Fruit

TravellerRay
TravellerRay Posts: 94 Member
edited November 15 in Social Groups
I saw on one post about how fruit was out on the Keto diet. I can understand that with the high natural sugar ones. But I worry about not getting enough vitamin C. Surely ones like grape fruit are OK? And I have been drinking either tomato or light cranberry juice. I am aware of all the added sugar in the other varieties.

Replies

  • ccrdragon
    ccrdragon Posts: 3,374 Member
    I would think that you could also eat berries - blue, black, raspberries and strawberries - as they are naturally very low in sugar as well. Also, oz for oz, both cauliflower and broccoli have more vitamin C than most citrus fruits so if you are eating those, I don't think you need to worry about it (hot peppers like jalapenos also fit this pattern as well).
  • cstehansen
    cstehansen Posts: 1,984 Member
    Check this out:

    https://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/vitamin-C.php

    You will see the top foods are technically fruits (peppers), but are not the sugary fruits like oranges (#7 on the list). There are plenty of good veggie sources of vitamin C. Eating fruits for this is just adding sugar, IMHO.
  • Cadori
    Cadori Posts: 4,810 Member
    I have berries occasionally (with coconut cream and chia pudding) and have had a couple red grapefruit a week lately because they're good this season and are pretty much my favorite fruit and haven't been really good in 5 years.
  • kpk54
    kpk54 Posts: 4,474 Member
    Kale, other leafy greens, peppers, broccoli. tomatoes and berries are sources of Vitamin C. I don't have much trouble fitting a variety of vegetables and berries (or an occasional small chunk of fruit) in my daily menu even when I was @20 grams (counted net). I choose to limit other foods that have carbs such as lunch meats, salamis, cheese, in order to eat more vegetables.

    Grapes tend to be one of the higher sugar fruits. Yes, I am aware it all depends upon the type of grape and their growing conditions the latter of which is totally out of my control. I digress...

    Whatever you enjoy eating, if it fits into your macros and will keep you compliant to help you meet your weight loss goal, go for it.
  • TravellerRay
    TravellerRay Posts: 94 Member
    So even my beloved tomato juice has sugar added. I feel betrayed
  • kpk54
    kpk54 Posts: 4,474 Member
    So even my beloved tomato juice has sugar added. I feel betrayed

    Bummer but it is usually a GREAT source for sodium.
  • Sunny_Bunny_
    Sunny_Bunny_ Posts: 7,140 Member
    eatsyork wrote: »
    If you eat less carbs you need less vitamin C because they compete for the same metabolic pathways in the body. By eating sugary sources of vitamin C you're actually increasing your requirement for vitamin C because you are eating more sugar. Tomato juice and light cranberry juice (oceanspray anyway) each have 10g of carbs per serving. If it fits your plan then great, but I'd rather use the carbs for real foods that are more filling than juice. Keto changes a lot of things about how your body works and, therefore, your nutritional requirements. The "old school" dietary recommendations don't necessarily apply if you're following a strict ketogenic diet. You require more salt and more fat, you require less vitamin C.

    Everything I've learned about C supports everything stated here. You simply do not need as much on keto.
    I have no real ability to explain the details but when insulin is high, vitamin c isn't well absorbed and your intake needs are higher. With low insulin, you're absorption is tremendously better. They are on the same biochemical pathway or something so they compete and insulin always wins.
    Plus, vitamin c is needed to counter oxidation from a high carb diet. You don't have as much oxidative stress on keto and that's another reason you need less c.
  • allie2girlz
    allie2girlz Posts: 42 Member
    No fruit blew my mind in the beginning of this way of eating because we have always been taught fruit is healthy. Unfortunately, fruit starts the same metabolic process as eating sugar. I have been eating this way for nine months now and have no desire to eat fruit. Tastes and cravings can change. I like the idea of warm apples/cinnamon in the fall, but do not have to have them. I have also found a cinnamon apple herbal tea that will give me that flavor profile without eating the sugar.
  • solska
    solska Posts: 348 Member
    I have berries, lemon, and tomatoes pretty much everyday, in moderation. Berries with some cream on top really boost my morale and resilience at the end of the night. Raspberries are very low carb, a few strawberries sliced can go a long way, as a snack or in salad. Sometimes I'll have an apple or banana even though they are high carb. You will crave them less and less. I just love berries and feel rewarded when I have them and I think I do better when I eat them. A small tomato isn't that high carb either. Also look for low carb tomato sauces or make your own from paste. Just check their carbs, and if it's one of the higher carb ones, have less of it.
  • retirehappy
    retirehappy Posts: 4,758 Member
    Berries, the occasional very small slice of a melon, apple or pear. Tomatoes I eat, small ones they are technically a fruit. If it is fig season I will eat one small one a day. No others. I learned early on, too much of even the berries will make me hungry again quickly. YMMV.
  • nomorepuke
    nomorepuke Posts: 320 Member
    Personally I've cut out all fruits except kiwi for its nutritional reasons. It's just me. I don't have any scientific back up for my choice.
    If you love tomato juice, why not make your own homemade tomato juice without using sugar?
    I tend to make my own homemade stuff such as cheese, ham, yogurt, and whey protein. I don't trust what's written on the package. But again, it's just me.
  • bowlerae
    bowlerae Posts: 555 Member
    edited February 2017
    I still eat raspberries, blueberries and blackberries in my full fat greek yogurt (occasionally SMALL amounts of strawberries or mango). Usually no more than 70g of any fruit or mixture of fruit in my yogurt. I also mix in some MCT oil with it to raise the fat:carb ratio.

