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Ketogenic apples: 9 Fruits That Are Actually Keto-Friendly

Are Apples Keto? Keto Apple Recipe Ideas

Ketosis is a state where your body burns fat for fuel, so depending on how much apple you consume, it can throw you out of ketosis.

Apples have a higher ratio of carbohydrates when compared to other fruits (such as berries), so we like to offer simple strategies if you want to incorporate apples in your keto lifestyle, instead of eliminating them completely.

So if you’re asking yourself, “Are apples keto friendly?” The answer is, let’s make it work for you. 

Will apples kick me out of ketosis?

Possibly. This depends on your daily allotted amount of carbs that allow you to maintain a ketogenic state. It is generally agreed upon that you can stay in ketosis by limiting carbs to under 50 grams per day.

Depending on your daily activity level though, 50 grams of carbs a day may or may not maintain ketosis.

If you are a routinely sedentary person, like someone who works at a desk for most of the day, 50 grams could be enough to kick you out of ketosis. You generally need less carbs if you are less active.

But if you are an athlete or highly active person, 50 grams will more likely maintain ketosis while also fueling your active lifestyle.

So while an apple may kick you out of ketosis if you are sedentary, it might be a great addition to an active lifestyle.

What are your goals?

Are you adopting a keto lifestyle for health reasons?

Or….

Are you a seasoned-keto-pro, and looking for more variety?

If you are starting keto due to health reasons, and this is a brand new adventure, it’s highly beneficial to avoid sweet foods altogether during the initial transition period (switching from glucose to ketones). This usually takes 3-10 days for your body to adapt to using fat for fuel.

This will allow your taste sensitivity to change and you will find you won’t crave sweet foods as much (huge bonus of keto!) And foods will naturally taste sweeter, like beets and carrots.

It’s also a good idea to track your food so that you are aware of exactly what you’re putting in your body (and when). This is a great observational tool to help you better understand the times when you are craving sweet things, possibly for comfort reasons.

If you have been doing the keto lifestyle for a while and you are looking to add more variety, or you are an active person, apple can absolutely be worked into your lifestyle! We’ll offer some great recipes and tips below.

What kind of apples are keto friendly?

Produce that is grown now is very different from the produce our primal ancestors ate. They are bred to be larger and sweeter.

Did you know peaches are 64 times larger than those that were first grown domestically in China around 4,000 BC. They used to be about the size of a cherry!

Here is a look at the net carbs found in typical supermarket apples. All the nutrition facts are based on a medium sized apple (about 150-190 grams) in their raw state.

Granny Smith Carbs – These are our favorite because of their BIG apple flavor. A little goes a long way. They contain about 18 gram of net carbs.

Honeycrisp Carbs– These contain about 21 grams of net carbs.

Gala Apples Carbs– These contain about 20 grams of net carbs.

Fuji Apples Carbs– These contain about 25 grams of net carbs.

Golden Delicious Carbs- These contain about 19 grams of net carbs.

McIntosh Carbs- These contain about 17 grams of net carbs (the lowest amount of the bunch, but smaller in size).

Are apples low carb?

All in all, apples are not low carb if eaten in their entirety. It may fill up a good portion of your carb allotment for the day. But we don’t believe you need to deprive yourself of the great apple flavor, especially because they are such a big part of childhood memories (apple pie, yum!). So we came up with a couple of ideas that we think are the perfect solution!

Thin Apple Slices – We discovered a brilliant way to keep apples from going brown. Most of us know that you can toss apple slices with lemon juice, and that will stop the browning process for a few hours.

But did you know that you can soak apple slices in a bowl of water with salt (¼ teaspoon – ½ teaspoon) for a few minutes, rinse the apples, and store them in the fridge for a few days with minimal browning?

Now you can use a small portion of apple without having to throw it away.

