Is Naturals Keto?

The Ingredient Breakdown

As a food scientist, I always look past the marketing on the front of the bottle and go straight to the ingredient list on the back. For a product like Naturals, the formulation is designed for delivery and stability, but not necessarily for a low-carb diet. Let's analyze the key components.

The first ingredient of concern is dextrose. Dextrose is a sugar derived from starch, usually corn, and is chemically identical to glucose. In supplements, it is often used as a filler or a flow agent to make manufacturing easier. However, on a keto diet, the goal is to minimize glucose intake to keep insulin levels low and maintain ketosis. Consuming dextrose, even in small amounts, acts like a direct injection of sugar into your bloodstream, which is counterproductive to the goals of the keto diet.

Next, we have calcium carbonate and elemental calcium. These are standard forms of calcium used in supplements. They are generally considered keto-neutral as they do not contain carbohydrates or calories. However, they can sometimes cause digestive upset in sensitive individuals, though that is a separate issue from ketosis.

Finally, ingredients like gum arabic and calcium stearate are used as binding agents and lubricants. These are processing aids and typically appear in such small quantities that they don't contribute to the carbohydrate count. The primary culprit remains the intentional addition of dextrose.

Nutritional Value

When evaluating a product for the ketogenic diet, the 'Total Carbohydrates' and 'Sugars' lines on the Nutrition Facts panel are the most critical metrics. While we don't have a specific label for 'Naturals' in front of us, the presence of dextrose in the ingredients list is a major red flag. Dextrose is a pure sugar, meaning it contributes 100% of its weight to the 'Sugars' total.

A typical keto diet limits daily carbohydrate intake to between 20 and 50 grams. Even a small amount of a sugar-filled filler can eat up a significant percentage of that allowance. For example, just one gram of dextrose adds one gram of sugar to your daily total. If the serving size of Naturals contains several grams of dextrose, it could easily push you over your carb limit for the day. Therefore, despite any potential benefits of the calcium, the nutritional profile is not compatible with a ketogenic lifestyle.