Low Carb Berries: Natures Low Carb Candy
By low carb berries, I mean blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries. Though these are a bit higher in carbs than avocados and tomatoes, a small portion is all it takes to boost the flavor and antioxidant content of your favorite keto-friendly breakfast or dessert.
When incorporating them into your meals, make sure you consider their carb counts in the context of your daily keto carb limit.
Can I Eat An Apple On Keto
On a highly restrictive keto diet, it would be difficult to fit even an apple into your carbohydrate allowance. One small apple contains about 17 grams of carbs .However, if you are on a modified keto diet, you can definitely fit in an apple.A healthy, low-calorie, low-carb way to enjoy an apple is to try topping thinly sliced apples on a salad with mixed greens, nuts, and feta cheese.Or you can enjoy them with unsweetened nut butter. If you use the equivalent of 1/2 of an apple, then the net carbs are lowered to approximately 8 grams.
One Note Before We Start
Our list doesnt include foods that we normally call vegetables but are really fruits, like avocados and tomatoes. Theyre both great for keto dieters, though.
You may read that an avocado contains nearly 13 grams of carbs, but it only contains about three grams of net carbs the rest is insoluable fiber . The ten grams of fiber in an avocado dont figure into the net carb count, which is what matters when youre on keto.
Its a similar story for tomatoes subtract their nearly two grams of fiber content from their five grams of total carbs, and youve got about three net carbs.
Whether you call them veggies or fruits, both are fine to eat on keto. And avocado is a key player in many keto recipes.
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Why Do I Need Fruit And Vegetables On Keto
The ketogenic diet turns everything weve been told about nutrition upside down. On this diet, you need to reduce carbohydrates to make up less than 10% of your daily calories. Furthermore, fat should make up the majority of your calories and your protein intake needs to be moderate . For reference, the Institute of Medicine states that carbs should make up 45-65% of your daily calories.
This change in nutrient balance is often referred to as the ketogenic macronutrient ratio. This is the cornerstone of the keto diet and what triggers ketosis on this diet. Ketosis is when your body is burning fat more than normal to make fuel substrates called ketones that replace glucose.
In order to achieve this macronutrient ratio, you need to avoid high-carb foods like wheat, legumes, sugar, honey, most fruit, and starchy vegetables. On the other hand, eating low-carb vegetables and fruit will help keep your carbohydrate intake to the recommended minimum while also helping you get nutrients like vitamin C and fiber.
Fruit and vegetables also provide many other key nutrients as well as unique health benefits thanks to their abundance in antioxidants and phytochemicals.
Tomato: The 2nd Lowest Carb Fruit & Perfect For Savory Keto Meals
Tomatoes are a keto staple for many savory recipes. They are the perfect base for keto sauces and soups and can be eaten roasted, sun-dried, or raw with other keto foods.
This keto fruit is also a great source of vitamin C, potassium, folate, vitamin K, and the antioxidant lycopene, which has been linked to a reduced risk of heart disease and cancer.
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Keto Friendly Vegetable Recipes
Looking for ways to prepare your keto approved vegetables? Here are a few of our favorites from the Atkins recipe database.
- Keto Red Bell Pepper Filled with Creamy Eggs and Spinach. This stuffed pepper recipe is packed with keto friendly vegetables and is perfect for brunchor anytime!
- Keto Air Fryer Zucchini Fritters. A perfectly easy, super crunchy keto veggie side. If you dont have an air fryer, you can still make these in the oven, and theyll still be plenty crispy.
- Keto Asparagus Wrapped in Chili Spiced Bacon. Whether youre serving these bacon wrapped asparagus as a side, appetizer, or even a light meal, youll still be on track to your goals.
- Keto Fresh Broccoli Salad. Serve up this creamy broccoli and bacon salad at picnics, BBQs, or any time you want a fresh, keto friendly crunch.
- Keto Cauliflower Risotto. Perfect for a comforting, cozy dinner at home, this keto friendly take on the classic Italian dish uses riced cauliflower to keep carbs low.
The veggies you eat play a pivotal role in a successful low carb lifestyle, so try to keep this keto vegetable list in mind. For more keto guidance, check out our keto friendly food list and the foods you should avoid while on keto.You can also explore our 1,600+ Atkins low carb recipes forinspiration.
Why Are Tomatoes Keto Friendly
Are they a fruit or a vegetable? Scientifically they are a fruit and as a fruit they make the perfect addition to your keto diet. Each 100g of cherry tomatoes contains 3,92g of carbs, of which 2,63g is sugar. Seven of these weigh about 80g and for this serving you will get only 2,9g of carbs, one third of which is fiber.
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Keto Fruit: The Best Options For A Low Carb Diet
Keto Fruit: The Best Options for a Low Carb Diet
Posted a year ago
If youre following a Keto diet, you may be wondering if youre allowed to eat fruit. After all, weve been told theyre packed with essential minerals and nutrients. So they must be healthy right?
This may be true, but be warned. Most fruits are high in sugar and carbs, so theyre not recommended on Keto. They dont call fruits the earths candies for nothing.
Fortunately, there are a select few types of fruits that are lower-carb and Keto-approved.
