The ketogenic diet (keto) has gained immense popularity as an effective way to lose weight and improve overall health. However, navigating the world of keto-friendly foods can be tricky, especially when it comes to vegetables. Onions, a staple in many cuisines, often raise questions among keto dieters: Are onions keto-friendly? And more specifically, are green onions keto-friendly? This article dives deep into the topic, providing a comprehensive guide to onions and the keto diet, including their nutritional value, health benefits, and how to incorporate them into your low-carb lifestyle.
Understanding Onions and the Keto Diet
To determine whether onions fit into a ketogenic diet, it’s essential to understand the basics of keto. A keto diet is a high-fat, low-carbohydrate eating plan that forces the body to enter a metabolic state called ketosis. In ketosis, the body burns fat for fuel instead of carbohydrates, leading to weight loss and other potential health benefits.
Most keto dieters aim to consume between 20 and 50 grams of net carbs per day. Net carbs are calculated by subtracting the amount of fiber from the total carbohydrate content of a food.
Are Onions Keto-Friendly?
The short answer is: it depends. While onions aren't the most keto-friendly vegetable due to their carbohydrate content, they can be included in moderation. According to harvard.edu, a keto diet really shouldn’t exceed 50 grams daily. And let’s face it, trying to balance out 50 grams of carbs daily can be a bit tricky, especially if you want to indulge in tasty veggies like onions.
All types of onions contain carbohydrates. Most onion varieties contain between 10 and 15g of carbohydrates per one medium sized onion or 9 to 10g per 100g of onion. The number of carbohydrates you’ll consume when you eat onion depends on the type you use in your meal.
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It’s important to consider the carb content of different onion varieties and how much you plan to use in your recipes.
Onion Nutrition Facts
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), 100 grams of raw onion contains 9.3 grams of total carbohydrates and 1.7 grams of fiber. This leaves approximately 7.6 grams of net carbs per 100 grams of onion. The average large onion contains 0 grams of fat, 14 grams of total carbohydrates and 2 grams of protein.
Different Types of Onions and Their Carb Content
There are many types of onions, and each variety has different carbohydrate levels. Let's explore some common types and their approximate carb counts per cup of chopped onion:
- Yellow Onions: A cup of chopped yellow onion contains around 7g of carbohydrates and just 1g of dietary fiber. Of the 6 grams of net carbs in a yellow onion, just 1g comes from sugar.
- Red Onions: Red onions contain approximately 15g of carbs per cup of chopped onion and around 12g of net carbs.
- White Onions: White onions contain about 15g of carbohydrates per cup and 3g of dietary fiber.
- Sweet Onions (e.g., Vidalia): Sweet onions are usually considered the worst option for keto dieters.
- Green Onions (Scallions): A lot friendlier than all the other onions! A cup of green onions or scallions has just about 7 grams of carbs.
Are Green Onions Keto-Friendly?
Yes! A lot friendlier than all the other onions! A cup of green onions or scallions has just about 7 grams of carbs. While that may seem like a lot, given other lower-carb vegetables, when have you ever eaten or used an entire cup of scallions?
Green onions - also called scallions - also belong to the allium family, so they provide the same type of oniony flavor to recipes that call for them. For a 100g or 1-cup serving, you can expect green onions to provide around 7g of carbohydrates, 2.5g of dietary fiber, and just 2g of sugar.
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How to Incorporate Onions into Your Keto Diet
Even though onions contain carbs, you can still enjoy them on a keto diet by following these tips:
Moderation is Key: Onions should be consumed in moderation on keto. Be mindful of portion sizes and track your carbohydrate intake to ensure you stay within your daily limit.
Choose Keto-Friendly Varieties: White, yellow, and green onions are the most keto-friendly options due to their distinct flavors and lower carb content. However, you can enjoy any variety of onions as long as you include them in your daily net carb count.
Use Onions for Flavor: Onions can be great for keto if you use them in place of sugar or carb-heavy sauces or condiments for flavor. Use them to add flavor to your food instead of sugar or sugary condiments. We all crave delicious and flavorful food, and we sometimes use sugar or sauces like ketchup, BBQ sauce, and dressings that add flavor at the expense of carbohydrates.
