To eat fruit or not to eat fruit. That is the question. <\/span><\/p>\n It turns out that fruit is a contentious and sometimes confusing topic within the low-carb community.<\/strong> Some low-carb advocates argue that fruit should be strictly limited or avoided altogether, both because of the carbs and because they\u2019re wary of <\/span>fructose<\/span>. Yet some of the staunchest <\/span>carnivore diet<\/span> proponents are now incorporating fruit and promoting a \u201cmeat and fruit\u201d approach. That\u2019s right, carnivore\u2014billed as the ultimate zero-carb diet\u2014now allows fruit (depending on who you ask).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Even for folks who have no particular philosophical sway against or in favor of fruit consumption, it can be hard to decide which fruits, and how much, to include if they\u2019re aiming to reduce carbs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n My stance has always been that fruit is a natural but not necessary part of the human diet. Sure, it\u2019s higher in carbs than meat or vegetables (on average), but fruits also come packaged with fiber, nutrients, and antioxidants that do a body good.<\/strong> Fruit can be a great way to <\/span>add carbs around workouts<\/span> if you so desire. Biting into the first perfectly ripe peach of the summer is a wholly hedonic experience.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n But for folks watching their carb intake, and especially for those following a very low-carb <\/span>ketogenic diet<\/span>, it won\u2019t do to chow down on massive bowls of fruit salad for breakfast. Here\u2019s how I weigh the relative merits of different fruit options.<\/span><\/p>\n There\u2019s no definitive algorithm that can spit out a low-carb acceptability rating for a given fruit, but the factors below are the ones I consider relevant to this question.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Carbohydrates because\u2026 obviously, and fiber because fiber doesn\u2019t get absorbed and converted into glucose. Instead, it mostly travels through the gut, where commensal microbes \u201cfeed\u201d on certain types<\/span>. That\u2019s why some people only count net carbs, which is total carbs minus fiber.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I don\u2019t bother getting that granular. Counting <\/span>total carbs<\/span> is less work and avoids debates about whether to subtract fiber from all sources or only certain ones. Just understand that if you\u2019re comparing two pieces of fruits with similar carb content, the higher fiber one will probably have less of an impact on blood sugar.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n You can stop there, or you could also\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n Antioxidants<\/span> are compounds that help mitigate cellular damage due to free radicals, and fruit happens to be a terrific source of antioxidants (although herbs and spices are even better). But not all fruit is created equal here. The antioxidant power of different foods is measured by <\/span>Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity, or ORAC<\/span>. Higher is better.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I don\u2019t find GI or GL especially worth worrying about<\/span>, but you might care if your doctor has prescribed a low-GI\/GL diet.<\/span><\/p>\n Glycemic index measures how much individual foods raise blood sugar when you eat a certain amount of carbohydrate\u201450 grams of carbs from pineapple or 50 grams of carbohydrates from cantaloupe, for example, compared to 50 grams of carbohydrates from pure glucose. Glycemic load takes into account a typical serving size of each food item, making it more useful.<\/strong> Watermelon, for instance, has a GI in the medium range but a relatively low GL because it\u2019s mostly water.<\/span><\/p>\n All else being equal, select lower GI\/GL fruits.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Finally, you could consider what specific nutrients a given fruit is particularly rich in. If you\u2019re trying to boost potassium intake, you might go for avocado, guava, or kiwi. For B6, opt for durian (hold your nose).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Without further ado, this is my not-entirely-scientific top 8 fruits that I\u2019d recommend for carb-conscious Primal eaters.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Note that the values below are approximate. Depending on what sources you use, you might arrive at slightly different values.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, boysenberries\u2014they\u2019re all good! Berries are going to deliver the most antioxidants (highest ORAC scores) of all the fruits on this list.<\/span><\/p>\n Cherries are up there with berries in terms of their antioxidant value.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Kiwis are underappreciated, probably because of their hairy skin and, let\u2019s face it, seedy interior. But one kiwi delivers around 85 percent of your daily vitamin C requirements (almost twice as much as an orange, ounce for ounce) and 31 percent of daily vitamin K.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Half a grapefruit, which boasts a low glycemic load, will net you around half your vitamin C for the day. Just don\u2019t ruin it by sprinkling sugar on top.<\/span><\/p>\n If you\u2019re looking for a bite-sized fruit morsel to satisfy a small sweet craving, look no further.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Cantaloupe is similar in potassium to banana for about half the carbs. It\u2019s also delicious when wrapped in prosciutto. Not every fruit can say that.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n You might be surprised to see a tropical fruit on this list since they tend to be high in carbs. (Indeed, this is the highest-carb option here, though it\u2019s not astronomical by any means.) But guava has a low GI and GL and, more importantly, it is a nutritional powerhouse. One cup of guava blows other fruits out of the water, delivering 500 percent of your daily requirement of vitamin C (five times as much as a medium orange), 688 mg of potassium (about 1.5 medium bananas, which would come packaged with 40 grams of carbs), and 42 percent of the daily value for copper.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Of course, we couldn\u2019t have a best fruits list that omitted the avocado. Besides its healthy fat content\u2014one of the reasons avocado is the darling of the keto world\u2014it packs respectable amounts of B vitamins, folate, vitamin K, potassium, copper, and antioxidants to boot.<\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019m guessing I just angered or bewildered some of you. Rest assured, j<\/strong>ust because your favorite fruit doesn\u2019t appear here doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s not \u201cMark approved.\u201d<\/strong> All of this is somewhat subjective. <\/span><\/p>\n I don\u2019t want you overthinking this stuff anyway. The goal is to be mindful about what goes in your body, not to obsess about the relative merits of one plum versus three apricots. That kind of obsessing<\/span> is worse for your health than any amount of fruit ever could be. Any fruit is going to be a better, more Primal-friendly option than the hyperprocessed junk lining your supermarket shelves.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Ok, that\u2019s it for today. What fruits would have made your list? Any favorites that you feel I overlooked here? Let me know in the comments.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\nChoosing the Best Low-Carb Fruits<\/h2>\n
1. Start with the amount of carbohydrates and fiber in a typical serving.<\/h3>\n
2. Consider the antioxidant value.<\/h3>\n
3. Consider the glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL).<\/h3>\n
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4. Nutrient profile.<\/h3>\n
Top 8 Low-Carb Fruits<\/h2>\n
Berries<\/h3>\n
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Cherries<\/h3>\n
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Kiwi<\/h3>\n
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Grapefruit<\/h3>\n
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Apricots<\/h3>\n
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Cantaloupe<\/h3>\n
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Guava<\/h3>\n
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Avocado<\/h3>\n
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Do You Like What You See?<\/h2>\n
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