Fruits and vegetables are limited on the Keto diet, but there are many fruits you can eat on this low-carb eating plan. Knowing the most keto-friendly fruits can help you create nutrient-rich snacks and meals, giving you naturally sweet and refreshing bites to enjoy.
The essence of the ketogenic or "keto" diet is that consuming fewer carbohydrates puts your body into ketosis, a state in which fat is burned for energy instead of carbohydrates or sugars. This low-carb, high-fat keto diet is a popular option for maintaining weight, but the downside is that you need to avoid eating much, but not all, of the fruit.
While some fruits are high in carbs, here's what you need to know about nine keto-friendly fruits.
If you used lemon to flavor your water or tea before Keto, you can continue to use it. This is what you can expect from a teaspoon of lemon juice:
One teaspoon of lemon juice contains less than half a gram of carbohydrates, plus some vitamin C and calcium. Vitamin C helps the immune system, while calcium supports bone health.
Raspberries are a delicious addition to yogurt - and a variety of other meals and dishes - and fit well into a keto diet. Ten raspberries include:
Ten raspberries contain approximately one gram of net carbohydrates (total carbohydrates minus grams of fiber). You also get vitamins C and K. Vitamin K helps protect bone health.
Olives are technically categorized as a fruit. Here's what you can expect in a cup of green olives:
The healthy fats in olives are extracted to make extra virgin olive oil. So it shouldn't be surprising that these antioxidant-packed snacks contain about 15 grams of healthy fats (monounsaturated fatty acids) in a cup. Monounsaturated fatty acids may reduce the risk of stroke and heart disease.
Additionally, a cup of olives contains less than one gram of net carbs.
One lime provides the following:
That equates to about five grams of net carbs - in a whole lime. Just like lemons, a dash of lime in your water provides few carbohydrates, but provides vitamin C that stimulates the immune system.
One cup of whole strawberries contains the following:
Therefore, a cup of whole strawberries contains about eight net carbs, which is great for a keto diet. However, you may only want to eat half a cup of strawberries, depending on what other foods are on your menu that day.
The best thing about strawberries is their versatility. You can consume them in various creative ways. For example:
- Add them to Greek yogurt
- Toss them in a salad
- Throw them on top of a keto dessert
- Use them to flavor water
Not everyone is convinced that coconuts are a fruit. Some consider coconut to be a nut or a seed. However, a coconut can be classified as all three. Here is some nutritional information for one cup of shredded coconut:
Therefore, one cup of coconut contains approximately five grams of net carbohydrates.
You can buy a whole coconut and scoop out the meat yourself, or you can buy it dried or canned. If you choose the canned version, make sure that no extra sugar has been added.
Avocados (which botanists classify as a fruit) are packed with healthy monounsaturated fats, vitamins, minerals and fiber. They also contain relatively few carbohydrates. Here are some important nutrition facts for a whole avocado:
A whole avocado contains approximately three grams of net carbohydrates. The recommended serving size of avocado is about one-third that of a medium fruit, so adhering to this recommendation will reduce carbohydrate intake even further.
Some studies have shown that you may experience diarrhea and constipation while on the keto diet. While there are a few possible culprits, insufficient fiber is one of them. That's why it's important to eat fiber-rich plant foods, such as blackberries. Key nutrition facts for one cup of blackberries include:
One cup of blackberries contains almost eight grams of fiber. The recommended daily amount of fiber is 25 to 38 grams.
A cup of blackberries also contains six grams of net carbs.
Blueberries provide fiber, which is good for digestion, and vitamin C and other antioxidants that may reduce the risk of cancer. Here are some nutrition facts for one cup of blueberries:
A one-cup serving of blueberries contains about 18 grams of net carbs, much more than the other berries on the list. However, you can most likely fit a quarter to a half cup into your daily menu while staying in ketosis.
Some fruits are relatively high in carbohydrates and therefore may not be suitable for a keto diet. Here are a few, along with their respective carbohydrate counts:
- Apples: 27.6 g per medium fruit
- Grapes: 27.2 grams per cup
- Bananas: 26.9 g per medium fruit
- Cherries: 24.6 g per cup without pits
- Pineapples: 21.6 g per cup of chunks
- Peaches: 15.2 grams per fruit
It varies, but a keto diet may suggest getting only 5% to 10% of your calories from carbohydrates and instead eating moderate amounts of protein and relatively high amounts of fat. That can amount to less than 20 grams of carbohydrates per day.
The keto diet can help promote weight loss, but this isn't necessarily true for everyone. It can be challenging to stick to the plan and get all your needed nutrients. Plus, it can come with side effects and risks, and you may need to cut back on foods like fruits and vegetables that are otherwise good for you. It's best to consult a healthcare provider or registered dietitian to decide if a keto diet is right for you and, if so, how to follow it in a way that's good for your health.
While it may seem like a good idea to sweeten the keto plan with fruit, fruit can be high in carbohydrates. For example, a medium apple has about 25 grams of carbohydrates.
Luckily, there are keto-friendly, lower-carb fruits to enjoy.
While it may seem difficult to include fruit in your keto diet, there are keto-friendly, nutrient-packed fruit options available. These low-carb fruits include avocado, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, olives, lemons, raspberries, limes and coconut.
Despite the long list of fruits to avoid when following the keto diet, there are plenty of keto-friendly fruits to enjoy. Consult a healthcare provider or dietitian if you have questions or concerns about eating fruit on a keto diet.
