Great news! You can eat fruit on a low-carb diet- you just have to be careful with how much you eat. This guide to carbs in fruit answers all your questions!
The ultimate guide to carbs in fruits is an easy to use photo grid. Take a look below for the full list of 28 fruits you can eat while you are on a low carb diet.
And, learn why bananas are the worst fuel to take to the gym.
Note: All values are net carbs per 100g.
Jump to:
THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO CARBS IN FRUIT
Do you actually know the numbers of carbs in fruit?
Have you always wondered why you should stay off the fruit when starting low carb? But, why are berries recommended but not bananas? They’re healthy... right?
I understand that knowing which fruit to eat can be confusing. It was for me too at first but I want to go ahead and clear all that up for you.
Read on to learn more about the fruits you can eat and the ones you should completely avoid. Plus, get a better understanding of why I have a pet hate relationship with dates and other dried fruit (bliss-ball lovers, look away).
Is fruit bad to eat?
Repeat after me – if you are overweight, fruit is not your friend.
Fruit has been given the same nutritional status as vegetables ever since the 5-a-day guidance was introduced. I hate to be the one to break it to you, but fruit does not even come close to vegetables. Once you look at the carbs in fruit infographic, it will become clearer.
Fruit is high in fructose which can only be metabolized in the liver, where it is turned into fat. We all know the term “beer belly”, otherwise known as alcoholic fatty liver disease, where fat deposits itself around the abdomen (the most dangerous type of fat).
But, you can also develop NON-alcoholic fatty liver disease – from too much fructose. That fructose may come from table sugar (half fructose half glucose) in a high sugar or high carb diet, or it may come from the fructose found in fruit.
Dr Robert Lustig states – "You wouldn’t dream of giving your child beer or cola, but fruit juice is metabolized by the body in the same way.".
Top myths about fruit
Let’s clear up a few myths about how healthy fruit is.
Yes, of course, a piece of fruit is always a favourable choice over a candy bar, but it must be accounted for in your sugar allowance. I also don’t want you to be misled by modern marketing and advertising. Too many products say “refined sugar-free,” “made with real fruit juice” to give them the healthy halo.
I just want to make you aware, so then it is your choice, and an informed one.
These are the common myths about the healthiness of fruit.
Myth: Fruit and vegetables are equal.
This is false. Fruit should be an occasional treat, nature’s dessert, but do not count fruit, fruit juice, dried fruit, or fruit pouches as equivalent to vegetables.
Myth: Children can fill up on fruit.
It is always easier as a parent to encourage your children to eat fruit, but do not think they are equal to vegetables.
I allow my children to eat 1, sometimes 2 pieces, of low-sugar fruit a day because they are active, do not have weight to lose, and are metabolically healthy.
I also allow them to have the occasional tropical fruit such as pineapple and mango, but they know this is a real treat and will be their after-dinner treat, possibly once a fortnight in the summer months.
Years ago, they may have eaten tinned fruit with breakfast, 2 pieces in their lunchbox, chopped apple for an afternoon snack, and maybe even another piece for an after-dinner treat = 5 servings!!!! Yikes. And, I didn’t even add a bag of raisins in that equation.
So my children are allowed fruit, but they have learned to be mindful of how much, and how often.
Myth: Dried fruit is refined sugar-free.
Ahh, this old marketing trick. Yes, it is refined sugar-free but sugar is sugar, your body and insulin see it ALL as the same thing. Whether the sugar is from fruit, table sugar or organic, free-range, natural, zero air miles, holistic, farmers market, bee-friendly, coconut sugar – it is ALL sugar.
And, as for those recipes which use Medjool dates (my pet hate) as a sweetener, run for the hills. Use Medjool dates by all means, but make no mistake, it is not sugar-free.
Myth: Fruit is packed with nutrients.
Well, not so much. The small amount of micronutrients they contain does not undo the damage the high sugar does. Yes, they have vitamin C, but so do lower-carb vegetables, which we eat in abundance without the fructose to accompany them.
Myth: Fruit juice and smoothies are such a health boost.
Sorry, no. A smoothie or juice based on fruit can be higher than a can of fizzy drink.
Yes, there will be some nutrients in there, but too many think this somehow balances out the high sugar in the smoothie.
Remember, a glass of orange juice isn’t the same as the goodness from 6 oranges, it’s the same as the sugar from 6 oranges. If you would like to enjoy a juice or a smoothie, base them on leafy vegetables and healthy fat such as coconut milk/cream.
Myth: Bliss balls are better than candy.
Well, kind of.
