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The Best Prebiotic Foods on the Ketogenic Diet

If you are looking for the best prebiotic foods on the keto diet, then you need to know about the benefits. First, prebiotic foods are a type of dietary fiber that you need to support the healthy bacteria in your gut. This helps the bacteria in your gut work at top efficiency, providing you with a healthy digestive system. If you are looking for prebiotic foods that will help you with your keto diet, here are a few examples.

Short Answer: Prebiotic Foods Are Great for a Keto Diet

There are numerous healthy prebiotic foods that will work well for you if you are on a keto diet. These will keep your gut healthy while also keeping your carb count low, keeping you in a state of ketosis. There are a few examples to note.

Long Answer: Examining Prebiotics for a Keto Diet

There are several options that you should consider if you are looking for prebiotics that will work well with a keto diet. All of these foods contain a lot of dietary fiber that will keep the bacteria in your gut healthy and happy. While also keeping you in a state of ketosis, these foods will also improve your digestion, helping you keep your metabolism as efficient as possible. What are a few examples?

1. Chicory Root

Chicory root is a popular food because it has a coffee-like flavor. Chicory root is commonly used as a caffeine-free coffee replacement It is also a strong source of probiotics. About half of the fiber in chicory root comes from inulin, which is a prebiotic fiber. This prebiotic can nourish your gut bacteria while also improving your digestion by alleviating constipation.

Furthermore, chicory root can also help you increase your bile production, which can help your fat digestion. More importantly, the prebiotic inulin is keto-friendly.

Chicory Root Nutritional Facts

1 cup of chicory root contains:

• 44 calories
• 0.8 grams of protein
• 10.5 grams of carbs
• 0.89 grams of fat
• 0.9 grams of fiber

While chicory root does contain carbs, it does not contain any net carbs. This makes it ideal for the keto diet. Furthermore, the chicory root fiber is resistant to digestion and absorption. Therefore, it isn’t considered a source of carbs or calories.

2. Dandelion Greens

Dandelion greens are another great option for prebiotics when it comes to the keto diet. Dandelion Greens contain 4 grams of fiber in every 100-gram serving. Much of this fiber comes from inulin, which is the same fiber as the chicory root mentioned above.

The inulin in dandelion greens can help reduce constipation by increasing the number of friendly bacteria in the gut. Furthermore, dandelion greens can also help you lower your cholesterol. In the end, dandelion greens are also a great option as a substitute in your keto salads. By helping you with your digestion, they can also help you maximize your metabolism and get the most out of your diet.

Dandelion Greens Nutrition Facts

1 cup of raw Dandelion Greens contains:

• 25 calories
• 1.5 grams of protein
• 0.4 grams of fat
• 5.1 grams of carbs
• 1.9 grams of fiber
• 0.4 grams of sugar

In addition, Dandelion Greens are also a great source of folate, vitamin A, vitamin K, vitamin C, calcium, and potassium.

3. Garlic

Garlic is not only a tasty herb but is also has a number of health benefits. Around 11 percent of the fiber in garlic comes from inulin. Another six percent comes from a naturally-occurring prebiotic called fructooligosaccharides (FOS).

Garlic is a strong prebiotic because it not only prevents the growth of bacteria that cause disease but also promotes the growth of a bacteria called Bifidobacteria, which plays a major role in the health of your gut.

Therefore, while garlic is a great way to add flavor to your food, it can also provide you with an array of prebiotic benefits while also helping you promote the growth of good bacteria while keeping harmful bacteria at bay.

Garlic Nutritional Facts

In every serving of garlic, you will receive

• 203 calories
• 45 grams of carbs
• 8.6 grams of protein
• 2.9 grams of fiber
• 0.7 grams of fat

While this sounds like a lot of carbs, garlic is actually very keto friendly. Many keto recipes use garlic to add flavor. You will rarely use garlic in bulk, meaning that you are highly unlikely to max out your macros. It is unlikely to have a harsh impact on your daily goals but it can still provide you with the prebiotic benefits listed above.

4. Onions

Similar to garlic discussed above, onions are an incredibly tasty and versatile vegetable. Inulin is responsible for around 10 percent of the fiber content in onions while FOS makes up another six percent. Therefore, similar to garlic above, onions also have the fiber necessary to promote the healthy growth of your gut flora while also helping your immune system.

When looking at onions, there are numerous recipe ideas that are keto-friendly. Onions make a great addition to salads for lunch and dinner. Furthermore, onions also make a great flavor enhancer for numerous meat dishes.