Grated Apple – You will follow the same soaking process as the sliced apples, but try grating the apple instead. The grated apple would be delicious sprinkled on our keto oatmeal recipe, or even sprinkled on top of vanilla keto ice cream (just make sure to update your macros).

Apple Pie Spices- For me, apples mean fall. And fall means spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. So if you are missing out on fall comfort foods, try incorporating these spices into your keto desserts, and you might find it hits the spot.

Apple Substitute- If you are missing the texture of apples, there are a lot of substitutes that deliver that delicious crunch. Jicama being one. And one serving of jicama is only 5 net carbs.

Keto Apple Recipes

Here are a couple keto apple recipes we think you will love:

Apple and Ham Flatbread Great way to use those sliced apples in the fridge.

Keto Apple Pie A great alternative if you are looking for the comfort of apple pie without using apples.

Apple Crumble Great for those who are metabolically flexible or highly active on keto.

Shredded apple also is delicious in this keto coffee cake.

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More Articles:

Are Eggs Keto?

Are Mushrooms Keto?

Are Onions Keto?

Are Brussels Sprouts Keto?

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Are Apples Keto Friendly? | Total Carbs | Alternatives

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A medium apple is around 200 grams in weight which has 27 carbs and only 4.8 grams of fiber. There’s also 20.8 grams of sugar in this apple as well. (source) Therefore, as a general rule, this is why apples are not keto-friendly.

However, depending on how much of an apple you eat on the keto diet, you could stay into ketosis if you have some of an apple. If you want to still have apples go ahead and have a slice or two. Feel free to test your blood for ketones if you want to be strict with it.

Crab apples are keto-friendly apples with only 5 grams of carbs for each small apple. Be aware though this variety is not sweet at all. Also, eating the seeds is not good for humans, so please stay away from them.

Jump to:

  • Carb Counts in Apples
  • Are Cooking Apples Keto Friendly?
  • Keto Apple Substitutes
  • How to get Apple Flavor on a Low Carb Diet
  • Comments

Carb Counts in Apples

Depending on the apple variety and size the carb counts vary along with the percent of natural sugar. Comparing the apples below in the cart, Red Delicious would be the one to avoid the most, and crab apples would be okay to eat on a keto diet. Just don’t eat the seeds of the crab apple.

Apple NameSizeCarbsFiberSugar*
Pink Lady200 grams28.66.420.8
Honeycrisp200 grams29.43.424.8
Fuji Apples200 grams31.24.226.6
Granny Smith200 grams28.2521.2
Gala200 grams29.64.223.6
Red Delicious200 grams29.6424.4
Crab Apple (*)35 grams51

*The sugar is naturally occurring. All nutritional information is from the USDA website, but the crab apple.

Are Cooking Apples Keto Friendly?

Even though they tend to be less sweet and more tart, cooking apples still are not keto-friendly. The granny smith apple is a great example of a cooking apple. The chart above shows that for 200 grams (medium size) of the green apple there are 28 carbs in it. The carbs are still too high.

Keto Apple Substitutes

The best alternatives to using apples on a low-carb diet are jicama and chayote squash. Per cup or about 130 grams the jicama has 5.1 net carbs while the chayote has 3.8 net carbs. A lot of sugar-free food bloggers will use chayote squash in keto baked apple recipes.

Jicama

For 1 cup (130 grams) of jicama there are 11.5 total carbs and 6.4 grams of fiber with 2.3 grams of sugar. (source) Jicama can be described a mix between an apple and a water chestnut. It’s crispy and has a slightly sweet nutty flavor.

Chayote squash

For 1 cup (132grams) of chayote squash there are 6 carbs and 2. 2 grams of fiber with 2.2 grams of sugar. (source) Chayote squash has a slightly sweet and hints of cucumber flavor. It also provides a good crunch.

