Is Fruit Good For Weight Loss

Fruit is definitely good for weight loss. A recent study shows that people who eat fruit on a regular basis are more likely to have a lower body mass index and risk of obesity. Fruit is a great option to add in to your daily diet when trying to lose weight. It can be a fantastic snack, dessert or even a meal replacement. The great thing about fruit is it has 0 fat and 1/2 the calories of most other snacks out there. Fruit is a good choice to help you lose weight and keep it off.

Is Fruit Good for you?

As we lay out in our “Healthy Eating” guide, fruit is absolutely healthy and can help you reach your goals – in the right quantities.

EATING FRUIT IS GREAT BECAUSE:

• Full of nutrients
• Packed with fiber.
• A great snack option or it can be part of a protein-focused breakfast!

That’s why eating fruit is “universally promoted” as being good for you.

Which makes inquiries of “is fruit healthy?” perplexing. 

What’s with the controversy?

For that, we need to talk about the calorie and sugar content of fruit.

Is the Sugar in Fruit Bad for You?

If anyone tells you not to eat fruit, it’s most likely because they’re afraid of the sugar content of the produce.

With the rise of low-carb diets like Keto, many people are turning away from fruit entirely.

What’s going on here?

A couple of things:

1. There is A LOT of evidence that the excessive intake of added sugar is indeed harmful to human health. Study after study after study shows the adverse effects of added sugar into the diet. Fruit contains fructose, which is a sugar. 
2. Sugar is a carbohydrate. If you’re following the Keto Diet, the Paleo Diet, or any other low-carb plan, you need to limit the number of carbs you eat – which includes sugar.

If you’re not doing Keto, you don’t need to worry about that second point, because you aren’t eliminating carbs.

But how about the first one? Is the sugar in fruit harmful to us?

In one word: no.

Fruits are largely made up of water and fiber, thus fructose is not the only sugar present.

Additionally, chewing a real fruit piece requires some effort.

The fructose from the fruit is absorbed more slowly as a result of everything.

It is challenging to ingest enough fructose when eating full fruit, according to Dr. Ludwig of Harvard Medical School.

Take note of the qualifier “whole fruit.” This is important and needs to be in its own section.

Yet first…

Is Eating Fruit Good for Weight Loss?

We’ve established that fruit is good for you. 

That news shocks exactly no one. 

But is fruit good for weight loss?

To answer that question, let’s consider two points:

#1) FRUIT CAN BE GENERALLY LOW IN CALORIES

Compare that to 200 calories worth of a bagel:

#2) FRUIT CAN BE SATIATING

Fruit can help kill hunger or scratch that “I WANT SUGAR” itch. When you eat 200 calories worth of an apple, it can help make you feel fairly full. 

When you eat 200 calories worth of bread, you haven’t even finished a single bagel yet.

Studies done on the satiating power of different foods have shown fruit to be some of the most satisfying food studied. People feel more full from eating an apple or an orange than from eating beef or eggs.

In summary: Fruit can be high in nutrients, low in calories, and can help us feel full.

As we discuss in our Guide to Healthy Eating, this is a great recipe for successful weight loss. 

So yes, fruit can indeed be part of a meal plan to lose weight.

The point that needs to be made at this point is that fruit, like all other foods, is subject to the laws of thermodynamics. Therefore, the calories in fruit will still go toward your daily calorie target.

Why is this important?

The key to losing weight is to consume less calories than you expend.

There is complexity, our hunger signals are affected by hormones, and so forth. However, continuously consuming fewer calories than you burn off is necessary for weight loss success.

You must set calorie targets if you want to reduce weight. Fruit can help with such objectives, and the calories should be taken into consideration.

This means that eating all of your meals and 30 bananas a day will still leave you asking, “Why can’t I lose weight?” even with all the nutrients and fiber.

When you start to be “fruit-like,” that’s when fruit can truly get you in trouble. With our next section, we’ll move directly to that.

First off, you’re on the correct track if you’re attempting to reduce weight and are wondering how fruit fits into the picture.