Bliss balls are made with dried fruit (which you remember is dried sugar). So, yes they may have a few more nutrients than candy, but make no mistake, bliss balls are high in sugar and must be accounted for in your daily allowance.
Myth: Bananas are a great fuel source.
Many regard bananas as the perfect fuel for the gym, and to grab some extra potassium. Let’s take a closer look.
- A small banana (and most are huge these days) has 24g carbs (21.4g net), 1.2g of protein, 9mg Vitamin C, and 379mg of potassium.
- A cup of chopped broccoli will give you 6g carbs (3.6g net), 2.6g of protein, 81mg Vitamin C, and 287mg of potassium.
- A medium tomato is worth 4.8g carbs (3.3g net), 1.1g of protein, 16.8mg Vitamin C, and 291mg potassium.
As you can see, it's actually better to eat broccoli than a banana. It has fewer carbs, more protein, and more vitamin C!
So ignore all the marketing hype about fruit and veg.
Fruit is great for the fibre and micronutrients they provide, but do not confuse them with vegetables, or hold them in the same high regard. It should be approached as an occasional food.
Fruit was once a seasonal food enjoyed in limited quantities. It is now imported from far and wide and available year-round. Even the varieties available in the supermarket are sweeter than the old heirloom varieties.
So enjoy fruit, but try to choose low sugar, nutrient-dense fruit such as berries.
Which fruit is best for a low-carb diet?
After reading through this list, choose the ones with the lowest carb counts. These are the fruits that are best - but you still need to track your macros and make sure you don't overeat.
Lower-Sugar Fruits
- Strawberries - 6g net carbs per 100g
- Raspberries - 5g net carbs per 100g
- Blackberry - 5g net carbs per 100g
- Watermelon - 8g net carbs per 100g
Higher-Sugar Fruits
- Apples - 12g net carbs per 100g
- Blueberries - 12g net carbs per 100g
- Kiwi - 12g net carbs per 100g
- Pear - 12g net carbs per 100g
- Pineapple - 12g net carbs per 1oog
Which fruits have the highest sugar?
The fruits with the most natural sugars are:
- Dates
- Raisins
- Dried cranberries
- Bananas
Avoid these as much as possible if you are on a low-carb or keto diet!
Are the carbs in fruit bad?
I don't like villainizing specific types of carbs.
Your body digests sugar and either use it for energy or stores it as fat. The glucose and fructose found in fruits can kick you out of ketosis and hinder you from burning fat and losing weight.
If your goal is to lose weight, be careful how much fruit you eat.
Carbs in fruit charts
Which fruit do you enjoy and how often? Take a look to see how many carbs in fruit, to help you make an informed choice and work them into your plan.
If you loved this, take a look at my Ultimate Guide To Carbs In Vegetables, Ultimate Guide To Carbs In Nuts, and the Ultimate Guide To Carbs In Alcohol.
Bridget
Dear Libby, you have changed my life. I've been eating low carb since September 2021 and never felt better. Yes I've got long term health issues, but my weight - which has been a constant issue - has reduced without any hunger. Even better, I have refound my love of cooking again.
A question if I may about berries... If I eat fruit I usually stick to the big 3: strawberries, raspberries and blackberries, but in a lot of mixed fruit packs, there are red or blackcurrants. Where do they come in on the carb scale please?
Thank you so much!
Libby Jenkinson
Oh, Bridget, I am so overjoyed that you have found such incredible success with low-carb and keto, and that I may have played a part in your transformation. Congratulations. I LOVE hearing success stories and I LOVE knowing how it has been so easy and with no hunger. Now for your question about carbs in berries. Redcurrants have 4.4g net carbs per 100g, and blackcurrants have 6.6 g net carbs per 100g. Hope that helps.
Valerie-June
Thanks for the tips Libby! I'm diabetic and I was told that I can have up to 3 servings of fruit per day, but I found my glucose shot up a mile after having one apple, so I only have some strawberries once in a while as a treat. Otherwise, I won't touch them. I just started trying keto recipes last week, and I am feeling pretty good. My glucose is in normal range again, thanks to the elimination of 90% of the carbs I was eating (I get my carbs from veg). You have a lot of yummy looking recipes on your site, I'm looking forward to trying them.
Libby Jenkinson
Valerie-June, I am so proud of you. It's incredible that reducing your fruit to a few low-sugar berries can have such a dramatic effect on your blood sugars, isn't it? And introducing some low-carb or keto recipes, and removing unnecessary carbs by swapping out for low-carb versions, makes an incredible improvement. "My glucose is in normal range again, thanks to the elimination of 90% of the carbs I was eating (I get my carbs from veg)." this is brilliant. So many people think we are either zero carb (we're low carb) and we exist on butter and bacon (yummy, but our carbs actually come from vegetables, nuts and dairy). Well done, no doubt you will also have an incredibly positive influence on others who have diabetes or problems with their blood sugar control. I look forward to hearing which recipe of mine you make. Happy baking.
