In order to understand whether beef jerky is keto diet friendly, it is crucial first to identify what the keto diet is. This is a diet a person adapts when in need of weight loss. A balanced body weight is healthy for any individual. A keto diet ensures that the body uses existing stored fats to produce energy rather than using carbohydrates.
The ketogenic diet is one of the high-fat, low-carb diets, with moderate protein. Weight loss occurs when the body uses up the stored fats, and when the body is in a state of ketosis. People who follow this diet are normally careful about the snacks they consume so as to stay in a state of ketosis. Which means very low-carb snack choices.
Beef jerky is a snack with good fat (although not a lot of fat), an appropriate quantity of protein, and a low carbohydrate percentage. It is a light, highly nutritious, and dried meat since it is made by cutting the meat into thin strips. It is a healthy snack for a keto diet due to its low carb content. However, various types of beef jerky recipes contain different nutrient compositions.
Zero Carb Keto Jerky
A good homemade beef jerky recipe is preferable since you can prepare it to suit your diet. Store-purchased beef jerky products might not be favorable since it is difficult to determine which ingredients were used. Preparing a close-to-zero carb keto jerky is simple, and anyone can do it using the right recipe.
There are many benefits to preparing food for yourself. This is because you understand yourself better than anyone else. The choices you make will be for the best of your health condition. For people living with conditions such as diabetes, diet is crucial, and a small mistake might trigger serious conditions that could be difficult to manage.
Keto Homemade Jerky Recipe
Ingredients List:
- Flap steak or other lean beef (grass-fed beef is best if you can afford it)
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Sea Salt
- Soy sauce
- Coarse Black pepper
- Liquid Smoke.
- Worcestershire Sauce (Optional)
Method:
- Cut the beef into thin slices. Make sure you’re using a sharp knife. Visible fat must be removed from the meat slices.
- The ingredients should be prepared in advance.
- Mix all the ingredients (except for the beef) in a bowl to make a marinade.
- Place the slices of beef in the marinade and refrigerate them. Leave them in the bowl or place them in a Ziploc bag for between 4 and 12 hours. It’s up to you how long you leave them to marinate.
- The beef is then placed in a dehydrator or an oven (or even a smoker). These machines work differently, and thus they should be properly set. Since the slices are thin, they do not require much time. The oven is heated, the baking sheets are covered with aluminum foil, and the strips are placed in single layers and dried for 3–4 hours. The strips are flipped at mid-time and removed when they are well dried and firm.
- The ready beef jerky is allowed to cool at room temperature before serving.
The meat drying process is a preservative measure that does not require chemical components. In the past, methods such as sun drying and salting were used to preserve meat. The lower the moisture content in the meat, the less it becomes prone to antimicrobial attack. It is an important tip, The same theory applies to a food dehydrator.
Simple Ingredients – Great Product
Ingredient choice is crucial when preparing keto friendly beef jerky. This is a major advantage of homemade beef jerky compared to purchasing pre-packaged ones. It is possible to make beef jerky keto friendly, at home. Too much sugar is not keto diet-friendly. The keto-friendly beef provides proteins in the diet, which are encouraged.
Keto beef jerky consists of fats such as omega and conjugated linoleic acid, which are vital in the body’s metabolic processes. The low carbohydrate intake makes this a healthy keto snack.
Keto-Friendly Snacks for Traveling
It is efficient to carry snacks, rather than food, during traveling, which can go bad easily. However, most snacks contain too much sugar and are unhealthy for people with certain disorders such as obesity. Luckily, there is a great option for keto snacks: jerky snacks, which can be used in place of all other sugary snacks.
Beef jerky can easily be packed since it has been properly dried. Different jerky brands, like Jack Links, also exist and can be purchased from trusted places. The person should be specific about what type of jerky to consume.
During a keto lifestyle, the body is used to undergoing ketosis. This is a process in which the body burns stored fats, and converts them into energy through the production of ketone bodies. This process takes place when carbohydrates are not available in the body.