Many of our coaching customers approach us with a variety of fitness-related queries, including what to eat and how to exercise, demonstrating that we all come from diverse starting points. It’s crucial that you start asking questions and looking for solutions.

We are available to you if you need assistance when traveling.

Through our 1-on-1 online coaching program, a coach will work with busy people like you to get to know you better than you know yourself.

A Nerd Fitness Coach can help you lose weight and provide you with all of your fitness-related queries! Find out more here.

Is Fruit Juice Healthy?

While fruit can 100% be part of a healthy diet, “fruit like things” don’t quite get our stamp of approval.

Without the fiber, water, and intact cell walls of the fruit, your body will absorb the fructose very quickly.

Not good.

Let’s chat specifically about “drinkable” fruit first:

#1) Fruit juices (cranberry juice, orange juice, grape juice): these are high-calorie, sugar-filled beverages. 

For example, here are the calories in one 8 oz  serving of: 

• Apple Juice: 103 calories, 22 g of sugar
• Orange Juice: 103 calories, 18 g of sugar
• Grape Juice: 136 calories, 32 g of sugar

For reference, an 8-ounce glass of Coca-Cola would have about 26 grams of sugar.

2) Fruit Smoothies: Just because it’s a fruit smoothie doesn’t mean it won’t make you fat! Have you seen the calorie count and sugar content of smoothies and ‘green drinks’? Yikes.

• Green Machine Naked Juice (15.2 oz or 450 ml bottle): 270 calories, 53 g of sugar.
• Smoothie King Banana Boat (20 oz or 591 ml smoothie): 450 calories, 70 g of sugar.

Yeah…which is why we made this:

Should I Eat Dried Fruit?

Another “fruit-like thing” we need to talk about is dried fruit.

Dried fruits are notoriously easy to overeat because they are so small. Since the water has been taken out, all that’s left is the sugar and fiber. 

Here’s 1 serving of raisins, which is 108 calories and 21 g of sugar:

If you are saying “oh man, I eat 5x that many raisins when I eat them…” then multiply those calorie and sugar numbers by 5!

Per weight, all dried fruit will be higher in calories and sugar than its “whole fruit” counterpart.

The other thing to consider is that sugar is often ADDED to dried fruit to make it even sweeter. 

Consider these banana chips:

Next component after the dried banana? Natural sugar.

These banana chips have roughly 147 calories and 10 grams of sugar per ounce (17g for total carbs).

For instance, there are around 25 calories in an ounce of a conventional banana.

Because it’s so simple to overeat dried fruit, you really need to be careful.

However, fruit is often sweetened in other ways as well.

Fruit vs. Weight Loss

Due to the fact that most fruits have a low glycemic load, the carbs in them do not significantly affect your blood sugar levels. A large amount of fiber, which slows digestion and makes you feel fuller, can also be found in fruits. For instance, 8 grams of fiber are included in only one cup of raspberries.

Antioxidants, which can lower blood pressure, protect against oxidative stress, and in some cases work at the DNA level to promote weight reduction, are also abundant in fruits like blueberries.

Fruit should be a fixture in your diet because of its many advantages, but what about its purported disadvantages?

The Problem with Fructose

Because fruit contains a lot of the simple sugar fructose, many people who are attempting to lose weight cut it out of their diet. Fructose is solely metabolized by your liver, as opposed to glucose, the most prevalent simple sugar, which is delivered to your muscles, brain, and other organs for them to use as energy. Why does that matter? The possibility that your liver will repackage the extra fructose as fat and store it for later use increases if your liver has enough energy already. Despite the fact that fruit isn’t even one of the top five sources of fructose in the American diet, this biological truth’s effects on your waistline are exaggerated.

How Much Fruit is Okay?

You may have heard that fruit contains sugars naturally because that is how fruit grows. In actuality, “it depends.” Fruits undoubtedly include a variety of nutrients, and if you’re going to eat sugar, it’s best to pair it with a healthy meal. However, some people’s bodies can manage sugar better than others, so if you have a good response to a low-carb diet, you should take extra care. Check your blood sugar to see how the fruit (or any food) affects it if it’s possible.