    Avocado is a fruit :-)
  • nomorepuke
    nomorepuke Posts: 320 Member
    edited February 2017
    I don't care what biologist or nutritionist says it's a fruit. It's vegetable to me, lol
  • DietPrada
    DietPrada Posts: 1,171 Member
    Fruit is nature's dessert. It should be a "treat" not part of our every day diet. Sugar is sugar. If you eat some broccoli, peppers, a few blueberries here and there, you'll get plenty of vitamin C.
  • KnitOrMiss
    KnitOrMiss Posts: 10,103 Member
    @nomorepuke - I agree that if it fits within your low carb macros and you aren't dealing with blood glucose issues, I don't see the necessity for distinction in things that fit your custom plan. And I'm sure you see that those things don't necessarily translate to each other person. Everyone's macros are very different.

    Even at my tightest keto levels, I had fruit every day. It was one of the things that helped me remain compliant. I allowed reasonable portions that fit my macros. So it can be possible. I think when most of us thing of having a fruit involved in our dietary plan, it's not A KIWI in a recipe that has several servings or 5 STRAWBERRIES - it's the whole quart...

    I don't know anyone on keto who couldn't work in a single strawberry every single day...
  • Heather4448
    Heather4448 Posts: 908 Member
    I meet my daily C requirement mainly by drinking Lipton diet citrus green tea and a multivitamin.
  • Foamroller
    Foamroller Posts: 1,041 Member
    edited February 2017
    I think the "free fruit" in Weight Watchers is a great business plan for WW. Repeat customers.

    FYI I Loooove fruit...too much.
  • LowCarbInScotland
    LowCarbInScotland Posts: 1,027 Member
    Fruit is nature's dessert. It should be a "treat" not part of our every day diet. Sugar is sugar. If you eat some broccoli, peppers, a few blueberries here and there, you'll get plenty of vitamin C.

    Ditto to that! Berries and cream are my super special indulgence treat, i.e. for Christmas or birthday pudding. But then I eat this way because I'm diabetic, so I need to keep the carbs to a bare minimum for health reasons. But if you do choose to include fruit in your diet, I highly encourage you to eat it, not drink it. Drinking fruit juice isn't good for anyone, it's liquid sugar.
  • PollanDP
    PollanDP Posts: 17 Member
    I was doing WW before I found MFP LCHF. I was staying on plan but not losing a pound. BUT I ate 2-3 Bananas a day along with other fruit as well. For some reason it never hit me that all that fruit was carb heavy. Then I found MFP. Entered what I was eating on WW and was blown away! At how many calories and carbs I was consuming in a day. Switched to LCHF and have now lost 38 pounds and for the most part I'm satisfied every day. No more feelings of insanity at night where I felt like a heroin addict waiting for my next fix. It was crazy. I mean totally crazy. I had begun to think that there was just something wrong with my brain. Because normal people can not have these cravings that I have. I woke up plotting my first meal and was basically plotting every meal after that. This WOE is changing my life. I'm not 100% there yet but every day is getting a bit easier.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    eatsyork wrote: »
    If you eat less carbs you need less vitamin C because they compete for the same metabolic pathways in the body. By eating sugary sources of vitamin C you're actually increasing your requirement for vitamin C because you are eating more sugar. Tomato juice and light cranberry juice (oceanspray anyway) each have 10g of carbs per serving. If it fits your plan then great, but I'd rather use the carbs for real foods that are more filling than juice. Keto changes a lot of things about how your body works and, therefore, your nutritional requirements. The "old school" dietary recommendations don't necessarily apply if you're following a strict ketogenic diet. You require more salt and more fat, you require less vitamin C.

    @eatsyork and @Sunny_Bunny Nicely explained. When I get questioned about vit C I bring up the Inuit (aka eskimos) and sailors in the 1500-1800s. The Inuit lived almost exclusively on animal products yet never experienced vit C deficiency. That's true of the plains indians in Canada too. Sailors in the past OFTEN experienced vit C deficiency but they lived on sugar and flour. Very high carb diet.
    cstehansen wrote: »
    Check this out:

    https://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/vitamin-C.php

    You will see the top foods are technically fruits (peppers), but are not the sugary fruits like oranges (#7 on the list). There are plenty of good veggie sources of vitamin C. Eating fruits for this is just adding sugar, IMHO.

