Episode 40: What about Fruits and Starchy Vegetables?
In this episode learn about fruits and starchy vegetable. Berries and the less sweet fruits are allowed on Keto and there is more latitude with Low Carb, but it is important to know some issues with fruit especially if you have been diagnosed with NAFLD - Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. Enjoy starchy vegetables - also in moderation. The main reason to eliminate or cut down on these vegetables is because of the amount of carbohydrates they contain. I also have a segment on resistant starches that you might have heard about in your travels.
2:02 Personal Story
3:32 Don’t have your head in the sand about fruit and stubborn weight loss
6:01 Eating Fruit on Keto
7:00 What if you eat a lot of fruit?
7:33 If you have type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance or any other form of metabolic disorder, these can almost always be healed with a well-formulated Keto diet.
8:47 Why berries are allowed on Keto
9:41 Here are the fruits to eliminate or limit even if you are eating Low Carb
10:40 If you are taking the low carb path (rather than keto) in your journey
11:39 Snack substitutions
12:54 The more serious issue with fruit is not just the carbohydrate count
14:56 What is Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)?
17:15 What Are Root and Starchy Vegetables?
20:53 You may have heard of resistant starches
24:23 Carb cycling
25:11 Metabolic Flexibility
26:05 Carb Addiction
28:07 Remember: all carbohydrates turn to glucose in your system
30:58 This Week’s Actionable Coaching Advice
33:45 Next week's Episode 41 coming up
Lock & Key Lesson (Blog on insulin)
Book: Breaking Free From Diet Prison (Conquer Craving with Keto)
Course: Keto and Low Carb Success
35-Page FREE Keto and Low Carb Planner
FACEBOOK
INSTAGRAM
Article or Resistant Starch
Johns Hopkins Article
Connecticut College Study
Get all my free guides
Take a look at this great course
Join me on Facebook
Follow me on Instagram
Check out Pinterest
And don't forget my book!
Episode 40: What about Fruits and Starchy Vegetables?
In this episode learn about fruits and starchy vegetable. Berries and the less sweet fruits are allowed on Keto and there is more latitude with Low Carb, but it is important to know some issues with fruit especially if you have been diagnosed with NAFLD - Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. Enjoy starchy vegetables - also in moderation. The main reason to eliminate or cut down on these vegetables is because of the amount of carbohydrates they contain. I also have a segment on resistant starches that you might have heard about in your travels.
2:02 Personal Story
3:32 Don’t have your head in the sand about fruit and stubborn weight loss
6:01 Eating Fruit on Keto
7:00 What if you eat a lot of fruit?
7:33 If you have type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance or any other form of metabolic disorder, these can almost always be healed with a well-formulated Keto diet.
8:47 Why berries are allowed on Keto
9:41 Here are the fruits to eliminate or limit even if you are eating Low Carb
10:40 If you are taking the low carb path (rather than keto) in your journey
11:39 Snack substitutions
12:54 The more serious issue with fruit is not just the carbohydrate count
14:56 What is Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)?
17:15 What Are Root and Starchy Vegetables?
20:53 You may have heard of resistant starches
24:23 Carb cycling
25:11 Metabolic Flexibility
26:05 Carb Addiction
28:07 Remember: all carbohydrates turn to glucose in your system
30:58 This Week’s Actionable Coaching Advice
33:45 Next week's Episode 41 coming up
Lock & Key Lesson (Blog on insulin)
Book: Breaking Free From Diet Prison (Conquer Craving with Keto)
Course: Keto and Low Carb Success
35-Page FREE Keto and Low Carb Planner
FACEBOOK
INSTAGRAM
Article or Resistant Starch
Johns Hopkins Article
Connecticut College Study
Get all my free guides
Take a look at this great course
Join me on Facebook
Follow me on Instagram
Check out Pinterest
And don't forget my book!
Episode #40 What about Fruit and Starchy Vegetables?
You’re listening to the Keto and Low Carb Success podcast, Episode #40, What about fruit and starchy vegetables?