How to get Apple Flavor on a Low Carb Diet

Apple Pie Spice

At the store, you can purchase powder spice that is a mixture of other spices that make it taste like apple pie. It’s actually what I used in my Apple Crisp Macchiato recipe.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar has no carbs in it. It’s apple juice that’s been fermented. Yeast is added to the juice and the yeast eats the sugar and turns the drink into alcohol. (source) This vinegar has a lot of acid in it and can cause problems if you drink it straight. Typically when it’s used in recipes not a lot of it is used.

Apple Flavor Extract

Using flavor extracts is a great way to add flavor with zero carbs. I try to use these often in recipes with sugar-free sweeteners to dessert recipes.

Apple Flavored Tea

If you are looking to make a hot drink that’s flavored apple, using tea would work great. There are apple flavor teas on the market. My friend Trina actually created a sugar-free hot apple cider recipe with tea.

Image from www.trinakrug.com

To confirm, apples are not keto-friendly. However, there are many ways to get the flavor of apples in many recipes. 🙂

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all you need to know – Zira.uz

We tell the most important thing about the popular diet.

In a nutshell: more fat

You already know that carbohydrates are fuel for our body, processing them into glucose, we get energy. If the body lacks carbohydrates, and energy is needed, then fats are consumed.

The ketogenic or keto diet is based on this fact about our metabolism. By reducing carbohydrates and increasing fats in the diet, a person loses weight due to the loss of fat mass.

The ketogenic diet was originally used to treat children with epilepsy. With a low amount of carbohydrates in the diet, our liver converts fats into fatty acids and ketone bodies. Ketone bodies become an energy alternative to glucose and nourish the brain. When the number of ketone bodies rises, a state called ketosis sets in. It is this condition that reduces the frequency of epileptic seizures.

The ketogenic diet became especially popular thanks to Kim Kardashian, who, with the help of this diet, lost 30 kg after giving birth. Among the fans of the keto diet are actresses: Alicia Vikander, Megan Fox, Halle Berry, who is in great shape at 52, model Adriana Lima, Gwyneth Paltrow, and even basketball player Le Bron James.

Athletes, UFC fighters, triathletes, marathon runners, and models also use the ketogenic diet. This diet is especially popular in sports that require endurance and weight loss.

Studies have shown that the keto diet reduces the production of the hormone ghrelin, which makes us feel hungry.

On a keto diet, on average, fats make up 75% of the diet, 20% are proteins, and carbohydrates are only 5% of the total mass of products.

The main condition of this diet is the complete exclusion of sugar and absolutely any flour products.

How to calculate the amount of proteins, fats and carbohydrates in a keto diet?

You should have 1 g of protein per 1 kg of your weight. If your weight is 70 kg, then you need 70 g of protein. Fat, respectively, should be 3.75 times more, that is, about 263 g, and carbohydrates 4 times less – about 17 g. bird,

  • Oily fish (flounder, mackerel, halibut, salmon)
  • Seafood
  • Butter and vegetable oils (coconut oil is especially recommended by keto nutritionists)
  • Eggs
  • Dairy products
  • Cheese
  • Nuts and seeds
  • Mushrooms
  • High fiber green vegetables (broccoli, asparagus, cabbage)
  • Meat, fatty fish (salmon, flounder and halibut), seafood, eggs, dairy products and cheese, avocado, certain vegetables (cabbage, broccoli, asparagus), vegetable oil, nuts and seeds
  • Some berries
  • A small amount of tomatoes.
  • Do’s and Don’ts

    • Sugar
    • Any flour products
    • Legumes
    • Whole grains and cereals
    • Fruits and dried fruits
    • Sausages, sausages – they contain sugar
    • Vegetables high in sugar and carbohydrates, such as corn and potatoes
    • Any alcohol containing sugar and cereals

    The ketogenic diet does not prohibit fried foods, does not involve separate meals, and does not require the rejection of salt.

    But this diet is not suitable for very long-term use, it cannot be made a lifestyle because of the imbalance. The ketogenic diet is prescribed for life to those suffering from epilepsy, a predisposition to Alzheimer’s disease and is considered the prevention of a number of cancers. The ketogenic diet is suitable for cutting or the need to lose weight.

