Is Polenta Keto Friendly?

In addition to cutting on sugar, the major challenge of keto is to cut down on high-carb grains including flour-based foods like cereals, pasta, bread, or crackers. Most of the grains such as regular flour and its products are mostly off-limits in keto as they are high in carbohydrates. Like other grain-based products, Polenta is also under the spotlight that whether it is keto-friendly or not. People are curious to know if they can eat Polenta on keto or if it is not a suitable option. Here is the answer.

What Is Polenta?

Polenta is a porridge made from cornmeal with salted water. When the cornmeal grains absorb water, they become soft and turn into a creamy porridge dish, called polenta. It is tasty and similar in taste to cornmeal.

Let’s have a look at its nutrition fact so that we can know whether it is keto-friendly or not.

Polenta- Nutrition Facts?

The nutrition facts of polenta are:

Serving size	Calories	Carbohydrate	Fats	Protein	Fiber
125 g (¾ cup)	80	17 g	Less than 1 g	2 g	1 g

As we have seen the nutrition facts of polenta, we can now get to an answer.

Is Polenta Keto-Friendly?

No, polenta isn’t keto-friendly. You can not eat polenta on keto because it will disturb the whole process trashing you out of ketosis. It is a high-carbohydrate food that contains about 17g of carbs in 3/4 cup of a serving with a high glycemic index of 68. It is quite a high amount in the case of keto to be consumed and not being slipped out of ketosis.

When you are on keto, you need to eat high-fat, low-carb foods having a low glycemic index so that you maintain and stay in ketosis. In this case, polenta is quite the opposite of this requirement. It is high carb, low-fat food that is not at all a suitable choice to eat on keto.

Polenta is not keto-friendly, but is there any chance it can eat polenta on keto or not?

Why Can’t I Eat Polenta On Keto?

No, you can not eat polenta on keto. When you are on keto, you can only eat 5% of calories from carbs, which makes it about 20g of carbs per day. Whereas polenta contains 17g of carbs per serving, which will overflow the daily carb amount allowed on keto and due to its high glycemic index, will cause a sharp rise in the sugar in your blood destroying your whole ketosis. Also, polenta is low in fats, while the purpose of keto is to burn fats for energy purposes.

So rather than eating polenta and disturbing your ketosis, you can select another alternative that is keto-friendly and can make peace with your keto.

Alternatives To Polenta For Keto

The best alternative for polenta includes

1- Chia Flour

• It is made from ground chia seeds that are low in carbs and rich in fiber.
• One serving (2 tablespoons/14 g) provides 5 g of total carbohydrates and 0 g of net carbs as compared to polenta.
• Chia flour contains

Net Carbs	Proteins	Fats	Fiber	Sugar	Energy
0 g	3.5 g	1.3 g	7.8 g	0.1 g	41 kcal

2- Flaxseed Meal

• It is prepared from ground flax seeds that are low in carbs and high in fats.
• It contains 4 g of total carbohydrates and 0 g of net carbs per serving (2 tablespoons/14 g).
• The nutritional value of flaxseed is

Net Carbs	Proteins	Fats	Fiber	Sugar	Energy
0 g	2.6 g	6 g	3.8 g	0.2 g	74 kcal

3- Almond Flour

• It is made from grounded, sweet, and blanched almonds. It is similar to cornmeal in consistency.
• It is a low carbohydrate flour substitute with only 1-3 g of carbs per serving (2 tablespoon/14 g).
• It is low in the glycemic index as compared to polenta and does not affect ketosis.
• According to USDA, it contains:

Net Carbs	Proteins	Fats	Fiber	Sugar	Energy
1-3 g	3 g	7 g	2 g	1 g	80 kcal

4- Psyllium Husk Powder

• It is a fiber powder prepared from the husks of the seeds of Plantago ovata.
• One serving (1 tablespoon/16g) of psyllium husk powder contains 10 total carbohydrates and 3 g of net carbs.
• Its nutritional value is

Net Carbs	Proteins	Fats	Fiber	Sugar	Energy
3 g	2.5 g	0.7 g	6.8 g	0.1 g	35 kcal

5- Coconut Flour

• It is a flour substitute made from dried or grounded coconut flesh. It is fine and powdery flour with a mild coconut taste.
• One serving (2 tablespoons/14 g) provides 4 g of net carbohydrates, which is low as compared to polenta.
• The nutrition facts of coconut flour are

Net Carbs	Proteins	Fats	Fiber	Sugar	Energy
4 g	2 g	2 g	5 g	1 g	60 kcal

Conclusion

Polenta is not keto friendly. It is a high-carbohydrate and low-fat food containing 17 g of net carbohydrates per serving. It also has a high glycemic index of 68 which can quickly increase blood sugar levels and shut you down from ketosis. So, you can not eat polenta without risking your keto. Instead of eating polenta on keto, you can select any other keto-friendly alternatives that are low in carbohydrates like chia flour, coconut flour, flaxseed meal, or psyllium husk powder.