Ketogenic diets typically don’t combine well with legumes. Find out whether mung beans are a keto-friendly exception or not.
Boiled mung beans contain around 10.7 grams of net carbs (total carbohydrates minus fiber) per 100 grams.
Since this will be enough to kick you out of ketosis in many situations, it is fair to say that mung beans are generally not that keto-friendly.
At the same time, it is worth noting that you could likely eat small amounts of mung beans while staying in ketosis.
Whether you want to use this many of your daily carbs on this depends on details like personal preferences.
That aside, there are also legumes that are somewhat lower in carbs too. You could choose these over mung beans to make your life easier.
Are mung beans high in carbs?
How high mung beans are in carbs will play a big role in whether or not they are keto-friendly in your personal situation and what amounts will kick you out of ketosis.
100 grams of boiled mung beans contain the following amounts of carbs (1):
- Total carbs: 17.8 grams
- Of which fiber: 7.1 grams
- Net carbs: 10.7 grams
In combination with reasonable amounts of food, the 10.7 grams of net carbohydrates in 100 grams of boiled mung beans is often enough to kick you out of ketosis.
This means you can say mung beans are typically not keto-friendly.
One cup of mung beans is about 185 grams and contains the following amounts of carbs:
- Total carbs: 32.9 grams
- Of which fiber: 13.1 grams
- Net carbs: 19.8 grams
Eating more mung means will also mean you consume more carbohydrates. In turn, this would make it even harder to fit mung beans into your ketogenic diet.
However, you can also change your portions the other way. The smaller the amounts of mung beans you eat, the more likely it becomes you will stay in ketosis.
Other nutrition information about mung beans
Ketogenic diets focus a lot on carbohydrates and these definitely are still important.
At the same time, it is worth mentioning that other nutrients still matter in many ways too.
Sometimes it is worth implementing small amounts of high-carb foods on keto if they are valuable in terms of other nutrients.
100 grams of boiled mung beans contain the following nutrients (1):
- Calories: 156
- Protein: 6.5 grams
- Carbs: 17.8 grams
- Part of the carbs that is fiber: 7.1 grams
- Fat: 6.9 grams
- Folate: 35% of the DV (Daily Value)
- Magnesium: 11% of the DV
- Thiamin: 10% of the DV
- Phosphorus: 9% of the DV
- Iron: 7% of the DV
And some other vitamins and minerals in other amounts.
The amounts of nutrients in mung beans are nice but there are definitely more nutritious foods too. Many of these are even lower in carbs too.
In simpler words, if you only consider nutrients and not any taste preferences, it is likely not worth implementing mung beans on keto.
Are mung beans protein or carb?
The number of calories in mung beans from carbs is higher than the number of calories from protein.
Additionally, the boiled mung beans example contains more grams of fats than grams of protein.
In turn, it is fair to say that mung beans mostly count as a carb and not really as a protein.
Why mung beans are generally not keto-friendly
It is worth mentioning that you could actually likely eat small amounts of mung beans while staying in ketosis.
To understand why this is and why it is generally not a great idea, it can be helpful to quickly recap the keto basics.
Ketogenic diets are ways of eating where you stay in ketosis. This is a state where you use fat as your main fuel source (2)
Getting into ketosis requires you to keep your carbohydrate intake below a certain level. Where this level is can vary from person to person due to differences in details like body weight.
So while you have to know that reality can be different, there are still general keto guidelines. These may not be perfect but help you understand why mung beans are generally not keto-friendly.
A typical keto guideline is consuming 55%-60% of your calories in fat, 30%-35% in protein, and 5%-10% in carbohydrates.
After applying these percentages to your diet, you will likely estimate that you can eat more or less 20 to 50 grams of carbohydrates a day on keto.
Something important to note is that the fiber in mung beans and other foods is generally not included in these amounts.
Fiber is a category of carbs but they don’t raise your blood sugar the same way other carbs do.
Are mung bean sprouts keto-friendly
It is also possible to cook and eat the sprouts of mung beans. These will have different nutrient ratios which influences how keto-friendly they are.
100 grams of cooked mung bean sprouts contain the following amounts of carbs (3):
- Total carbs: 10.6 grams
- Of which fiber: 1.9 grams
- Net carbs: 8.7 grams
As you can see, mung bean sprouts are slightly lower in carbs than regular boiled mung beans.
That being said, mung bean sprouts are typically still not that keto-friendly.
Are mung bean noodles keto?
Another popular way to consume mung beans is by using their starch to make mung bean noodles which are also known as glass noodles.
100 grams of one mung bean noodle example contains the following amounts of carbs (4):
- Total carbs: 20.7 grams
- Of which fiber: 0.1 grams
- Net carbs: 20.6 grams
As you can see, glass noodles are not keto-friendly. They almost contain double the amount of net carbs as regular mung beans.
Substitutes for mung beans on keto
It is possible that you are interested in the legume aspect of mung beans. Not necessarily their somewhat unique taste.
In that case, there are a few legumes that are lower in carbs that could make your keto life a bit easier.
The numbers next to these mung bean substitutes are the amounts of net carbohydrates in 100 grams (5, 6, 7, 8):
- Soybeans: 3.9 grams of net carbs
- Lupins: 7.1 grams of net carbs
- Peanuts: 7.6 grams of net carbs
- Green peas: 8.6 grams of net carbs
After going over the keto basics above, it should be clear that even most of these mung bean substitutes are still not that keto-friendly.
If you do decide to eat these on keto, you want to keep your portions small and potentially make changes in the other foods you eat to compensate for the high amount of carbs.
Why do you want to eat mung beans on keto?
At this point, you likely understand that it might be hard to fit mung beans into a keto-friendly diet. Even if you keep your portions small.
In some cases, getting kicked out of ketosis can be a big issue. In others, not so much.
For example, there are people who need/want to stay in strict ketosis every minute of the day. If you are in this category, you likely don’t want to eat any mung beans.
On the flip side, mung beans can be good for weight loss and health even if they raise your carb intake to a level where you get out of ketosis.
It is worth keeping in mind that ketogenic diets are often not the only way to lose weight and get healthier.
Related posts:
FAQ
Do mung beans have carbs?
Yes, mung beans have carbs. More specifically, 100 grams of mung beans contain around 17.8 grams of carbs (including 7.1 grams of fiber).
Are mung beans good for low-carb diets?
Mung beans contain around 10.7 grams of net carbohydrates per 100 grams. This makes it so mung beans are not that good for low-carb diets.
