8 Fruits You Can Eat on the Keto/Banting diet
Keto/Banting is a term used for a Low Carbohydrate High Fat diet plan. In other words, you cut out starches and sugar, and eat high fat and full cream products. If you easily gain weight when eating starch and sugar, then you may be carbohydrate/ insulin resistant and will find benefit in the Keto/Banting way of eating. You can find my Banting meal plans (and Low GI ) here: Linda Kriel Fitness App
Fruits contain large amounts of sugars and these influences your blood sugar levels. In the Keto/Banting diet you get your carbs from non-starchy vegetables.
BUT You don’t have to go totally fruit-free on this high fat diet. Here are a few banting-friendly fruits that pass the carb test.
1. Avocados
Yep, this creamy delight is actually a fruit – and it’s a banting diet godsend. Not only does a half of an avocado contain a glorious 15g of heart-healthy fat, but it has less than 2g of net carbs.
These make great additions to smoothies, says registered dietician Sarah Jadin, who specialises in keto diets. Still, even with avocado you need to be mindful of how much you’re eating in relation to your carb allowance, she notes.
2. Olives
Olives are also a fruit you definitely didn’t think were a fruit – so they totally count.
Ten small olives pack about 3g of fat and about 1.5g of net carbs. Bonus: They’re salty, and getting enough sodium is important when following a high fat diet, says Jadin.
3. Coconut
One-half cup of shredded coconut meat yields 13g of fat, and a respectable 2.5g of net carbs. Sugar is often added to coconut, so make sure you’re buying unsweetened – or buy a whole coconut and scoop the meat out yourself.
4. Blackberries
Blackberries have an impressive amount of fibre – nearly 2g in a quarter cup. That serving size also has 1.5g of net carbs, so you can definitely add these to your morning yogurt.
5. Raspberries
Stick with a quarter cup raspberries and you’ll get about 1.5g of net carbs.
Toss them in a salad, or, even better, whip up heavy whipping cream and toss a few berries on top for a banting-friendly dessert, recommends Jadin.
6. Strawberries
A quarter-cup of strawberry halves contains a little more than 2g of net carbs – or about 10% of your daily limit if you’re aiming for 20g of net carbs a day.
7. Tomatoes
Yet another should-be veggie that’s actually a fruit. At 2g of net carbs for every half-cup, cherry tomatoes are a great addition to your banting diet.
8. Lemons
No one’s asking you to bite into a lemon… but when you need to dress up unsweetened soda water or plain tea, the sour citrus fruit has your back.
A squeeze from a wedge has less than a half of a gram of net carbs. That’s a negligible amount of carbs, so honestly, squeeze as many lemons as you want, says Jadin.