How often would you treat yourself to a high sugar fruit?
bluets2011
Posts: 241 Member
I'm new to LC lifestyle. In just 30 days I have enjoyed many of the proclaimed benefits: lost 6.6 pounds, more energy, less water retention. But I miss fruit other than berries.
So how can I fit some of my favourite ones such as papaya, watermelon and mango still keeping LC?
So how can I fit some of my favourite ones such as papaya, watermelon and mango still keeping LC?
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Generally I do not eat fruit but did eat an orange and banana today that were getting over ripe. Getting kicked out of ketosis from time to time does not concern me like it did 2.5 years ago. Testing the berberine and R-Lipoic Acid that is to help offset the high sugar fruit that comes from whole foods.
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What is your chosen cap on carbs for the day?0
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GaleHawkins wrote: »Generally I do not eat fruit but did eat an orange and banana today that were getting over ripe. Getting kicked out of ketosis from time to time does not concern me like it did 2.5 years ago. Testing the berberine and R-Lipoic Acid that is to help offset the high sugar fruit that comes from whole foods.
Thanks for your reply GaleHawkins. How do you test them? And not sure I understand the purpose? I'm very new to LC, Just starting to make my way through the pinned posts :-)
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Being that I'm close to a goal weight and should be starting to lift weights soon, I'm likely going to be dropping keto and enjoying one nectarine every day this summer. mmmmmmm. Truthfully, I have no idea what my carb limit is to stay in ketosis as I don't measure every day. I may actually manage to remain in ketosis, but I'm not terribly concerned either way; nectarines are too damned delicious.4
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bluets2011 wrote: »I'm new to LC lifestyle. In just 30 days I have enjoyed many of the proclaimed benefits: lost 6.6 pounds, more energy, less water retention. But I miss fruit other than berries.
So how can I fit some of my favourite ones such as papaya, watermelon and mango still keeping LC?
You have to get it through your head (as I did mine, I hasten to say!) that fruits are not just vehicles for sugar. They contain plenty of vitamins, minerals, fibre and compounds which are very beneficial for many aspects of dietary intake.
Papayas, for example, are recommended to diabetics. Although very sweet, they're actually quite low in sugar.
Watermelon, apples, peaches....all really good for you...
Do some research and then eat. With a clear conscience.
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For me, it's all about portion. Instead of eating a whole fruit or several large slices of watermelon, look to include a few small 1" - 2" cubes as part of dinner's dessert, etc. Work on including small portions within a higher fat/lower carb portion... Also, if you use the fruit immediately prior to a workout, you can likely burn through some of the carbs before they hit hard.
But honestly, if you are following this dietary protocol for any blood sugar related reason - diabetes, prediabetes, mental disorder management, seizure prevention, insulin resistance, etc., you will not want to include these things very often, if at all.
For me, I can use sugarless extracts to flavor a mousse or gelatin dessert treat for once in a blue moon rather than the fruits themselves - or mix a bit of the puree into full fat sugar-free yogurt or whipped cream, etc. Make it a mousse.
It is all about changing your relationship with food. There is a specific reason that you can't have those foods as often. Fruit was intended within nature to be a rare thing, and typically by local. Today's fruits don't resemble those from generations ago. DietDoctor has a great graphic of this. And there are very few nutrients in fruits that are not present also in vegetables.
Remember that it's not just berries, either, that you can/should periodically include. "Stone fruits" so anything with a pit in them: peaches, apricots, nectarines, etc., may also be included in lower portions...
But remember, if blood glucose management is a goal, watermelon is considered to be one of the "most offensive" fruits, as it's nearly all sugar water and very little fiber or other bulk. Also, most folks with allergies should avoid most melons, as they can be mold carriers.3 -
No very often. If we were say driving through Georgia when the peaches were in season- yeah, I'm probably going to eat one. Most of the time I can do without. I do miss apples, those are my favorite.2
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Another factor, and your mileage may vary on this one, is that when I found myself working hard to justify keeping or adding certain foods back into my regular intake, or even as a treat, I really had to look at the WHY...
I'm a food addict, and I'm a sugar addict. My levels of insulin resistance and my binge-eating and compulsive-eating tendencies lead me to that dangerous edge of "just one bite" way, WAY too easily, and far more often that I'd like to admit in polite company. Although I absolutely love, adore, and miss certain foods - when I started negotiating with myself to include it (I'll eat zero carb for breakfast and lunch so that I can have half an XYZ at dinner, or 300 calories for 2 meals so that I can add EFG food to my other meal, or I'll IF so that I can eat 1000 calories at breakfast, etc.), especially when to the point of excluding other key nutrition, to work in a "forbidden" item, I really had to stop and examine my relationship with that food.