Consider Your Ketosis Stage: I think the most important thing to keep in mind is that if you are just starting your keto diet or perhaps restarting and not quite in ketosis yet, you should definitely stay away from onions or other questionable foods that are on the fine line of keto friendly foods. While some foods are not entirely keto-friendly but still ok to consume moderately, if you are in the early stages of getting into ketosis, you must avoid them all and stay strictly with keto-friendly foods only.
Organic When Possible: Additionally, opt for organic onions when possible to avoid exposure to genetically modified organisms (GMOs), synthetic herbicides and pesticides. Organic farmers are prohibited from using chemical herbicides, like glyphosate, which is heavily sprayed in commercial onion fields. Indirect glyphosate ingestion has been linked to reproductive issues, cancer, and other health problems.
Organic onions are also more nutrient-dense than conventional produce and have been shown to contain higher amounts of antioxidants, which help prevent oxidative stress and may reduce disease risk.
Health Benefits of Onions
Onions do have some health benefits and a whole lotta flavor. I’d be remiss if I didn’t at least share with you the health benefits of onions. Regardless of the fact they aren’t completely keto friendly, you can still sneak some into your keto diet. So before you discount onions altogether from your daily diet, let’s look at some health benefits first. Just to name a few!
While onions add flavor to various dishes, they’re also rich in vitamins and minerals that promote health and may reduce disease risk. Here are five incredible benefits of onions.
Promote Gut Health: Onions are a rich source of prebiotic fiber, which feeds the beneficial bacteria residing in the gut. When gut bacteria break down and ferment probiotic fibers, they release short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Research published in Foods found that SCFAs play a crucial role in gastrointestinal health, support optimal digestion, and may relieve constipation. The study also found that SCFAs can reduce inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract associated with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), help manage obesity, and promote proper energy metabolism.
May Help Prevent Hair Loss: Onions contain sulfur, a mineral that promotes hair growth and supports the development of healthy hair follicles. Sulfur also boosts collagen production and helps prevent its breakdown, which is vital for healthy skin cells and hair shaft formation. Additionally, onions can inhibit androgens from being converted into dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a powerful form of testosterone, which may contribute to patterned baldness and alopecia.
To promote hair growth, it’s recommended to mix onion juice and water in a one-to-one ratio. Apply the mixture to your hair, let it sit for 15 minutes, then rinse thoroughly.
Potential Anti-Cancer Effects: The Allium genus of flowering plants, which includes onions, garlic, chives, leeks, shallots, and scallions, has been studied for its potential anticancer properties. Onions and garlic, in particular, have been shown to help slow down or even prevent the spread of cancer cells by initiating apoptosis, a process of programmed cell death. A study published in Cancer Prevention Research found that consuming onions and other Allium vegetables can reduce the risk of various cancers, including stomach, colorectal, esophageal, and prostate cancer.
Support Immune Functions: Onions have antibacterial and antifungal effects that may reduce the risk of viral diseases and infections. Research published in the Scholars Journal of Applied Medical Sciences found that the extract of various types of onions, including white and red onions, was effective against Escherichia coli (E. coli), Salmonella, and Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
May Improve Bone Density: Eating onions may improve bone density by enhancing antioxidant activity in the body and reducing oxidative stress. Oxidative stress results from a cellular imbalance between antioxidants and free radicals, which are highly volatile compounds that can damage cell organelles and trigger inflammation. Bone matrix is particularly susceptible to oxidative stress which can increase the risk of bone loss and osteoporosis. Research shows that women 50 years and older who consume onions have a 20 percent reduced risk of hip fractures compared to those who don’t eat onions.
The study published in Menopause also found that “…bone density increased as the frequency of onion consumption increased.
Keto-Friendly Onion Alternatives
If you're looking to reduce your onion consumption on keto, consider these flavorful alternatives:
- Garlic: Garlic is one of the best low carb alternatives to onions for a keto diet. Garlic is full of flavor, and while it tastes distinctly different from onion, it often provides the same bold taste that we crave in our meals. One tablespoon of garlic is usually much more than sufficient to flavor an entire keto meal, and it only contains 3g of carbs and about 1g of sugar.
- Shallots: Shallots are a type of onion that also belong to the allium family. They do contain quite a few carbohydrates, but most keto dieters use less shallot in a recipe than they would raw onion. A 100g serving of shallots - which is a lot! - contains around 17g of total carbohydrates, including 3g of dietary fiber and 8g of sugar.