Are Tic Tacs Keto? No. There’s the simple answer. Although these are a brilliant, handy thing to have on your person, they are not keto friendly. They are full of non-keto friendly ingredients. We have lined up some keto friendly alternatives to tic tacs for you. Read on to find out our favorites!
What are Tic Tacs?
Tic Tacs are a hard candy designed to be a breath mint. Ferrero is the company that produces this burst of sugary joy in the mouth and has so since 1969.
They started with a fresh mint taste to develop a line of breath mints that include things like orange, spearmint, peach, strawberry, cherry, and even banana.
A Keto-Cap (aka A Keto Recap!)
If you’re new to keto and want a bit more information, check out our keto beginners guide.
As a quick summary, if you need it, the keto (also known as the ketogenic diet) is a low-carb, high-fat diet.
The whole concept of the keto diet is that your body transitions from burning glucose, in simple terms, sugars or carbohydrates, to burning fat as its primary fuel source.
For a keto diet, people will restrict their macros to eating;
- 70% of their calories from fat
- 25% from protein
- 5% from carbohydrates
Sticking to these macros for a period of time will put your body into a state of ketosis. Ketosis is when your body has transitioned from burning carbohydrates as its primary fuel source to burning fat for fuel. It is at this point that you will start to see and feel the benefits of the keto diet.
There are a lot of new terms and abbreviations that you may come across, sometimes it can feel like a new language that you need to learn. In order to help you out and keep you on the right track, we have created a keto terms and keto abbreviations guide, bookmark these to make your keto journey easier.
Some people can be put off the keto diet because of the side effects, however, these are only short-lived and the health benefits of keto far outweigh the side effects.
One of the main benefits which attract people to the keto diet is that it can cause significant reductions in insulin levels (by up to 75%) and blood sugar levels, which can be attractive to those that struggle with diabetes, amongst other health complaints.
What is the Nutritional Value of Tic Tacs?
For a single ½ gram Tic Tac:
- Calories 2
- Total Fat 0 grams
- Saturated fat 0 grams
- Trans Fat 0 grams
- Cholesterol 0 grams
- Sodium 0 grams
- Total Carbohydrate 0 grams
- Dietary Fiber 0 grams
- Total Sugar 0 grams
- Added Sugar 0 grams
- Protein 0 grams
- Calcium 0 milligrams
- Iron 0 milligrams
- Vitamin A 0 micrograms
- Vitamin C 0 micrograms
How Many Net Carbs are there in Tic Tacs?
There are zero net carbs in Tic Tacs.
HOWEVER…
Are Tic Tacs Keto Friendly?
NO! Tic Tacs are not appropriate for keto. The label is misleading and will counteract any good efforts and strides made with an average keto practice. There’s actually more than 90% sugar.
The reason why this happens is because of the sleight of hand allowed via FDA rules for labeling nutritional value. They base the amount of sugar within the whole package and not just individual Tic Tacs and yet label it for a single piece. Tic Tacs are pure sugar and artificial dies.
For information, their ingredients include;
Sugar, Maltodextrins, Acid (Tartaric, Malic, Citric), Thickener (Gum Arabic), Rice Starch, Fructose, Flavourings, Anticaking Agent (Magnesium Salts Of Fatty Acids), Powdered Strawberry, Colour (Betanin), Powdered Lemon Juice, Glazing Agent (Carnauba Wax).
Many of these ingredients are not keto friendly.
What are the Best Keto Alternatives to Tic Tacs?
If you still want breath mint candy or to satisfy your need for sugar, there are some other options available. Consider the list below of true net zero carb mints and candies:
- Stevita Naturals Hard Candy: sweetened with stevia and isomalt, these hard candies come in cherry, orange, strawberry or grape. They’re addictive in a good way.
- Dr. John’s Peppermints: sugar-free and sweetened with erythritol and xylitol with coloring from veggie and fruit juices. There are two grams of carbs per four pieces of candy (about 18 grams).
- Xyloburst Mints: made from 100% xylitol and no additives or sweeteners. These are some of the most ideal mints for a keto-friendly diet. They’re also excellent for dental health and quenching sugar cravings.
- Sencha Green Tea Mints: Chock full of matcha green tea, these mints are a sugar free and are a great alternative to Tic Tacs. They aren’t strong yet take care of bad breath quickly.
Staying hydrated on the keto diet is really important, for more on how much water you should be drinking, check out our guide to staying hydrated on the keto diet.
If you’re planning on dehydrating yourself(!) and drinking alcohol on the keto diet, check out our ultimate guide to drinking alcohol on a keto diet. Also, you may be interested in, how to recover from a cheat day.
Summary: Are Tic Tacs Keto?
So, are tic tacs keto? No, tic tacs are not keto friendly, despite being very low in carbs, they are full of non keto ingredients, including sugars. But never fear, there are plenty of keto friendly tic tac alternatives out there, so you do not have to miss out on anything on the keto diet.