Now I'm not saying this applies to you AT ALL or in ANY WAY... I just wanted to share my experiences in this arena.
I find that these days, I'm eating less chocolate than I'd like, less junk/convenience/prepared foods, and fruits are not always a part of my daily existence. 2 years ago, I'd have likely told you that I couldn't live without my daily chocolate/other indulgence. Now it is a nice sweet treat, but I can conceive of my day without chocolate in it without thinking that the world is coming to an end, immediately. I can't quantify when this changed for me, and I still struggle on the daily with a number of things, but it's nice to not have certain foods override my sanity....
And what's funny or ironic to me now is that when I find a food that makes me think, "Oh, I could NEVER give THAT up!" My brain kicks into a different gear, ala Barney Stinson, and proclaims, "Challenge ACCEPTED!"4 -
very interesting question. I never really have any high sugar fruit, sometimes I'll take a little of my husbands orange because they are so tasty but I typically stick to blueberries and strawberries. What makes this question interesting is that I've been so bad lately with sugar in processed foods. I still stay away from fruit but not m&m's. Ummmm something wrong with that picture. Thank you for your question!!1
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[quote="Just_Eric; nectarines are too damned delicious.[/quote]
Nectarines in summer....
I gave 24pounds to go yet and I have been feeling really good onLCHF I need to get my priorities right :-)
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AlexandraCarlyle wrote: »bluets2011 wrote: »I'm new to LC lifestyle. In just 30 days I have enjoyed many of the proclaimed benefits: lost 6.6 pounds, more energy, less water retention. But I miss fruit other than berries.
So how can I fit some of my favourite ones such as papaya, watermelon and mango still keeping LC?
You have to get it through your head (as I did mine, I hasten to say!) that fruits are not just vehicles for sugar. They contain plenty of vitamins, minerals, fibre and compounds which are very beneficial for many aspects of dietary intake.
Papayas, for example, are recommended to diabetics. Although very sweet, they're actually quite low in sugar.
Watermelon, apples, peaches....all really good for you...
Do some research and then eat. With a clear conscience.
Whoa.
The ADA has recommended all sorts of things that are bad for diabetics, so the fact that someone has recommended anything, including sweet fruits, for diabetics is no surprise.
However.... Papayas are not "low in sugar," and the other goodies are not simply "really good" for everyone. For diabetics and carb addicts, mileage will vary greatly.4 -
I don't think I was ever so dismayed as when I learned that the sugar in fruit affects me the same as the sugar in candy. I think I was watching a Gary Taubes video. If I ever do decide to have some I will certainly pair fruit with protein and eat it in very small quantities. But for my personal physiology, right now, fruit is a no go.3
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I eat keto LCHF due to insulin resistance. I tend to avoid a lot of starchy root veggies and higher GI fruit because of that. I fruit splurge for me would be 2-3 slices of melon and berries. Fruit is a more sugar than I need.
If I did not have metabolic issues, or other health issues, I would not worry about it that much. If you are going to treat yourself with sugar, fruit is probably the best way to do it.
I think I have had 2 or 3 chunks of pineapple over the past 2 years. Maybe a banana. Probably an apple or two. Maybe 4 to 6 oranges. A handful of grapes. I've hand more berries than anything but it still is not a great deal.
I haven't had any fruit for about 2 months.
I've never been a huge fruit eater so cutting back on fruit was not a hardship for me.3 -
Ketosis is currently not a goal for me. When it was, fruit didn't fit my carbs except a berry or 2. Now that I've upped my carbs a bit, I've already had fresh watermelon.1
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I haven't had any fruit since going LC, but as the warm weather starts rolling in, fruit is sounding so good to me right now. I'm thinking of allowing myself perhaps 1 day a week where I can eat all the fruit my heart desires.1
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bluets2011 wrote: »I'm new to LC lifestyle. In just 30 days I have enjoyed many of the proclaimed benefits: lost 6.6 pounds, more energy, less water retention. But I miss fruit other than berries.
So how can I fit some of my favourite ones such as papaya, watermelon and mango still keeping LC?
I am not a fruit person so prolly not that often. That said, I do like to plan in a special dinner once a month. I schedule it around family celebrations. Didn't have one this month but I did have a small ice cream at a anniversary celebration.
The trick for me (and everyone is different) is that I have more carbs than normal but I don't just stuff my face with them cause I can. I might have my usually steak and asparagus but add a potato and dessert. I also make it a one hour or so "cheat" (that word triggers a lot of ppl), and not a full day. Sometimes it doesn't even break ketosis especially if I'm deep in. Depends. But that's my experience and advice.