Tracey MacDonald
Hi Libby! I’m confused by your pictures of the carbs in peaches. In one picture, they are shown as 6 g but in the picture below that, they are shown as 10 g. Which is correct? All the other fruits are consistent from one picture to another.
Libby Jenkinson
The one above is a nectarine, but I can see how they look similar.
John
To state fruits can cause NAFLD without reference is incorrect.
Here is a study that states that your claim is false and/or outdated.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30710884/
Libby Jenkinson
Apologies, I'll clarify my statement above that refers to too much FRUCTOSE can cause NAFLD. "But, you can also develop NON-alcoholic fatty liver disease – from too much fructose. That fructose may come from table sugar (half fructose half glucose) in a high sugar or high carb diet, or it may come from the fructose found in fruit." So with the abundance of fructose found in so many foods, honey, HFCS, and high sugar fizzy drinks, the fructose in the fruit itself may not directly be the primary cause of NAFLD, but with sweeter varieties of fruit being harvested in modern times, dried fruit, bliss balls and fruit based smoothies, these can certainly be an additional risk factor and provide additional unwanted fructose. I encourage whole fruit and discourage dried fruit, juice, and fruit syrups. "a piece of fruit is always a favourable choice over a candy bar" "I don't like villainizing specific types of carbs." "If your goal is to lose weight, be careful how much fruit you eat."
Anne Marie
Hi Libby,
I have just been introduced to your web site via Diabetes Australia and am reading about fruit. I have a small serving of mixed berries at night.( effective in keeping me regular). I often have one passion fruit on top. How are the carbs for them and also what are the carbs for grapefruit. Ok l am off to investigate the rest of your web site. Thanks for your efforts. You have many accolades from the members.
Helen
Nobody is going to choose a serving of broccoli over a banana as a pre-gym snack. Withholding/restricting carbohydrates from your children, who are GROWING and UNDER YOUR POWER, is unwise if not despicable. If your kid wants a cookie give them the goddamn cookie. I'm sure you think you know best for them but I hope you examine how much you are controlling their energy and macronutrient intake before they decide to flee your controlling nest. And you aren't even a nutritionist.
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
Hey there Helen, thanks for your views and concerns. My kiddos do get cookies (just sugar-free and lower-carb versions), they do eat fruit as discussed (just lower sugar fruit and not in preference to vegetables) and they are growing like weeds. They are all in accelerant (extension) programmes in school and are acing their studies and love their sport. I am a registered pharmacist of 25 years (so have seen the devastation of just giving a cookie, chocolate, cake, treat ....everything in moderation thinking). Many of the chronic illnesses in adulthood don't happen overnight, they happen after decades of nutrient-devoid processed food. As a qualified pharmacist working in the UK and NZ I have worked in paediatrics, SC baby unit, pediatric oncology, paediatric liver and renal, and palliative care specialities to name a few. I am also a qualified certified Health Coach and Certificate in Nutritional Science, Ketogenic Nutrition for practitioners. Anyone can call themselves a nutritionist, there is no legal description so I'm not sure what you are comparing me to, but I am qualified in all areas of low-carb and keto nutrition. As well as a mum of 3 who I love and adore and want to teach them good nutrition (not restrictions) is the basis of good health and wellbeing. 🙂
Marie
You don’t need to be a Nutritionist to understand the dangers of a high sugar processed food diet. Libby, I commend you on your commitment to raise awareness on the foods we consume!
Libby Jenkinson
Thank you Marie for your support. I find it astonishing how many people overreact when I say we don't eat sugar. And as for my qualifications, I don't think Helen expected my long list. I also run Low-Carb Practitioners if she would like to see someone even more qualified. Thanks again Marie, you brightened up my day with your kind support.
Adamlewisschroeder.Com
Thanks for finally writing about >The Ultimate Guide To Carbs In Fruit - busting the fruit
myth <Loved it!
Sal
You have to do what works for you based on how much you have abused your body to date.
For example if you are healthy and consuming a balanced diet , and excercising regularly , no fruit is going to cause you an issue.
If however you have metabolic syndrome like me, prediabetes and no thyroid and your triglycerides are always going up, you need to try a type of low fat, plant based diet and you can reduce your levels rapidly. It does require a lot of planning with purchasing food but ultimately a lot more vegetables and raw foods. I limit my meat intake now to twice a week and I’m working towards completely plant based whole food diet .
