Onions: Are they Edible on Keto Diet

• Not only do onions make dishes tasty, but also their remedial influence makes them a significant medicinal vegetable.
• Because of its fairly low-carb content, this vegetable is allowed in keto diet.
• The earlier we reach ketosis, the more we can have these tasty veggies in our meals.

Onions: An Introduction

For some people, without onions cooking remains incomplete. So, onion is a common vegetable in every kitchen self. Not only does it make dishes tasty, but also its remedial influence makes it a significant medicinal vegetable.

It belongs to the lily family like garlic. Anyone who tried to slice one and doesn’t shed a tear is rare thing. This shed of tear is a testament to the power of the juices possessed in onions.

Uses of onions are multifaceted as their uses vary from dish to dish. In many countries, it uses as the foundation for many dishes – no matter raw, baked, steamed, sautéed or boiled. 

Besides they add additional flavor in dishes and high in nutrition. Because of its fairly low-carb content, this vegetable is allowed in keto foods list.

However, while on keto diet, we have to keep an eye on serving size of onions because carbs content differs on the types.

Nutritional Highlights:

•   Chromium -Onions are loads of chromium which is good for blood sugar issue. It decreases the need for insulin.
•   Biotin – which is good for hair
•   Vitamin B6 – for general metabolism issues
•   Vitamin C – good for a lot of issues. For the arteries, adrenals, immunity systems
•   Sulfur – it’s really good for phase 1 and phase 2 detoxification of our liver. What does that mean? Well, it helps detoxifies poisons in the body and turn them into harmless particles. It’s really good for the liver and immune system.
•   Vitamin B1 – very helpful for the stress.
•   Quercetin – a bioflavonoid which works mostly well against eliminating free radicals.

“In addition to sulfur and other nutrients, another healthy properties of onions make it distinctive from other lily family veggies. This nutrients lies in the outer layer of onions called quercetin. This antioxidant help combat risky free radicals in our body. I would recommend light cooking of onions as it may increase the concentration of this nutrient’’.

Says Gillian McKeith, a nutritionist and dietitian.

Onion Types: Which One Suits Best in Keto

We get onions in different sizes, colors and tastes. In different parts of the world grow different types of onions. However, here we try to focus on nutrient content of onions. Net carbs count of a few mostly used onions is given below:

1.  Scallions

Scallions is a very common ingredients in Asian and European dishes. Interesting, both the leaves and bulb of scallions are edible. Besides, it has a very minor and tender aroma compared to other onions. Scallions can be found throughout the year.

Nutrition facts:

Serving: per 100 g

2. Yellow/Brown Onions

Among many other varieties, people like yellow onions the most because they provide an added aroma to dishes like stews and soups. In fact, in a cooking recipe yellow onion is a must ingredients in most countries. When caramelized they provide a sweet taste.

Nutrition facts:

Serving: per 100 g

3.  Sweet Onions

Unlike other onions, sweet onions don’t hold the punch of sulfur compounds. In short, they don’t bring shed tears when we cut them. Don’t mislead with name, they don’t necessarily possess extra sugar in them as the name suggests. Due to lack of sulfur presence, sweet onions taste sweet. The slight aroma of sweet onions make them suitable for using uncooked in salads.

Nutrition facts:

Serving: per 100 g

4.  Red Onions

Red onions are the vascular plants of onions. They are not big in size, usually happen to be medium in size and possess a minor to sweet flavor. Red onions are considered to be the best sources of quercetin – a bioflavonoid which works mostly well against eliminating free radicals. We get the best taste of red onions when they are used as raw in dishes like salads and sandwiches.

Nutrition facts:

Serving: per 100 g

5. White Onion

This is the only onion whose whole complexion is white –skin and flesh both. They are the most mild of all varieties. If we ever try to have a raw onion, white onion may be the right choice. Since, they contain high sugar, it is difficult to store them for more than 2 days. In mexico, white onions are used in almost every dish.

Nutrition facts:

Serving: per 100 g

Onions: Does Keto Diet Permit Eating This Veggie?

