This is the FOURTH article in a very long series of shorter informational posts with nutrition facts about specific types of food in the context of a keto diet. This article is a must-read if you are interested in a ketogenic diet and want to be successful with it. 

In this post you will learn more about eating grapefruit on a  keto diet and whether they are OK on this eating program. Are there carbs in grapefruit? Are you wondering if you can eat grapefruit on keto? Is it OK? Is it compliant? Or should you consider it a “cheat meal”? 

Let me tell you all the necessary facts you need to know to decide if you want to add grapefruits to your keto diet. Let’s get started.

I also invite you to take a look at this list of no sugar diet foods.

Nutrition Facts About Grapefruit And Carbs

Below you will find all the necessary nutrition facts about grapefruits. The table shows only the facts and data that are interesting and relevant from the point of view of a keto diet and potential positive impact of grapefruits on your health.

In the case of grapefruits, you are obviously interested in their carb quantity and the vitamins, minerals or microelements they are rich in. This is exactly what the tables show.

Nutrition Facts Of Grapefruit (Pink, Red, White)

Nutrition Facts Of Grapefruit (Pink, Red, White)

Grapefruit is one of the few fruit exceptions you can make on a keto diet.

Judging only by carb quantity and sugar amount of one grapefruit, we may think this isn’t a very good food choice on a keto diet. But how is it really? Let’s find this out together.

Grapefruit & Its Keto Compliance (5/10)

This section will provide you with all the necessary information and facts about whether grapefruits are OK on a keto diet. 

We all know that fruits are generally not allowed on a keto diet except for avocados and very small amounts of berries. Citrus fruits are usually considered one of the worst fruit choices on a ketogenic diet. However, grapefruits are a small exception and you may want to occasionally include them in your diet.

Here are the facts and tips about grapefruits and a keto diet you should know about:

• PROMOTES WEIGHT LOSS AND FAT BURNING. Grapefruit is probably the only fruit you can eat and get away with it if you are on any weight loss program. More and more research (both on humans and animals) shows that grapefruit helps lose weight and burn fat. That’s thanks to the enzyme called AMPK that boosts metabolism and has an effect similar to exercise.
• IMPROVES INSULIN RESISTANCE. One of the greatest benefits of a keto diet is that it improves insulin resistance which is a common problem among overweight people. It turns out that grapefruit also improves insulin resistance so in a way it works similar to a keto diet.
• HIGH IN CARBS. We cannot deny the fact that grapefruit (just like most fruits) in high in carbs. A large pink grapefruit may have even 20 g of carbs (and 17 g of sugar), which is your daily allowed quantity on a keto diet. This, fortunately, doesn’t mean that eating grapefruit on a keto diet is forbidden (more about it below).
• LOW GLYCEMIC INDEX. Even though it’s high in carbs, grapefruit has a glycemic index of 25, which is one of the lowest among fruits. Since a keto diet is more about keeping insulin levels low, grapefruit with a GI of 25 is OK to consume from time to time.
• LOW IN CALORIES. Grapefruit is really low in calories which we don’t want to totally neglect on a keto diet (this is not a smart thing to do). A really huge grapefruit which will literally stuff your stomach has only about 100 kcal. That’s a really good result.
• EAT WHOLE & AVOID JUICE. Since a keto diet is about eating real and whole foods, you don’t want to drink grapefruit juice which is much higher in carbs and sometimes has added sugar. To stay as keto-friendly as possible, eat only whole grapefruit (together with fiber it contains).

The overall keto-compatibility score of grapefruit is only 5/10 because it’s still a fruit that is high in carbs and the main purpose of a keto diet is to keep carbs out of the equation.

On the other hand, most people do a ketogenic diet to burn fat and grapefruit is probably the only fruit that’s proven to help with weight loss. That’s why we are allowing it on a keto diet on certain conditions.

I suggest eating it only on your carb-up days or around your workouts (ideally after your workout to restore glycogen). I recommend eating them not more often than 2-3 times a week.

Check out the medical articles that talk about grapefruit and its impact on weight loss and insulin resistance. 

Grapefruit On A Ketogenic Diet & Health Impact (9/10)

This section shows you the information about how healthy grapefruit is. 

There are really thousands of studies and medical articles taking about great health properties of grapefruit. And rightly so! Here are a few most important facts and health benefits of grapefruit you should know about:

• HELPS FIGHT CANCER. More and more studies show that phytochemicals (limonin, naringenin and lycopene) contained in grapefruit have great cancer-fighting and anti-tumor properties, which makes grapefruit one of top ani-cancer super foods.
• HELPS PREVENT HEART DISEASE. The compounds found in grapefruit help prevent hearth disease in many ways. For example, grapefruit helps reduce the amount of LDL (bad) cholesterol and increase the levels of HDL (good) cholesterol.
• IMPROVES IMMUNE SYSTEM. Grapefruit is one one of the foods highest in vitamin C and the red (and pink) variety is also full of bioflavonoids that additionally boost the immune system.
• REDUCES INFLAMMATION. Inflammation is the precursor of most chronic diseases and grapefruit helps reduce it thanks to a huge amount of vitamin C it contains.
• VERY RICH IN ANTIOXIDANTS. Grapefruit is one of these foods that is extremely rich in antioxidants that make this fruit so unique and so healthy. Not only does grapefruit contain a lot of vitamin C (that supports the immune system) but it also contains lycopene (found in red and pink varieties) that helps fight free radicals and limonoids that have anti-tumor properties.
• MEDICATION INTERACTIONS. Grapefruit may, unfortunately, interact with some medications and may not be the best combination together with lots of caffeine (it can slow down the elimination of caffeine from the body leading to its overdose). If you are on any medications and drink tons of coffee every day, you should consult it with your doctor at first.

As you can see grapefruit is a really healthy food and that’s why it’s often called a super food. If it weren’t for its possible negative (or even deadly) interactions with some medications, I would rate it 10/10.

Check out the medical articles that talk about grapefruit interaction with medications and its unique properties. 

Bottom Line

Grapefruit is a really super food and it certainly deserves a separate mini guide here on ABC Keto. Even though it’s a fruit (and it’s a citrus fruit), you can and you even should include it in your keto diet. 

Tons of great health properties of grapefruit perfectly balance the fact that it is relatively high in carbs which we want to avoid on a keto diet. Adding to that, grapefruit is low in calories and has a low GI, so this makes it a keto-approved food.

The best piece of advice is to eat it occasionally, count it against your daily carb intake and ideally eat it only on your workout days (and around workouts). This way you can benefit from its great health properties and not disrupt your keto diet.

If you find this mini guide helpful and useful, please share it with your friends on social media. My goal is to reach as many people as possible to help them make wise dietary choices and transform their lives. Thanks!