Is Sauerkraut Keto? Answers, Options And Meals
Sauerkraut undergoes a 20-day long fermentation period during which most of the carbs stored in the fresh cabbages get broken down by the naturally occurring bacteria culture. The resulting low-carb superfood can be incorporated in keto diets to supplement the vitamin and mineral content. Sauerkraut is also rich in probiotics, which play a significant role in boosting immunity and assisting in weight loss. This guide will look into the effects of fermented cabbages on ketogenic diets and their health benefits.
What Is Sauerkraut?
Sauerkraut refers to fermented cabbages that are stored under a controlled environment to allow yeast and bacteria to ferment the sugars in the vegetables naturally. The bacteria and yeast establish an acidic environment that prevents rotting and infestation of harmful cultures. The result is well-preserved cabbages enriched with probiotics.
What Is Keto?
A ketogenic diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet that shares similarities with low-carb diets. The drastic reduction of carbohydrate intake forces the body to switch its metabolic state called ketosis, whereby it burns fat as the primary source of energy instead of carbs. During ketosis, the body adapts to efficiently burning fat into ketones in the liver. These ketones supply energy to the rest of the body.
Is Sauerkraut Keto?
Sauerkraut is considered to be ketogenic safe as it contains significantly reduced amounts of carbs. Its flavor and texture also match substantially with other ketogenic meals while providing vitamins and minerals.
Why Is Sauerkraut Keto?
For a meal to be considered as keto-friendly, its fat content should deliver around 75% of the total calorie intake, at least 20 from protein, and the carbs should not exceed 5%. A 100 grams serving of sauerkraut contains 4.3g of carbohydrates.
Sauerkraut contains only 2 primary ingredients: shredded cabbages and salt. The cabbages contain around 6.5 g of carbs when fresh, but a sizable amount gets broken down during fermentation.
How Many Grams Of Carbs In Sauerkraut?
1 single serving of sauerkraut measuring at 100 g contains 4.3 g of carbs. This is considerably lower than the number of carbs in raw cabbages before they are fermented. During the process, most of the carbs get broken down by the bacteria culture.
Which Sauerkraut Meals Are Keto?
1. Pork And Sauerkraut
Pork and sauerkraut are considered to be keto-friendly as its rich in fats and proteins with a low carb-count. A 4 oz serving of pork with a cup of sauerkraut contains 8.3 g of fat, 4.5 g of carbs, and 22.7 g of protein.
2. Sausage And Sauerkraut
An 8 oz serving of sausage and sauerkraut contains 18.4 g of fat and 8.5 grams of carbs. The higher fat count compared to crabs makes sausage and sauerkraut keto-friendly.
3. Kielbasa And Sauerkraut
1 10 oz serving of kielbasa and sauerkraut packs 17.1 g of fat and 8.8 g of carbohydrate content. This increased fat intake promotes ketosis, thus burning fats more efficiently.
4. Bratwurst And Sauerkraut
A 10 oz serving of bratwurst and sauerkraut contains 25.1 g of fat and 10.2 g of carbs. Bratwurst and sauerkraut offer the perfect ratio of fats to carbs to maintain ketosis.
5 Benefits For Eating Sauerkraut On A Ketogenic Diet
Low-Calorie Diet - Sauerkraut contains low carb count, which makes it perfect for a ketogenic diet. The low-calorie content in sauerkraut gets a boost in the form of high dietary fiber content, which makes you feel fuller for longer, thus further reducing the calorie intake.
Providing Essential Nutrients - Sauerkraut is rich in essential nutrients ranging from vitamins to minerals. Maintaining a ketogenic diet requires you to sacrifice on some of the rich sources of these nutrients, but consuming sauerkraut can replace these sources while supporting weight loss.
Improving Digestion - Unpasteurized sauerkraut contains billions of live probiotics that help restore the gut flora. Consuming sauerkraut regularly results in an increased population of beneficial bacteria in the digestive system. The bacteria act as the first line of defense against harmful bacteria and toxins. As a result, common problems such as gas, bloating, and diarrhea are significantly reduced.
Ref: nih.gov
Boost Immune System - Sauerkraut contains probiotics which have a strong influence on the immune system. Probiotics usually improve the balance of good bacteria in the gut lining, which prevents gut-related illnesses. Sauerkraut is also rich in iron and vitamin C, which supports a healthy immune system and hastens the healing process.
Ref: ncbi.gov
Weight Loss - Sauerkraut contains dietary fiber, which makes you feel full for longer, thus reducing the number of meals you consume. This is coupled with its low carb count; therefore, your weight loss activities will be more noticeable. While the mechanism of probiotics on weight loss is not fully understood, scientists have discovered that probiotics rich food encourages more weight loss.
Ref: sciencedirect.com
Common Questions
Is Sauerkraut Good For A Low Carb Diet?
Yes, sauerkraut contains reduced amounts of carbs, making it suitable for a low carb diet.
Is Sauerkraut Ok For Dogs?
Sauerkraut is recommended for your dogs as it's a rich source of dietary fiber and nutrients.
How Many Carbs Are In Homemade Sauerkraut?
1 cup of homemade sauerkraut contains 6 grams of carbs.
How Much Sauerkraut Should I Eat Daily?
It's recommended keeping your sauerkraut serving to below 1 cup per day.
Is It Ok To Eat Sauerkraut Every Day?
It's perfectly ok to consume sauerkraut every day.
Is Sauerkraut Anti-Inflammatory?
Yes, sauerkraut is rich in probiotics, which have an anti-inflammatory effect.
Is Sauerkraut Good For Weight Loss?
Yes, sauerkraut makes you feel fuller for longer, thus preventing frequent calorie intake, it also contains probiotics which help in weight loss.
Which Sauerkraut Has The Most Probiotics?
Sauerkraut that has been allowed to ferment for an extended period while under optimal conditions such as the absence of direct sunlight and oxygen contains the most probiotics.
Why Does Sauerkraut Make Me Gassy?
Sauerkraut contains dissolved carbon dioxide from the fermentation process. After consumption, the gas forms bubbles in the digestive system, making you gassy.
Why Does Sauerkraut Make Me Poop?
Sauerkraut contains dietary fiber, which makes it much easier to pass stool.
Is Canned Sauerkraut Healthy?
Yes, canned sauerkraut is healthy, but it does not contain the benefits accorded to probiotics. This is because canning sauerkraut requires pasteurization, which eliminates all live probiotics.