Onion Nutritional Facts

Every serving of onions will contain:

• 64 calories
• 14.9 grams of carbs
• 0.2 grams of fats
• 2.7 grams of sugar
• 1.8 grams of protein

While onions might not sound like they are keto-friendly, their carbs are relatively limited and you are unlikely to use an entire serving in your dishes. Therefore, it is highly unlikely that onions are going to max out your macros. Still, you can enjoy the probiotic benefits of the inulin and FOS in onions.

5. Leeks

Leeks come from the same family as onions and garlic. Therefore, they offer similar health benefits. 16 percent of the fiber contained in leeks comes from inulin. Therefore, they not only promote healthy gut bacteria but they have also been shown to help with the breakdown of fat. This makes them an ideal prebiotic for those on the keto diet.

Leeks have a distinctive cooking flavor, making them ideal for all sorts of recipes ranging from meat dishes to soups and more. Some people even use leeks as a flavor enhancer in certain keto dips.

Leeks Nutritional Facts

One serving of leeks contains:

• 54.3 calories
• 12.6 grams of carbs
• 0.3 grams of fats
• 1.6 grams of fiber
• 1.3 grams of protein

While leeks do have carbs in them, they can be combined with high-fat ingredients in soups and dips. With the fat-burning power of leeks, they are very keto-friendly. They are also loaded with other nutrients that can help you maintain a well-rounded diet that you need to stick to your macros.

6. Asparagus

Asparagus is a popular vegetable both for the keto diet and other diets alike. It is also a great source of prebiotics. Per 100 grams of asparagus, which is 3.5 oz, there are between two and three grams of carbs present. Furthermore, asparagus has been shown to promote the growth of friendly bacteria in the gut. Asparagus has even be tied to the prevention of certain types of cancer. Asparagus is even a great source of protein

With such a low carb content, asparagus is also one of those foods that is hard to overeat on a keto diet. When this is combined with the prebiotic benefits of asparagus, it is easy to see why this food is so popular.

Asparagus Nutritional Facts

One serving of asparagus contains:

• 26.8 calories
• 5.3 grams of carbs
• 2.8 grams of fiber
• 0.2 grams of fat
• 2.9 grams of protein

Asparagus is also a great source of vitamin K, folate, vitamin A, and vitamin C. Because asparagus has around five grams of carbs per serving, it can be eaten almost freely on a keto diet. It is hard to overeat your macros with asparagus, so throw it in with your next protein dish!

7. Flaxseeds and Psyllium Husks

Finally, flaxseeds or psyllium husks are also a great option for a prebiotic on a keto diet. About 20 to 40 percent of the soluble fiber contained in flaxseeds is from mucilage gums. 60 to 80 percent of the insoluble fiber comes from cellulose and lignin. This fiber promotes the growth of healthy gut bacteria that makes up the gut biome, which help you have regular bowel movements while also reducing the amount of dietary fat you absorb. For these reasons, flaxseeds and psyllium husks are considered powerful prebiotic foods. These two prebiotics can also help you lower your LDL cholesterol, reduce fat absorption and power your metabolism.

Flaxseeds Nutritional Facts

The nutritional facts of flaxseed are as follows per one serving:

• 55 calories
• 4.3 grams of fat
• 3 grams of carbs
• 1.9 grams of protein
• 2.8 grams of dietary fiber

In the end, flaxseeds are a great food to add to your keto diet. It has a lot of fat that comes from omega-3 fatty acids, helping you each your macros quickly, while also limiting your carb intake. Most of the carbs are non-digestible, prebiotic fiber anyway. This makes flaxseeds a great addition to a variety of keto-friendly wraps, soups, and more.

Take care of your digestive system with these powerful prebiotics.

WHY ARE PREBIOTICS IMPORTANT ON A LOW-CARB, KETOGENIC DIET?

If you’re planting a garden, in order to have healthy plants, you need to have quality soil. You also have to have fertilizer, water, and sunlight to ensure the health of the plants. 

Prebiotics act as the nutritious and nurturing “soil” and “fertilizer” for establishing healthy gut bacteria or the gut microbiome. One of the biggest problems with people that are starting a low-carb or ketogenic diet is that they don’t take care to add these important prebiotic foods to their ketogenic diet and then they end up with GI issues such as bloating, constipation or diarrhea.

Most of these prebiotic foods are low in net carbohydrates (when correcting for dietary fiber) and will not knock you out of ketosis by increasing your blood glucose levels and triggering an insulin response.