Are Radishes Keto-Friendly? (& Substitutes)

Photo of author
Last Updated On

Vegetables are often low in carbs but there are exceptions. Find out whether radishes are keto-friendly and in what amounts.

These edible root vegetables come in many shapes and colors. You can eat radishes raw on their own but they also make an amazing addition to a wide variety of (keto-friendly) recipes.

Regular raw radishes contain around 1.8 grams of net carbohydrates (total carbs minus fiber) per 100 grams.

In theory, you still have to pay enough attention to the other foods you eat.

In practice, radishes are very keto-friendly. At least compared to most other vegetables.

Even so, you don’t have to eat radishes either. There are other keto-friendly vegetables that you may prefer in terms of taste.

Total and net carbs in radishes

The amounts of carbohydrates in foods are important for staying in ketosis. Find out what you can expect from different quantities of radishes in this area.

100 grams of raw radishes contain the following amounts of carbs (1):

  • Total carbs: 3.4 grams
  • Of which fiber: 1.6 grams
  • Net carbs: 1.8 grams

The 1.8 grams of net carbs in 100 grams of raw radishes is very low. In turn, you can say that radishes are typically very keto-friendly.

You do want to keep in mind that even small amounts of extra net carbs could be the thing that kicks you out of ketosis.

One cup of sliced radishes is about 116 grams, and contains the following amounts of carbs:

  • Total carbs: 3.9 grams
  • Of which fiber: 1.9 grams
  • Net carbs: 2 grams

One cup of radishes is slightly higher in net carbohydrates but not to the extent where they become hard to fit into ketogenic diets.

If you pay at least some attention to the other foods you should be fine.

Other nutrients in radishes

It can be easy to fall into the trap of only focusing on carbohydrates when following a ketogenic diet.

The amounts of fats, proteins, vitamins, and minerals in foods like radishes still influence whether or not you will stay in ketosis and how good your general health will be.

100 grams of raw radishes contain the following nutrients (1):

  • Calories: 16
  • Protein: 0.7 grams
  • Carbs: 3.5 grams
  • Part of the carbs that is fiber: 1.6 grams
  • Fat: 0.1 grams
  • Vitamin C: 25% of the DV (Daily Value)
  • Potassium: 7% of the DV
  • Folate: 6% of the DV
  • Vitamin B6: 4% of the DV
  • Copper: 3% of the DV

And some other vitamins and minerals in smaller amounts.

Radishes are not that impressive when it comes to nutrients besides fiber and to some extent vitamin C.

At the same time, they can still deserve a spot in your keto diet. Even if it is just to help you feel fuller in a low-carb-friendly way.

Carbs in white radish aka daikon

There are a few varieties of radishes with slightly different nutrients.

One of these is white radish, also known as daikon. 100 grams of this food contains the following amounts of carbs (2):

  • Total carbs: 4.1 grams
  • Of which fiber: 1.6 grams
  • Net carbs: 2.5 grams

As you can see, white radish will be slightly less optimal for ketogenic diets.

That being said, daikon is still relatively keto-friendly.

Why radishes are sometimes not keto-friendly

When following a ketogenic diet, you need to know that even low-carb foods like radishes can sometimes kick you out of ketosis.

Ketosis is a state where your body mainly uses fat as fuel (3). To stay in this state, your overall carbohydrate intake has to be low enough.

Exactly how low depends on details like your body weight, muscle mass, activity levels, genes, etc. This makes the ketogenic diet somewhat complicated without something to measure your levels.

That being said, there are some general keto guidelines that are not perfect but do help you get some idea of what this diet takes.

A general recommendation is getting 55%-60% of your calories from fat, 30%-35% from protein, and 5%-10% from carbohydrates if you want to get and stay in ketosis.

For most people, this means eating around 20 to 50 grams of carbohydrates a day.

It is true that fiber is a category of carbohydrates but you typically don’t include them in the amounts above. This is because your body processes them in more keto-friendly ways.

With the carb general recommendations above, you can start to estimate how many radishes you would be able to eat in combination with the rest of the foods in your keto diet.

Substitutes for radishes on keto

Radishes have one of the top spots in the list of low-carb vegetables but there are other options too.

You may prefer these substitutes over radishes in terms of taste or simply want to switch up your diet.

The numbers next to the vegetables are the amounts of net carbohydrates per 100 grams (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8):

  • Chicory: 0.9 grams of net carbs
  • Spinach: 1.4 grams of net carbs
  • Green leaf lettuce: 1.5 grams of net carbs
  • Celery: 1.8 grams of net carbs
  • Asparagus: 2.1 grams of net carbs
  • Zucchini: 2.5 grams of net carbs

Some of these substitutes will be slightly harder to fit into a ketogenic diet than radishes but they are all relatively low-carb.

As mentioned above, that does not necessarily mean you can eat them in unlimited amounts and stay in ketosis.

What is your goal with keto?

While it is unlikely, it could be possible that the few extra net carbs of radishes would just kick you out of ketosis. Whether this is a problem and to what extent depends on your goals with keto.

For example, there are people who need/want to stay in ketosis every minute of the day. These individuals can likely still eat some amounts of radishes but want to be really careful.

On the flip side, even if they would increase your carb intake too much for keto, radishes can still benefit weight loss and general health.

Can you eat raw radishes on keto?

Because they are so low in carbs, most people can eat raw radishes on keto. In theory, the rest of your diet matters for this too.

Is radish good for low-carb diets?

100 grams of raw radishes contain around 1.8 grams of net carbohydrates. This is relatively low so radishes tend to be good for low-carb diets.

Photo of author

Author:

Matt Claes founded Weight Loss Made Practical to help people get in shape and stay there after losing 37 pounds and learning the best of the best about weight loss, health, and longevity for over 4 years. Over these years he has become an expert in nutrition, exercise, and other physical health aspects.