Eating for Gut Health on a Keto Diet: HELP Explained

Our diet impacts our gut microbiome, and as we see in Chapter 5 - Cultivate Your “Bowel Garden” or Microbiome, a healthy gut microbiome is essential to human health.

Some data suggests that the keto diet is linked to poor gut health and an overall decrease in bacterial diversity. However, that doesn’t have to be the case. This article will review how to create and support a healthy microbiome while eating a keto diet.

Establishing a healthy microbiome can be boiled down to 3 key pieces: eat foods containing the beneficial or “good” bacteria, feed the good bacteria by eating prebiotic foods, and don’t kill the good bacteria.

"Eat the Good Bacteria"

Probiotics are the beneficial bacteria found in certain foods. Eating a variety of probiotic foods is a good way to encourage diversity in your microbiome. Below is a list of keto-friendly probiotic foods:

Probiotic food sources primarily come from fermented food:

• Yogurt - full fat, plain yogurt (in moderation) is suitable for a keto diet. Hint - you can make your own keto-friendly yogurt. Two Good brand is a keto-friendly Greek yogurt that contains 3 gm carb per serving, although it is not full-fat.
• Pickles and pickled vegetables (unpasteurized). Hint - You can tell if they’re unpasteurized by where they are kept in the grocery store. If you buy them off the shelf, they are pasteurized which kills the bacteria. If they are in the refrigerated section, they are unpasteurized. Only buy fermented pickles and pickled vegetables that are in the refrigerated section.
• Sauerkraut (refrigerated)
• Kimchi (refrigerated)
• Kombucha tea; most Kombucha is not keto-friendly. Humm Zero brand is sweetened with Monk Fruit and Allulose after a special fermentation process gets rid of all the sugar but still keeps all the good-for-you probiotics. I used to make kombucha before I was LCHF, but stopped making it when one of the fermentation experts noted that some research shows that we crave the food that the bacteria consume in the fermentation process. In the kombucha-making process, the bacteria feed on sugar. Personally, I would prefer to avoid anything that might trigger sugar cravings.
• Kefir
• Fermented soybeans (natto/tempeh/miso)
• ACV (Apple Cider Vinegar). Hint-make sure the label says “with the mother” which is the culture of beneficial bacteria that transforms apple cider into vinegar.

"Feed the Good Bacteria"

Prebiotics are not bacteria, but rather food for the good gut bacteria to grow. Prebiotics are a type of dietary fiber that humans can’t digest. A healthy keto diet should feature a variety of prebiotic foods such as:

• Nuts
• Seeds: flax, chia, hemp (raw, shelled hemp seeds or hemp hearts), sesame
• Leafy greens
• Mushrooms
• Fennel
• Cruciferous vegetables like kale, broccoli, and cabbage
• Avocado
• Garlic
• Onions
• Asparagus
• Konjac root (shirataki noodles)
• Cocoa
• Dandelion greens
• Jerusalem artichoke
• Various root vegetables: chicory, burdock, yacon, jicama
• Seaweed
• Psyllium husks
• Matcha green tea powder

"Don't Kill the Good Bacteria"

Limit added sugar and ultra-processed foods which contain additives, including emulsifiers, that could harm the delicate balance of bacteria in the gut. Research studies with animals have found artificial sweeteners to have a negative effect on the microbiome. Rats given aspartame had increased blood sugars and were unable to use the insulin their bodies made properly. A study with humans showed the same blood sugar increase. For gut health, it may be best to avoid artificial sweeteners altogether.

Practical Tips

Consider this: each time you eat, ask yourself - is this food supporting or sabotaging my gut microbiome? Dr. William Davis, an authority on the microbiome, tries to include a fermented food and a food with prebiotic fiber into every meal. Perhaps a realistic first step for some people is to include 1 probiotic and 1 prebiotic food daily.

What might this look like? A few staples that I include in my diet are:

• Yogurt with seed/nut topping: I keep a Mason jar in the refrigerator with equal portions of 6 organic ingredients: pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, flax seed, hemp hearts, sesame seeds, and walnuts.
• 3 good prebiotic sources in my low-carb smoothie: 2 TBLS of the seed/nut mixture, ¼ teaspoon of miso, and ¼ tsp Matcha green tea powder.
• Keto sandwich buns recipe uses psyllium husks.
• Mixed green salad with dressing made of equal parts EVOO and ACV.
• A spoonful of Kimchi or any fermented vegetable as a salad topper.
• Pickled asparagus (off the shelf at Costco, but my purpose is a convenient source of prebiotic) added to a leafy green salad.
• Handful of mixed nuts for a snack or in yogurt sprinkled with cinnamon.
• Konjac noodles - can be used as a substitute for pasta. (these can be found cheaper at stores such as Natural Grocers)
• Cook with garlic, onions, shallots, scallions, and leeks.
• Avocado slices on everything- salads, eggs, main dishes, turkey/cheese lettuce wrap, keto bagel.

The Bottom Line

A healthy microbiome is important for many aspects of physical and mental health. Eating a variety of probiotics and prebiotics will help promote the ideal balance between good and bad bacteria to keep your gut microbiome healthy even while on a keto diet.

Many people may not be familiar with some of these foods, myself included. Try to include one from each section daily and go from there. Eating for gut health doesn't have to be hard, but it does take being intentional.