Is Salami Considered Keto? (like Keto-friendly?)

When it comes to Keto-friendly, I wanted to go over the relevance of whether salami falls into that category.

Deli meats have changed the world for good, or for better even. They are able to turn a bland sandwich into the world’s greatest culinary masterpiece, they are the cornerstone of charcuterie board (antipasto or salumi boards). How exactly then does one of the best deli meats, salami, play into the ever-popular Keto diet?

Now since I make salami and also buy it, thought it would be good to differentiate a little about that humble chunk of meat.

Is salami considered Keto? Yes, salami is considered keto. Be sure to check the label and verify that your salami choice is one that is made with natural processing and meats. Salami generally consists of salt, spices, meat muscle, and fat.

Whether keto is something new or old for you, salami has been around for centuries (if not thousands of years) and is something many would consider a regular part of their individual food pyramid.

When dieting, no one wants to have to give up everything they love and if you are a lover of salami, a keto diet could be good news for you. 

Continue reading more to understand what exactly keto is, what the keto diet consists of, and how you can incorporate this beloved meat into your keto diet.

Where is Salami’s Place in Keto 

Remember how much fat exists within the keto diet? 

Welcome in salami. 

What is so great about salami, is that it is chock-full of good fats. If you find the right brand, you can overpass those greasier cuts with the occasional chewy bits of sinew and vacate to a world full of lean pieces of meat, pure fats, and textures that turn to butter as soon as they touch your tongue. 

Salami helps to balance those essential fats and proteins in a way that excludes large amounts of carbs, but simultaneously leaves you nothing but satisfied. 

Even more so, many of the higher quality brands of salami are made with natural ingredients that do not sound like a foreign language or need a google search to understand what they actually mean.

Whole spices are ground in them, high-quality meats are included, and the best parts of fat are incorporated in order to achieve rich flavor, but also ensure that the consumer is getting a product that is comforting rather than concerning when serving. 

What is Keto?

Many people are looking for a diet that is not only effective but sustainable. This combination seems to be something that is difficult to implement harmoniously, however, a keto or ketogenic diet seems to gloriously fuse the two. This low-carb, higher-fat diet is able to keep many of your favorite foods around without feeling as if the diet itself is a constant sacrifice. 

Even better, they say a keto diet is very effective in burning unwanted body fats in a way that does not leave you constantly hungry or cutting back too dramatically on healthy food intakes.

Although not completely excluding carbs, the limited intake of carbs helps to put your body into a state of ketosis, where fat from your body and diet are burned for energy rather than reserved and stored long-term. 

More technically, this diet encourages your body to produce fuel molecules called “ketones.” Ketones are an alternative fuel source for your body, produced when few carbs are eaten, and the liver kicks in to give you ketones from fat.

This helps your brain to switch its fuel supply to run, for the most part, on fat and therefore makes fat easier to burn.

A win-win!

What Does the Keto Diet Consist of? 

Now that you know the main gist of the keto diet, what you need to know is how exactly this diet is practically implemented. The keto diet consists of about 75% fat, 20% of protein, and about 5% of carbs or less per day. Although the numbers may seem starkly contrasted, there are hundreds of delicious food options out there to keep the pep in your daily meal prep. 

Clearly, the main objective is to focus on high-fat, low-carb foods. This includes things like eggs, lots of seafood options, low-carb vegetables, leafy greens, red meats and chicken, avocados, nuts and seeds, greek yogurt, and even cheese! 

Even better, you still get to cook with butter, but if coconut oil or olive oil are more your pace, use them to your heart’s desire. The biggest things to avoid are processed foods, sweets, grains, and high-carb fruits like melons as they contain a pretty large amount of unnecessary sugars. 

Once you start to understand the purpose of the keto diet, you will begin to see that your options are pretty wide open as far as food goes.

Cooking with these fresh products will allow you to open doors to culinary exploration as well as revealing how possible this diet is when eating out, mingling at parties, and even with your nightly cocktail.

Keto-Friendly Items to Pair with your Salami

At times, salami can seem rather one dimensional. You eat it plain, you set it out to complement other foods, or before your keto adventure you would place it in between two thick pieces of sourdough bread. However, this deli meat can be mastered into a near art if you simply think outside the box and get a bit creative. 

Salami is an incredible addition to a beautiful cheese board (you can eat cheese, remember!). Get some rich flavors of cheese, nutty brands, or smooth and sweet options to layer with salami and you have hit a home run for either yourself or the guests you are trying to impress. 

Other options include things like baked salami and cheese chips, mouth-watering Italian roll-ups with mozzarella, tomatoes, and olives, and you can even make yourself some mini salami pizzas with the salami substituted as your crust. 

The possibilities are absolutely endless for this deli treat and you can enjoy yourself as you get your body back to where you want it.

Luckily for you, salami falls under the keto-friendly guide. 

What Deli Meats can you eat on Keto?

For the keto connoisseur, the deli counter can be your best friend. Slews of salamis line those beautiful counter windows, beautiful cuts of beef complement thick cuts of pork, and juicy poultry beacons your name as you cruise through your dinner’s possibilities. However, what are the different deli meats that you should look for and the ones that you should avoid outside of salami? 

This truly is not a difficult task, finding low carb meats is pretty cut and dry in reality. You want to look for high-fat cuts of meats whether that be pork, beef, or poultry. Also be sure to look for meats that are naturally processed, non-GMO, and free from any sort of artificial preservatives or other wonky additives. 

A good thing to remember when implementing the keto diet is that the more natural an item is, the better. You want to fill your body with things that positively put into it rather than take away. Therefore, meats that contain such things as GMOs and artificial preservatives are unnecessary and can take your body out of a state of ketosis. 

If you are in the mood to combine your love of deli meats with only a few carbs, there are so many options out there that allow you to get your bread fix without sacrificing unnecessary carbs. Different options include products made with almond flour, coconut flour, and other types of nut and seed meals that give healthy fats when you want to stack your salami with other delicious deli meats. 

What is so great is that many of these items are readily available for you right on the store shelves. If you are feeling a bit riskier though, there are countless recipes available online that give you a chance to prove your baking skills right at home.