Chickpeas, beans and lentils can mostly substitute your chicken and red meat (both in high quantities can cause issues ) and you won’t be hungry if you have loaded on vegetables and fruits.
Secondly diabetes research is telling us SOME people do better on the low carb high fat diet BUT there is a risk of heart disease if your metabolism is slow in digesting fats OR you struggle to digest fats properly due to stomach issues (GERD Etc ) - heal that first with pro biotics and vegetables and bone broths.
Diabetes research also tells us some people to extremely well on low fat plant based whole foods diets. This is where you can not shift fat and have tried everything - it means your body cells have too much fat in them for the insulin to escort the sugars into your cells to give you energy - this leads to diabetes and prediabetes.
I’m currently using a modified version of Mastering Diabetes and a mix of other diets to get the best results for my body. You need to research your body type and the issues you are getting and many a time it won’t need a Doctor - mostly diet and some movement in the day to fix a lot of health issues. We are lazy as humans and tend to not care till something happens - as my diabetes consultant doctor says “ better to sort it out now than be regretting it on a cardiac ward”.
The key is to check your blood sugars regularly and manage accordingly.
Joshua
Cite studies please ?
Healthybull
Amazing article. Very good information articles. Thanks for this post.
Lusa
OK got it for does a horrible waste of time food and I’m dumb for ever eating it. I guess I’ll just go back to starving myself. Thank you for making be feel like a piece of garbage.
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
Ummm .... not sure what you are referring to. This is not a recipe. Maybe you're on the wrong website ?
Chris
No you really shouldnt feel like a piece of garbage because of food facts. That isnt the intention. It's not about shaming people or anything like that. It's about helping people learn what's actually in food and how it affects them so they stop deluding themselves because of errant preconceptions. It's so easy to fall into this tap. I had gained a great deal of fat around my midesection due to eating u healthy foods. I tried to fix it by eating what I thought was a healthy diet consisting of things like bananas, whole grain bread and cereal, other fruits, and some juice etcetera - and I was not aware that the net total of carbs or sugar I was consuming per day was going way beyond what I could consume if I wanted to lose that belly fat. So I learned more about the details and which foods would help me achieve my goals and which would hurt my chances. Then I disciplined myself ( and it has sucked royally by the way) - and over some time I have lost the belly fat so that now once in awhile I can treat my self and not hurt my goals much. But if you want to eat alot of fruit,fruit juice, bread, potato, and then go to the movies and have popcorn and soda and candy, and then go out and party with alcohol and party foods what happens is over time we put our whole organisms at risk of developing metabolic disorders and we get diabetes, and so forth. This is serious and you should treat it that way. Honestly for you to have that as a takeaway - an emotionally charged reaction to food facts - then you are in fact your own problem - you are being led by the whims of your emotions rather than by the logic and soundness of your own intellect. You wouldnt let a 3 yr old drive your car right? We all have a toddler inside us - a baby wah wah - that is going to pitch a fit when he doesnt get what he wants. It's time to put on the big boy pants put the toddler on the backseat where he belongs and allow the serious minded person of intellect that existsi all of us - to drive the car thru life - safely and healthfully.
Patty
OMG yes, you are right! You hit the nail on the head. We have been conditioned to eat the way we eat and changing that is not something that can be changed overnight but definitely is something we should work on. Anyone who sees this article as a way to shame people who relate to poor food choices is definitely their own worst enemy.
Richard
Just HI,
No criticism,
I have read and enjoyed only a small portion of your BLOGS and continue to investigate good/bad and "not so important" factoids on various subjects of interest..... started keto, my primary info goal!
Fault can be found in most everything, {not referring to your great works}, if a person is inclined to search for it!!!
I have failed many times at achieving my goals not because of misinformation, but because of me!
Thanks for your hard work creating this site/Blog, I will continue to use it as a good reference source as many other Sites/BLOGS also!
Coconut fat seams to be my primary source of fat or filler, just since January 2 2019 have been changing my lifestyle! No to Low as far as sugars/carbs etc!
At 55 years old I have started cooking from what I call "scratch", soups meals, cakes fat-balls etc, I have no idea what some stuff is suppose to taste like and messed up a few deserts!
I am a "sugar junkie" so i miss the taste/sweetness and it makes some days tough..... but I'm in for the long haul!
Yes i know you are not so interested in my story, but I was referred here by 3 different people I know in the world, not online! Just saying thanks!!
Rich R. R.
