Think you can’t eat fruit on a low carb diet?
Think again.
There’s no doubt that fruit is sugary. The type of sugar in fruits is called fructose. On a carb-cycling bodybuilding diet like the MuscleHack Anabolic Nutritional Strategy, fruits are surprisingly NOT off limits.
Firstly there’s your carb-up weekend in which you should consume fruits until your heart’s content.
Secondly there are low-sugar i.e. low-carb fruits. You just have to make wise decisions regarding which fruits to eat while low carbing.
As a rule, berries are good – strawberries, blackberries, raspberries and so on. Strawberries are only 6 net grams of carbohydrate per 100 grams. That means that if you take a 50 gram serving and slice those strawberries up into some cream, you’ll only be consuming 3 grams of carbohydrate! mmm I love strawberries and cream 🙂
(Net carbs means total carbohydrate minus fiber as fiber cannot be digested by the body. Net carbs are the only carbs you need to count).
Here’s a list of great low carb fruits: (all under 10 grams of carbs per 100 )
So be wise and consume the right type of fruits for your lifestyle. As a side note, don’t consume dried fruits as they are much higher in carbohydrate (sugar) content.
Here are 2 sites I recommend you bookmark to help make life a little easier. They display the carb counts of most common foods and are an invaluable resource. (The UK site lists ‘net carbs’ as just ‘carbs’ – no need to subtract anything).
Low Carb Diet (click on carb counter) UK
If you are looking for low carb recipe ideas I’ve heard nothing but good things about a book called Carb Wars: Sugar is the New Fat
Hope that helps dispel some myths for you as well as giving you some extra options for your low carb/high protein diet.
Your buddy,
Mark McManus
Great post!! This subject has always been a big concern of mine. I love my grapefruit, and you’ve put my guilty conscious to rest.
The ‘no fruit’ on low carb myth is probably on of the biggest and worst. I’ve met people who ‘thought’ they were doing low carb – almost always a program of their own design – and had foregone fruit and veggies for weeks.
Mark, your site is an excellent resource for information. Keep up the valuable work.
@ Fabian. Yes you can enjoy your grapefruit Fabian. Glad I’ve been able to help.
@ Carol. Thanks Carol for the very kind comments. You’re right about that myth. It’s crazy how people think their on a low-carb diet but it’s really something they’ve made up themselves i.e. they eat meat, eggs and cheese only. No veggies? No Fruit? They’ve got it all wrong. Good to hear from you again Carol.
Mark
better carb counter IMO
https://www.calorie-count.com/
list everything in more realistic amounts
I’ve read that fructose doesnt cause an insulin response unlike glucose…if thats the case, wouldnt it be ok to eat plenty of fruits – high carb and low ?
hey musclehackers, on my carb up days i feel insanely tired and fall asleep after about every meal is this normal? I feel like shit on carb days but the results are excellent. And also my workout weights are going up really fast is this a good thing? for example my squat has gone from 60kg-100kg,deadlift from 60kg to 110,bench from 50kg-75kg within a 5-6 week period ( I use Reactiv supplements @ http://www….. *best supplements ive ever used check it out CHEAP! and EFFECTIVE!)
am I gaining strength too fast? and inviting injury by overloading too quickly? I feel great no joint pain or anything.
Point of interest… rhubarb is actually a vegetable. So that’s partly why its net carb count is so low. That’s what’s so great about it– it counts as a vegetable, so if you’re doing Atkins, it helps with the net veggie carb total! And if you nuke it up with some splenda-sweetened strawberry syrup and top with whipped cream, you have low-carb rhubarb fool… hurrah!! 🙂
Thanks for that Marochka. Sounds great!
MARK HELP! im about to get some teeth extracted and I wont be able to lift for like a week. im doing TSPA, should I stay in a calorie deficit during that week? or will that cause me to lose more muscle? thanks!
Just take a week recovery. Continue TSPA as normal and don’t do any cardio.
THANKS MARK! you’re the best!