Is seaweed salad keto friendly? Well, there is no simple answer to this one, in principle, yes, seaweed salad is keto as it can be made with very low carb ingredients. However, if you are eating this out in a restaurant, it is likely that the salad will be full of non keto, high sugar ingredients.
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What Is Seaweed Salad?
Seaweed salad is a traditional Japanese food that uses edible seaweed as the main ingredient. There are tons of recipes for seaweed salad, but most of them involve soy sauce, ginger, sesame oil, and rice vinegar as the sauce that binds the seaweed salad together.
Often, the seaweed salad is topped with sesame seeds for a bit of crunch.
Nutritional Value Of Seaweed Salad?
The nutritional value of seaweed salad largely depends on the ingredients used within. Because there are so many different seaweed salad recipes, you really must assess each individual recipe to learn about the exact nutritional value.
The traditional seaweed salad often includes 11 grams of carbs, (8 grams of net carbs), 4.5 grams of fat, one gram of protein, and 90 calories total. This value is based on a 1/2 cup serving.
That being said, there are plenty of other seaweed salad recipes that have different nutritional values. In fact, many seaweed salads have as little as only about 1 gram of net carbs.
For example, seaweed salad made from Nori seaweed and lacking additional sugar often only has around 1 gram of net carbs while still having 1 gram of fiber.
Net Carbs In Seaweed Salads
Some seaweed salads have over 10 grams of net carbs, whereas others have only about 1 gram. Seaweed salad recipes that call for Nori seaweed and no additional sugar only have around one net carb per serving.
It’s impossible to say exactly how many net carbs are in all seaweed salads.
The number of net carbs depends on the salad recipe and the type of seaweed used within the salad.
Is Seaweed Salad Keto Friendly?
If you select ingredients that are low in carbohydrates, seaweed salad is keto-friendly. You will largely need to avoid traditional seaweed salads, but seaweed salads made from Nori seaweed and with no added sugar are keto-friendly.
Of course, you will have to be sparing about what other ingredients you put inside the salad. For example, many traditional seaweed salads call for additional sugar, which is not keto-friendly.
Are There Different Varieties That Are Not Keto?
There are tons of different types of edible seaweed. It’s important that you select the right type of seaweed if you want a keto-friendly seaweed salad.
Nori seaweed is the best seaweed type for a keto diet. Some other seaweed types that are safe for keto diets include Wakame seaweed and Hijiki seaweed.
Both of them have about 1 gram of net carbs per serving.
Other seaweed types have more carbohydrates. For example, Arame seaweed has about 7 grams of carbs per serving. Other seaweed types have even more carbs, making them less suited for a keto diet.
Unsure of how to maintain your ketogenic diet with a variety of delicious salads? Here are some top picks for keto salads that you’ll love.
Summary: Is Seaweed Salad Keto?
Seaweed salad can be keto friendly, especially if you are making this at home. However, if you’re eating out, check the ingredients used first as this delicious salad can soon be loaded up with sugar.
