Legal Fruits for Good Carb Dieters

Get your own personalized Atkins Diet program powered by eDiets -- or choose from among 21 other plans. eDiets has more than 100 different support groups. Make new friends and get support from other eDieters -- you may run into Shantay! To get started on shedding those extra pounds, click here!.

People who are following a low-carb diet plan often think that fruit is “out." They are wrong! There’s a difference between “no fruit” and the “right fruit.” Knowing which fruits have the most fiber and least carbohydrate can help you stick with your plan and enjoy the sweet treat, too.

Last year a Nielson survey concluded that about 12 percent of Americans were following a low-carb diet, and 30 percent had lowered their fruit consumption. However, about 14 percent stopped eating fruit completely. Not a good idea, because fruit offers nutrients that enhance your health.

On the Atkins Diet, your first phase, Induction, allows a limited amount of carbs daily, and suggests avoiding fruit and eating vegetables for your carbs (they have fewer carbs and more fiber than most fruits). However, that phase should last only about two weeks, and as you move on to Ongoing Weight Loss, you add back servings of fruits, as you “move up the carb ladder” toward balance.

Glycemic index or impact?
You may have heard of the glycemic index (GI). This number is an indirect measurement of how quickly a food raises blood sugar. However, don’t bother looking up individual values for common foods, because the GI doesn’t consider the usual portion size or amount of fiber in foods.

That’s why on eDiets, we consider the glycemic impact of fruit. A better indicator of nutritional value is the glycemic load, which considers fiber and portion size. By the way, a GI of 55 is low; GL of 10 is low. As for fruits that fit, try berries first: the GI of fiber-rich strawberries is 40, but the GL is only 1.

Fruit’s natural carbohydrate, fructose, is the source of fruit’s energy, and gives fruit its sweet taste. Fruit is full of important antioxidant nutrients including vitamins C & A, plus important phytonutrients, which are minute chemicals found in fruit and other foods, which support immunity. The fiber in fruit, both soluble and insoluble, helps prevent diseases including heart disease and some cancer.

As the Atkins experts say, “Perhaps your grandmother called it roughage; physicians call it bulk. No matter what it’s called, dietary fiber traditionally used for relieving constipation is an important consideration when changing the way you eat to a lifetime of healthy eating. What exactly is fiber? Simply put, dietary fiber is the indigestible parts of plant cells. Although it is a carbohydrate, fiber does not convert to glucose and thus does not raise your blood-sugar level the way carbohydrates typically do.”

The Neilson release interviewed Professor Paul Lachance, Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Rutgers University, who said, "If your diet is low in carbohydrates, it makes sense to choose fruits and vegetables that are especially rich in essential nutrients, otherwise a reduced-carb diet can easily rob you of the well-reported health benefits of eating fruits."

Fitting in Fruit
All fruits can fit into a healthy diet, in the right portion size. Even watermelon “fits” in the right portion size, and if you’ve got a hankering consider that one cup has only 11.6 grams of carbohydrate. However, because watermelon is…well, very high in water, it’s also very low in fiber, which means that it’s also less filling and less nutritious than other fruits, such as kiwi, which ounce-for-ounce packs more concentrated nutritional value…and by the way, is one of the lowest in carbs.

According to the ANA, most berries are best for fiber, but other fruits such as kiwi and grapefruit are super, too. They suggest eating fruit with protein and fat such as nuts or cheese to slow absorption and avoid blood glucose swings.

Some of the best fruits, and by best I mean the fruits that contain the most fiber and fewest carbs per serving, are:

Fruit Serving Carbs (grams) Fiber (grams)
Blackberries 1 cup 18.4 7.2
Grapefruit Half (4 oz) 9.5 7
Guava Small (3 oz) 10.7 4.9
Kiwi Small (1/2 oz) 11 2.6
Raspberries 1 cup 14.2 6
Strawberries 1 cup 10.5 3.9

Here’s a great idea: Go to your Nutrition Tracker (free to members and guests) and track your fruit. Just type in any fruit you choose, indicate the portion size, and see how much fiber and grams of carbs per serving. You can use the tracker to make the healthiest choices and improve your diet.

If you think a low-carb program is the way to go, check us out! With 22 fantastic plans to customize, including low carb, you’ll receive customized meal plans, menus and recipes, in addition to 24/7 peer and professional support Click here to get started.

eDiets Chief Nutritionist Susan L. Burke is a registered and licensed dietitian and a certified diabetes educator who specializes in both general and diabetes-related weight management.