Onions are like other vegetables. We already know, all the vegetables are not allowed in keto diet. Keto diet is a strict low-carb diet, therefore, while selecting any vegetables we have to keep an eye on ‘net carbs’.

If anyone asks for an answer in yes/no format. Then, the answer would sound like the old cliché: it depends.

Those who just begin the journey of keto diet and after a few weeks failed to ketosis state, they should stick to the basic – 20 g net carbs. Anything more than that limit will linger our ketosis process.

However, once we reach ketosis and get fat adapted, we can incorporate a few carbs in our meal. This increment also depends on our absorption power and how much calories we burn every day.

If our body allows, we can set our carb intake at 20 -30 grams per day and can still achieve ketosis.

Finally, once our body learns the art of fat adaptation, we can indulge ourselves to have following onions on keto:

•   Scallions: contains only 4.4 grams of ‘net’ carbs per 100g serving.
•   Brown Onions: comprises only 6.1 grams of ‘net’ carbs per 100g serving.

Considering all types, these two types look fit into keto diet as carbs content of both the types are on the lower side.

We can include other types depending on our ketones level in blood. For that purpose, we can use ketone meter to measure our blood ketones level as it would give us a good indication as to whether we are on the right track or not.

Following results will tell us how much carbs we can take while reach ketosis:

•   Light ketosis – 0.5 mmol/L, we are not yet ready to increase carbs intake.
•   Optimum ketosis – 1.5 3 mmol/L, ready to take more carbs.

Onions: Per Day Limit On Keto

The main purpose of adopting keto diet is reaching ketosis. People try many methods to get into this metabolic state but the most useful one is putting a rein in on carbs intake.

However, limiting carbs intake on keto diet is not an easy task as varies from person to person. This limit fluctuate on the basis of a person’s activity level, insulin sensitivity and energy needs. Obviously, the threshold level is set at 20 gram per day and that level promises sticking to it will help us reach ketosis and stay in it.

For instance, an endurance athlete can stretch his carb intake up to 50 g/day because their muscles used up glycogen faster and in greater amounts than normal people.

In summary, it’s better to start keto diet with low carbs intake. Once we reach ketosis, we can expand our carbs limit and eventually add more onions in our meals. Scallion and brown onions contain lowest carbs of all lots. 

So we can try them sporadically even after starting keto diet, keeping carbs limit within 20 grams. Besides, we can put a sprinkle of onions in dishes like sandwiches and salads.

Bottom line is that the earlier we reach ketosis, the more we can have those tasty veggies in our meals.

Usage of Onions: To Get the Best Out Of It On Keto

• Shredding over cutting circles

We can shred onions rather than cutting circle. Use of onions circle may run the risk of going overboard. For example, in a salad we can use shredded onions instead of circles. It will provide us with two benefits:

# Flavors will remain intense.

# A small amount would fulfill the objective.

• Cooking With Low Temperature

In many countries, especially in Asia, people tend to cook onions at high temperature. They, at the beginning of the cooking, keep the onions in the pan or skillet for so long that they lose all their nutrients.

So, with onion based cuisines, cooking time has to be shorter and the temperature has to be on the lower side.

• Caramelizing: Totally Prohibited

Caramelizing onions on keto is strictly forbidden because it has been reported that caramelized onions help increase blood glucose level. That’s why raw or lightly cooked onions are always encouraged to eat.

Caramelizing does not have any association with carb counts. However, when we overheat onions, all of its properties break down and making their sugar more accessible for our body.

Conclusion

Onions are a common ingredient in our cooking. Some parts of the world can’t do their cooking without this veggie. Besides, this veggie not only  makes our cuisine tasty but also they are full of healthy nutrients. 

Because of low-carbs nature, some of the onions are allowed in keto diet. Though quantity of onion intake depends on our ketosis level. Hence, the early we reach optimal ketosis level, the more onions we would be able to incorporate in our meal because carbs intake is proportionate our blood ketones level. 

References:

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17997520
2. https://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/09/dining/09curious.html