Edit: I want to add I'm diabetic so I might have different goals and motivations than others who could do it more often.2 -
as a side tip... when you buy a piece of fruit, choose the smallest one there is - if you are the kind of person who cannot leave a piece to be put back in the fridge eg. half an apple or half a banana. It's an easy way to limit the carb count without feeling like you are 'depriving' yourself of something. Also as the others have said... it does depend on your purpose for eating this way. For some people some foods are just not healthy (even if they are considered 'healthy' normally). As an example, even though nuts are healthy and low carb, someone with an allergy or other sensitivity could not even consider a little bit as healthy, for them.2
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Reason and moderation. My type of thinking! I'll admit I cringe when I hear of LCer eating oranges, but at the same time, it's their body, their rules. I have no idea of their circumstances. I certainly wouldn't throw anyone under a bus for it.
Especially when you think of the millions eating 300 carbs a day and thinking it's perfectly normal. The back of every food package in America tells you to.1 -
Love those little clementines. 9 total carbs. I could fit those in even when 20 carbs or less. Not diabetic.1
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Thank you everyone for all the replies. I think I'm starting to understand :-).
The part which is not really clear is: if it fits in my goal carbs, doesn't matter if it comes from a high sugar fruit or another food, say sweet potato or another one high in carbs but not so high in sugar?
I'm not diabetic, but have hipoglicemia from time to time and controlling my blood sugar levels is my second reason for going LC, first one being loosing weight :-)1 -
I do think the fiber in the sugar offsets any negative effects of the sugar, with the understanding that some fruits don't have that much fiber, and for me it's not really a consideration because I'm not aware of any problematic responses to fruit. That said, I don't think eating a piece of fruit (especially if you are also eating other foods) is doing to be sufficient to have a big response except for someone super sensitive (someone who feels medically required to be on very low carb).
My personal plan (I'm even newer to keto than you, been lower carb for a while) is to include fruit back in my diet as they come into season. So this weekend I'm buying some strawberries and will be eating a serving on some days (not a big deal), and then when peaches and plums and cherries and so on some into season (and melons too), I will be including them in my diet. So I will likely let my carbs increase and as I will be running a lot in the summer I guess I'll see where my ketosis threshold is. ;-) I don't feel like I need to have more than a serving of fruit per day, probably (or however many servings are in a single peach, could be more), but in-season summer fruit is one of my great loves and eating locally and seasonally is important to me, so I don't plan to give it up. I like low carbing, but being that low all year round is not something I need to do.1 -
Oh my goodness, it won't let me edit the stupid post just to add a clarifying sentence at the beginning. It was supposed to start with: "My personal consideration is only how many carbs am I going to eat."1
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I have a mental set that I'll only eat berries. Fortunately, I love berries. And right now strawberries are just about to come into season in our local farmers markets. Win!1
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@bluets2011, I suggest you watch That Sugar Film. Fructose is not handled the same way that sucrose is in our bodies.
I stick to some berries with whipped cream if I want a fruit treat. YMMV.2 -
Sucrose=fructose+glucose. Fruit has fructose, glucose, sucrose, and some other sugars, depending on the fruit.
Even someone like Lustig (I was just listening to a podcast with him) says that fruit is not the same and not an issue for health in the way that he thinks added sugar is (obviously it is an issue if you need to be in ketosis, want to be, feel better with fewer carbs, on and on -- I'm limiting fruit myself currently and during the late spring/summer plan to only consume local, in season fruit for the most part, in not large amounts). His reason is that the big reason that sugar (fructose, including that from sucrose) is problematic for health reasons is that it hits the liver in large amounts, as it is not slowed by the need to break down fiber to remove it from the food that is consumed, and the liver is not great at processing large hits of sugar, basically.
https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/31/making-the-case-for-eating-fruit/?_r=0
I am not at all saying anyone SHOULD eat fruit, but I think the piece with comments from Lustig and others is worth reading if one would like to eat some.
Anyway, I did pick up some strawberries at the farmer's market today.1 -
Lemurcat12, I tried to edit my post above, I did catch my mistake, but MFP would not take the edit. You are correct. I meant to say glucose and fructose are not handled the same way.
This article does a good job of describing what I was getting at: http://www.healthline.com/health-news/evidence-shows-some-sugars-are-worse-than-others-012915#1
I think with fruit portion size is key, but it is hard to stop at 1/4 apple, etc. That is why I have stuck with using all the berries when I want fruit. Much easier to control the portions. I did try to eat clementines when I started LC, but those things are addictive to me and I couldn't stop eating them once I got started, so I had to stop buying them. I did find I could have a small serving of melon or a few grapes without issues. I just have to be careful it is a slippery slope.2 -
I agree whole heartedly.
Of course fruit was never my Achilles heel.
Chocolate is!2
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