Are Onions Keto Friendly? Can you eat onion on a low carb diet? Including the net carbs and recipe ideas.
Are Onions Keto Friendly?
Are onions keto friendly or low-carb? The short answer is yes, you can include onions on a low-carb diet like a ketogenic diet, the key is to exercise moderation.
While onions are lower in grams of net carbs than starchy vegetables, they still contain a high number of carbs than other vegetables that you’ll usually find on low-carb vegetables lists.
Keto dieters need to be aware that onions do contain natural sugars that contribute to elevated total carbohydrates, which may contribute to elevated blood sugar levels as well.
Carb Count Of Different Onions
Each type of onion has slightly different grams of carbohydrates, with sweet onions having a higher grams of carbs content than other varieties:
Yellow Onions – moderately high in grams of total carbs with 9-10 grams per 100 gram serving.
White Onions – similar to a yellow onion, a white onion is slightly milder in flavor, and also contains around 9-10 grams per 100 gram serving.
Red Onions – vibrant and slightly sweeter than other varieties, containing 9-10 grams of carbs per 100 grams.
Green Onions or Spring Onions – have a mild flavor, and are usually consumed raw in salads or sliced and sprinkled on the top of a bowl of soup, this variety is lower in carbs with around 3-4 grams per 100 gram serving.
Health Benefits Of Onions
While different types of onions contain different concentrations of flavonoids and quercetins, that are types of phenol compounds, some studies show onions have 25 phenol types.
Evidence suggests that all onions contain these highly beneficial compounds. The health benefits of onions due to the flavonoids and quercetins levels in whole onions mean they have antioxidant, anticarcinogenic, anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties.
Meaning they can help with conditions like arthritis, cancer and obesity, showing onions potential benefits for weight loss and staying in a state of ketosis. This of course all helps in making cooking with onions not only a delicious addition, but a great option for cooking with a useful keto-friendly food.
Another benefit onions have shown is to help in reducing the risk of heart disease. On top of this, onions be it a whole onion, whether its a large onion or you have onion in small amounts is it may lower chances of high blood pressure, decrease cholesterol levels as well as have anticoagulant factors, helping prevent blood clots.
Onions are surprisingly also a good source of dietary fiber. A good source of fiber in your diet is important not only good for gut health, it has also shown to help with lowering blood pressure, improving insulin sensitivity, duodenal ulcer, obesity, gastroesophageal reflux disease, diverticulitis, constipation, immune function and hemorrhoids.
Plus, fiber helps decrease total carb intake, even if you have an entire onion. Which, is good news when you are looking for foods to add for low-carb recipes.
When it comes to vitamin C we often think of lemons, limes, oranges and kiwi. Unfortunately these are all fruit with higher sugar content, so not great when living a keto lifestyle or when on other low carb diets. However, whole onions are rich in vitamin C which, has shown to improve the immune system, cardiovascular health, arterial health, cellular health and cholesterol. Making all varieties of onions full of essential nutrients.
Bone health and onions may not be two things that automatically go together but a lot of onion in your diet may help with maintaining or improving bone mass density. That’s in part due to the vitamin K levels found in onions.
Respiratory health is also a surprising benefit of onions. Supported by this study on elderly individuals, onions may help reduce the incidence of respiratory infections.
Onions also have antioxidant properties that may help improve skin health, reduce cancer risk and heart disease.
As you can tell that while onions are a common ingredient onions are also a great way to add flavor to your cooking, help limit your daily carb intake, and give you plenty of heath benefits.
Favorite Keto Recipes
Here are a few of my favorite recipes that are low-carb lifestyle friendly and include different onion varieties.
Keto Onion Rings – sliced onion rings are dipped in a low carb friendly batter before being fried until golden and crisp to perfection.
Keto Cucumber Salad – refreshing chopped cucumber is combined together with onion, lemon and sour cream to create a creamy, dreamy low carb salad.
Corned Beef and Cabbage – after cooking corned beef until tender, chopped onion is added to the cooking liquid to absorb the flavor and become to perfect side to serve with the meaty meal.
More Easy Keto Meal Ideas
Easy Keto Snacks For Beginners
Low Carb Rice Substitute Ideas
Disclaimer – this post is meant for informational post only and should not be construed as medical advice. Please consult with your health professional before making any dietary changes.
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