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
Hi Rich, thanks for your story (and yes, I am always interested in people's journey to health). 🙂
Maggie
Hi. I am trying to go low carb w meat and tons of veggies. I am overweight w hypothyroidism. My body just wont seem to digest veggies normally. I have a problem w night shades and lots of other veggies. I can take the other vegetables in small doses but to get full the amount of veggies I need to eat make me so sick. What should I do? I've not seen anyone address this issur before. How do I acclimate to vegetables, some meat, low carb low fruit diet? Also do dairy foods get any play? Thsnks
kim
have you tried eliminating raw vegetables for now? sounds like your gut needs to heal. maybe if you cook all your vegetables in a soup or stew, so for hours, that might help. Have you been checked for SIBO? might want to look into that. perhaps if you want some fresh vegetables, juice them and then even strain the juice to make sure there's no fiber at first? Hope these tips help.
Cate
Hello Libby, just received your email linking me to this article and it summarises beautifully what I keep trying to explain to everyone I know who thinks that eating lots of fruit is fine because it's good for you.. Love your blog!
I think there may be a typo which could be confusing in the paragraph underneath 'If you are overweight, fruit is not your friend'. You explain that when eating table sugar it is half fructose and half sucrose. Did you mean half fructose and half glucose?
Thanks for all this information and your recipes. Your blog is one of the three 'go to blogs' I use for LCHF because it is so full of ideas and inspiration. I have lost 22lbs so far and my weight is steadily going down. Please keep up the good work!!
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
Thank you, Cate. I'm glad you enjoyed this article in my series of Ultimate Guides. It's a tough call isn't it, explaining to friends that fruit isn't to be eaten in huge quantities. So many parents will allow their kiddos free reign on the fruit bowl when really whole fruits should be seen as nature's desserts. And as for fruit juice, smoothies and dried fruit, they should never be compared to the whole fruit which is almost self-limiting.
WOW, you have lost 22lb already - go you! I love this, well done. You must feel on top of the world. P.S. I have corrected my typo, you are correct, it should have read table sugar = 50% fructose and 50% glucose.
Susan Mackrell
I agree with you. One of my colleagues used to sit down to a massive bowl of fresh fruit salad and yoghurt. It looked amazing and I felt a tad jealous, being a type 2 diabetic. However, the thought of all the fructose and what it would do to my blood sugar levels made my toes curl. I enjoy some mixed berries or homemade chia jam as a treat sometimes and, occasionally as a "dessert" will eat half an apple with a spoonful of peanut butter. I really enjoy it and savour it but do regard it just as a treat instead of having a biccy with my tea. Sorry "cookie", I am Scottish!
Doreen
Even tho I agree with most of the facts re low-carb, I have a hard time with fruit. I’ve also been reading 2 other sites, Medical Medium, and Forefronthealth, which are saying the direct opposite, especially for thyroid problems. These are really confusing, and makes one wonder which way to go. LCHF is said to be the worst way to eat, and can cause all kinds of long-term health problems. Also intermittent fasting is said to be the opposite of what people should be doing. Where can one get “correct” info?
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
It can be confusing, can't it. Don't look for opinions, look for the science. Here are a few papers. Carb restriction in metabolic syndrome. Low fat vs low carb in long-term weight loss. And then there is my post on the advantages of a low-carb diet. At the end of the day, find a way of eating that gives you the results you are after.
Linda Reynolds
Hi Doreen. Bit late as a reply but only just found this site . Do you eat dairy? 10 years ago I was diagnosed with under active thyroid. Struggled for years slowly piling on the pounds. Then came across a thyroid website (one of many ive eince found with similar info) a large percentage of thyroid suffers have lactose intolerance. As I was feeling so ill I had nothing to lose ,helped me BIG time. Not saying it works for all ,the lactose intolerance goes hand in hand with gluten intolerance so cut that out two .....lowered my carbs! Long story short I no longer need the meds. Dr. Went ape! Cant understand why I'm still alive and healthy. 2 years without thyroid meds , now keto and still improving. you most definitely are what you eat. Not all weight is fat but inflammation which is more likely to finish you off.
CMC
I don’t believe any longer that there is “correct “ information. I don’t believe in the one size fits all approach to food for our health. I now believe it’s very individual. It is up to us to do the research, trial different ways of eating to see which foods our bodies respond positively to, give us the results we are looking for and set us on a path to good health.
Martin fennell
Yes. I guess the risk is, that once we have discovered that we are on the wrong path, it might be too late. But I am at least for now, taking that risk myself.