Introduction:
Enjoy Keto and Low Carb success by becoming aware of what foods work best in your body and why. Master your mindset to make the journey an easy one. Learn all this, and more, with this podcast based on my trademarked Granny Keto Transitions Program. Join me, Miriam Hatoum, health coach, course creator and author of Conquer Cravings with Keto, as I give you actionable coaching advice with each episode that is sure to empower you and take any confusion out of following a Keto or Low Carb diet. It’s like being a private coaching client while you listen at your convenience!
But before we start, I wanted to offer my free gift to you for just for taking a peek at my course, Roadmap to Keto and Low Carb Success. No obligation – just take a peek! At the bottom of the page you will find a spot to put in your name and email address and like magic, my 35-page Keto and Low Carb Planner will appear in your in-box! The feedback on this Planner has been fabulous and it is yours free for just taking a look over at miriamhatoum.com/course. The direct link will be in the show notes and transcript.
And now to the episode, What about fruit and starchy vegetables?
I’ve been doing a few science-heavy episodes because I want to give my listeners a solid basis for understanding how to approach keto and Low Carb. Indulge me with one more for now, and next week I promise to get back to some mindset work.
2:02 Personal Story
During the summer of 2016, a friend of mine was telling me about the Atkins induction phase. I heard "no fruit" and was completely turned off. I'm not going there. Nope. Never. But I did, for the first time, start looking into what low carb means.
When I listened to Why We Get Fat and What to Do About It by Gary Taubes, everything finally fell into place for me, and I immediately gave up fruit and started Keto. It was over a year before I even ate a berry!
I finally understood why I never lost a pound even though I faithfully followed a Paleo lifestyle for years. It was all the sugar in the unlimited fruits I was eating along with other allowed elements of Paleo, including no limit on root vegetables, nuts, honey, etc. The fruit-to-insulin connection and then what insulin is responsible for, opened my eyes and enabled me to begin Keto.
It is easy to learn about what fruits to eat on keto (berries, sometimes called "little fruits"). Even for low carb the list is easy: Just go light on tropical fruits and dried fruits and eat others in moderation (I counsel my clients to have no more than 2 a day).
3:32 Don’t have your head in the sand about fruit and stubborn weight loss.
While you are following a low carb eating style, you can have fruit. However, I think the biggest downfall of some of the popular diets is that fruit is unlimited. For instance,
· A cup of grapes is 29 carbohydrates, and
· Half a medium cantaloupe is 23 carbohydrates.
(You might say – who eats a half a cantaloupe? If you are my age – in your 60s, surely you remember putting cottage cheese in the well of half a cantaloupe!)
The reason fruits are not allowed on Keto and should be limited for low carbohydrate eating is because they are made up of fructose, sucrose and glucose, and therefore most carry a high carbohydrate load.
One difference here with low carb vs. keto is that fruit in moderation is allowed on low carb, while on keto, typically, only berries are allowed. Limit your fruits to very low carbohydrate ones (the lower carb count indicates less sugar) and limit the amount you eat in a day to no more than one or two. Forget the gigantic fruit salads you think are so wonderful!
It is important to build an awareness and a mindfulness when you reach for fruit. The carbohydrate count alone can get in the way of successful weight loss, but there are things much more sinister lurking in fruit sugar.
6:01 Eating Fruit on Keto
7:00 What if you eat a lot of fruit?
I remember when I started, I told my friend, “I can’t imagine never eating another piece of watermelon for the rest of my life.” The rest of your life is a long time. Don’t look at that now.
7:33 If you have type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance or any other form of metabolic disorder, these can almost always be healed with a well-formulated Keto diet.
But for right now, for just this day in front of you, don’t reach for that piece of fruit.
8:47 Why berries are allowed on Keto
· Berries, in contrast to some other fruits, in moderation (about ½ cup), not only have much less sugar but their glycemic load is also low.
· They will very slowly, if at all, raise a person’s blood glucose level.
· They are loaded with phytonutrients.
o Phytonutrients are natural compounds that have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that help support a healthy body.
However, many doctors call berries "little fruits" because they still carry a warning about fructose as do other fruits. They should be eaten in strict moderation if at all.
The sweeter the fruit and the more concentrated the fruit, the higher the concentration of sugar.
