Is Crawfish Keto? Yes, it is! Not only is it delicious and versatile, but it is also low in carbs (zero carbs), making it perfect for a keto diet. The only downside to crawfish is that it is very low in fat, meaning that you will need to add healthy keto friendly fats to the dish in order to meet your daily macros. Is that really a downside?!
What is Crawfish?
Crawfish is a keto-friendly crustacean found in freshwaters like streams, rivers, and lakes. These crustaceans look like miniature lobsters and taste like shrimp.
The most popular way of preparing crawfish is by boiling them. As a highly popular dish in the United States, many people cook these crustaceans during celebrations in sharable dishes, like gumbo or etouffee.
So, is crawfish keto? Both these dishes can be prepared as keto dishes if you use select keto-approved ingredients inside of them. Crawfish is a great staple for the keto diet.
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 Crawfish?
Crawfish is a nutritional crustacean that is an excellent source of vitamins, including zinc, iron, and calcium.
This healthy and delicious meat source is perfect for people on a keto diet because of its daily fat serving.
The average nutrition value of one serving of three-ounce crawfish is:
- Calories: 70
- Carbs: 0 grams
- Fat: 0.95 grams
- Fiber: 0 grams
- Sugar: 0 grams
- Protein: 14 grams
How Many Net Carbs are there in Crawfish?
Calculate the net carbs in crawfish by deducting fiber from total carbs.
There are zero grams of fiber in crawfish and zero grams of carbs. Given the formula above (fiber – carbs = net carbs), that means there are zero grams of net carbs in crawfish.
Crawfish are great for eating according to the traditional keto diet.
The crustacean is below the twenty-gram carb limit. They are zero net carbs and therefore a perfect snack or meal on the keto diet.
Is Crawfish Keto Friendly?
Crawfish is the perfect keto-friendly snack or meal. There are no carbs in crawfish, and it is full of healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals.
It is also relatively low in fat, which isn’t ideal for a keto diet, however, what this does mean is that crawfish can be eaten with butter and other keto-approved fats.
Are There Different Varieties of Crawfish That Are Not Keto?
All types of crawfish are keto. There are several crawfish species: Cambaridae, Astacidae, and Parastacidae.
No matter the species, all crawfish are keto. All crawfish have the same health benefits and general nutrition information without carbs or bad fats.
What are the Health Benefits of Crawfish?
There are many health benefits to eating crawfish. The delicious crustacean is full of vitamins and minerals, like calcium, Vitamin A, and iron. Crawfish can provide at least 30% of your daily B-12 intake and promotes cardiovascular health.
There are absolutely no carbs in crawfish, so they will not disturb your dietary progress. But this delicious white fish will make you feel like you just ate a five-course meal.
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: Is Crawfish Keto?
So, is crawfish keto? Yes, it is! Crawfish has no net carbs making and is a versatile ingredient, making it perfect for anybody eating a keto diet.