Kay
A little confused. For instance...net grams for strawberries....is that per strawberry? Or per how much?????
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
All the values stated are "per 100g".
Lynlea
I have stopped eating fruit every day. I brought
Tangelos last week for a treat 3 I just can’t bring
Myself to eat them. I am not over weight at all
But enjoy the benifits of the lifestyle. I just
Want to half a one a day.
They are the size of my fist.
Janell
Loved the graphic! Thanks! Two questions...dried cranberries are listed as having 76 grams. Are these the usual sweetened cranberries? Also, raisins are much higher in sugar than grapes, but if you ate equal amounts (16 grape vs 16 raisins) wouldn't the sugar content be the same?
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
Awesome questions! Yes, this is the carb count for the regular sweetened varieties, some are even as high as 82g/100g. The sugar content is the same (16 raisins = 16 grapes) if we count them only, but this chart shows by weight, not number. So 100g of grapes = 16g carbs. But 100g of raisins = 75g becasue 80% of the water has been removed from the grapes to become raisins and so the 100g now contains roughly four times the number of grapes. So now you can see why dried fruit is so high in sugar, so easy to overconsume and are really dried sugar bombs! I want people to be aware of dried fruit sugar content because so many believe that "refined sugar-free" recipes that contain dates, raisins etc, won't affect their blood sugars, and spoiler alert - they will. They are sugar, by another name.
Angela P
I was looking at some dried fruit to check the ingredients only to find that most of the dried fruit in New Zealand has sugar added to it.
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
Yes, sadly this is the case with many of them, and that is in addition to the concentrated dried fruit sugars in the dried fruit too.
Riley
Wow, what a bunch of bologna... Diet is simple: Eat what you can if you were all alone, no grocery store, just simple foods. For example:
Nature puts food in reach which relates to how often you should eat it. Want strawberries? Pick 'em and eat. Apples? Some reachable, some you have to climb for, work for it. Coconut? Bananas? Go ahead, how much effort would it take to climb that tree to get it? How much effort would it take for you to hunt, clean, and prepare your meat for dinner? Want a cake? Go harvest wheat, beat and ground it into flower, get your sugar cane and make your sugar, find a chicken to get your eggs, gather your cultured yeast, get it? It's the refined and industrial processed food, ease of purchase, no effort society we live in that makes us fat. ALL VEGETABLES GROW AT GROUND LEVEL.
There's a reason why the only living species on the face of the earth that can't control it's weight naturally is humans and the animals we domesticate or trap as pets.
Riley
flour, not flower. Spell check got me...
Susan Mackrell
True to a point. Our natual appetites have been destroyed by the over abundance of food. We have lost the ability to eat what/when we need to sustain ourselves. I agree that processed food is destroying our health and it is far too easy to microwave something than go out and gather the fresh produce and work in the kitchen to create our meals. Sadly the advances in technology which are supposed to be helping us, are creating many more problems. You don't have to get off your backside these days to change the channel on the TV or radio. There are even robotic mowers and vacuums to do our work for us. We are becoming couch potatoes hunched over our mobile phones. Carbs like pasta, rice, bread (especially garlic bread) seem to be regarded as the staples. You are hard pressed to get a decent helping of veg when you eat out in a restaurant. A favourite meal choice in UK restaurants and pubs is lasagne with chips and garlic bread or macaroni cheese and chips (with no side of veg)! I often request additional salad instead of carbs and end up with a sprinkling of mixed lettuces out of a bag. Nothing as a chunky as a nice bit of Cos or Romaine to fill me up. I am trying to follow a low carb way of eating but find it incredibly difficult when I am eating out and on holiday where options are limited. Don't know what the situation in the US is but there are no low carb or keto restaurants here. Plenty of vegan and vegetarian with gluten free options. So I suppose it's a start. Just waiting for the low carb revolution to start here. Most of my friends and family here in the UK are sceptical. My diabetic nurse told me it was essential for me to eat carbs regularly to "keep my blood sugars stable" and that I should never fast and should eat every 3 hours! Plus I should not test my blood glucose levels because I am not type 1. Did a wee experiment yesterday - ate two small pieces of rye bread (deemed super healthy) and tested my blood sugars two hours later - blood sugars had jumped from 8.9 to 12 mmol!! So, I have proven that, for me, refined carbohydrates are not healthy. So keep active, cook fresh, and minimise refined carbs is my motto.
Oshea
Fruit is not an occasional thing. If jor it is the opposite of that. Please look into Armold egrets teachings on the fruit diet And mucusless diet. Alot of this information can be misinformed. Please seek further knowledge and education regarding fruit. It will truly change your views.