In this article, were giving you the inside scoop on fruit and the best options to include in your Keto diet.
What Fruits Are Off
Fruits to avoid while on keto due to their high net carb include the following, according to Jonathan Valdez, RDN, the owner of Genki Nutrition and a spokesperson for the New York State Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
- Mango. One cup = 22 grams of net carbs
- Banana. One medium banana = 24 grams of net carbs
- Pineapple. One cup = 19 grams of net carbs
- Dried fruits . Half cup = 60 grams of net carbs
To incorporate fruits into a keto diet, Valdez recommends creating a list of fruits with the lowest net carb. “Then, try to think about creative ways that these fruits can be combined into your meals, such as using them as an ingredient for low-carb smoothies, breakfast spreads, or muffins,” he says.
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You can cut down on the carb content of fruit even further by halving the serving size, which can help you save room in your daily carb allowance, he adds.
Here are 17 keto-friendly fruits, selected by RDs, that pass the carb test.
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Lettuce & Other Greens
While exact carb counts vary by variety, pretty much all kinds of lettuce or leafy greens are keto friendly.
Lettuce and leafy greens range mostly between 0.5-1.2g net carbs per 1 cup serving.
But dont limit your greens to boring salads. See all the amazing dishes this low carb vegetable can make!
Keto Lettuce Recipes
- Big Mac Salad All the flavor of your favorite burger, complete with burger sauce.
- Collard Green Wraps Turn your greens into an easy bread substitute!
- Bleu Cheese Wedge Salad The most iconic use for iceberg lettuce. So quick and easy, and looks lovely too.
- Keto Taco Salad A simple 20-minute dinner that the whole family will enjoy, keto or not.
Be sure to also check out my guide for how to make lettuce wraps there are dozens of ideas in there.
Avocado: The Lowest Carb Most Versatile Keto Fruit
Being very low in carbs and packed with healthy fats, fiber, and electrolytes, avocado is a nutritional powerhouse of a keto-friendly fruit.
It is also one of the most versatile fruits for the keto diet. For example, you can use avocado to add a velvety texture to keto ice cream, provide a satisfying fudginess to low carb brownies, or turn it into an edible bowl for delicious savory toppings, among others.
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Fruit Is Easy To Overeat
I dont know about everyone else, but whenever Im at a get-together, and theres a fruit tray, I can sit there and nosh on it for hours on end and feel like Im not even eating. Its almost like autonomous behavior, and I dont think Im alone
According to research, heres the reason fruit is so easy to overeat: fructose doesnt cause the same release of satiety signals and neurotransmitters as other foods.
Antioxidants: What Are They
Antioxidants are one of the most beneficial parts of consuming fruit, and for good reason. These molecules help to protect against free radicals which damage your cells. You can simply think of every food you eat causing a bad or good reaction inside your body. Too many low-quality foods produce a negative reaction, but foods with antioxidants help to protect your body from the damage.
The key is to maintain balance, as there are actually some functions inside your body which require free radicals. But on the other hand, if you have too many free radicals and not enough antioxidants, your body will shift into a state known as oxidative stress. This leads to many issues, and should be avoided at all costs.
Fruits contain antioxidants, but so do many vegetables which we recommend when following a keto meal plan. Low-carb vegetables like broccoli and spinach contain no sugar, but have the same amounts of beneficial antioxidants.
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Fruit Might Cause Bloating And Indigestion
As alluded to earlier, fruit contains large amounts of a simple sugar known as fructose, which is digested a bit differently than other simple sugars.
Fructose can cause indigestion, abdominal cramping, and bloating due to poor absorption in the lower gastrointestinal tract.
Moreover, the fruit we consume nowadays tends to be much larger in terms of size, meaning as a whole, we are eating more and more fructose. Not to mention the additive high-fructose corn syrup in many processed foods these days.
Now, bloating and indigestion wont intrinsically hinder weight loss. However, these symptoms can still lead to frustrating results and poor body image in chronically bloated people and experience gut distress. Fortunately, there are probiotics for gut health.
What Fruits Are High In Sugar
To get into ketosis, most people need to eat less than 50 grams of net carbs per day. Considering some fruits have over 25 grams of total carbs per serving which can eat up more than half of your daily carb limit, the type of fruit you choose matters!
The fruits highest in sugar include tropical fruits, dried fruits, fruit juice, and certain whole fruits. These include the following common options and their associated net carb count per serving:
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Fruits To Avoid On A Keto Diet
- All juices
- Dried varieties such as dates, apricots, and raisins
- Fruit candy of any variety
- Canned or jarred fruits with added sugar or syrup
- Although highly nutritious, fruits high in net carbs, such as bananas, mangos, dates, pineapples, peaches, and oranges may be difficult to fit into a very low-carb diet.
Is Fruit Bad For You
Fruits are whole foods, high in natural nutrition and contain no added ingredients. Like most plant based foods, fruits can provide a lot of essential nutrition to your diet – nearly all fruits are high in potassium, vitamin C, and fiber. Plus they are naturally low calorie, low sodium, and low fat, making them a great food for weight loss.
