Is Peanut Oil Keto? Decoding the Ketogenic Suitability of Peanut Oil

Peanut oil is made from the ground-up seeds of the peanut plant. These seeds are crushed, processed, and refined to extract peanut oil from them. It is a cheap cooking oil option with a high smoke point, making it ideal for frying and high-heat cooking.

It is known for its nutty flavor and ability to make food crispy. But that doesn’t mean it is necessarily a good cooking oil choice for a ketogenic diet or lifestyle. 

Is Peanut Oil Keto?

Peanut oil is high in fats and low in carbs. This makes it look like the perfect option for a keto diet. But the reality is different. 

Since peanut oil is a highly refined oil, it has a lot of health drawbacks. Some common ones are:

• Due to the refining process, peanut oil is extracted with high heat and chemicals. This makes it highly prone to oxidation, which can cause inflammation in your body.
• Despite being low carb, it has the ability to increase your cholesterol levels and negatively impact your heart health. 
•  It is also rich in polyunsaturated fats, which increase the tendency of obesity.

Benefits of Using Peanut Oil in a Keto Diet

I’d recommend avoiding the consumption of peanut oil if you’re on a keto diet. Peanut oil does have nutritional benefits, but those benefits come with their fair share of disadvantages and health risks. 

If you still wish to use peanut oil, then do so in moderation or use one of the alternatives mentioned below:

• Olive Oil. It is an excellent cooking oil for organic, cold-pressed, or extra virgin olive oil. It has zero carbs and is high in healthy fats, making it the healthiest cooking oil. It is also the best to help keep your net carb intake within the suggested limit of a keto diet.
• Butter. Even though it isn’t technically an oil, you can use it like oil for cooking food. It adds a rich flavor to food, especially if you’re slow-cooking something on low heat. But make sure you don’t use it for high-heat cooking since it has a low smoke point and tends to brown easily. 
• Coconut Oil. It is a good plant-based option to use for cooking as well as baking. It consists of medium-chain triglycerides that are known for boosting digestion and promoting ketosis. But coconut oil has a low smoke point, so you should avoid using it for deep frying. 
• Avocado Oil. Extracted from avocados is an excellent option if it is cold-pressed, extra virgin, organic, or expeller-pressed. It has no carbs, and it is high in fats. The only challenge is that avocado oil is on the expensive side of the spectrum but, nevertheless, a fantastic option if it fits your budget.     

Conclusion

Peanut oil is low-carb with high-fat content. But that doesn’t make it a good option for a keto diet. It is essential that you get your fats from a healthy and clean source while you keep your body in ketosis. You can choose from many healthy vegetable oil options like coconut oil, olive oil, or avocado oil.