Is Jackfruit Keto Friendly?

I was quite surprised by the immense popularity of this tropical fruit- jackfruit. Not only can you enjoy it as a dessert, but it also works as a meat alternative for veg lovers.

People can enjoy jackfruit both in green and yellow textures. After the eating portion is complete, the seeds are used to cook other recipes and for future plantations of jackfruit trees.

One other question came into my mind the other day, “is jackfruit keto friendly?” Though I have heard that jackfruit is a fruit with high carbohydrate content, being keto friendly must contain other requirements.

Therefore, I begin to conduct research about this sweet mouth-watering fruit and have written this article so that you can get some knowledge most efficiently. Enjoy!

is jackfruit keto friendly

Facts About Jackfruit

Jackfruit is commonly known as the native fruit in the northern region of India, Southeast Asia, and South America. As the fruit grows, it becomes capable of eating at an early stage.

Jackfruit is among many fruits you can enjoy, both ripe and unripe. For vegetarians, jackfruit is considered a heavenly replacement for meat. The meat of this fruit is generally porous and tastes excellent with curries and spices.

Jackfruit is also known as the national fruit in Bangladesh, and most people of this country enjoy this after forming the sweet ripe yellow color. If you want a short suggestion about jackfruit being keto friendly, the yellow version of this fruit contains high carbohydrates.

Followed by that, it is well-known that unripe jackfruit contains low carbohydrates and calories, and that is why people who follow a low carbohydrate diet tend to include unripe jackfruit in their diet.

Still, there are certainly more things to consider before answering the question, “is jackfruit keto friendly?” Stay with me to know more details about it. But for now, let us dig into the health benefits and drawbacks of eating jackfruit in the keto diet.

Benefits Of Eating Jackfruit On The Keto Diet

Whether jackfruit is keto friendly or not, it does come with many health benefits for which people should at least eat jackfruit during its season. Here are some prime health benefits that you will get from eating jackfruit.

benefits of eating jackfruit on the keto diet

Great Alternative For Meat

When the jackfruit is unripe and green in color, it has a similar texture and tastes somewhat like chicken. You can say that it is a suitable replacement for meat lovers trying to be vegetarian.

In most parts of India, they use jackfruit instead of chicken in sandwiches, subs, and burgers for the vegetarians. It also contains a high amount of vitamin C and antioxidants that help improve the body’s immune system. A sufficient amount of vitamin C also prevents diseases like heart attack and cancer.

As for antioxidants, they can protect the immune cells in the body from harmful free radicals and also helps to balance inflammation inside the stomach.

Stables Blood Pressure

Electrolyte ions maintain our body’s blood pressure and help the body stay hydrated while being on a heavy exercise. Eating jackfruit will give you enough amount of potassium and sodium ion.

If the amount of potassium is maintained in the body, it also results in sodium-ion formation in the body. This combination of ions maintains constant blood circulation throughout the body, keeping continuous blood pressure and reducing the chance of sudden heart attack.

Suppose the balance of potassium and sodium is shifted to the other side. In that case, the damage might destroy arteries in the heart and weaken the muscles at various portions of the body.

Maintains A Stable Digestive System

Jackfruit is an excellent source of fiber, both soluble and insoluble. For the people on the keto diet, it is important to be health cautious about consuming a significant amount of fiber every day.

Soluble fiber is dissolved inside the body, where it acts as a source for aerobic respiration to generate sufficient energy for metabolism. On the other hand, insoluble fiber does not add any carbohydrate content but creates bulk to your stool, giving you healthy bowel movements.

Either way, both types of fiber are helping you to establish an excellent digestive system for the body.

Controls Blood Sugar Level

Other fruits contain the bulk amount of carbohydrate intake, which generally gives a spike in the blood sugar level in the body. Fortunately, jackfruit is considered a fruit that contains both carbohydrates and fiber.

Carbohydrate increases the sugar content, whereas dietary fiber decreases it, thus maintaining the blood sugar level in the body. Also, jackfruit contains a huge amount of protein, contributing to lowering the blood sugar level.

Side Effects Of Eating Jackfruit On The Keto Diet

Not every fruit is utterly perfect for eating, and all come with certain advantages and disadvantages. All you need to measure is the proportion and choose whether to eat it in the keto diet or not.

Some of the side effects of eating jackfruit on the keto diet are as follows:

Increased Ratio Of Carbohydrates Compared To The Dietary Fiber

As it has been already mentioned that jackfruit contains both amounts of carbohydrates and dietary fiber, the amount of carbohydrates is relatively high than fiber.

Though they have their individual advantages, the resultant impact rises toward carbohydrate level, making it less suitable for the keto diet. And, for people who are situated on a high carbohydrate diet to gain weight, eating jackfruit on a regular basis might be a good choice to do that.

Symptoms Of Allergies

Jackfruit does contain some allergic reactions people should be aware of. Since it is a native fruit of Brazil, people who have birch pollen allergies should stay away from jackfruits.

Some common birch pollen allergy symptoms are excess sweating, sneezing, nose rash, and headache. Though it is rare, one serious symptom is the breathing trouble most people encounter. If you have any symptoms resulting from jackfruit, I recommend you consult with a doctor as soon as possible.

Causes Anticoagulation

Anticoagulation is a chronic blood disease, and people who have even mild blood disease symptoms should immediately avoid jackfruit. The doctor also recommends eating jackfruit in a controlled amount because overeating jackfruit also results in anticoagulation.

Impacts Negatively On Medication

People who visit the hospital regularly and are on daily prescriptions should avoid jackfruit. It is known to be the prime disadvantage of jackfruit is that it interacts negatively with your daily medications.

If a patient has survived recent surgery, eating jackfruit results in frequent drowsiness, which might lead to a slow metabolic rate in the body. In time, the person will get weak and might cause sudden death.

