Why am I afraid of fruit?
macsmom07
Posts: 11 Member
So I've been on this LCLF journey for 2 1/2 months now and I'm slowly trying to add a few things back to my diet. I would love to have an apple but I'm just hesitant because if the carbs! Can you explain to me that an apple is ok? (Or maybe not?)
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Apples are one of the worst fruits for me, personally, as I always feel hungrier after eating them, and if you keep the portion size reasonable (I think I've been told that 1/4-1/2 apple is doable on higher carb limit form of LCHFMP (not low carb low fat - I'm hoping that's a typo!!), you might be able to do it.
Personally, I aim for lower sugar fruits, and stay away from ones with fructose at all....
http://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/fruits
The main reasons that I personally am somewhat scared of fruits is that my body doesn't process a banana any differently than it would a candy bar, and for me, these have to remain a rare treat (aside from berries), as any real dessert should be... It becomes a slippery slope for me of cravings and sugars and all that mess...
So, you may be able to eat apples, but you may not. Personally, I'd say at the lower carb end of that spectrum.6 -
I admit to having this same issue. I'll eat non-starchy vegetables, but of course potatoes, corn, and even beans are out for me. Currently, it is melon season... and I always used to love to get a cantaloupe, a honeydew, a pineapple, and sometimes strawberries or other kinds of berries and make a fruit salad. I can't really do that - especially with pineapple - and be low carb.
On the other hand, there are some fruits that are less dense and can be eaten in moderation without a huge load of carbs. Watermelon is an example. My issue is that I don't eat this stuff in moderation. Even if I wanted to, I would not be able to buy a whole watermelon and still eat in moderation because I live alone anyway. Again... it used to be that I would eat a watermelon in 1 of 2 meals. I just can't do that anymore... or at least if I do, I'm breaking my low carb plan.4 -
If you're keeping within your daily total of carbs I'd say enjoy that apple, with a piece of cheese. My favourite way to eat one :-) I don't eat much fruit but when I do I try to consume it in the a.m. I can't tell you scientifically why, just that when I was on a monitored low carb weight loss plan a few years back, it's what I was instructed to do by the nurses & doc (something about blood sugar levels spiking?) Anyhoo... berries are probs your best go to by way of fruit, but an occassional apple or orange early morning is o.k. too if you've got room for it carb count number wise. Perhaps pay attention to how you feel after you eat that apple, compared to how you feel on a day when you haven't consumed any fruits at all. (increased hunger, etc.,) Congrats for sticking to LCLF for 2.5 months... I'm lucky to make a week without derailing as of late!1
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If you're keeping within your daily total of carbs I'd say enjoy that apple, with a piece of cheese. My favourite way to eat one :-) I don't eat much fruit but when I do I try to consume it in the a.m. I can't tell you scientifically why, just that when I was on a monitored low carb weight loss plan a few years back, it's what I was instructed to do by the nurses & doc (something about blood sugar levels spiking?) Anyhoo... berries are probs your best go to by way of fruit, but an occassional apple or orange early morning is o.k. too if you've got room for it carb count number wise. Perhaps pay attention to how you feel after you eat that apple, compared to how you feel on a day when you haven't consumed any fruits at all. (increased hunger, etc.,) Congrats for sticking to LCLF for 2.5 months... I'm lucky to make a week without derailing as of late!
@lynder64 Actually, if you're insulin resistant or metabolically challenged (if you've ever had to struggle to lose weight, you are in some form or another), they tell you that you should have the least carbs in the morning - and if you're going to have them, have more carbs at night. Promotes a little better sleep quality, and essentially, if you have it in the AM, you'll use up more insulin creating more triggering more hunger...plus, it's almost like your insulin gets smarter at night (or just tired of not being used?) and less insulin can process more glucose... If I'm going to carb up in any way, I work to be sure to have more carbs in the evening...not the morning. My insulin will spike (I'm insulin resistant), and I'll have a tough time all day.
An apple is supposedly good with peanut butter, too (though I'm not a fan). Getting some high quality extra sharp cheese is nice with apples, too. Oh, and if you stick with the less sweet apples, like a granny smith apple, as opposed to a pink lady apple (one of the sweetest), you'll have even less whammy...3 -
@lynder64 I don't understand, for a non-diabetic, how carbs help specifically in the AM vs. another time. However, I do think that timing of food is really important, so I'm glad you brought that up. I do have an opinion on timing of carbs...
@macsmom07 If you want to eat an apple, do it within 15 min. before beginning your workout. This way, the carbs will be used as they convert to glucose. If they go in as BG and then get used during working out, then that extra glucose does not get added to glycogen or fat stores. On the other hand, eating carbs and not using the glucose right away means the energy is stored. When you workout, stored energy will then be retrieved, but it might also be retrieved from protein (either dietary, based on timing, or muscles) or fat (either dietary or body fat).2 -
One apple?Can you explain to me that an apple is ok? (Or maybe not?)