    I like this chart. :)

    I've cut back on telling people that keto'ers eat very little fruit. When I examined my own diet I found that most of the vegetables I like to eat are actually fruit: peppers, cucumbers, snap peas and other legumes, nuts, olives, avocado, etc. Really, my only veggies are celery, lettuce, and some broccoli.

    I do tend to limit sweet fruit. I've never been a real fruit eater though so it was pretty easy for me.
  • bowlerae
    bowlerae Posts: 555 Member
    nvmomketo wrote: »
    I've cut back on telling people that keto'ers eat very little fruit. When I examined my own diet I found that most of the vegetables I like to eat are actually fruit: peppers, cucumbers, snap peas and other legumes, nuts, olives, avocado, etc. Really, my only veggies are celery, lettuce, and some broccoli.

    Wait....peppers and snap peas are fruits? *mind blown* Everything I know is a lie!

  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
    edited February 2017
    bowlerae wrote: »
    nvmomketo wrote: »
    I've cut back on telling people that keto'ers eat very little fruit. When I examined my own diet I found that most of the vegetables I like to eat are actually fruit: peppers, cucumbers, snap peas and other legumes, nuts, olives, avocado, etc. Really, my only veggies are celery, lettuce, and some broccoli.

    Wait....peppers and snap peas are fruits? *mind blown* Everything I know is a lie!

    Yeap. And blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries aren't actually berries. However, watermelon, squash, pumpkin, etc. are.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    edited February 2017
    bowlerae wrote: »
    nvmomketo wrote: »
    I've cut back on telling people that keto'ers eat very little fruit. When I examined my own diet I found that most of the vegetables I like to eat are actually fruit: peppers, cucumbers, snap peas and other legumes, nuts, olives, avocado, etc. Really, my only veggies are celery, lettuce, and some broccoli.

    Wait....peppers and snap peas are fruits? *mind blown* Everything I know is a lie!

    Yeap. And blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries aren't actually berries. However, watermelon, squash, pumpkin, etc. are.

    LOL I forgot to add squash and pumpkin... Such indelicate fruits.
  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
    edited February 2017
    nvmomketo wrote: »
    bowlerae wrote: »
    nvmomketo wrote: »
    I've cut back on telling people that keto'ers eat very little fruit. When I examined my own diet I found that most of the vegetables I like to eat are actually fruit: peppers, cucumbers, snap peas and other legumes, nuts, olives, avocado, etc. Really, my only veggies are celery, lettuce, and some broccoli.

    Wait....peppers and snap peas are fruits? *mind blown* Everything I know is a lie!

    Yeap. And blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries aren't actually berries. However, watermelon, squash, pumpkin, etc. are.

    LOL I forgot to add squash and pumpkin... Such indelicate fruits.

    I love me some pumpkin purée. So much volume, so few calories. Just heat it up a bit, dump a bunch of cinnamon in it, and my god it's good.

    Also, stupid high amounts of potassium and beta carotene.

    It's like everything great about sweet potato, but far less calorically dense.
  • bowlerae
    bowlerae Posts: 555 Member
    bowlerae wrote: »
    nvmomketo wrote: »
    I've cut back on telling people that keto'ers eat very little fruit. When I examined my own diet I found that most of the vegetables I like to eat are actually fruit: peppers, cucumbers, snap peas and other legumes, nuts, olives, avocado, etc. Really, my only veggies are celery, lettuce, and some broccoli.

    Wait....peppers and snap peas are fruits? *mind blown* Everything I know is a lie!

    Yeap. And blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries aren't actually berries. However, watermelon, squash, pumpkin, etc. are.

    Crazy!
  • Sunny_Bunny_
    Sunny_Bunny_ Posts: 7,140 Member
    nvmomketo wrote: »
    bowlerae wrote: »
    nvmomketo wrote: »
    I've cut back on telling people that keto'ers eat very little fruit. When I examined my own diet I found that most of the vegetables I like to eat are actually fruit: peppers, cucumbers, snap peas and other legumes, nuts, olives, avocado, etc. Really, my only veggies are celery, lettuce, and some broccoli.

    Wait....peppers and snap peas are fruits? *mind blown* Everything I know is a lie!

    Yeap. And blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries aren't actually berries. However, watermelon, squash, pumpkin, etc. are.

    LOL I forgot to add squash and pumpkin... Such indelicate fruits.

    I love me some pumpkin purée. So much volume, so few calories. Just heat it up a bit, dump a bunch of cinnamon in it, and my god it's good.

    Also, stupid high amounts of potassium and beta carotene.

    It's like everything great about sweet potato, but far less calorically dense.

    I love pumpkin and I found a great recipe for pumpkin low carb pancakes that were actually very good. I never really liked any of the pancakes I ever tried so I just stopped trying. This past fall I was really wanting something pumpkin and gave it one more shot.

    I'll have to find the recipe if you're interested.
    I know it was pumpkin, egg, coconut or almond flour and maybe baking powder... of course cinnamon and sweetener of some kind too.
    I just topped mine with butter and whipped cream and it was lovely. Didn't sit well in my fiber hating gut though... but I seem to be a minority when it comes to that.
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