9:41 Here are the fruits to eliminate or limit even if you are eating Low Carb
Tropical fruits
Tropical fruits are very sweet (and thus very high in carbohydrates). Some of the most popular that you would recognize are:
Less common, but still popular, tropical fruits are:
Dried fruits
Dried fruits are very high in sugar because they are concentrated.
10:40 If you are taking the low carb path (rather than keto) in your journey
There is no “rule” to eliminate fruit.
Keep your fruit intake to those with lower carbohydrate counts such as grapefruits and melons.
Learn which are the high-sugar fruits
Do your best not to have them.
And, just as with Keto, have the only juices you use be for flavoring, not drinking.
The carbohydrates and fructose do not concern me if you limit them, but they may keep sugar cravings alive. If you are still battling the sugar demon it might work in your favor to eliminate all fruits and berries for a while. You can always add them back once you no longer have cravings that take you off course.
11:39 Snack substitutions
Are you used to taking a piece of fruit for a snack? That was the hardest for me, even more than giving up those fruit salads and plates of fresh watermelon. If you are choosing to do Keto and once you start with higher fat, you most likely will not have the urge to snack anymore, at least not because of hunger. Eating from boredom or habit is another issue! Here are some ideas for snacks:
You can see that there is plenty to reach for and it doesn’t have to be an apple or banana! As you cut out fruit your need to snack on it will lessen.
12:54 The more serious issue with fruit is not just the carbohydrate count
Fructose, specifically, puts a heavy burden on the liver which can cause Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, abbreviated as NAFLD. No cell in the body can directly use fructose so it goes directly to the liver and can be responsible for problems you may be having with losing weight, and particularly belly fat.
More serious than belly fat? Yes! There is a more serious concern with fruit that goes beyond their carbohydrate count which increases insulin which increase belly fat.
More and more studies are being done on this. There are already many animal studies, but the link is so strong and interesting that more human studies are also being conducted.
These studies include
14:56 What is Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)?
Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) is when too much fat builds up in liver cells.
NAFLD is also linked to an increased risk of other diseases, including
NAFLD is caused by many factors including
It is time to make the connection between Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and fruit. While you are working to correct these situations, let your liver “rest” and don’t tax it by making it necessary to work to rid itself of fructose.
There are many questions around root vegetables on keto and low carb. If you are taking the keto path you will want to eliminate root/starchy vegetables. If you are taking the low carb path you will simply want to cut down on these. The main reason to eliminate or cut down on these vegetables is because of the amount of carbohydrates they contain. Your best weight loss strategy at all times is to keep your carbs low.
17:15 What Are Root and Starchy Vegetables?
Starchy vegetables are more than just potatoes and peas and carrots. Let’s define them and see why they are so high in carbohydrates:
Above-ground starchy vegetables include
Ginger and garlic, both considered below-ground vegetables, have one carbohydrate for one tablespoon and one clove, respectively, so they certainly can add up in a recipe! When you have escaped from diet prison and are no longer counting everything that you eat, these carbohydrates will be minimal additions to your cooking.
19:01 Beware of outliers
My advice is that even if your ultimate goal is not to weigh, measure and track everything you eat, you would be well-advised to look things up at the very beginning of this journey. There might be unexpected surprises like those shiitake mushrooms!
20:00 Here are some examples of how many grams of carbohydrates are in starchy and root vegetables
These little innocent sides to your meal could be your full carbohydrate allotment for keto and easily half your day’s allotment for low carb.
20:53 You may have heard of resistant starches
21:30 Many keto proponents advise eating resistant starches even if you are doing strict keto
However:
A very interesting article on resistant starch says, "Some people respond well when they introduce resistant starch into their diet, while for others, it just doesn’t work. It can take six weeks or more for your body to get used to it, so start small. If you have too much, too soon, one of the tell-tale side effects of resistant starch is gas and bloating." If you want to read more, this, and the other following studies, are in the show notes and transcript.
23:05 Food Sources of Resistant Starch
I do not use resistant starch and so I am not writing from first-hand knowledge, but here is an abbreviated list.
"Foods that contain resistant starch include:
23:44 The amount of resistant starch changes with heat.
