The Keto Diet and Fruit – 11 Fruits You Can Eat on Keto

Today, I’d like to discuss the Keto diet and fruit.

I’m sure I don’t need to keep hammering the point across to my regular readers, but I’m not really a fan of “diets” in general.

This is especially true of diets which are extremely restrictive in terms of what you can and cannot eat.

However, as the owner of an exercise and nutrition website I need to look objectively at most things, and this includes some of the more popular diets out there.

I’m sure that most people are now aware of the Keto diet.

Many of you will probably know that keto involves low carbs.

Nevertheless, there are many questions which revolve around the Keto diet and fruit, so hopefully I can answer most of these for you today.

Keto Diet and Fruit

A Quick Recap of the Keto Diet

The Keto diet essentially causes the body to use fat stores for energy rather than carbohydrates.

The body will usually use the glucose from carbs for energy, but in its absence it will start to break down stores of fat in order to produce ketones.

This process is known as ketosis.

Once an individual reaches ketosis the cells in the body will continue to use ketones for energy until they start eating carbohydrates again.

The process of switching from using glucose to ketones for energy will vary between individuals.

However, as an “average”, by consuming 20-50g of carbs per day, it will typically take 2-4 days to reach ketosis.

The Keto diet promotes high-fat eating, in fact around 70-80% of your daily calories should come from healthy fats.

The body is then able to use consumed and stored fats for energy.

So, your average Keto diet will generally include meat, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds, oils, cheeses, sausages, processed meats, and fibrous vegetables.

As you can see “fruit” is clearly missing from the list, so let’s look into this a little closer.

Fruit and Keto

Most fruits are typically high in carbs, so you may assume that they are going to be completely off limits.

If you’re trying to ensure that you remain below 50g of carbs per day, or in some cases, as low as 15g, it can be difficult to include fruit in your diet.

When you consider that a medium-sized apple, banana, and orange contain 25g, 27g, and 15g of carbs respectively, they’re definitely going to hamper your chances of reaching ketosis.

With that said, as long as you’re picking the right ones, you can still enjoy fruit on the Keto diet.

Obviously, you will need to choose fruits that contain the least amount of net carbs, which is basically the total amount of carbs minus the fibre content.

So, what follows is a list of fruits that you can safely enjoy.

However, these must be eaten in moderation, as they still contain some carbs.

An adult serving of fruit is 80g, and therefore all the calculations given below will be based on this amount.

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Avocados

The avocado is often viewed as the hierarchy of fruit when it comes to the Keto diet.

This is mainly because of the high monounsaturated fat content, which is one of the healthy fats that you should be consuming, whether you’re on a Keto diet or not.

Avocados do seem to have enjoyed a rise in popularity over the last couple of decades, and this is obviously great news for anyone following keto.

An 80g serving of avocados will contain:

• 128 Calories
• 12g Fat
• 1.6g Protein
• 7,2g Carbs

Strawberries

Well I don’t know about anyone else, but I love strawberries.

In fact, I eat strawberries pretty much every day.

Not only are strawberries delicious, but they also have fantastic antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits.

An 80g serving of strawberries will contain:

• 26.4 Calories
• 0.24g Fat
• 0.56g Protein
• 6.4g Carbs

Raspberries

As you can probably tell, berries will form a large part of this list.

This is because berries, such as raspberries, will contain flavonoids, which are powerful antioxidants.

Flavonoids will promote healthier arteries and help to reduce blood pressure.

So, all-in-all, berries will lower your risk of heart disease.

An 80g serving of raspberries will contain:

• 44 Calories
• 0.56g Fat
• 0.96g Protein
• 9.6g Carbs

Blackberries

Blackberries are a fantastic addition to any Keto diet plan you choose to follow.

Not only are they lovely to just snack on raw, you may even want to create a few tasty recipes with them.

Once again, being a berry, they also have the same benefits as their “berry peers”.

An 80g serving of blackberries will contain:

• 35 Calories
• 0.4g Fat
• 1.12g Protein
• 8g Carbs

Blueberries

Okay, I promise, no more berries after this one.