Additional justifications for not labeling fruit as “consume as much as you want” include the following:

Calories and carbohydrates are important when trying to reduce weight.

100 calories and 27 grams of carbs are found in one banana. Up to 115 calories and 30 grams of carbs can be found in one apple.

People who use a moderately carbohydrate-restricted approach to weight loss frequently aim to limit their daily carbohydrate consumption to no more than 100 grams. If so, consuming two bananas and one apple will provide for 84 percent of your daily carbohydrate needs. Two bananas and one apple will make up 46% of your daily allotment of carbohydrates, even if you consume 1800 calories per day with 40% of those calories coming from carbohydrates (a “zone”-style strategy).

The essential message is that fruits are not “free” foods, and accepting them as such could seriously jeopardize your attempts to lose weight. It’s simple to consume 100 grams of carbohydrates from fruit in a single day, and if you consume 400 more calories every day by treating fruit as if it had no caloric value, you won’t even be aware of it.

The Best Fruits for Losing Weight

Lower your caloric intake and consume the best fruits for weight loss if you want to lose weight. Recent studies have shown that consuming low-energy-density food reduces the amount of calories consumed and, as a result, is an effective strategy for losing weight. Previous studies have even found evidence that plant-based diets like fruit can reduce food cravings and overeating. Fruits are often abundant in fiber and water. Its low calorie count makes it superior than any diet supplement or pill to consume when trying to lose weight. Not only does it improve energy and endurance, but it also supports digestion and metabolism.

More fruit consumption is beneficial to human health. But which fruits are the best for losing weight? One can select from a large variety of fruits and enjoy them. Many nutritionists advise including fruits in meals for successful weight loss. They often advise four to five servings of fruit every day for outstanding results. However, a person’s list of the finest fruits for weight loss may not be the same for another. Some people choose not to eat certain fruits, whereas others do. There are even instances of allergies as a result of how the body responds to some fruits, therefore it is more beneficial to seek advice beforehand. But some of the best fruits for losing weight include:

Grареfruit

Grapplefruit is an advantageous friend in the fight against the bulge because it contains no fat and only 36 calories per half.

The low-fat grapefruit also loads up on vitamin C, providing a full 78 percent of daily needs in every half-serving while also aiding in fat reduction. Eating half a grapefruit before every meal can help you lose weight and maintain a healthier insulin function, according to studies.

Bеrriеѕ

Fresh berries provide your diet a delightful flavor and are packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. The strong flavor of the brownies can help satisfy the weight loss sojourner’s sweet desire. Berries have a lot of fiber and have a low fat content, so you may eat too many of them without wrecking your diet. Berries are a plentiful source of phytonutrients with compounds that can boost your immunity and reduce your risk of chronic illness. Even when berries are out of season, they are still readily available in the frozen food department of the grocery store, which is an additional bonus.

Cantaloupe

A sweet cantaloupe is one of the lowest-calorie fruits, with only 55 calories per cup. While low in fat and sodium, the fruit is high in fоlаtе, vitamins C and A, niacin, potassium, and even magnesium. Cantaloupe is a bulky, filling fruit with high fiber and water content that can help stave off hunger while providing delicious health benefits between meals.

Apples

It contains ectin and is rich in fiber. Pectin prevents the body from absorbing excess fat and increases appetite. Its high water content is extremely helpful in clearing out pollutants. The peel of an apple should be consumed whole since it contains a lot of fiber.

Bananas

Bananas can be included in the list of the best fruits for weight loss because they are packed with potassium, which aids in nutrient absorption. Banana primarily contains water and has about 100 calories.

Kiwi fruit

Kiwi fruit is a fibrous, low-calorie fruit that has a lot of fiber. It provides both soluble fibers, which reduce appetite, and insoluble fibers, which support digestion.

Aсаi bеrries

It is said that acai berries are “an amazing fruit.” It is the most recent discovery on fruits that aid in weight loss. It is made up of antioxidants, phytosterols, essential fatty acids, and amino acids that work in concert to burn fats effectively and metabolize meals more quickly.