Are Figs Keto Friendly?

Figs are known for their high sugar and carbs content. They are highly nutritious and beneficial for a healthy lifestyle. However, they’re not a part of keto diet and consuming them during your keto can kick you out of the diet.

But, they’ve been popular around the world for centuries. They not only taste well but are nutritious as well. Moreover, a recent study has also shown its effectiveness for treating several medical ailments like diabetes.

Therefore, if you still want to eat them, you can opt for any other weight loss diet but not keto diet.

Is dried fig keto friendly?

Keto diet encourages you to take less than 20 or 50 grams of carbs per day. However, dried figs can provide you higher amounts of carbs because of their high sugar content. Therefore, it is not advised to consume dried figs during your keto diet.

Are fresh figs keto friendly?

Fresh figs, although really hard to get in some parts of the world, fresh figs contains lower carbs than the dry figs. However, it is still advised to keep away raw figs from your keto diet. But if you still want to eat it then eat small quantity of fresh figs during your keto diet. That’s because too much of them can get you more than the required carb limit.

How to Use figs on a Keto Diet?

As said earlier, you cannot include figs in your keto diet because of their higher carbs content. However, if you still want to consume them, you must take these facts into consideration:

• You can include fresh figs in you keto diet (in an extremely small amount) because they include lesser carbs in comparison to dried figs. Moreover, the carb count for fresh figs is similar to that of blueberries.
• 100 gram of fresh figs contains around 19 grams of carbs in which almost 3 gm account for fiber. Hence, you will consume 16 grams of carbs when you eat 100 gram of raw fresh figs. Moreover, a keto diet encourages you to take an average of 20-30 carbs per day. Therefore, even 100 gram of figs is enough to break your ketosis.

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Carbs in figs

Figs have a high rating on the glycemic index. You can get an estimation of 3-9 grams of sugar and 5-12 grams of carbs from a single fig. That is, a single fig can provide 3% of your daily fiber requirement.

• In 100 gram of fresh figs, 19 gram is carbs in which 3 gm is fiber. ie, You will get 16 grams of digestible carbs from 100 gm of fresh figs
• Talking about the dried figs, 100 grams of it can provide you 63 grams of carbs out of which 9.8 grams account for fibers. Hence, if you eat 100 grams of dry figs, you will get 53.2 grams of carbs. That’s obviously way too high in context with a keto diet. Therefore, you should not even think of eating dry figs in a keto diet.

As a matter of fact, dried figs are often used for constipation related issues because they have natural laxative effects. In our case, you will get a high amount of carbs from figs. Hence, if you’re in a keto diet then make sure you keep figs away from your menu.

Calories in figs

Figs contain a total of 74.09 calories for every 100 grams and a single fig contains an average of 47 calories. Keeping that in mind, a total of three figs are appropriate to fulfill your daily calorie limit. However, if you are on a keto diet then consuming figs can take you out of it because of such a large number of calories.

Calories in figs

• Raw Figs contain a total of 74.09 kcal for every 100 grams
• Dried Figs contain a total of 249 kcal for every 100 grams.

Single fig contains an average of 47 calories. Keeping that in mind, a total of three figs are appropriate to fulfill your daily calorie limit. If you are on a keto diet then consuming figs can take you out of ketosis because of such a large number of carbs.

Nutrition Data for Figs

Here’s a table made through the reference of the United States Department of Agriculture. This table demonstrates the nutritional content for every 100g of figs in the unit of kilocalories.

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Health Benefits of Figs

This fruit is not only the best in terms of flavor but also is a really healthy snack. It is blessed with high amounts of vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals. Moreover, it can be used with a large number of dishes. Therefore, it provides a large number of health benefits.

Here’s a rundown of all the health benefits that you can get through these figs:

1. It helps in regulating blood sugar

Figs have a high potassium content due to which they are really helpful for regulating the levels of blood sugar in your body. Hence, even if you eat a high amount of sugar after your meal, a couple of figs will regulate the absorption by the body.

