Low Carb Fruits?
Do you have fruit fear? Are you thinking you should avoid fruits or only eat low carb fruits?
Fresh fruit doesn't make us sick or overweight, crappy refined processed foods do.
Remember, there’s a difference between the carbs in a candy bar and the carbs in a banana. Our bodies and brains LOVE healthy carbs.
Fresh fruits are rich in fiber, vitamins, a range of phytonutrients and even some minerals. Fruits are hydrating. Fresh fruits are truly healthy foods.
Even if you are eating low carb, I recommend keeping fruit on the menu. Some fruits are higher in carbs than others. Tropical fruits (except for papaya and guava) are the highest in carbs.
Enjoy dried fruits in moderation when you’re eating low carb. Dried fruits are concentrated little bombs of fruit sugar. They’re still a healthy treat! If you feel powerless over cravings for sweet treats, try reaching for dried figs, prunes, apricots, raisins. If it’s a choice of a package of cookies or a package of prunes, guess which one is going to serve you better?
Dried fruits can be a part of your healthy menus, to help retrain your palate, while keeping your focus on fresh fruits as your main source of sweets.
Try eating fresh fruit before your heavier meals, not after, to prevent the digestive disturbances that can arise by mixing fruits with other slower digesting foods. Fruit combined with fresh greens and/or nuts and seeds works very well for most people.
One or two servings a day will be fine for most folks eating lower carb, but it's okay to forgo higher carb fruits for a while if you feel you need to avoid sweet foods to reset your palate.
Below is a list of portion sizes, not all necessarily low carb fruits, but suitable in these amounts.
Low Carb Fruit - portion sizes
First, let's mention lemons and limes - These are used in small enough amounts, adding such a beautiful burst of flavor to your foods and drinks, and are usually mixed with other foods so their carb ratio is not enough to worry about.
Indulge in lemons and limes!
Here are some other “low carb fruit" serving size suggestions to use as guidelines:
one cup blackberries
one cup raspberries
3/4 cup strawberries
1/3 cup blueberries
1/2 cup cubed papaya
1/2 cup cubed cantaloupe
one starfruit
two small fresh apricots
1/2 green apple
1/2 kiwi
8 cherries
one small peach
one plum
one small tangerine
Hope this helps as you plan your meals for the week. Don’t fear the fruit. Don’t be afraid of carbohydrates either. Even on a low carb eating plan, you can still enjoy delicious, nutritious fresh fruit in good health. In fact, I recommend it.
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