Fruit is generally considered to be nutritious and good for you. Like vegetables, fruit contains vitamins, minerals, fiber, and a host of plant compounds that are vital for your health. Fruit is also naturally sweet and makes a great low-calorie snack or dessert. There are very few reasons NOT to eat fruit.
But what if you are on keto?
The ketogenic diet, or keto for short, is a low-carb diet. Followers usually limit their carb intake to 50 grams or less per day.
With no carbs to use for energy, the keto diet forces your body to burn more fat for fuel. That’s why keto is such an effective weight loss diet.
However, going keto means giving up things like bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, grains, and high sugar foods. A lot of fruit is banned on keto too. A single banana contains enough carbs to kick you out of ketosis and derail your diet.
Despite this, there are a few fruits you can eat on keto, including high-fat avocados and low-sugar berries, such as raspberries, blackberries, cherries, and strawberries.
You may also be able to eat things like kiwis and apricots on keto, depending on your carb allowance. So, are peaches keto? Keep reading and find out!
Are Peaches Keto?
What Are Peaches?
Peaches are a small, juicy fruit with a fuzzy skin and sweet yellow, orange, or white flesh.
Botanically speaking, peaches are a drupe, and they’re related to plums, apricots, almonds, and cherries.
Peaches are thought to originate in China and have been cultivated and eaten for over 8,000 years.
Like most fruits, peaches are mostly eaten raw. Some people prefer to peel them, but the skin is edible.
Peaches are also made into various dishes, including pies and cobbler, and are often made into preserves and jams.
Fresh peaches are readily available, but canned peaches are also popular.
Nutritional Information
Peaches are very nutritious. They’re packed with vitamins, minerals, and other beneficial nutrients. A medium-sized (5-ounce/150 grams) peach provides the following:
- 58 calories
- 1 gram of protein
- Less than one gram of fat
- 14 grams of carbohydrates
- 2 grams of fiber
- 12 grams of net (useable) carbs
In addition, peaches contain the following beneficial vitamins and minerals:
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin B
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin E
- Vitamin K
- Niacin
- Copper
- Manganese
- Magnesium
- Phosphorous
- Iron
Peaches also contain an abundance of antioxidants, which are plant compounds that provide protection against free radicals.
Free radicals are unstable molecules that can cause damage to cells and even DNA. Free radicals are linked to the aging process, numerous diseases, and cancer.
The Benefits of Eating Peaches
Peaches are not just sweet, juicy, and delicious; they’re good for you too. The benefits of eating peaches include:
Better digestion – peaches are high in gut-friendly fiber. Eating peaches can help prevent constipation.
Improved heart health – eating peaches may help lower bad LDL cholesterol levels while increasing good HDL levels and may also lower triglyceride levels. The minerals in peaches could also help reduce blood pressure.
Healthier skin – the vitamins and antioxidants in peaches may help protect your skin from the ultraviolet rays of the sun. Exposure to the sun can cause tumors and skin cancer, as well as wrinkles.
Lower risk of certain cancers – the nutrients in peaches may offer some protection against certain cancers, including breast cancer, bowel cancer, and lung cancer.
Fewer allergy symptoms – eating peaches could dial down your response to some allergens, especially pollen. Eating peaches may make things like hay fever easier to manage.
Improved immunity – your immune system works better when supplied with a range of vitamins and minerals. Peaches are high in essential immunity-boosting micronutrients. Improved immunity should mean fewer illnesses.
Are Peaches Keto?
With 12 grams of net carbs per peach, you might be able to eat them on keto.
It all depends on how many grams of carbohydrates you have eaten on that particular day.
For example, if you’ve mainly been eating eggs, meat, fish, and other non-carb foods, eating a peach or two probably won’t take you over your ketogenic carb threshold.
However, if you’ve eaten some vegetables, even just a few, you will probably find that even a small peach will disrupt ketosis.
While peaches are definitely healthy and nutritious, there are plenty of other foods you can eat that contain similar amounts of vitamins and minerals but have less sugar.
So, while you COULD eat peaches on keto, they may not be your best choice.
Bottom Line
Peaches are low enough in carbs that you could make them work on keto. A single peach contains about 12 grams of net carbs, which means you could eat one or two and still stay under the 50 grams of carbs limit.
That said, the rest of your diet will have to be very low in carbs, or you could inadvertently exit ketosis and derail your diet.
There are better fruits than peaches on keto, including avocados, coconuts, and berries. Avocados and coconuts contain more fat than carbs, making them especially keto-friendly.
Berries are low in sugar, which is why they’re a good keto diet food.
