Chances are by now you’ve either tried the trendy low-carb, high-fat ketogenic diet or you know someone who has. Even celebs like Kourtney Kardashian, Halle Berry, and Vanessa Hudgens have all spoken publicly about adapting a keto lifestyle.
The gist of the eating plan? Taking in so few carbs sends your body into ketosis—a state of burning fat for energy, instead of carbohydrates or sugars, explains Beth Warren, RDN, founder of Beth Warren Nutrition and author of Secrets of a Kosher Girl: A 21-Day Nourishing Plan to Lose Weight and Feel Great (Even If You’re Not Jewish). In order to stay in ketosis, you only consume 5% to 10% of your calories from carbohydrates—which for most followers is fewer than 20 grams total per day—and instead eat moderate amounts of protein and high amounts of fat.
While lightening up the meat-, cheese-, and cream-heavy plan with fruit sounds like a good idea, “fruit is notoriously high in carbohydrates,” says Warren. Take a medium-sized apple for example, which alone has 20 to 25 grams of carbs—aka a full day’s carbohydrate allowance.
“That being said, there are some fruits you can have that fall more easily within the allotted amount of carbs per day,” says Warren. Below, nine you can actually eat on the keto diet.
Avocados
Another reason to love avocados—which are technically classified as a fruit: They’re basically a keto superstar. Not only are they packed with healthy monounsaturated fats, vitamins, minerals, and fiber, but they are low (like, super low) in carbs.
“The serving size of an avocado is hotly debated. Some people say ¼ of the fruit, some people say ½,” says Sarah Jadin, RD, who specializes in keto diets. According to the California Avocado Commission, a serving size is ⅓ of a medium fruit, which is less than 1 net gram of carbs.
“Net grams of carbohydrates is the total carbs minus the grams of fiber. A whole avocado only has 2 net grams of carbs,” says Warren. So while a whole avocado may be a lot of calories per serving, it’s keto-approved.
Blackberries
Keto diarrhea (and constipation) is a real phenomenon, and while there are a few possible culprits, not enough fiber is one of them. That’s why eating fiber-rich plant-based foods, like blackberries, is important, says Jadin. One cup of blackberries has nearly 8 grams of fiber, which is about a third of your recommended daily value.
“One cup of blackberries has six grams of net carbohydrates, which fits into the diet. But I usually recommend that people consume ¼ cup, which is only 1.5 grams of net carbs,” Warren says.
Blueberries
“A good rule of thumb is that fruits that are sweeter to the taste tend to be higher in carbohydrates, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that blueberries have more carbs than blackberries, which are less sweet,” says Jadin.
While a one-cup serving of blueberries is around 17 grams of net carbohydrates, which is much higher than the other berries on the list, Warren says you can most likely fit ¼ to ½ cup into your daily menu while staying in ketosis.
Coconut
“Coconuts are definitely keto,” says Jadin–but not everyone’s convinced they’re a fruit. (Some categorize coconut as a nut or a seed instead.)
“One half-cup of coconut has 13 grams of healthy fat, and about 2.5 grams of net carbs,” says Warren.
You can either buy an entire coconut and scoop the meat out yourself, or you can buy it dried or canned. If you do opt for the canned variety, just make sure no extra sugar has been added.
Lemon
OK, so you’re not exactly going to start munching on lemon slices at breakfast. But if you used the citrus fruit to spice up your water or tea pre-keto, you can keep on using it. “Lemons are totally fine for keto-followers,” says Jadin.
A squeeze from a lemon wedge has less than ½ gram of net carbs, just 2 calories, plus some vitamin C and calcium.
Limes
“Limes are like lemons,” Jadin says. “A spritz in your water is so negligible.” It’s safe to say these sour citrus fruits have your (low-carb) back.
Olives
Yep, these salty snacks are also technically categorized as a fruit. The healthy fats in olives are extracted to make extra virgin olive oil, so it shouldn’t be too surprising that these antioxidant-packed bites boast around 10 grams of healthy fats per serving. “About a palm’s worth only has 3 grams of net carbs,” adds Jadin.
Raspberries
Nosh on ¼ cup raspberries and you’ll get about 1.5 grams of net carbs. Sure, that’s about 10% of most keto-followers’ daily carbohydrate allowance, but you’ll also be getting a solid amount of vitamins C and K.
“There’s nothing that raspberries taste bad on,” Jadin jokes, but she says they’re especially tasty with yogurt. “The good news is you can have them every single day, even if you’re keto.”
Strawberries
“Strawberries have about 2 grams net carbs in ¼ cup, or 8 net grams of carbs in a full cup,” says Warren. Either serving size is fine, she says, it just depends on what other foods are on your menu for the day.
The best part about strawberries is their versatility: Add them to Greek yogurt, toss them in a salad, throw them on top of a keto dessert, or use them to flavor water.
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