Is Naturally hickory smoked bacon, hickory smoked Keto?

The Ingredient Breakdown

As a food scientist, I look beyond the marketing claims of "natural" to the chemistry of the cure. The ingredients list for this bacon reads like a standard industrial curing recipe, but one ingredient stands out for Keto dieters: sugar.

The presence of sugar is the primary reason this product flags as non-Keto. In bacon curing, sugar (often dextrose or sucrose) is used not just for sweetness, but to balance the harshness of the salt and to aid in the Maillard reaction during cooking, which creates that desirable brown crust and complex flavor. However, on a Keto diet, the goal is to minimize glucose intake to maintain a state of ketosis. Even though the amount per slice is small, strict Keto adherents avoid it.

Additionally, the presence of sodium phosphate and sodium erythorbate are standard curing accelerators. They help the sodium nitrite do its job of preserving the meat and preventing botulism. While these are chemically processed additives, they are generally considered low-carb and do not impact the Keto status of the food in the same way sugar does.

Nutritional Value

From a macronutrient perspective, this bacon is high in fat and protein, which aligns with Keto macros. However, the devil is in the details—specifically the carbohydrate count. Because of the added sugar, this product contributes to your daily net carb limit.

For a diet that typically restricts net carbs to under 20-25 grams per day, the trace sugars in this bacon add up, especially if you consume multiple servings. While it is low in calories relative to its volume, the inclusion of sugar makes it less optimal for weight loss compared to a zero-sugar alternative. If you are tracking macros strictly, you must account for the carbs from the sugar in this bacon.