Maintaining ketosis is an important part of the ketogenic diet. Consuming high-carb and sugary foods while you are in the state of ketosis, will most likely throw any fat-burning action you've achieved in the last few weeks, or even months, out the window. That also means that consuming most fruits can indeed impede ketosis as they are high in sugar (loaded with the worst kind of sugar: fructose). Yet, you can select low-sugar fruits, eating them sparingly and stay in ketosis.
Keep Your Carbs Low
Ketogenic diet typically includes 75% fat, 20% protein, and only 5% carbohydrate.
You should strive to keep your carbohydrate intake under 5% of your total daily calories or 20 grams per day in order to comfortably reach and maintain ketosis.
When choosing fruits on the keto diet, you should opt for nutrient-dense, high-fiber options that are low on the glycemic index. At Comfort Keto, based on our almost decade long clinical and culinary experience with the low-carb diet, we feel that it's simply how much fruit and other carbohydrate sources you can consume while staying in ketosis, and hitting your set macronutrient range when following a keto diet. Fruits with low glicemic index simply means that these fruit choices have a smaller impact on blood sugar than other fruits and include choices such as berries, grapefruit, and sour cherries.
Munch on some tomatoes
Although often considered a vegetable, the tomato is actually a fruit that belongs to the nightshade family, along with aubergines, peppers and potatoes. They come in a range of sizes and varieties from small cherry to large beefsteak. Traditionally, red in color, you can also get tomatoes in yellow, green, purple, orange and variegated colors.
An 80g serving of tomatoes provides about 5% of an adult’s daily potassium needs - potassium is associated with reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, lower rates of stroke and heart disease.
Tomatoes contain phytochemicals (carotenoids) including lycopene, lutein and beta-carotene - protect against eye diseases, and help prevent UV damage in humans.
Research suggests that cooking tomatoes increases their nutritional value, antioxidant properties and our ability to access their lycopene compounds.
Eating tomatoes along-with a source of fat such as an olive oil dressing helps us absorb these protective carotenoids.
Tomatoes are a good source of vitamin K which is necessary for blood clotting, wound healing, bone and cardiovascular health.
Tomatoes help alleviate some menopausal symptoms such as anxiety, resting energy expenditure and heart rate.
Tomatoes provide juiciness and umami flavor, with only a few carbs. We use frequently tomatoes as a keto-friendly ingredient Comfort Keto recipes. For example, we serve our salads usually with half a dozen cherry tomatoes. Many other Comfort Keto dishes are served with roasted tomatoes or with our house made salsa prepared with fresh tomatoes, onions, green peppers, and spices.
Don't Shy Away From Olives
The vitamins and antioxidants found in olives may provide important health benefits. For example, some studies have shown that olives may protect against osteoporosis, in which bones become brittle or weak. Olives are also rich in vitamin E, which can improve skin health and help your immune system.
Consuming especially the extra-virgin olive oil, may reduce the risk of heart disease.
Olives contain the compound oleocanthal, which studies have shown can kill cancer cells. Other studies have shown a link between consuming olive oil and reducing the risk of cancers, including breast cancer.
The oleocanthal in olives and olive oil is linked to a reduced risk for Alzheimer’s disease and other brain-related diseases. This compound also increases the activity of the drug donepezil, which is used to treat dementia.
Research shows a link between consuming olive oil and preventing type 2 diabetes by helping the body regulate glucose (sugar).
Olives are another keto-friendly fruit choice, as they add a briny and salty taste to foods, and are simply delicious when added to salads and combined with Comfort Keto's delicious and extremely healthy Mediterranean themed chicken, and fish dishes.
Add Pumpkin To Your Diet In Fall and Winter Months
Pumpkin is a delicious type of winter squash, native to North America and particularly popular around Thanksgiving and Halloween. Of course, pumpkins aren't only for carving. They are very versatile - so you can enjoy them in multiple variants. It is also a good source of vitamin A and also soluble and insoluble fiber. Here are some key benefits of pumpkin:
Pumpkin is high in soluble fiber (2.7 grams of fiber per cup, 60% is soluble fiber), regulates bowel movements, promotes a healthy balance of bacteria (supports your immune system), binds to LDL cholesterol, and carries it out of your body in waste.
Pumpkin protects your skin from harmful UV rays ans supports optimal eye health as it is rich in beta carotene (converted into Vitamin A in the body), lutein and zeaxanthin.
Pumpkin is an antioxidant, thus supports heart health.
How About Pumpkin Seeds?
Just a quarter cup of pumpkin seeds provides you with 75% of your daily recommended dose of manganese, 50% of your daily requirement of magnesium and a good serving of nutrients phosphorus, copper, protein, iron and zinc.
Pumpkin seeds help promote good prostate health, benefit arthritis symptoms and they can also help to protect bone mineral density.
Pumpkin seeds are best roasted at a low temperature for a short amount of time so that their healthy oils aren’t destroyed.
One Pumpkin Treat to Avoid !!!