Doreen
I’m beginning to agree with you. I can’t imagine that fruit would have been put on the earth for us to eat if it was as bad as the LCHF says it is. If we can pick it off a tree, or from the ground, to me that seems like a signal to eat it.
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
Absolutely, we should pick it, we should forage for it, but we don't. We place a whole bag in our supermarket trolley and drive home. Fruit is amazing, we just have to be mindful of how much. Therein lies the problem with modern fruit consumption 🙂
Bob
Why are you assuming its here to be eaten? Hornets are here too. I dont think they are here to be eaten.
Martin fennell
LOl
Tiffany Johnson
Keep in mind that the fruits we eat today don't look like they ones our ancestors eat. They've been bred to be sweeter and more "tasty". When people were deciding which apples to grow for farming, they purposefully picked the sweeter, bigger ones. Google ancient fruits and what fruits used to look like and you'll see that there's a big difference. Fruit is natural, but the fruit we eat has been changed through natural selection to be much sweeter than nature originally intended.
Susan Mackrell
There are plenty of things put on this earth that are not safe for us to eat - Deadly Nightshade, poisonous funghi for example. Many things are on earth for animals and insects, not humans. Fruit is lovely but should be eaten in moderation. Tropical fruit is being shipped to Western Europe and is in abundance here now in our supermarkets. These would not have naturally been what people in these climes would have eaten. Fruit eaten in moderation (and whole with the fibre) is ok but if you are unable to metabolise the fructose in fruit, you need to be careful about your consumption. When I was a student, I used to drink pints of fresh orange juice thinking it was healthier than a pint of beer. God knows how much sugar was in my blood stream. I wasn't diabetic then so I never really worried about fruit.
Ann Johnson
I like your chart showing the fruits and the net grams of carbs. However, I am still on the metric system so I don't know what the servings are to have those grams. Would you please tell me in teaspoons, tablespoons, cups or lbs.?
Thank you so much.
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
Grams are metric. 4g sugar = 1 teaspoon, 15g = 1 tablespoon. I have shown you the carbs per 100g in fruit so you may compare them side by side in the chart. As an example, 100g berries is equivalent to 1 cup berries.
Francis Ranada III
Kudos. Permission to print and share to my diabetic patients. Makes my job easier to explain to them dietary choices. Of course, your website acknowleged as the source of the infographic.
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
Thank you for asking, and yes I give you permission with the attribution and my website name remaining on the chart. How wonderful this will help your diabetic patients. I am a pharmacist and when trying to discuss carbs in food, so many people just won't believe how much is in fruit, and there are simple better choices that can be made. Good luck and give a big hello to all your patients 🙂
incense
Thanks for sharing this useful information with us.
theresa
Something to look forward to, chopped broccoli in the morning.
Rita
Hey! Just thought you might want to know, that picture of a passionfruit is actually a fig.
Karen Fidler
No, it’s a passionfruit. The picture of a fig is just under it. Both are delicious.
Neil Whyte
I stumbled across your misleading article. You dont understand biology. We are built mainly to eat fruit as frugivores. It is a myth that fruit has too much sugar. Fruit does not cause diabetes. The most important thing is to eat the whole fruit, not fruit juices. One quality juice per day is okay ( fruit and vege combined). Do you actually know what value is in an avocado or a berry for example?
You mentioned one piece of fruit per day. Are you kidding? I am just warming up after 6. I could have 10 figs in a day from our fig tree during fig season, not to mentioned the other fruit i would also have in the same day.
"If you are overweight fruit is not your friend." You haven't seen the clients i have had over the years. I can assure you fruit could absolutely be their best friend to replace the crap they are eating. Fruit does not make you fat. Show me a fat islander who lives off a lot of tropical fruits.
Bonnie
Great comment by Neil! I agree with his statement that it is the whole fruit that counts, not the fakes passed off as fruit...snacks, juices, and all that.
It has been proven (sorry, don't have citation available) that if fruit is eaten by itself, and not part of or following a heavy meal, the fructose will be nearly all broken down by the time it leaves the stomach. Fruit is NOT the cause of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease!
robyn
So glad someone said this. It’s really hard to maintain belief in the biology of the human body when there are SO MANY misleading articles out there like this one.
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
Fructose is one of the causes of NAFLD https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4405421/ and a high concentration is gained by drinking fruit juices, smoothies, dried fruit, sugar and HFCS. And yes I agree, eating whole fruit is completely different to having these concentrated forms. The fibre and all the micronutrients and phytochemicals that come packaged in a whole fruit, is completely different. This graphic is to show readers the sugar values of each fruit so they can make an informed choice.
