Low-carb fruits and berries – the best and the worst
, medical review by Dr. Michael Tamber, MD
Evidence basedWhat are the best and worst fruits to eat on a low-carb diet?
However, the sugar consumed by eating fresh fruit is not as bad as that found in actual candy. The soluble fiber in fruit can help with short-term satiety; it also reacts with water in your gut to form a thick gel that helps delay and reduce the amount of sugar absorbed from that fruit. In fact, up to 30% of the sugar from fruit may not be absorbed.
Larger quantities of fruit, however, will deliver a significant sugar load to your intestines. Even if only 70% of that sugar is absorbed, 70% of a big number is still a big number.
Berries
Carbs list
Blueberries contain twice as many carbs as strawberries, so don’t overdo them – on a keto diet you should eat them only occasionally and in limited amounts.
For easy comparison all numbers are grams of digestible carbs per 100 grams (3½ ounces) of the fruits.
See the complete carbs list for fruits:
Carbs list
How much fruit can you have?
On a keto low-carb diet (<20 grams of net carbs per day), you're probably better off choosing berries over other fruits. Also keep in mind that you don’t actually need to eat fruit. You can get any nutrient found in fruit from vegetables – without all the sugar. Therefore, perhaps you should try eating plenty of low-carb vegetables instead.
Even on a more moderate low-carb diet (20-50 grams per day) you’ll have to be careful with fruit – probably no more than about one to two servings per day.
On a liberal low-carb diet (50-100 grams per day) you may be able to squeeze in two or three fruits a day, if that is your biggest source of carbs.
Isn’t fruit natural?
Fruit is usually considered a very natural food, something humans have always eaten. However, from an evolutionary perspective there are often massive differences between today’s fruits in the supermarket, and what fruit used to look like before, in nature.
What fruits and vegetables looked like before
Furthermore, for most of human history, fruit was only available for limited time periods during the year, when they were ripe. Our ancestors, just like primates in natural habitats, were only able to eat plenty of fruit when it was available.
Top 10 low-carb fruits
Let’s say you occasionally want to eat fruit while still staying relatively low carb. What fruit would be the best choice?
Below, you’ll find the best options, ranked by grams of net carbs.
- Raspberries – Half a cup (60 grams) contains 3 grams of carbs.
- Blackberries – Half a cup (70 grams) contains 4 grams of carbs.
- Strawberries – Eight medium-sized (100 grams) contains 6 grams of carbs.
- Plum – One medium-sized (65 grams) contains 7 grams of carbs.
- Clementine – One medium-sized (75 grams) contains 8 grams of carbs.
- Kiwi – One medium-sized (70 grams) contains 8 grams of carbs.
- Cherries – Half a cup (75 grams or about 12 cherries) contains 8 grams of carbs.
- Blueberries – Half a cup (75 grams) contains 9 grams of carbs.
- Cantaloupe (melon) – One cup (160 grams) contains 11 grams of carbs.
- Peach – One medium-sized (150 grams) contains 13 grams of carbs.
As a comparison, a large orange contains about 17 grams of carbs, a medium-sized apple about 21 grams and a medium-sized banana about 24 grams of carbs.
Berry recipes
A moderate amount of low-sugar berries can be OK on a low-carb diet. Here are our top recipes:
Worse choices
Of course a fruit is still probably better than many other snack options – like a muffin or a handful of candy. All fruit (even bananas) are much lower in carbs than these.
Q&A
Below you’ll find a few common questions about low-carb fruits, with answers. For more like this, check out our full low-carb FAQ.
What fruits are the lowest in carbs?
Remember: “Berries are best.” Raspberries, blackberries and strawberries are your best bet, with net carb counts of around 5 or 6 grams per 100 grams. Beyond that, perhaps a plum or a few cherries. Check out the visual guide above for exact carb counts for common fruits.
What fruits are high in carbs?
The worst offenders are bananas, at 20 net carbs per 100 grams, and grapes, with 16 net carbs per 100 grams. But most fruits, including oranges and apples, are fairly high in sugar and carbs.
What is the best fruit to eat to lose weight?
Because of their sugar content, it’s probably better to keep the fruit intake low if you want to lose weight on a low-carb diet.
Why isn’t avocado or tomato listed?
While technically they are fruits, most people probably think of an avocado or a tomato as a vegetable. Therefore, we’ve chosen to list them on our low-carb vegetables page.
Don’t I need the fiber and nutrients from fruit?
While it is true that fruit contains fiber and nutrients, it is far from the only source. Above ground vegetables are a much better choice with an equal or greater amount of fiber and nutrients but with only a fraction of the sugar.
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Low-carb fruits and berries
– the evidence
It’s written by Dr. Andreas Eenfeldt, MD. The latest major update was on December 9, 2021. Further research and fact-checking by Paul Rutkovskis.
The guide was medically reviewed by Dr. David Cavan, MD, on February 22, 2019, by Dr. Bret Scher, MD, on February 10, 2020, by Professor Fredrik Nyström, on December 25, 2020, and by Dr. Michael Tamber, MD, on December 9, 2021.
The guide contains scientific references. You can find these in the notes throughout the text, and click the links to read the peer-reviewed scientific papers. When appropriate we include a grading of the strength of the evidence, with a link to our policy on this. Our evidence-based guides are updated at least once per year to reflect and reference the latest science on the topic.
All our evidence-based health guides are written or reviewed by medical doctors who are experts on the topic. To stay unbiased we show no ads, sell no products and take no money from the industry.
Read more about our policies and work with evidence-based guides, nutritional controversies, our writers team and our medical review board.
Our low-carb advice and recipes are meant for adults with health issues, including obesity, that could benefit from a low-carb diet.
Controversial topics related to a low-carb diet, and our take on them, include saturated fats, cholesterol, whole grains, red meat, whether the brain needs carbohydrates and restricting calories for weight loss.
Should you find any inaccuracy in this food policy, please email andreas@dietdoctor.com.