A Healthy Alternative: Jerky Sticks
Zero sugar beef jerky sticks that are well prepared and compatible with a keto diet cannot inhibit the ketosis process. However, it is critical to know that this great snack should not be consumed in excess since too much protein is not healthy, and can kick you out of ketosis.
The diet is supplemented with regular exercise that also helps burn calories in the body. Exercise helps one to make use of the energy stored in the body. It also increases the body’s metabolic rate and has many other health benefits.
With the addition of exercise, eating in moderation, choosing the right beef jerky product or recipe, the answer to the question: is beef jerky keto diet friendly, is a BIG Yes!
Keto Friendly Jerky Brands
There are various brands of beef jerky. A person who understands your condition is the best choice when purchasing these beef jerks. For instance, People’s Choice Beef Jerky produces keto-friendly jerky free from sugar and carbs. These products have been approved and can thus be trusted. They use fewer additional spices. Reducing the number of spices during preparation is good as some have very low nutritional value. Natural ingredients are also encouraged in place of artificial sweeteners used in making the marinade.
Keto Carne is another brand of beef jerky. Their jerky has minimal ingredients, such as beef and seasonings. Flavor is also important, thus the need for adding select seasonings. Other brands have different features. Each of the brands is bought according to personal preference. Their availability in the market is also considered when purchasing the tasty meat sticks.
Precautions of Eating Beef Jerky When on a Keto Diet
Over-consumption of snacks can disrupt the process of weight loss. Therefore, beef jerky should not be taken regularly. Certain jerky flavors such as those containing sugar should be avoided. It is vital to accompany the beef jerky with a high-fat food to make a perfect keto diet snack. When the body is used to obtaining energy from fats, it adapts and can easily use up it’s fats.
Beef jerky can be stored for a longer shelf life under favorable conditions. However, poor storage can lead to food poisoning. An advantage of beef jerky is that it can be well dried and thus stored at room temperature for some time.
Benefits of Beef Jerky on a Ketogenic Diet
- These keto-friendly beef sticks are not only important for weight loss but also have other health benefits. Obesity affects the body organs, such as the risk of hypertension. Achieving weight loss through a healthy diet improves the health of crucial organs such as the heart and kidneys. So, a 0g of sugar snack is very beneficial!
- This food type is good for individuals living with diabetes, who have to observe the glycemic index. Carbohydrates increase sugar levels in the blood, which is harmful to diabetic patients since their bodies cannot stabilize their blood sugar levels.
- The brain requires ketones during starvation since the brain requires a constant supply of nutrients and energy. It is therefore important for people with brain disorders such as epilepsy.
Disadvantages of Beef Jerky
- Not all types of beef jerky are keto-friendly. Too much consumption of certain beef jerky brands may result in rapid weight gain. It also prevents a person from taking other foods that have crucial nutrients. Beef jerky may contain a high protein content that could be dangerous for people with allergies. A lot of protein in the diet may lead to adverse effects.
- Beef jerky is made using spices to add flavor. However, it may contain excess sodium. Despite its benefits in the body, excess sodium could pose a hazard to osmoregulation (salt and water balance) in the body. This could lead to a rise in blood pressure, which can cause cardiac problems.
- Beef jerky from stores can contain preservatives and added MSG that can pose problems for individuals who have other metabolic conditions. Some also contain high amounts of sugars which are inappropriate for keto dieters.
Is Beef Jerky Keto Diet Friendly – Final Thoughts
A good diet contributes to good health. The type of food consumed has benefits and risks. Most of the diseases that affect people worldwide are metabolic and can be controlled by a good diet. It is encouraged to visit a nutritionist to acquire information about what your diet should consist of. Some prescribed medications have also been known to affect the diet.
If you are suffering from rapid weight gain, you should first seek to change what you eat. Snacks have played a major role in causing various problems. However, this does not mean that all types of jerky are healthy or unhealthy. With the right kind of snacks, you can enjoy your work or trip without having any problems. So, the short answer to the question: is beef jerky keto diet friendly, is yes, for the most part!…Keep eating beef jerky!