Gluten Free Diets and Keto diets have similarities there are different goals.
Gluten can be very bad for you, your intestines and overall health. And it is something you want to avoid when possible even if you are not allergic.
You will find that many things are now being labeled as gluten free these days. You can have gluten free beer, gluten free cereal, gluten free pasta etc.
However just because it is gluten free does not mean it is healthy and or keto.
And just because it is gluten free does not mean it will not affect your blood sugar / insulin level.
Remember when we are talking about the Keto diet we are trying to keep our blood sugar level down.
You can eat gluten free wheat that will spike your insulin levels just like a gluten full wheat will.
Gluten Free Grains
Lets take for example Quinoa which is gluten free right? And full of protein too right? One serving cup of quinoa will provide you approximately 25 grams of protein – which right off the bat sounds great. However that same cup contains about 100 grams of Carbohydrates (about 4 times as much as the protein)
Additional gluten free grains you might be thinking of are – Rice, Oat, Buckwheat, Sorgam etc. these gluten free grains all have a glycemic index of around 50.
Guess what the glycemic index is of sugar? While you are guessing in your head – I will just tell you. It’s around 59!
So this means that those gluten free grains with their glycemic index at about 50 will turn into sugar fairly quickly which means your insulin level will spike.
On a keto diet you want to keep your carbohydrate intake at around 20 – 50 grams per day. Not per serving but per day. And I say not per server but per day because many things you will find that you eat have upwards of 50grams included in the serving – which is crazy – but that is another story for another time.
What Happens To your Insulin when You Eat Sugars
When you eat sugars or items that contain sugars your blood sugar level goes up (obvious right?). Blood sugar also means blood glucose. So if you hear someone talking about either – they mean the same thing.
When you eat carbohydrates your body breaks them down into sugars and your blood sugar will go up. If you drink carbohydrates such as drinking a soda your body doesn’t have to break anything down so your insulin will spike even faster.
When your blood sugar goes up your insulin level will spike. When your insulin level spikes you are likely to come out of ketosis.
So that right there should turn on the alarms and give you the clue on whether or not gluten free is Keto.
If that doesn’t trigger the alarms and you’re still unsure what I am saying – Then let me just give you the answer flat out. The answer is No – Gluten Free is not Keto.
All that being said if you are choosing between gluten free products and products with gluten then the right choice will always be gluten free. But make sure you understand Gluten free does not correlate to keto friendly.
You can eat those gluten free wheats but you will want to make sure to measure them out in portions that fit under the 20-50 grams of Carbs per day.
Is Gluten Free Keto Recap Approved
- Gluten comes in many forms
- Gluten Free comes in many forms
- Just because something says it is Gluten Free does not make it good for you.
- Gluten Free can contain sugars or can get broken down into sugars when consumed
- Small amounts of carbs or sugars are ok on Keto (Under 20-50 grams)
- You can eat Gluten Free on Keto, However
- Gluten Free does not equal Keto
- If you keep the gluten free item within your 20-50 grams of carbs for the day then it is ok to eat the gluten free item on your keto diet.
- When choosing between an item with gluten and and item that is gluten free – in general gluten free is a better option (not always – but in general)