Moreover, a diet with high potassium is always good for diabetic people. Therefore, if you have diabetes then figs can be really beneficial for you. Furthermore, figs also have chlorogenic acid that lowers the blood sugar levels and helps with diabetes even more.

2. It helps in managing weight

Figs are an excellent source to get fiber requirements of the body. Moreover, several researches have shown that figs can help you with weight management. Also, as you know, fiber is highly essential for your body.

Fiber helps your digestive system and even reduces the risk of type 2 cancer. Moreover, a fiber-rich fruits like figs can help you reduce weight greatly. However, as you know that dried figs are high in terms of calories, you should never consume a larger amount of them.

That’s why portion plays a vital role in the way figs will affect your health. That’s why ancient practices consider it as a great way to gain more weight.

3. It enhances your heart’s health

 The main cause of the circulation of fat particles on the bloodstream your body is the triglycerides levels. They can cause many serious heart problems. However, studies say that figs can reduce triglyceride levels. Hence, it enhances the health of your heart gradually. 

Furthermore, the dried figs are highly rich in antioxidants. Hence, they have the capability to eliminate all the free radicals from your body. This helps in clearing the coronary arteries part. Therefore, it can prevent you from coronary heart disease in the long run.

4. It helps in lowering blood pressure

Figs are also highly rich in terms of potassium. Moreover, potassium is an essential mineral for your body. Therefore, if you intake potassium on a daily basis, you can maintain your blood pressure and reduce the harmful effects of high blood pressure on your body.

Also, in today’s world, most of the consumables are preserved. Therefore, we consume a lot of sodium regularly. Hence, it is necessary to include something in your diet that can control the sodium levels in your body. Figs just certainly fit the bill for this.

5. It enhance reproductive health

Figs ate often referred to as a sacred fruit and a symbol of fertility and love. Moreover, they also act as a natural aphrodisiac. Even in Indian culture, figs are mixed with milk and consumed before reproduction. Figs are highly rich in minerals like magnesium, manganese, iron, and zinc.

All of these minerals are extremely beneficial for reproductive health. Furthermore, the women who are suffering from PMS issues are suggested to eat figs as a part of home remedies to treat infertility. Moreover, as said earlier, figs are essentially rich in terms of fiber and antioxidants.

Hence, they are also effective in the prevention of breast cancer and the imbalance of hormones. Figs are praised a lot for their reproductive benefits for women and young girls.

6. It lowers cholesterol

Figs have a fiber known as pectin which is highly effective in reducing cholesterol. Pectin clears extra cholesterol from your digestive system to the bowel. Ultimately, the extra cholesterol gets eliminated from your body.

Moreover, figs are also rich in vitamin B6 that produces serotonin. Serotonin also lowers the cholesterol and even enhances your mood.

Furthermore, dry figs are even more effective at reducing cholesterol. Dry figs contain plenty of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids that have the tendency to reduce the synthesis of the cholesterol naturally in your body.

7. It helps in strengthening of bones

Figs are extremely rich in potassium, calcium, and magnesium. All of these elements contribute a lot towards bone health. That’s why eating figs will not only increase your bone density but will also prevent them from breaking down.

Since, calcium is extremely important for bones, figs are really good source of calcium and that’s why suggested to eat regularly. Moreover, figs also contain potassium that prevents the urinary calcium loss that happens due to diets with higher amounts of salts.

 This does not lets your bones get thin and keeps them strengthened. Hence, if you eat figs daily, you will get thicker and stronger bones. Also, you will be able to prevent them from breaking down at old age.

The Takeaway

Many people often ask “can I eat figs on keto diet?” well, if you’ve read this article then you might have already guessed the answer that is no, figs are not allowed on a keto diet. However, by opting for any other low calorie diet, you can enjoy various other benefits through figs.