For those who cannot live without taking a bite of jackfruit, I’ll suggest feeding them jackfruit after 2-3 weeks of the medical operation so that the body can reach a stable state to handle all the extra carbohydrates.

Can We Consider Jackfruit As A Keto Friendly Fruit?

can we consider jackfruit as a keto friendly fruit

Now, up to this point of the article, I am sure you have got the answer to the question, “is jackfruit keto friendly?” Still, let me provide you with a more elaborate explanation. The table below will show all the nutritional components present in 165 grams of jackfruit:

SubstanceRipe JackfruitUnripe Jackfruit
Calories157 calories45 calories
Total carbohydrates38 grams10 grams
Fiber2.5 grams7 grams
Sugar31 grams0 gram
Sodium3.3 milligrams300 grams
Protein2.8 grams0 gram
Potassium21%21%
Magnesium12%1%
Calcium4%4%
Iron2%4%
Copper15%12%
Vitamin A10%0%
Vitamin C37%0%
Vitamin B625%9%
Riboflavin11%10%

What is the keto diet? The main aim of the keto diet is to lower the amount of carbohydrate intake in the body while supplying the necessary energy from sufficient protein and fat.

There is a term when it comes to a keto diet, ketosis! As you lower the carbohydrate intake in the body, your body needs sufficient energy to carry out the metabolic reactions. Your body will start to collect all the stored fat and protein from the body, making them the natural sources of respiration.

These stored fat and protein take part in aerobic respiration, thus producing energy and decreasing body weight. This whole process is known as ketosis, and it is the prime functioning time of the keto diet.

The keto diet states that the body’s marginal level of carbohydrate intake should be 20-50 grams minimum. If this value is surpassed, a strict keto diet is not maintained, and you will not notice fast bodyweight loss.

If you look at the above table, you will find the amount of carbohydrate in 165 grams of ripe jackfruit is 38 grams. Adding all the sugar content, the net carbohydrate rises to 69 grams. Therefore, what is your decision? Ripe jackfruit is not keto friendly at all.

On the other hand, in the same amount of unripe jackfruit, the sugar content is 0 grams and contains 10 grams of carbohydrates. Therefore, the net carbohydrate amount adds up to 10 grams only, which falls in between the range of marginal value for the keto diet requirements.

Hence, we can conclude that unripe jackfruit is definitely keto friendly, and I’ll suggest you include it immediately on your keto diet.

Suitable Keto Diet Substitutes For Jackfruit

suitable keto diet substitutes for jackfruit

The level of desire for jackfruit might not be the same for everyone. For those who do not like jackfruit and find it extremely disturbing to eat, here are some suitable keto diet substitutes for jackfruit.

  • Pulled Pork
  • Pulled Chicken
  • Tofu
  • Avocado

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can we eat jackfruit for weight loss benefits?

The keto diet is a suitable diet for weight loss. The prime requirement of the keto diet is to intake fewer amounts of carbohydrates. Ripe jackfruit contains an intense amount of carbohydrates, inversely triggering weight gain.

Whereas unripe jackfruit contains low carbohydrate intake, it is also suitable for the keto diet. If you want to eat jackfruit for losing weight, I’ll suggest you go for the unripe jackfruits.

2. Does jackfruit contain high content of sugar?

Yes! Fresh ripe jackfruit contains high sugar and carbohydrate content, and doctors suggest not to include fresh jackfruit for diabetes patients. But unripe green jackfruits contain low sugar, and that is why it is a suitable meat alternative for vegans and keto friendly fruit for keto dieters.

3. Can we consider jackfruit suitable for diabetes patients?

Suppose you want to give jackfruit to a diabetes patient. In that case, I’ll suggest feeding them raw green jackfruit because it contains zero sugar and fewer carbohydrates, which is suitable for maintaining the patient’s blood glucose level.

4. Does jackfruit improve the quality of the skin?

Jackfruit is a good source of vitamin C and antioxidants that help repair DNA, which prevents the aging of the skin, hence improving the quality.

5. What are the advantages of eating jackfruit?

Jackfruit comes with a good source of vitamin C, dietary fiber, and other helpful nutrients for the body. Furthermore, research reveals that substances found in the jackfruit plant’s meat, seeds, and different sections may have the ability to treat or prevent a variety of diseases.

6. What is the seasonal time to eat jackfruit?

The most perfect time to eat jackfruit is during the summer season. Jackfruit is a fruit that tastes delicious, even ripe or unripe. It is better for people on a low carbohydrate diet to eat unripe jackfruits.

7. Why is it forbidden to drink water after eating jackfruit?

Ripe jackfruits contain a high amount of sugar, and it is also acidic in nature. Drinking water just after eating jackfruit might decrease the pH level of the stomach, which might create an unwanted exothermic reaction inside the body.

8. Does jackfruit increase sperm count?

Yes! The doctor even suggests eating jackfruit for those who have low mobility of sperm. The research shows that jackfruit helps increase sperm fertility in infertile men.

Final Thoughts

Is jackfruit keto friendly? Well, the answer is in two parts- yes and no! If you seek to eat unripe jackfruit, they have low carbohydrate content; hence it is keto friendly.

But ripe jackfruit contains enormous carbohydrates, and it is not suitable for the keto diet. But, considering both ripe and unripe versions, they are all tasty and healthy to eat.

There are other substitutes for jackfruit suitable for the keto diet, and I have also mentioned some for you to choose from. Have fun with your keto diet, and please mention this article to other keto dieters who lack this knowledge.

Hey there. I am a registered doctor and founder of this site. The main goal of this site is to help individuals with good food habits, diet, and nutrition. In my spare time, I enjoy cooking, exploring different food recipes and diets.

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