Are Tums Keto Friendly? Unfortunately, no. Tums are not keto friendly due to them containing sugars which are high on the glycemic index and are likely to spike your blood sugar. Never fear though, we have rounded up some of our favorite keto friendly antacid alternatives for you to try.
What are Tums?
According to the official tums website, tums are an antacid used to relieve heartburn and upset stomachs. The active ingredient is calcium carbonate.
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 tums?
There are a large variety of tums products to choose from. They have sugar-free, smoothies, naturals, extra strength, and chewy bites. Here’s what we found for the regular tums assorted fruit extra strength 750:
| Nutritional Facts | Tums Assorted Fruit Extra Strength 750 |
| Calories | 10 |
| Carbs | 0 |
| Protein | 0 |
| Fat | 0 |
| Fiber | 0 |
| Sugar | 2 g |
How many net carbs are there in tums?
On a keto diet, it’s important to track your net carbs, and in order to do that, you’re going to need to use the following formula:
- Net Carbs (n) = Carbs (c) – Fiber (f)
- Net Carbs (n) = Carbs (0) – Fiber (0)
- (n) = 0 – 0
- n = 0
There are zero net carbs in the regular tums assorted fruit extra strength 750.
Are tums keto friendly?
So now we know that Tums contain zero carbs, let’s look at answering the question, are Tums keto friendly?
The regular tums assorted fruit extra strength 750 chewable tablets are keto friendly. They contain 0 net carbs, 0 carbs, and 0 fiber. However, cellulose, dextrose, flavor, maltodextrin, mineral oil, polyethylene glycol, talc are all ingredients.
Neither dextrose nor maltodextrin are keto friendly. They are both high on the glycemic index, meaning they will spike your blood glucose levels, in doing so, you will run the risk of knocking your body out of ketosis.
Are there varieties of tums?
Tums sells a wide variety of products;
- sugar-free
- regular strength 500
- extra strength 750
- ultra-strength 1000
- chewable tablets, chewy bites, or chewy delights
- mint or fruit-flavored
- gas relief
- cooling sensation
- smoothies
At this time, they all contain ingredients that are not keto friendly, hopefully, over time this will change.
What are the health benefits of tums?
Tums can be used to relieve heartburn, indigestion, and gas. They help to reduce stomach acid, which can help with these symptoms.
The active ingredient in Tums, calcium carbonate, also makes tums a great calcium supplement to those who may need it.
Are there better keto alternatives to tums?
Upon close inspection, tums have a higher sugar content than some of the alternatives. You can check out esomeprazole, Alka-seltzer, Pepcid, Zegerid, Rolaids, and/or omeprazole if you’re interested in finding a product better suited for you.
If you’re looking for a more natural alternative to tums, you’ll be please to know that you can dissolve one teaspoon of baking soda into an 8-ounce glass of water to help alleviate heartburn. It has zero carbs, and zero net carbs.
Other keto friendly alternatives to tums include aloe vera juice, charcoal capsules or famotidine, why not give them a go and see which one suits you?
Charcoal Capsules
Aloe Vera Leaf Juice
Famotidine Tablets 20 mg
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 Tums Keto Friendly?
Unfortunately, no, Tums are not keto friendly, they contain non-keto friendly sugars. However, if antacids are what you need, we’ve rounded up some keto friendly alternatives that you may want to try. As always, with anything medical-related, please consult your Dr if you have any concerns.
