How Fruit Fits Your Low-Carb Lifestyle
By Becky Billingsley
Special for
Here's the dilemma:
You love living a low-carb lifestyle, but you also love fresh fruit. Well guess what? There's no dilemma! Dana Carpender, of Bloomington, Indiana, is a nationally syndicated columnist and the author of several popular low-carb cookbooks, including 500 Low-Carb Recipes
Dana's newest cookbook is 500 More Low-Carb Recipes, and in it there are many, many recipes that include fruit. She says people watching carbs can even enjoy fresh berries, cantaloupe and bananas.
The key, of course, is moderation.
"I think the claim that people can eat unlimited calories on a low-carb diet is oversold," Dana said in a recent phone interview, "but I think you can eat more calories and still lose weight.
"I just think there's not evidence that a low-fat diet is good for much. People knock fat out of a diet and they're hungry all the time. Americans have lost sight of the idea to eat when you're hungry and until you're satisfied, and then wait until you're hungry again. They have the habit of mindlessly eating while watching TV. They're terribly uncomfortable without food when they sit down to watch a movie.
"And the only thing you can eat a lot of without feeling physically sick is carbs, like chips. Low-carb foods, because they're high in protein and fat, have high satiety value and make you feel full."
Some of Dana's recipes are extremely high in calories and fat, and she reminds readers that these are not foods meant to be eaten regularly. Different people can tolerate different daily calorie levels, she says, and it should be kept in mind that the word "treat" means once in a while, not every day.
So while enjoying fresh fruit is an option, people who love fruit can get that lovin' fruity feeling in other, trickier ways. Dana uses a lot of fruit-flavored sugar-free gelatins, fruit extracts and fruit vinegars in her recipes. And in the recipes that do call for fresh fruit, "A little goes a long way," she says.
So today let's work our way through some popular fruits, and learn how to use them with Dana Carpender's low-carb method.
Apples
Nutrition: 1 medium apple has 80 calories, zero fat, cholesterol or sodium, 22g carbohydrate (5 fiber, 16 sugars) and less than 1g protein.
Vitamin and mineral daily requirements: 2 percent of vitamin A, 8 percent of vitamin C.
In a low-carb lifestyle: Apples contain enough sugar that low-carbers will likely want to consider a substitution. Dana Carpender offers a recipe for mock fried apples that will fulfill an apple craving. Guar and xanthan gum can be purchased or ordered from health food stores; Dana recommends putting it in a salt shaker and keeping it by the stove, so you can shake it into recipes that need thickening.
Anne Logston's Mock Fried Apples
2 chayote fruits (usually available in the fresh produce section, near Hispanic items)
1/3 cup (80 mL) apple cider vinegar
3-5 packets Splenda or 2-10 tsp. granular Splenda, to taste
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1/2 stick butter
Guar or xanthan (optional)
In a small bowl, combine vinegar, Splenda, cinnamon and salt. Add to chayote slices and toss or shake to coat thoroughly. Let marinate at least one hour.
Melt butter in a hot skillet. When butter is sizzling, add chayote and any juice. Cook until chayote is hot but still crunchy, or cook until tender if desired. About eight minutes is good. If desired, thicken pan juices with your guar or xanthan shaker to create a thick, yummy glaze.
Makes 3 servings, each with 167 calories, 16g fat, 1g protein, 7g carbohydrate and 3g fiber.
Nutrition: 3 apricots have 50 calories, 1g fat, zero cholesterol or sodium, 12g carbohydrate (1 fiber, 11 sugars) and zero protein.
Vitamin and mineral daily requirements: 45 percent of vitamin A, 20 percent vitamin C, 15 percent beta-carotene.
In a low-carb lifestyle: One of Dana's favorite tricks is to use low-sugar preserves in her recipes. She says this sweet-hot glaze recipe is great on lamb, pork and chicken.
Apricot-Chipotle Glaze
1/2 cup (80g) minced red onion
1/4 cup (60mL) canola oil
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup (120mL) red wine vinegar
1/2 cup (160g) low-sugar apricot preserves
2 chipotle chilies canned in adobo (adobo is a spicy paste)
5 Tbsp. (7.5g) Splenda
2 Tbsp. (30mL) lemon juice
Let it cool for a few minutes, then pour the glaze into your blender, and add the chipotle, Splenda and lemon juice. Whirl until the chipotle is ground up. Use to baste meat or poultry that's roasting or grilling.
Makes 14 servings, each with 52 calories, 4g fat, trace of protein and 4g carbohydrate with a trace of fiber.
Blueberries
Nutrition: 1 cup (145g) raw has 80 calories, 0.5g fat, 10mg cholesterol, 20g carbohydrate (4 fiber, 17 sugars) and less than 1g protein.
