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Aldi’s L’Oven Fresh Zero Net Carb Breadhas been flying off shelves since fall 2019, so it was only a matter of time before more major retailers started adding keto-friendly carbs to their product line-ups.
As a follow-up to the Natural Ovens Keto-Friendly White Bread that’s sold online ($5.29,naturalovens.com), Costco is now selling keto-friendly hamburger buns—just in time for peak grilling season.
If you’ve been aroundEatingWellfor a bit, you know we’re usually not keen on drastic diets, preferring moderation in all things. What is a birthday celebration without a slice of cake, after all?
Still, it’s clear this diet and these breads aren’t going anywhere, so we wanted to take a deep dive into what exactly makes this new Costco bread keto-friendly…especially considering theketo dietgenerally limits followers to 20 to 50 grams per day.
If you do the math according to macronutrientcalories per gram, you might be confused as to why the nutrition facts don’t quite line up.
“‘Net carbs’ are calculated under the assumption that fiber does not affect your blood glucose or insulin production the way that non-fiber carbs do. There’s conflicting research on how accurate this is, as we still synthesize some calories from fiber, but it does affect your blood sugar minimally compared to other simple carbs,” says Jessica Ball, M.S., R.D., a registered dietitian and assistant nutrition editor atEatingWell.
Research published in the journalDiabetes Spectrumsuggests fiber generally contributes between 1 ½ to 2 ½ calories per gram, so claiming the fiber cancels out all of the carb calories, “could be inaccurate on their part,” Ball adds. Oh yes, and it could also mean that you’re kicking your body out ofketosisif more of those carbs actually “count.”
All that fiber in one package might lead to tummy troubles later in the day as well. As you might recall, the dietary guidelines recommend25 to 38 grams per day, depending on your gender and calorie intake.
“Eating too much fiber can lead to digestive distress and constipation, especially when consumed in bulk quantities like this. I would advise people to be weary of eating so much fiber in one sitting unless they know they are already eating a diet much higher in fiber than the recommended daily amount, as it can take your body time to adjust to significant increases in fiber intake,” Ball says.
6 Low-Carb Breads That are Actually Worth Buying
Instead of stocking up on several loaves of keto bread in an effort to cut carbs, Ball recommends aiming to integrate more minimally processed foods—both for your mental and physical wellbeing. So go ahead, pop that burger on a regular whole-wheat bun or tuck it inside lettuce leaves if you want an option that’s lower in calories. (No funky math required.)
“There are several nutritious components of traditional whole wheat flour, like B vitamins, fiber, protein and energy that our body needs to function. When you start modifying it so significantly, you run the risk of losing many of the healthful aspects of the whole food,” she says.
Plus a laser focus oncounting macroscan get in the way of a healthy, sustainable eating pattern. Restricting carbs heavily, especially the nutritions ones like veggies, fruits, legumes and whole grains, can lead to gaps in your nutrition and overall health, “as well as being mentally taxing in practice,” Ball says.
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