For those following a low-carb or ketogenic diet, navigating the world of fruit can be tricky. While fruit offers essential vitamins and minerals, its natural sugars contribute to the daily carbohydrate count. This article explores how to incorporate fruit into a low-carb diet, focusing on honeydew melon and other keto-friendly options.
Fitting Fruit into a Low-Carb Lifestyle
Many low-carb diets recommend avoiding fruit because it tends to be higher in carbohydrates due to its natural sugar. However, removing fruit from the diet completely could be detrimental. Fruit contains many health-promoting nutrients, and including fruit in your diet, even a low-carb one, is beneficial. Fruits provide heart-healthy dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals that act as antioxidants, fighting various chronic diseases.
A standard low-carb diet involves eating 20 to 50 grams of net carbs per day, depending on your weight loss goals. Net carbs are total carbs minus fiber and sugar alcohols, a key consideration in low-carb diets like Atkins. Choosing fruits with a lower amount of net carbs helps to hit your weight loss goal.
Understanding Net Carbs
In the keto community, ‘net carbs’ is a familiar term that refers to the amount of carbs that are absorbed by the body and contribute to calories. The figure is calculated by subtracting the amount of indigestible carbs, which includes insoluble fiber from total carbs.
Top Keto-Friendly Fruits
Here's a look at some fruits that can be enjoyed in moderation on a low-carb diet:
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Avocados: Often mistaken as vegetables, avocados are fruits packed with healthy fats. A California avocado has only 2.6 g of net carbs. Avocados can help decrease LDL cholesterol in overweight and obese adults. You can make fresh guacamole, add avocado to egg dishes, or top toast with this low-carb fruit. With roughly 4g net carbs per avocado and well over 75% calories from fat, they are a great keto-friendly fruit.
Tomatoes: Though used as a vegetable in many meals and recipes, tomatoes are botanically classified as a fruit. One cup (180 grams) of raw tomatoes contains about 7 grams of carbs and 2 grams of fiber. Tomatoes provide only 5 grams of net carbs per 1-cup (180-gram) serving and contain antioxidants like lycopene, beta carotene, and naringenin. Low-carb tomato sauces are popping up on the shelves now, so make sure to double check nutrition labels before buying.
Olives: Olives are a source for unsaturated fats, vitamin E, and antioxidants. A cup of whole olives contains 4.5 g of net carbs, 1.9 g of fatty acids, about 4.9 mg of iron (about 27 percent of the DV), and 2.4 mg of vitamin E (about 16 percent of the DV). Since olives are cured, they’re also high in salt, so it's a good idea to keep an eye on your portion size. They add a briny and salty taste to foods, and are simply delicious when added to eggs, chicken, and fish.
Berries: Berries as a whole are relatively low in net carbs. Berries, in general, are well known for their antioxidants which may protect from free radical damage and help fight inflammation.
- Strawberries: 1 cup of whole strawberries has 8.2 g of net carbs, 2.9 g of fiber (10 percent of the daily value, or DV), and about 85 milligrams (mg) of vitamin C (for 94 percent of the DV). At around 5.5 grams of net carbs per 3/4 cup (100g) serving, strawberries should be consumed in moderation on the keto diet.
- Raspberries: A cup of raspberries has 6.7 g of net carbs, 8.0 g of fiber (29 percent of the DV), and 32.2 mg of vitamin C (36 percent of the DV).
- Blackberries are loaded with vitamin C, K, and manganese which can help with brain and motor function, promote healthier skin, and reduce inflammation. Blackberries are fibrous like raspberries, containing 8g of fiber (and 7g net carbs) per 1 cup serving.
Lemons: With only 3.8 g of net carbs per fruit, lemons are another fruit to add to your safe list. One lemon contains 80 mg of potassium (2 percent of the DV) and 31 mg of vitamin C (34 percent of the DV).
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Star Fruit: At only 4g net carbs per 100g, it’s a great fruit to keep in your rotation and use when you’d like a fresh and sweet treat.
Watermelon: One cup of watermelon contains 11 g of net carbs, 139 g of water, 6,890 mcg of lycopene, 170 mg of potassium (4 percent of the DV) and about 12 mg of vitamin C (13 percent of the DV).
Cantaloupe: One cup of cantaloupe has 11.4 g of net carbs, 17 mg of vitamin C (18.9 percent of the DV), 362 mcg of vitamin A (40 percent of the DV), and 245 mg of potassium (5.2 percent of the DV).
Peaches: One small peach contains 13.9 g of net carbs, 196 mg of potassium (about 4 percent of the DV), 38.6 micrograms (mcg) of vitamin A (4.3 percent of the DV), and 6.6 mg of vitamin C (7.3 percent of the DV).
Honeydew Melon and Keto
One cup of honeydew melon has about 14 g of net carbs. Honeydew is also a great source of vitamin C, with a cup containing 31 mg (34 percent of the DV).
Read also: The Keto Diet and Honey
Fruits to Avoid or Limit
Bananas and grapes have a higher carbohydrate content than most other fruits. Bananas have 20 net carbs per serving (100 grams), while grapes have 16 net carbs per 100-gram serving. Apples generally all should be avoided on keto because of their high sugar content.
Incorporating Fruit into Your Keto Diet
The best strategy to minimize fruit sugar intake is to stick with berries, avocados, olives, and tomatoes as your fruits of choice on the ketogenic diet. Fruit can be incorporated in many different types of desserts on a ketogenic diet. An easier strategy is to include fruits in moderation: incorporate only one or two berry-based keto fruit recipes per day and prioritize the lowest carb fruits, such as avocado and tomato.
The Importance of Moderation
As a final takeaway, always be cautious when consuming fruit on a ketogenic diet. Remember that fruit is essentially nature’s candy. It is filled with high amounts of glucose and fructose, which can decrease ketone production and make it difficult to enter ketosis. Maintaining ketosis is the most important part of the ketogenic diet, as indulgence in high-carb and sugary foods can throw any fat-burning action you've achieved out the window.