Vitamin and mineral daily requirements: 30 percent vitamin C, 20 percent manganese, 18 percent vitamin E.
In a low-carb lifestyle: Instead of flour, this recipe substitutes whey protein powder, available in health food stores, and almond meal. Polyol is an artificial sweetener; Dana says that a brand of polyol called DiabetiSweet is available at some Wal-Mart stores and in the diabetic supplies section of some pharmacies.
Grandma's Blueberry Cobbler
4 cups (580g) fresh blueberries or 4 cups (620g) unsweetened frozen blueberries
1/4 cup (6g) Splenda
1/4 cup (50g) polyol
1 Tbsp. (15mL) lemon juice
8 Tbsp. (120g) butter, divided
1/2 cup (60g) almond meal
1/2 cup (60g) vanilla whey protein powder
1 Tbsp. (1.5g) Splenda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup (120mL) heavy cream
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray an 8" x 8" (20 x 20 cm) baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. In a mixing bowl, combine the blueberries, 1/4 cup Splenda, polyol and lemon juice. Toss everything together, and spread evenly in the pan. Dot with 2 tablespoons of the butter.
In another mixing bowl (or heck, go ahead and use the same one if you like), combine the almond meal, vanilla whey, baking powder, 1 tablespoon Splenda and salt. Stir together to evenly distribute ingredients.
Melt the remaining 6 tablespoons of butter. Measure the cream, and stir the butter into it. Pour into the dry ingredients, and mix with a few swift strokes of your whisk or spoon; you just want to stir enough to ensure there are no pockets of dry ingredients lurking.
Spread the batter evenly over the blueberries, and bake for 30 minutes or until the crust is crisp and evenly golden brown. Serve warm.
Makes 9 servings, each with 254 calories, 18g fat, 13g protein and 13g carbohydrate with 2g fiber.
Cantaloupe
Nutrition: 1/2 medium cantaloupe has 100 calories, 1g fat, zero cholesterol, 25mg sodium, 23g carbohydrate (2 fiber, 21 sugars) and 2g protein.
Vitamin and mineral daily requirements: 190 percent of vitamin C, 180 percent of vitamin A, 15 percent of vitamin B6, 10 percent of folate and 8 percent each of magnesium, niacin and iodine.
In a low-carb lifestyle: Dana says that cantaloupe is packed so full of vitamins and minerals, that it can occasionally be enjoyed raw.
Nutrition: 1 cup raw has 90 calories, 0.5g fat, zero sodium or cholesterol, 22g carbohydrate (3 fiber, 19 sugars) and 2g protein.
Vitamin and mineral daily requirements: 15 percent of vitamin C.
In a low-carb lifestyle: This recipe is easy and amazingly low in carbohydrates.
No-Sugar Added Cherry Pie Filling
1 14.5-oz. (411g) can sour cherries packed in water
1/2 cup (12g) Splenda
2 tsp. guar or xanthan
Red food coloring (optional)
Makes 6 servings, each with 28 calories, zero fat, 1g protein and 6g carbohydrate with 1g fiber.
Cranberries
Nutrition: 1 cup has 45 calories, zero fat, cholesterol or sodium, 12g carbohydrate (4 fiber, 8 sugars) and less than 1g protein.
Vitamin and mineral daily requirements: 20 percent of vitamin C and 8 percent of manganese.
In a low-carb lifestyle: Muffins anyone? Vital wheat gluten (not gluten flour), Dana says, is commonly available. She likes Bob's Red Mill brand.
Cranberry Nut Muffins
1/2 cup (60g) pecans
1/2 cup (50g) cranberries
3/4 cup (90g) vanilla whey protein powder
2 Tbsp. (30g) vital what gluten
2 Tbsp. polyol
1/4 cup (6g) Splenda
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 eggs
3/4 cup (180mL) Carb Countdown Dairy Beverage
3 Tbsp. (45g) butter, melted
1/4 tsp. orange extract
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees (200 C). Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray or line with paper muffin cups. Chop pecans, then cranberries; you can do this in a food processor. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients until well blended.
Whisk together eggs, dairy beverage, butter and orange extract. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients, and combine with a few swift strokes of a whisk or spoon. Do not over mix! A few lumps are fine. Add pecans and cranberries, and stir just enough to incorporate into batter. Spoon into muffin cups, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from pan to a wire rack to cool.
Each muffin has 202 calories, 13g fat, 18g protein and 5g carbohydrate with 2g fiber.
