SPAM is a meat product, sold by the Hormel Foods Company. Made from pork with ham meat, salt, water, potato starch, sugar, and sodium nitrate, the process of making SPAM is actually quite simple. The pork and ham meat are added to and mixed with the other ingredients for 20 minutes. When it reaches the appropriate temperature, the mixture is put into the famously oval-shaped cans, vacuum-sealed, and then cooked and cooled for three hours. The sodium nitrate is what is added to keep the quality of the meat high. Convenient as it may be, is spam keto-friendly?
Spam is only acceptable on “dirty keto”. A keto diet drastically reduces carbs and increases fats, so your body can burn fat for energy instead of carbs. SPAM is a high-fat, low-carb meat product, which makes it keto-friendly. However, it contains unhealthy ingredients like sugar, sodium nitrate, and modified food starches. The best keto alternative is Keystone Canned Beef.
Ready to learn more about the nutritional value of SPAM and some healthier alternatives? Let’s dig in!
Contents
The history of SPAM
The SPAM canned lunch meat product was first introduced in 1937. As the country was still recovering from the Great Depression, there was an increased need for low-cost meat products. When the country joined the fight during World War II, SPAM became a staple food for the military due to its ability to be stored for a long period of time.
I remember my grandmother making me and my sister a dish called S.O.S, or Slop on a Shingle. It was a dish her father, a WWII veteran, introduced their family to. It was SPAM mixed with homemade gravy and put on top of biscuits. It’s not something I would choose to eat today, but I remember it fondly from my childhood days with grandma.
Who knew there were so many SPAM flavors?
SPAM has become quite good at adapting its flavors over the years to include a wide variety of tastes. Let’s take a look at these varieties, their ingredients and nutritional content. We’ll talk more about what makes SPAM keto, answer the question if SPAM is a healthy food, and offer alternatives to the SPAM canned meat product.
SPAM Classic
Ingredients:
- Pork with Ham
- Salt
- Water
- Modified Potato Starch
- Sugar
- Sodium Nitrite
Nutritional Information:
In a 2oz serving of SPAM, there is:
- Calories: 180
- Total Fat: 16 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 40 g
- Sodium: 790 g
- Carbs: 1 g
- Protein: 7 g
- Potassium: 2% RDA
- Iron: 3% RDA
SPAM also has small amounts of vitamin C, magnesium, folate and calcium.
SPAM with Real Hormel Bacon
Ingredients:
- Real HORMEL Bacon Ingredients
- Pork with Ham
- Bacon (Cured with Water, Salt, Sugar, Dextrose, Sodium Nitrite)
- Rendered Bacon Fat
- Water
- Modified Potato Starch
- Salt
- Sugar
- Sodium Nitrate
- Sodium Erythorbate
Nutritional Information:
- Calories: 180
- Total Fat: 16 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 40 g
- Sodium: 520 g
- Carbs: 1 g
- Protein: 7 g
- Iron: 2% RDA
SPAM Oven Roasted Turkey
Ingredients:
- 100% White
- Lean Turkey: White Turkey
- Turkey Broth
- Salt
- Modified Potato Starch
- Sugar
- Dextrose
- Sodium Nitrite
Nutritional Information:
- Calories: 80
- Total Fat: 4.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.5 g
- Cholesterol: 35 g
- Sodium: 520 g
- Carbs: 1 g
- Protein: 9 g
- Iron: 2% RDA
SPAM Hickory Smoke
Ingredients:
- Pork with Ham
- Mechanically Separated Chicken
- Water
- Salt
- Modified Potato Starch
- Sugar
- Hickory Smoke Flavoring
- Sodium Nitrite
Nutritional Information:
- Calories: 80
- Total Fat: 16 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 40 g
- Sodium: 640 g
- Carbs: 1 g
- Protein: 7 g
- Iron: 2% RDA
SPAM Hot & Spicy
Ingredients:
- Flavored with TABASCO® Brand Pepper Sauce
- Pork with Ham
- Mechanically Separated Chicken
- Water
- Salt
- Modified Potato Starch
- Sugar
- Sodium Phosphates
- Potassium Chloride
- TABASCO® Brand Dry Red Flavoring (Red Pepper, Distilled Vinegar, Salt)
- Sodium Ascorbate
- Oleoresin of Paprika
- Sodium Nitrite
Nutritional Information:
- Calories: 160
- Total Fat: 14 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 40 g
- Sodium: 600 g
- Carbs: 2 g
- Protein: 7 g
- Iron: 2% RDA
- Vitamin C: 15% RDA
SPAM Jalapeno
Ingredients:
- Pork with Ham
- Jalapeno Peppers (Contains Vinegar, Salt)
- Water
- Salt
- Modified Potato Starch
- Sugar
- Sodium Nitrite
Nutritional Information:
- Calories: 160
- Total Fat: 14 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 35 g
- Sodium: 650 g
- Carbs: 2 g
- Protein: 7 g
- Iron: 2% RDA
- Potassium: 2% RDA
SPAM Teriyaki
Ingredients:
- Pork with Ham
- Mechanically Separated Chicken
- Sugar
- Water
- Soy Sauce Powder (Soy Sauce [Soybeans, Wheat], Maltodextrin, Salt)
- Modified Potato Starch
- Salt
- Flavoring
- Sodium Phosphates
- Potassium Chloride
- Soybean Oil
- Oleoresin of Paprika
- Sodium Nitrite
Nutritional Information:
- Calories: 160
- Total Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 40 g
- Sodium: 670 g
- Carbs: 5 g
- Protein: 7 g
- Iron: 2% RDA
- Potassium: 2% RDA
SPAM with Portuguese Sausage Seasoning
Ingredients:
- Pork
- Mechanically Separated Chicken
- Water
- Salt
- Modified Potato Starch
- Sugar
- Flavoring
- Sodium Phosphates
- Spices
- Paprika
- Sodium Diacetate
- Palm Oil
- Sodium Nitrite
- Oleoresin of Paprika
Nutritional Information:
- Calories: 170
- Total Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 40 g
- Sodium: 590 g
- Carbs: 5 g
- Protein: 7 g
- Iron: 2% RDA
SPAM with Tocino Seasoning
Ingredients:
- Pork with Ham
- Sugar
- Water
- Modified Potato Starch
- Salt
- Sodium Phosphates
- Flavoring
- Spice
- Oleoresin of Paprika
- Sodium Nitrite
Nutritional Information:
- Calories: 170
- Total Fat: 13 g
- Saturated Fat: 4.5 g
- Cholesterol: 40 g
- Sodium: 420 g
- Carbs: 7 g
- Total Sugars: 6g
- Includes 6g of added sugars
- Protein: 7 g
- Iron: 2% RDA
- Potassium: 2% RDA
So why is SPAM a “dirty keto” food?