    If you can’t imagine life without fruits, potatoes or pasta, then it is unlikely to suit you.

    During the keto diet, especially in the first two weeks, weakness may appear, the breath may smell of acetone – a temporary side effect of the formation of ketones in the body. Therefore, a keto diet can only be calculated and recommended by a doctor and compiled individually. Nutritionists and nutritionists take into account the ratio of muscle and fat mass in the body, lifestyle, habitual intake and consumption of calories, age, hormonal background, body type and other factors.

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    Ketogenic diet I What is it? How does it work? What’s the use?

    The keto diet, or ketogenic lifestyle, has exploded in popularity over the past few years. The ketogenic diet is a diet that focuses on high fat intake with moderate protein and limited carbohydrates. 1 The ketogenic diet has been known for many years, beginning with a reduction in seizures associated with diseases such as epilepsy. 1

    However, the diet has gained more popularity due to its effect on weight loss and physical performance. It contributed to the production of many tons of food and sports nutrition products.

    Below is the ratio of macronutrients for the standard ketogenic diet (SKD) and the high protein ketogenic diet.

    Standard Ketogenic Diet (SKD): Very low carbohydrate, medium protein, high fat diet. The usual distribution of macronutrients is 75% fat, 20% protein, and only 5% carbohydrates.

    The high protein ketogenic diet is a standard ketogenic diet that includes more protein. The ratio of macronutrients often looks like this: 60% fat, 35% protein and 5% carbohydrates.

    How does the ketogenic diet work?

    How does the ketogenic diet help you lose weight? The main and most preferred source of energy for our body are carbohydrates. To provide the body with energy during physical activity and exercise, the muscles burn carbohydrates that come from food or are stored in the form of glycogen. In conditions of severe restriction of carbohydrate intake, as happens with a ketogenic diet, the body is forced to look for alternative sources of energy. 2 When we limit carbohydrate intake, the body can switch to burning fat for energy – a metabolic state called ketosis occurs.

    Summary: By restricting carbohydrate intake, the keto diet encourages the body to burn fat rather than carbohydrates for energy.

    Health Benefits of the Ketogenic Diet

    Many recent studies have shown that the ketogenic diet is effective for weight loss and blood sugar control.

    When you eat carbohydrates, your body produces insulin to absorb this sugar and store it. 1 If you don’t eat carbohydrates regularly, your body will produce less insulin, which means your blood sugar levels will be more stable.

    Summary: The keto diet can help you lose weight and control your blood sugar.

    Things to consider


    1. Eliminating Entire Food Groups

    Allowing ketogenic, high fat foods sounds promising, but it can still be difficult to follow any diet that eliminates entire food groups (such as carbohydrates) for long periods of time.

    2. It’s Easy to Lose Your Way

    If you see rapid positive results on the keto diet and then gradually switch to unhealthy eating, you’ll likely gain weight back just as quickly. The keto diet is difficult to maintain primarily because even one day of cheating or breaking one rule will bring your body out of ketosis and cause excess fat to be stored instead of being burned for energy.

    3. Lack of Key Nutrients

    Eliminating so many foods from your diet can cause you to lose important vitamins and minerals. This nutrient deficiency can lead to various side effects.

    4. The Ketoflu

    When you’re just starting out, transitioning to a keto diet can be a difficult ordeal. Many beginners struggle during the first few weeks as the body rebuilds during this time, meaning it adjusts to a new way of getting energy by burning fat rather than carbohydrates as it used to.

    You will most likely feel tired and irritable, and you will experience a decrease in mental and physical energy (this is especially felt when exercising). Also, you will probably feel hungry, fight the desire to eat something sweet. You may experience drowsiness and digestive problems. Keto flu symptoms include weakness, low mood, decreased concentration, increased hunger, sleep problems, nausea, dyspepsia, and decreased physical activity.

