Is Ahold lemon juice Keto?

The Ingredient Breakdown

When analyzing a product for the ketogenic diet, we look strictly at the macronutrient profile—specifically carbohydrates and hidden sugars. Ahold lemon juice lists a simple set of ingredients: filtered water, lemon juice concentrate, sodium bisulfite, sodium benzoate, and lemon oil.

The core ingredient is lemon juice concentrate. This is simply lemon juice that has had most of its water content removed to make it easier to transport and bottle. When you reconstitute it (which the manufacturer has essentially done for you by adding water), you get the taste of lemon juice without the heavy carb load found in whole fruits. Crucially, there are no added sugars like high fructose corn syrup or cane sugar, which are the primary enemies of ketosis.

The preservatives used here, sodium bisulfite and sodium benzoate, are common in bottled juices to prevent spoilage and oxidation. They do not contain carbohydrates and have no impact on your blood sugar levels. Finally, lemon oil is added to boost the aroma and flavor, which often gets lost during the concentration process. This is a standard practice in the food industry and is completely keto-safe.

Nutritional Value

From a nutritional standpoint, Ahold lemon juice is a 'free' food on the keto diet. A standard serving size (usually one tablespoon) contains negligible amounts of everything. You are looking at roughly 2 to 3 calories per serving.

Most importantly, the carbohydrate count is 0g and the sugar content is 0g. This fits perfectly within the strict keto limit of 20-50 grams of net carbs per day. Unlike eating a whole lemon, where you might ingest a small amount of natural fruit sugar (fructose), this bottled version is filtered to remove the solids and sugars, leaving you with just the acidic, flavorful liquid. It is an excellent way to add flavor to your water or keto cocktails without breaking your fast or kicking you out of ketosis.