Each flavor of SPAM contains some pretty unhealthy ingredients for a keto diet.
- Sugar – Sugar is a carb. On a keto diet, you need to keep your carb intake to 50 grams or less a day. You also want to limit the amount of sugar you intake because of the chances of spiking your blood sugar.
- Sodium nitrate – Sodium nitrate is added to foods like SPAM to keep bacteria and molds from forming while it is sitting during the curing process. This ingredient can cause carcinogens (cancer-causing agents) known as nitrosamines to be in your body.
- Modified food starch – When you are eating a keto diet, this means staying away from refined starches, including foods which add modified starches as a stabilizer, like SPAM does. You want your body to use up fat and not carbs you can get from starches.
Alternatives to SPAM
Keystone All Natural Canned Beef
Ingredients:
- Beef
- Sea Salt
Nutritional information:
- Calories: 70 g
- Total Fat 3.5 g
- Saturated Fat 2.5 g
- Cholesterol 30 mg
- Sodium 120 mg
- Total Carbohydrate 0g
- Sugars 0g
- Protein 11g
- Iron 15% RDA
I was shocked at the difference in the ingredients list and the nutritional information of the Keystone Canned Beef when compared to SPAM. The Keystone Canned Beef has ½ the calories, and ⅓ of the fat, in the same 2 ounce serving. The fat content is less than ideal for a keto serving, but when you combine this with the carbs being zero, there being no sugars, and the sodium content being so much lower, this is a great alternative to the SPAM products.
Chata Chilorio, Shredded, Seasoned Pork Meat
Ingredients:
- Pork Meat
- Lard
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Dried Chilli Peppers Mix
- Salt
- White Pepper
- Oregano
- Coriander
- Garlic
Nutritional information:
- Calories: 190 g
- Total Fat 16 g
- Saturated Fat 6 g
- Cholesterol 44 mg
- Sodium 315 mg
- Total Carbohydrates 0g
- Dietary Fiber 0g
- Sugars 0g
- Protein 8g
Again, the ingredients in this alternative to SPAM are all natural. There are no artificial preservatives or additives, and not added sugars. The high fat content, and zero carbs make the Chata Chilorio another quality alternative to SPAM for the keto lifestyle.
Conclusion
While SPAM is a high fat, low carb food, the “dirty keto” ingredients do not make it a food which is friendly to the keto lifestyle. Additives like sodium nitrate are known cancer-causing agents. The modified food starches also increase your body using carbs from starches instead of fat, which is the opposite of what the keto diet is getting your body to do. To benefit your keto lifestyle, try one of the alternative canned meat products. This will give you better ingredients, no additives or preservatives, and provide you with zero carbs.
Related Questions
Is SPAM vegan?
SPAM is most definitely not a vegan-friendly food. Its main ingredient, in every variety, is a pork or a poultry product. SPAM also contains sugar in all of its products, and this is the refined, processed white sugar. This sugar is processed using bone char, which is an animal by-product.
Is SPAM gluten free?
Every variety of SPAM is gluten free, according to the label on the products. There are no wheat-based or grain-based ingredients in any of the flavors. However, SPAM is not produced in gluten-free certified facilities, so there is a chance of cross-contamination with ingredients which do contain gluten. Look for the Gluten-Free certification label to be sure.
Is SPAM bad for your cholesterol?
Your cholesterol is raised by eating too many unhealthy fats. While it may be good for a keto diet, SPAM is not a healthy thing to eat if you need to lower your cholesterol levels. In one single serving of SPAM there can be 16 grams of fat. The recommended daily allowance is 50 grams of fat per day on a 1,500 calorie diet. So in just 2 ounces of SPAM, you would be getting over ⅓ or your fat intake for one day!