    However, after a few weeks of getting used to the body, these symptoms should disappear.

    Summary : The keto diet can have many side effects, including decreased productivity and weakness, but these symptoms usually disappear after a couple of weeks.

    Foods to Avoid

    When you’re trying to achieve a state of ketosis (burning fat as an energy source), you must limit the fastest source of energy – carbohydrates. To properly maintain a state of ketosis, you should always avoid high-carbohydrate foods. Among them:

    1. Products containing sugar


    • biscuits
    • desserts
    • sweets

    2. Products containing starch


    • bakery products
    • pasta
    • rice
    • potatoes

    3.

    High sugar fruits


    • bananas
    • apples
    • mango
    • pears
    • grapes
    • cherry

    Some low-sugar berries are allowed in small quantities.

    4. Vegetables


    • carrots
    • corn
    • green peas
    • parsnip

    5. Some dairy products


    Many dairy products (milk, yogurt) are excluded from the diet due to their high content of lactose (milk sugar).

    6. Beans and legumes


    Beans and legumes (eg lentils and chickpeas) are generally considered sources of vegetable protein. They are high in starch and should also be avoided.

    7. Hidden carbs


    While on this diet, you should be aware that in addition to the well-known sources of carbohydrates, there are other, less well-known sources that you may not think about. For example, foods such as ketchup and barbecue sauce, many low-fat or diet foods are high in carbohydrates. Many types of diet foods contain sugar alcohols, which should be avoided. In addition, most alcoholic beverages also contain carbohydrates.

    Although fats are the main source of calories in the keto diet, the choice of these fats must be approached correctly. Try to limit the amount of saturated fats (lard, butter, mayonnaise) and trans fats (this can be processed vegetable oils in baked goods).

    Summary: High-sugar foods like sweets, bananas, peas, and ketchup should be avoided while on the keto diet.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Should I cut out carbs completely?


    If you want to achieve and maintain a state of ketosis, it is important to constantly limit your intake of carbohydrates while adhering to the recommended amount. When you break the rule and eat more carbohydrates, your body can switch from burning fat to burning carbohydrates. This will make it harder to get the results you want.

    Can I keep my muscle mass?


    The results of studies that have studied the preservation of muscle mass do not provide clear answers. If you are concerned about this issue, then it is better to follow a keto diet with a higher protein content. Rapid weight loss or the loss of a large number of kilograms is often accompanied by a loss of both muscle and fat mass, but the amount will depend on the individual characteristics of each person.

    What should I do if I feel tired all the time?


    You’ll likely feel tired for the first week or so, as your brain and body adjust to getting energy by burning fat rather than carbohydrates during this period. Since glucose is the preferred source of energy for muscles during exercise, you may also notice a slight decrease in performance at first (this is the so-called ketogenic flu). Eat a variety of foods and choose the healthiest sources of fat and protein.

    Is ketosis dangerous?


    The use of a ketogenic diet as a temporary measure in order to get rid of excess weight should not be dangerous for a healthy person, but it must be taken into account that each organism may react differently to such a drastic change in diet. If a person has comorbidities, then maintaining a state of ketosis can be dangerous. In such cases, it is best to follow this diet under medical supervision.

    Can I build muscle on the keto diet?


    The main result of the ketogenic diet is weight loss, and mass gain is known to require additional calories. Therefore, being on a keto diet, it is difficult to build muscle. Most often, in an effort to maintain muscle mass and performance, people follow a ketogenic diet with a higher protein content, but the muscles need energy to work and protein to repair. Therefore, as you understand, for those who want to gain muscle mass, this diet is not the best solution.

    How do I know if I’m in ketosis?


    When you are in ketosis, ketone bodies circulate in your blood and are excreted in the urine. In the exhaled air, the amount of acetone increases and a peculiar smell from the mouth may appear. However, it is quite difficult to measure these indicators on your own.