We absolutely love eating pumpkin. Yet, we don’t want all the inflammatory and toxic ingredients that are found in one popular fall pumpkin treat: Pumpkin spice latte found in most coffee shops. For starters, these do not contain any real pumpkin. They are also very high in sugar, artificial flavors, carrageenan, and preservatives.
At Comfort Keto, we serve our harvest power bowl with pumpkin mousse. We also use a lot of pumpkin seed wit our salads and power bowls.
Eat Blueberries
Berries are delicious and available year-round — fresh or frozen. They are a fantastic source of antioxidants, vitamin C, and fiber.
Here are the top seven health benefits of blueberries:
High in Antioxidants
Help Fight Cancer
Amp Up Weight Loss
Boost Brain Health
Alleviate Inflammation
Support Digestion
Promote Heart Health
At Comfort Keto, we serve several salads and power bowls with berries.
Eat Strawberries
Strawberries are basically the same as blueberries in terms of nutrition and benefits. They are sweeter than blueberries, so if you have a craving for sweetness, they are a good choice.
At Comfort Keto, we serve several salads, power bowls and keto sweets with strawberries.
Eat Avocados
Avocado is low in carbs but has monounsaturated fat. It is a fantastic source of monounsaturated fat and is especially great for the keto diet. It's not sweet, so it won't help you with your sweet tooth, but it's a great source of fiber, which makes your salads filling and delicious.
At Comfort Keto, we serve avocados with salads, or as our house made fresh guacamole mixed in our wet burritos.
Read more about the benefits of avocados at https://www.myketopal.com/post/avocados-are-not-just-for-making-guacamole
Star Fruit Is Truly Low Carb
Star fruit — or carambola — is a sweet and sour fruit that has the shape of a five-point star. The skin is edible and the flesh has a mild, sour flavor. The star fruit is yellow or green in color. It comes in two main types: a smaller, sour variety and a larger, sweeter one. Medium-sized (91-gram) serving of this fruit is only 28 calories and 6 grams of carbs per serving.
It has
Fiber: 3 grams,
Protein: 1 gram,
Vitamin C: 52% of the RDI,
Vitamin B5: 4% of the RDI,
Folate: 3% of the RDI,
Copper: 6% of the RDI,
Potassium: 3% of the RDI and
Magnesium: 2% of the RD.
This means that, calorie for calorie, star fruit is very nutritious. At Comfort Keto, we serve a few star fruit slices with our tropical chia power bowl.
Unripe Kiwi Has Low Amount of Sugar
Unripe kiwi has low amount of sugar and is fine to consume in moderation (a few slices). Unripe kiwifruit may be too sour for some, but they will ripen in a few days at room temperature. Ripe fruit contains ethylene, a natural emitted gas that hastens the ripening process.
It is safe to eat unripe kiwis and even has curative properties. The unripe fruit has been proven to contain higher amounts of the enzyme papain, which alleviates symptoms from various gastric disorders, help reducing wound inflammation and treating skin disorders.
Kiwi is packed with vitamin C, a nutrient which is a powerful antioxidant and can help ward off disease and slow signs of aging. It also contains potassium, vitamin E, and small amount of vitamin A. Kiwifruit is a natural source of carotenoids, such as provitamin-A beta-carotene. Raw kiwifruit is rich in protein-dissolving enzyme actinidin, (in the same family of thiol proteases as papain), which is commercially useful as a meat tenderizer.
When buying kiwis, select the ones which are rather harder and resist to gentle pressure when squeezed gently in the palm of your hand. At Comfort Keto, we serve a few kiwi fruit slices with our tropical chia power bowl.
Sour Cherries
Sour cherry, also known as tart cherry, is the fruit of a small tree (Prunus cerasus) native to Europe but now grows around the world. The small, red fruit of the sour cherry tree are – true to their name – more acidic and tart to taste. The harvesting season for sour cherries is short and they are therefore most often found in supermarkets frozen rather than fresh.
Sour cherries contain vitamins A and C and small amounts of sodium, protein, calcium, folate, and iron. Fresh cherries contain approximately 25 calories per 50 grams (half cup) and 4 grams of carbohydrates. They are abundant in cancer-fighting anthocyanins.
Sour cherries contain antioxidants, such as ellagic acid and quercetin - neutralize free radicals, single out and fight cancerous cells.
Sour cherries are a good source for melatonin - protect the body from breast cancer, help to alleviate certain sleep conditions such as restlessness and insomnia.
Sour cherries contain anthocyanins - ease pain from osteoarthritis inflictions and reduce inflammation in the joints and other afflicted areas, including hemorrhoids and migraines.
Sour cherries contain anthocyanins - help the body produce insulin, which is in turn used to regulate sugar levels.
Sour cherries lower the level of uric acid in the blood - ease gout pain, tart cherry juice is used in the treatment for gout.
Sour cherries contain compounds like gallic acid, kaempferol, p-coumaric acid, quercetin - ease the pain in the muscles and joints after strenuous activity or exercise.
At Comfort Keto, we serve sour cherries with our berry good chia power bowl.
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