The conventional advice would be to stare the apple in the eye and say, "NO" in whatever language you speak.
But in reality, it depends on what your individual goals and issues are. (For example if you have metabolic syndrome, diabetes, etc., you might want to be more careful with your carbs, especially sugars....)
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I eat apples, but I may not eat the whole apple because they are high in carbs. Last night I ate 75 g of an apple with peanut butter. I figured out how many carbs I could have, measured out that much and threw the rest out. I'm more bummed out by the amount of carbs in berries. So few berries for so many carbs.2
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I eat apples, but I may not eat the whole apple because they are high in carbs. Last night I ate 75 g of an apple with peanut butter. I figured out how many carbs I could have, measured out that much and threw the rest out. I'm more bummed out by the amount of carbs in berries. So few berries for so many carbs.
@darlswife, Which kind of berries? Strawberries and I are great friends - and I keep to keto levels!2 -
KnitOrMiss wrote: »Apples are one of the worst fruits for me, personally, as I always feel hungrier after eating them, and if you keep the portion size reasonable (I think I've been told that 1/4-1/2 apple is doable on higher carb limit form of LCHFMP (not low carb low fat - I'm hoping that's a typo!!), you might be able to do it.
Personally, I aim for lower sugar fruits, and stay away from ones with fructose at all....
http://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/fruits
The main reasons that I personally am somewhat scared of fruits is that my body doesn't process a banana any differently than it would a candy bar, and for me, these have to remain a rare treat (aside from berries), as any real dessert should be... It becomes a slippery slope for me of cravings and sugars and all that mess...
So, you may be able to eat apples, but you may not. Personally, I'd say at the lower carb end of that spectrum.
I agree! I found when I did eat apples when I was just counting calories and not watching carbs, apples definitely made me hungrier for whatever reason and I'm not diabetic or insulin sensitive that I know of...never been diagnosed with any of that.0 -
I eat apples, but I may not eat the whole apple because they are high in carbs.
I usually just eat the skin. That's where all the nutrients are.I'm more bummed out by the amount of carbs in berries. So few berries for so many carbs.
Blueberries have about the same as an apple (if serving size is the same), but berries have more fiber (more skin per serving).
BTW, Peter Attia is walking around with a continuous glucose monitor these days:
http://eatingacademy.com/personal/2016-update
Attia: The insights have been staggering.
Comment: Care to share what were some of your surprise glucose “spikers” ?
Attia: Fuji apples!
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I stick to berries. Mostly blackberries and raspberries. I stay keto with these.
I was always very picky about apples. If they are the least bit mealy I hate them and I find very few meet my specifications so I can't waste carbs on them. lol. Also apples never fill me up so even when I ate high carb I avoided apples as they seemed to waste my calories so to speak.0 -
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KnitOrMiss wrote: »I eat apples, but I may not eat the whole apple because they are high in carbs. Last night I ate 75 g of an apple with peanut butter. I figured out how many carbs I could have, measured out that much and threw the rest out. I'm more bummed out by the amount of carbs in berries. So few berries for so many carbs.
@darlswife, Which kind of berries? Strawberries and I are great friends - and I keep to keto levels!
I eat them, just not as many as I would like.0 -
I love to have them with whipped cream or made into strawberry cheesecake fat bombs. It helps spread out the carby quantity and still satisfy my yearnin' for berries! HA! @darlswife.
Hard to overeat when they're so satiating this way. 3 -
I eat apples occasionally. I only like granny smith apples, so I'm sure that helps. I've had no trouble staying in ketosis with a smallish granny smith apple here and there.
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KnitOrMiss wrote: »I love to have them with whipped cream or made into strawberry cheesecake fat bombs. It helps spread out the carby quantity and still satisfy my yearnin' for berries! HA! @darlswife. Hard to overeat when they're so satiating this way.
I'm going to need the strawberry cheesecake fat bomb recipe immediately!0 -
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KnitOrMiss wrote: »I love to have them with whipped cream or made into strawberry cheesecake fat bombs. It helps spread out the carby quantity and still satisfy my yearnin' for berries! HA! @darlswife. Hard to overeat when they're so satiating this way.
I'm going to need the strawberry cheesecake fat bomb recipe immediately!
http://www.lowcarbsosimple.com/guest-post-strawberry-cheesecake-fat-bombs/
Easy thing for me is 1 block cream cheese, 1 stick butter, both at room temp, splash vanilla, puree strawberries, sweeten to taste.1 -
Or take some slices of apple with butter and cinnamon and melt it together in the microwave. Like an apple pie cheat. However, I do feel like apples have a lot of sugar in them, and we find the varieties that are the sweetest like that and breed them. Wild fruits like we used to eat as a species, don't seem to have the same amount of sweetness that we plant and grow them to have.1
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Something a friend told me was to do squash with apple spices and such, to get the whammy of flavor without the carb hit!1
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