The general consensus seems to be go slowly and drink a lot of water! And, I would add, don't start if you consider yourself very carb addicted and are not ready to handle any starches just yet. A source from Johns Hopkins speaks more to this.
24:23 Carb cycling
This is an approach where you eat a higher amount of carbohydrates on either a regular basis (once a week, every other day, etc.) or as needed. For instance, many women find some relief if they add extra carbohydrates during their menstrual cycles.
Increase carbohydrates through natural whole foods such as adding a sweet potato or other root vegetables to a meal. Carb cycling does not give you permission to eat candy bars and chocolate cake once a week!
25:11 Metabolic Flexibility
There has also been some anecdotal evidence that carb cycling may increase your body’s ability to burn fat in the long run by making your body metabolically flexible. People who are very keen on this method of Keto are Leanne Vogel, Will Cole and Mark Sisson. There are many more proponents of carb cycling, but these are three professionals I am most familiar with.
I recommend that you do some research on the purported benefits of carb cycling if you are interested. If you are severely insulin resistant or have other metabolic issues, this might not be for you. Do your research. Remember: It does not mean you have permission to pig out once a week – even if you schedule it into your food plan.
26:05 Carb Addiction
This seems as good a spot as any to bring up carb addiction.
A Connecticut College study found that "Even though we associate significant health hazards in taking drugs like cocaine and morphine, high-fat/high-sugar foods may present even more of a danger because of their accessibility and affordability."
As with many other studies, it has been found that sugar activates the opiate receptors in our brain and affects the reward center, which leads to compulsive behavior, despite the negative consequences.
This is why people feel addicted to sugar and baked goods. When one cookie leads to the entire box and you feel out of control, you can be assured it is not in your head. It is a very real thing.
Some people - especially proponents of the "everything in moderation" brand of intuitive eating - feel very strongly that there is no such thing as carb addiction and that it is possible to eat all things in moderation.
This is where I parted company with traditional intuitive eating programs. In my course, The Roadmap to Keto and Low Carb Success, I do teach intuitive eating but with the guidance of low carb and keto behind it. For a lot of us it is not a matter of moderation and certainly not a matter of willpower.
28:07 Remember: all carbohydrates turn to glucose in your system
Not everyone is this sensitive to sugar. I personally admire someone who can have one cookie, one piece of candy, a side order of spaghetti or baked potato, and walk away and call it a day.
It may be a matter of admirable willpower, but more often than not it is just that they do not have the level of carb addiction that I do, or the level of insulin resistance that causes a cascade of out-of-control eating.
30:01 My friend, it's the food.
30:58 This Week’s Actionable Coaching Advice
The best way to get out of diet prison is to stop eating the foods that keep your cravings and hunger alive.
For this week, I want you to follow these rules of thumb to stay out of diet prison:
Sugar begets sugar cravings. The more sugar you eat in the way of fruit and starchy vegetables, the harder it will be to stay out of diet prison.
Also, if you did not do it last week, please go to page 29 of your Keto and Low Carb Planner (link for its download is in the show notes and transcript) and fill out the Keto and Low Carb questionnaire. The questions are thought-provoking and will help you get to your WHY, which will make this whole process of changing your eating style much easier for you.
Now, let me remind you. If you’ve ever got a question you’d like to ask me or share a topic idea that you would like me to cover on a future episode, don’t be a stranger! I always look forward to hearing from listeners like you. You are welcome to email me directly… miriam@miriamhatoum.com. And don’t forget to leave a review wherever you listen to this podcast. Leaving a review makes it easier for other people who are looking to listen about Keto and Low Carb.
33:45 Coming up in the next episode I will be talking about Emotional Eating which is also called head hunger or heart hunger.
So go share the show with your friends, let them know that’s coming up in the next episode, and invite them to tune in with you and learn how to become free from diet prison with my Keto and Low Carb Success podcast.
Until then, go live free from diet worry — I’ll see you back here next time.
Lock & Key Lesson (Blog on insulin)
Book: Breaking Free From Diet Prison (Conquer Craving with Keto)
Course: Keto and Low Carb Success
35-Page FREE Keto and Low Carb Planner
FACEBOOK
INSTAGRAM
Article or Resistant Starch
Johns Hopkins Article
Connecticut College Study