Are Grape Leaves keto friendly? Yes, they are! I’m sure you will be please to hear this. They are not the lowest in carbs though, so be careful not to overeat them. Read on to check out our favorite keto twist on the classic Greek dish, Dolmades, made with all the health benefits of the grape leaves without all of the carbs. Enjoy.
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What Are Grape Leaves?
Grape leaves- aka vine leaves- are the leaves of a grapevine plant used most famously in the Greek dish Dolamades, where the leaf is stuffed with rice and meat.
What Is The Nutritional Value Of Grape Leaves?
A single grape leaf will give you just 2 calories, but 17% of your daily goal for vitamin A.
The total fats in a single leaf are 0.1g and the total carbs are 0.5g.
Net Carbs In Grape Leaves?
It’s unrealistic to only use a single grape leaf in your cooking, so let’s look at it in higher numbers: a 100g portion of grape leaves will give you a passable 6.3g net carbs.
Net carbs are calculated by misusing the total amount of dietary fiber from the total number of carbohydrates in order to provide the total number of net carbs.
Are Grape Leaves Keto Friendly?
If you use grape leaves in a traditional way- stuffing them with rice- then no. But if 100g of grape leaves contains 6.3g net carbs, then you’d have to go overboard with them to throw you out of ketosis.
Just keep an eye on how many grape leaves you’re using, and whether they can comfortably fit into your net carb macros.
Bear in mind that grape leaves are very low in fat, so make sure to get lots of olive oil, fish, and meat into your meal, in order to reach your fat goals.
TOP TIP: If you still want to make your favorite Dolmades keto friendly, just substitute out the white rice for cauliflower rice.
How Many Grape Leaves Can I Eat and Stay in Ketosis?
20g net carbs is your carb allowance for keto- then you would have to eat just over 300g of grape leaves to throw yourself off. We all love Greek food, but even that is a bit much!
As long as you are packing your grape leaf wraps with plenty of protein and fat, you should be okay. Remember to keep in mind your meals for the rest of the day too!
What Are The Health Benefits of Grape Leaves?
Aside from being low in calories and packed full of indigestible carbs, grape leaves are a minimally processed whole food and make a great addition to a keto diet.
Fruits and vegetables can be hard to factor into a keto diet- but grape leaves will provide you with plenty of vitamins A, C, K, and B vitamins as well as minerals including iron and manganese.
If you are enjoying Greek food, such as gyros, and maybe a drink with it, remember to stay hydrated.
Staying hydrated on the keto diet is really important, for more on how much water you should be drinking, check out our guide to staying hydrated on the keto diet.
If you’re planning on dehydrating yourself(!) and drinking alcohol on the keto diet, check out our ultimate guide to drinking alcohol on a keto diet. Also, you may be interested in, how to recover from a cheat day.
Summary: Are Grape Leaves Keto Friendly?
Yes, eaten in moderation, grape leaves (aka vine leaves) are keto friendly. If you are making the classic Dolmades with your grape leaves, remember to switch out the carb-laden white rice for cauliflower rice, and you can still enjoy this delicious dish.