Jan
Hi - Im an exception to the rule here. I basically live on fruit and have a banana every day along with cooked vegetables that I can tolerate due to a stomach condition and Im not fat. carbs are the least of my worries. Think its not one size fits all.
Katie
Your plum is a mangostine
Dietwithsofia.club
Very rapidly this site will be famous among all blogging and site-building people, due to it's pleasant articles
Marjolein
What about black currants.
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
Per 100g they have 15.4g total carbs - 6.8g fibre =8.6g net carbs
Kelly
Is there a way to print these?
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
The easiest way is to 'right click' and 'save image', then 'print'.
Cra
Strawberries in limit are good, apples are good, coconut is good as well. If you balance a dish with a splash of lemon juice or zest that's wonderful. The fat from coconut milk is also a good balance.
Shelby Salvador
How does cantaloupe compare?
Thank you.
Julia M Brook
Hi, what about rhubarb? You've not mentioned it on your list and I believe it is one of the least net carb fruits!
Many thanks for your guides. Have printed them out and put at the front of my personal food plan!
Julia
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
What an excellent question. Rhubarb has 2.7g net carbs per 100g. You have now sparked some recipe ideas in my head. Watch out!
LooneyTunes Horner
Are the carbs noted in the article net or total carbs? I find this all confusing
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
"All values are net g carbs per 100g"
Marjolein
With rhubarb, do you need a lot of sugar to make it palatable?
Cate
I cook rhubarb sweetened with Sukrin or Xylitol and use it in Martha Stewart's Rhubarb Fool recipe. You don't need to add very much sugar and you have all the lovely cream which sweetens it too. Delicious dessert.
Connie
If you're a enjoy tart fruits, you can eat rhubarb raw with or without a dash of salt to heighten sweetness.
Hélène
Dried Cranberries come sugared, they are sprayed with a sugar syrup n then dried as theyre way too tart to eat without sugar.
Alot of fruit is not high in vit C. Also, if any food is heated or frozen the vitC is lost. There are also food-herbs rich in C...camu camu, amalaki, rose hips, etc. U eat these dried, in tspfuls, very few carbs. You can make rosehip tea too.
RandalSchwartz
"Fruit has been given the same nutritional status as vegetable ever since the 5-a-day guidance was introduced." As they say on the Pedia of Wiki: {citation needed}. There is evidence that this statement was made up of whole cloth when it was stated, and has absolutely no more evidence today.
Chantalabou
What about coconut? Not good? Same as berries? Im thinking about shredded coconut and coconut butter
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
Coconut isn't so bad, it's only 6g net per 100g and you would be hard pushed to get through 100g, unless it is in baked goods then you need to keep an eye on how much you eat. Coconut butter is about 7g net per 100g, but again, you might only eat a tablespoon or two to keep hunger at bay.
Hilary Blakely
Hi Libby
I am 3 years post gastric bypass surgery and would like to lose more weight, ideally another 2/3 stones. I have done the keto diet successgully in the past and have felt great so I started again 3 weeks ago. The first week was great and I lost 6.5lbs. But after the second and third weeks not much weight was coming off and I felt very week. I finally realised that since my surgery perhaps this diet wasn't a good idea, however, I do believe that it is a healthier way to live. Can you advise me how many net carbs I need to eat to both keep me healthy and loseweight please? I have started by adding a pint of milk back into my diet to bump up the carbs (I was on 20g/day) as I really missed milk most of all.
Kind regards
Hilary
Libby Jenkinson
Before we begin, a quick reminder that nothing written on the sites indicated here can be taken as medical advice. Before undertaking any new lifestyle change, you must seek medical advice. The opinions on the sites indicated here are not intended as medical advice and should not be taken as medical advice. Any lifestyle change may affect your health. Please ensure you are under appropriate medical care. Ensure your medication and blood results are reviewed regularly. Dietary changes may change your biological markers such as blood pressure, lipid profile, blood glucose control, inflammation, weight, and need for medication. This website is not meant for individual advice as you need to be seen by your doctor or dietician for this on a regular basis.
Hi Hilary, calculating your macros is such a personal decision that should be made with your physician and your current medical history (such as your gastric bypass). You can use the free macro calculator and set yourself a realistic goal of carb restriction that works for you and your health goals that are sustainable and you are still seeing progress. If you need to add more carbs, instead of adding milk, a more nutrient-dense source could perhaps be nuts, seeds, berries, or vegetables. it sounds like you are ding a fabulous job and you understand the benefits of living a lower carb lifestyle. Awesome.