Can dogs eat endive?

Yes, dogs can eat endive. Endive (often called Belgian endive) is a crisp, slightly bitter and subtly sweet leafy chicory, grown in total darkness to keep its leaves pale yellow and tender. Best enjoyed in autumn and winter, it is a low-calorie, nutrient-dense leafy green that dogs can eat and enjoy just as much as we human beings can.

Canine nutritionist Gerald Pepin is the author of the book From Table to Bowl which seeks to take the mystery out of feeding dogs fresh food. Here the experienced dog nutritionist explains the benefits and safe serving tips for feeding a dog endive.

What is endive?

Endive is a bitter, crunchy, green leafy vegetable that belongs to the chicory family. The first endives are believed to have originated in Egypt and Indonesia, eventually making their way to Europe in the 16th century. But endive has a confusing history. It goes by various names. Chicory, chicon, witloof, curly endive, escarole, and frisée, depending on where it’s cultivated and enjoyed. Think of them as close cousins with slightly different tastes and colours. But what about endive for dogs? Can dogs eat endive and can they enjoy it just as we do? What are its particular benefits for man’s best friend?

What are the different types of endive?

There are three types of endive:

Belgian endive (white endive)
This European-cultivated variety is perhaps the most well-known. It has tightly packed, firm pale leaves with a slight green end. Belgian endive has a moderately bitter flavour, and in terms of human food anyway, is often served as an appetiser with something delightful on top.

Red endive
The milder cousin of Belgian endive, red endive boasts deep red-purple leaves. Firm and slightly less bitter, it’s a colourful addition to salads or other dishes.

Escarole (broad leaf or batavian endive)
Escarole has wide, curly green leaves and a mild flavour. It’s often used as a lettuce substitute in salads.

What are the nutritional benefits of feeding a dog endive?

Endive is approximately 95% water so it’s particularly low in calories. But it still has plenty of nutrients to offer to dogs.

Vitamin A: Endive contains beta carotene, which the body converts into vitamin A. This vitamin is crucial for vision, immune function and healthy skin.
Vitamin K: Essential for blood clotting and bone health.
Vitamin C: An antioxidant that supports your dog’s immune system and benefits its skin health.
Vitamin B9 (folate): Important for red blood cell production and overall health.
Calcium: Endive is not likely to be be a major calcium provider for your dog, but it does contain some calcium at least.
Potassium: Vital for nerve function, muscle contraction and heart health.
Antioxidants and Kaempferol: Endive contains kaempferol, a powerful plant compound (flavonoid). Early studies suggest that kaempferol-rich foods may lower the risk of certain cancers (such as colon, liver and skin cancer). Kaempferol also has anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. It may also protect against heart disease and diabetes.
Fibre: The fibre content in endive aids digestion and promotes feelings of fullness for a dog. When a dog eats foods high in fibre, they remain satisfied for longer.

What are the health benefits of feeding a dog endive?

Endive can offer your dog the following benefits:

• Good for your dog’s eye health
• Helps effective blood clotting and improves bone health
• Supports your dog’s immune system and benefits its skin health
• Important for red blood cell production and overall health
• Benefits nerve function, muscle contraction and heart health
• May lower the risk of certain cancers
• Possesses anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties
• May protect against heart disease and diabetes
• Rich in prebiotic fibre which is good for digestive health

How do I feed my dog endive?

To feed your dog endive, chop it into bite-sized pieces. Either add it to your dog’s bowl as a food topper, or steam or lightly cook along with your dog’s other vegetables.

Endive has much to offer your constant canine companion. And if you want to learn more about the wide variety of fruits and vegetables your dog can eat, enjoy and benefit from, click here.

Is endive a human food that dogs can eat too?

Scientists have proven that not only have dogs and human beings shared the same diet for at least 12,000 years, they have demonstrated that the digestive systems of both species simultaneously evolved to process and benefit from that shared diet. From those same foods. At the time of the First Agricultural Revolution, when man became less reliant on foraging and more dependent on farmed produce, the digestive tract of both species underwent exactly the same genetic adaptation to allow us and our dogs to process that more limited farmed diet. In other words, we know that without any shadow of a doubt, long before the beginning of recorded time, dogs and human beings were sharing exactly the same diet. Eating the same food.

So even if you prefer to call the food that we humans eat “human food” and the food that dogs eat “dog food”, the fact is that human beings and dogs began to form their enduring relationship at exactly the same time as the First Agricultural Revolution, and likely largely because of our shared ability to benefit from the same foodstuffs. Back then, the food that humans ate was not considered human food, any more than the food dogs ate (exactly the same food remember), was considered dog food. The food that dogs and humans shared, the food that helped cement the bond we continue to enjoy to this day, was simply known as “food.”

So while many today speak of endive as being human food, the fact is, when it was first cultivated thousands of years ago, endive would have been eaten by both human beings and their dogs. Along with all the other foodstuffs they would have shared, endive would simply have been considered “food”, food that both dogs and human beings could each eat, enjoy and benefit from.

So when you ask yourself, can dogs eat endive, can I feed my dog endive, is endive one of the safe human foods you can share with your dog, the answer is an unequivocal, yes. Dogs can eat endive because, just as is the case with we humans, it’s something they have always eaten!