Grapefruit
Nutrition: Half a grapefruit has 60 calories, zero fat, cholesterol or sodium, 16g carbohydrate (6 fiber, 10 sugars) and 1g protein.
Vitamin and mineral daily requirements: 110 percent of vitamin C and 15 percent of vitamin A.
In a low-carb lifestyle: Dana said she regularly enjoys half a raw grapefruit.
Nutrition: 1 medium orange has 64 calories, 0.1g fat, zero cholesterol, 1mg sodium, 16g carbohydrate (3.4 fiber, 11 sugars) and 1g protein.
Vitamin and mineral daily requirements: 80 percent of vitamin C.
In a low-carb lifestyle: Orange is a trendy flavor according to Dana, and she offers recipes that use orange extract or low-sugar orange marmalade. This one, however, contains real orange.
Orange, Avocado and Bacon Salad
8 cups mixed greens
Citrus dressing (recipe is below)
1/2 navel orange
1/2 California avocado
6 slices bacon, cooked and drained
1/8 red onion
Peel the orange, and separate into sections. Take half of the sections (we're using only half the orange), and halve them again. Slice the avocado, crumble the bacon and slice the red onion paper-thin. Strew everything artfully over the greens, and serve.
Makes 4 servings, each with 189 calories, 15g fat, 6g protein and 9g carbohydrate with 5g fiber.
Citrus Dressing
2 Tbsp. (30mL) lemon juice
2 Tbsp. (30mL) lime juice
1 Tbsp. (15mL) white vinegar
2 Tbsp. (30mL) canola oil
1/4 tsp. orange extract
1 Tbsp. (1.5g) Splenda
1 1/2 tsp. sugar-free imitation honey
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk together. Or, you can put the ingredients in a blender and run it for a few seconds.
Makes 4 servings, each with 65 calories, 7g fat, a trace of protein and 2g carbohydrate with a trace of fiber.
Raspberries
Nutrition: 1 cup has 60 calories, 0.5g fat, zero cholesterol or sodium, 14g carbohydrate (8 fiber, 6 sugars) and 1g protein.
Vitamin and mineral daily requirements: 60 percent of manganese, 50 percent of vitamin C and 8 percent of folate.
In a low-carb lifestyle: Enjoy fresh raspberries on a regular basis. You might want to save this rich and easy pie for special occasions.
Carol Tessman's Raspberry Pie
Crust:
1 1/4 cups (155g) almond meal
1/4 cup (6g) Splenda
1/3 cup (80g) butter, melted
Combine all ingredients, and press evenly over the bottom and up sides of a deep-dish pie plate. Prick crust with fork and bake in a 350-degree (180C) oven 10 to 12 minutes, until the crust starts to brown. Let cool.
Filling:
1 cup (240mL) heavy whipping cream
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup (12g) Splenda
2/3 cup (160mL) boiling water
1 small box sugar-free raspberry gelatin
8 ice cubes
1/2 pint fresh raspberries (optional)
Beat the cream, vanilla and Splenda together until soft peaks form; set aside.
Add boiling water to gelatin; stir until gelatin is dissolved. Add ice cubes and stir until ice is melted and gelatin starts to thicken.
Fold into the whipped topping to combine. If desired, add one-half pint fresh raspberries. Pour into prepared crust and refrigerate at least two hours before serving.
Makes 8 servings, each with 259 calories, 22g fat, 10g protein and 7g carbohydrate.
Strawberries
Nutrition: 1 cup fresh has 46 calories, 0.6g fat, zero cholesterol, 2mg sodium, 11g carbohydrate (4 fiber, 7 sugars) and 1g protein.
Vitamin and mineral daily requirements: 100 percent of vitamin C.
In a low-carb lifestyle: This salad sounds awesome.
Spinach-Strawberry Salad
1 lb. (455g) bagged, prewashed baby spinach
1 batch Sweet Poppy Seed Vinaigrette (recipe below)
1 cup (170g) sliced strawberries
3 Tbsp. (25g) slivered almonds, toasted
1/2 cup (60g) crumbled feta cheese
Put spinach in big bowl. Pour on dressing and toss well. Top with strawberries, almonds and feta, and serve.
Makes 4 servings, each with 227 calories, 19g fat, 8g protein and 11g carbohydrate with 5g fiber.
Sweet Poppy Seed Vinaigrette
1/2 cup (12g) Splenda
1/4 cup (60mL) white wine vinegar
3 Tbsp. (45mL) olive oil
2 tsp. minced red onion
1 1/2 tsp. poppy seeds
1 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. salt
Measure everything into a bowl, whisk it together and it's ready to go!
Makes four servings, each with 100 calories, 11g fat, a trace of protein and 2g carbohydrate with a trace of fiber.
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