But, I couldn’t leave out another one of my favourite berries, and yet again, one that I typically eat every day.

Blueberries are right up there in terms of health benefits when it comes to fruit.

An 80g serving of blueberries will contain:

• 45 Calories
• 0.24g Fat
• 0.56g Protein
• 11.2g Carbs

Rhubarb

Rhubarb for me usually conjures up memories of a fantastic dessert.

I will not reminisce any further, as the dessert I have in mind definitely isn’t keto, and probably shouldn’t be eaten that regularly if you’re trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Although the rhubarb isn’t to blame here, but rather the other ingredients that were added to make one of my favourite desserts ever.

Anyway, rhubarb can be enjoyed raw, roasted, or even blended together as part of a delicious smoothie.

An 80g serving of rhubarb will contain:

• 16.8 Calories
• 0.16g Fat
• 0.72g Protein
• 3.6g Carbs

Watermelon

Another favourite of mine, but more from my childhood to be honest.

I remember many hot summer days (yes, we occasionally get those in London) when my father would cut up a watermelon that had spent the last 24 hours in the fridge.

Mouth-watering, delicious, and thirst-quenching all in one hit.

An 80g serving of watermelon will contain:

• 24 Calories
• 0.16g Fat
• 0.48g Protein
• 6.4g Carbs

Cantaloupe (Sweet/Rock Melon)

Another firm favourite with me, although I must admit that it’s definitely been a few years since I’ve enjoyed cantaloupe.

I think just writing about it today has opened the path for me to go and buy one tomorrow, and enjoy.

An 80g serving of cantaloupe will contain:

• 27.2 Calories
• 0.16g Fat
• 0.64g Protein
• 6.4g Carbs

Star Fruit (Carambola)

Okay, admittedly a fruit I have heard of, but know very little about, and have definitely never tried.

As far as I’m aware, the star fruit is sweet and sour in taste, it hails from South-East Asia, and is named so as it is shaped like a five-point star.

I have seen star fruit being sold in most Asian grocery stores, but as I say, I’m yet to indulge.

Perhaps another one for the shopping list tomorrow.

Who knows!

An 80g serving of star fruit will contain:

• 24.8 Calories
• 0.24g Fat
• 0.8g Protein
• 5.6g Carbs

Tomatoes

Admittedly, many of us would place the humble tomato in the vegetable category, although it is in fact a fruit.

With that said, not many of us would eat a tomato on its own in quite the same way as we would a piece of fruit, but I have known people to do so.

I do love tomatoes, whether as part of a cooking base, or simply raw in a salad or a sandwich (sorry for mentioning the “S” word, I know it’s definitely banned on keto).

An 80g serving of tomatoes will contain (I understand that you would not eat tomatoes in this manner, but I have included the same calculations for the sake of continuity):

• 14.4 Calories
• 0.16g Fat
• 0.72g Protein
• 2.72g Carbs

Lemon

Once again, you wouldn’t eat lemons in the same manner as you would other fruits, but they are certainly keto-friendly.

With that said, I always love watching videos of babies eating lemons.

Cruel?

Perhaps.

Funny?

Definitely.

So, I have included a hilarious video for you to watch just below.

As for consuming lemon yourself – perhaps you could add a few slices to liven up your glass of water, or a squeeze or two with a fish dish.

An 80g “serving” of lemon will contain:

• 23 Calories
• 0.3g Fat
• 0.9g Protein
• 8g Carbs

Babies Eating Lemons For The First Time

 

Final Thoughts

So, there you have my take on the Keto diet and fruit.

Fruits are typically deemed as “off-limits” when it comes to the Keto diet due to their high-carb content.

However, as you can see there is certainly a wide variety available to you.

Admittedly, some of the full serving values here may take you close to your daily carb allowance, depending on your particular intake.

Nevertheless, there is nothing wrong with enjoying a small portion of fruit a day.

If you have yet to start the Keto diet, or would like a more personalised meal plan, then I’ve got just the thing for you.

You can actually get a Keto meal plan made just for YOU.

One that takes into account various factors, including your food preferences.

To discover more please check out my review of the Custom Keto Diet.