Fruit intake is also associated with a wide range of health benefits including improved digestive health, heart health, mental health, and weight management, along with reduced risk of type 2 diabetes .
Fruits also make a great natural sugar substitute for those that have a sweet tooth or are looking to cut added sugars from their diet. A small piece of fruit can often hit the spot and provide significantly more nutritional value than other sweets.
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Its Best To Eat Keto Fruit In Moderation
Keep in mind that, although there are plenty of keto friendly fruit options out there, consumption of fruit on the keto diet should still be limited.
Even on a modified keto diet, its recommended to aim for around 3050 grams of net carbs per day to maintain ketosis and maximize results.
Even one or two servings of these low-carb fruits can knock out a good chunk of your daily carb allotment in one shot, effectively kicking you out ketosis.
For this reason, its best to fill your plate mostly with healthy fats, protein foods and non-starchy vegetables, all of which can provide a good amount of nutrients and a low amount of carbs to help optimize your diet.
Avocados, along with other fats such as coconut oil, olive oil, ghee and grass-fed butter, can be used to boost your intake of heart-healthy and performance fats to reach ketosis. However, other higher-carb varieties such as berries, watermelon or cantaloupe should be consumed in small amounts and used as a substitute for high-sugar sweets and snacks the next time cravings strike.
Low Carb Fruit Recipes For The Keto Diet
Many of you may be thinking that the ketogenic diet sounds very restricted judging from the fruits we recommend avoiding. While we should always keep an eye on our fruit intake, there are still a plethora of low carb recipes that we can make with fruit.
Below, youll find a few examples of our favorite low carb fruit recipes for keto.
Also Check: How To Get Potassium On Keto
The Best Keto Fruits To Eat On Low
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On a strict low-carb diet and craving something sweet? Well, Im here to tell you YES, you can eat fruit on a ketogenic diet. You just have to watch your macros! This complete keto fruit guide will answer all your questions!
Im sure you have probably heard mixed messages about fruit on the keto diet. Some people will tell you that you need to avoid fruit because it has too many grams of carbs and will throw you out of ketosis! Then, you have others coming at you telling you that fruit is totally fine.
Well, which one is it?!?
I have good news for you you can include fruit in a keto meal plan. In fact, some types of fruit have health benefits that make them a great addition to your menu.
You do need to avoid large amounts of fruit sugar and carbs but some keto friendly fruits are fine to consume while on a low-carb diet for weight loss. Sweeter fruits tend to have a higher carb count than others because they have more natural sugars thats why this keto fruit guide is so important!
Lets break it down.
Fruit Carbs And Nutrition
Your parents and health teachers werent exaggerating when they kept telling you how good fruits and vegetables are for you. They provide many important health benefits.
- Theyre terrific sources of key vitamins and minerals, including vitamin C, folate and potassium.
- They provide dietary fiber, which helps to keep the gut biome healthy and in balance, prevents constipation, and lowers the risk of bowel cancer.
- Theyre also high in antioxidants, making them valuable weapons in the fight against heart disease, inflammatory diseases, type 2 diabetes and other types of cancer.
Oh, and they taste great, too.
But there are many low-carb vegetables that are terrific for a keto diet. Sadly, we cant list the best low-carb fruits. There are no low-carb fruits just lower carb ones.
Thats because of the sugar thats naturally present in fruit.
Sweeter fruits like watermelon contain a lot more sugar than lemons and limes, of course, but no ones going to sit down and devour a lemon as a keto snack. The tasty fruits all contain a large amount of sugar.
Almost all fruits contain generous amounts of glucose and/or sucrose, two simple forms of sugar that are very high in carb content.
So even keto-friendly fruits cant be eaten by the bowlful, the way you can chow down on lettuce or spinach. You have to choose carefully and limit the amount of fruit you eat when youre on keto.
Heres how to do it.
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Are Berries Keto Friendly
Some
Berries as a group of fruits are difficult to place in or out of a keto diet. Some berries are very high in carbs, others are actually not bad when consumed in moderation. For this, lets look at some specific berries:
- Are Blueberries Keto Friendly?
Not Really Blueberries have the highest carb content out of all the most common berries. Every 100g of blueberries has 14g carbs, 10g of which are sugars. Its best to stay away from blueberries when youre on a keto diet and replace them with berries that have a lower carb count.
- Are Blackberries Keto Friendly?
In Moderation Blackberries are some of the best berries to use on a keto diet. They have 10g of carbs per 100g, only 4.9g of which is sugar. 5g of the remaining carbs are dietary fiber, which means that these vitamin packed berries wont raise your blood sugar levels enough to make you fall out of the optimal keto zone, provided you dont eat too much of them at a time. For a keto diet dont exceed of a cup of blackberries per serving. That will give you about 5g of carbs, half of which is sugar.
- Are Raspberries Keto Friendly?
- Are Cherries Keto Friendly?
Not Really Of the 12g of carbohydrates found in 100g of cherries a whopping 8g is sugar. As with blueberries, its better to stay away from these, but if you have one or two on your low carb dessert it wont necessarily throw you out of ketosis completely, provided that the rest of the dessert isnt pushing the carb limits.
- Are Goji Berries Keto Friendly?