Eating Fruit

Good for weight loss or not? Especially those that have high sugar content. Comments/Suggestions very welcome
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Replies

  • MostlyWater
    MostlyWater Posts: 4,294 Member
    Are you diabetic? I don't think you have to worry about fruit sugar otherwise.
  • IsaackGMOON
    IsaackGMOON Posts: 3,358 Member
    No.

    Weight loss comes from a caloric deficit. Doesn't matter what foods you eat, as long as you create a caloric deficit you will lose weight.

    Granted, you want to have micronutrient dense foods in your diet as well as treats to keep your sanity.
  • DemoraFairy
    DemoraFairy Posts: 1,806 Member
    Depends if the fruit you're eating is in your calorie goal or not. That's all that matters.

    Personally, about half my daily food is fruit, and I lose weight just fine.
  • 4Deepak
    4Deepak Posts: 15 Member
    Not diabetic. Just that most fruit has high calories.
  • starlitwaters
    starlitwaters Posts: 18 Member
    Is it good for your health? Sure. Fruit has lots of micronutrients.

    Will it help you lose weight? No.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    4Deepak wrote: »
    Not diabetic. Just that most fruit has high calories.

    If you leave out Banana and grapes, not to mention any dried fruit, the sugar content and hence calories isn't that high. They are mainly water after all.

    Apple :
    Amount Per 1 medium (3" dia) (182 g)
    Calories 95
    Sugar 19 g
  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
    Will eating fruit fit into your calorie & macro goals? Then it's fine.

    If it doesn't, it will be counterproductive.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Neither good nor bad unless it affects your total calories.

    I think eating fruit is good for me since I like them (the ones I eat, anyway), they tend to have micronutrients and fiber, and I find them pretty filling. I tend to eat fewer overall calories (within reason--you shouldn't have an absurdly low calorie goal) when I include fruit in my diet. Some people apparently eat insane amounts, and going over your calories is going to cause you to gain no matter how you get there, and of course you shouldn't eat fruit in lieu of protein or fat or veggies or other things you need.
  • Marillian
    Marillian Posts: 3,892 Member
    Fruit is high in vitamins and some with anti-oxidants, which your body needs. Which fruit you eat makes a difference. Fruit such as berries, apples, bananas are better choices than melons as there is a difference in the glycemic level if you are concerned. Yes, fruit has natural sugar, which your body will process and not store it like refined/processed sugar.

    Fruit is a better option to eat rather than some processed item.

    Anyone that says fruit is bad for weight loss needs to see a nutritionist. If you like fruit, then eat it but in moderation.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    Marillian wrote: »
    Yes, fruit has natural sugar, which your body will process and not store it like refined/processed sugar.

    No. It's the same molecule.

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10197460/sugar-faq-june-2015

  • jkwolly
    jkwolly Posts: 3,049 Member
    Peaches right now are the bomb!

  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited July 2015
    Marillian wrote: »
    Yes, fruit has natural sugar, which your body will process and not store it like refined/processed sugar.

    Your body processes whatever you give it. (Even storing excess as fat is a form of processing it, and beneficial in the vast majority of human environments, as the current situation where people have lots of excess is unusual if you take a broader view of it.)

    It's simply not true that your body will not store certain things as fat. You are storing and burning fat constantly, no matter what you eat, and whether you have a net gain of fat depends on whether you eat excess calories or not, not whether you eat melon or some ice cream.

    Also, the difference in GI (really what matters would be GL) between two kinds of fruit is unlikely to matter one whit for most people, especially if you eat fruit with other foods. For people who are insulin resistant it might be something to monitor and see if you get hungrier or have a response to certain fruits vs. others.

    Worth noting, however, that the GL for banana is 16 and that for watermelon is only 4.

    http://www.health.harvard.edu/healthy-eating/glycemic_index_and_glycemic_load_for_100_foods
  • 4Deepak
    4Deepak Posts: 15 Member
    Interesting to note that the sugars, both fruit and beet/cane, are the same! Did not know.
  • whmscll
    whmscll Posts: 2,254 Member
    4Deepak wrote: »
    Not diabetic. Just that most fruit has high calories.

    Watermelon, pineapple and cherries are lower than some other fruits.
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  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    everyone knows that an apple a day is the root cause of the obesity epidemic...
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    everyone knows that an apple a day is the root cause of the obesity epidemic...

    not really, half the population don't eat that much fruit ;-)
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    Fruits, besides the sugar content, are great for the vitamins and fiber. It is great to include fruit daily in your diet. It's neutral in regards to weight loss, and not that high in calories.
  • daniwilford
    daniwilford Posts: 1,030 Member
    4Deepak wrote: »
    Interesting to note that the sugars, both fruit and beet/cane, are the same! Did not know.
    Sugar is the same but with fruit we get fiber and other micro. Most added beet/cane sugar is stripped of these and hit the blood stream all at once; where sugar in it's natural plant form is metabolized more gradually and accompanied by more nutrition.
  • DisneyDude85
    DisneyDude85 Posts: 428 Member
    Summer is the BEST time for fruit! We've been eating a ton of cherries. peaches, nectarines, watermelon, blueberries. Its been fantastic :)
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,426 MFP Moderator
    edited July 2015
    4Deepak wrote: »
    Interesting to note that the sugars, both fruit and beet/cane, are the same! Did not know.
    Sugar is the same but with fruit we get fiber and other micro. Most added beet/cane sugar is stripped of these and hit the blood stream all at once; where sugar in it's natural plant form is metabolized more gradually and accompanied by more nutrition.

    One thing to consider, most people don't eat foods in isolation, which is why the GI index is crap. If I eat a large salad but have some chocolate after, then the fiber will slow the absorption of the sugar. On the other hand, if I am working to add muscle, eating fasting acting sugars post workout can be very beneficial. So it's all contextual. Either way, if your calories are the same, weight loss will be the same.

  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited July 2015
    4Deepak wrote: »
    Interesting to note that the sugars, both fruit and beet/cane, are the same! Did not know.
    Sugar is the same but with fruit we get fiber and other micro. Most added beet/cane sugar is stripped of these and hit the blood stream all at once; where sugar in it's natural plant form is metabolized more gradually and accompanied by more nutrition.

    But no one eats sugar on its own. I suppose some eat candies and sugary drinks on their own, but that's only a subset of the ways in which added sugar is used. (Personally, I prefer not to drink calories, and most sweet things I like also have fat--in fact, for most of us a lot of the calories that get attributed to "sweets" are really from fat, like butter or cream, not sugar.)

    To use an example I like, there's no meaningful difference between some rhubarb sauce with added cane sugar and an apple sauce made with just apples. (And like fiber, protein and fat tend to slow how fast the body reacts to the sugar.)

    This is also why people make WAY too much of the GI/GL stuff. [Edit: oh, I see psulemon beat me to it!]

    Also, there are benefits to getting quick energy and insulin spikes, both when doing cardio and when trying to build muscle. (Regular exercise also tends to make people more insulin sensitive.)

    Everything is context.
  • msf74
    msf74 Posts: 3,498 Member
    4Deepak wrote: »
    Good for weight loss or not? Especially those that have high sugar content. Comments/Suggestions very welcome

    Good - even the ones with the higher sugar content.

    This is not only because they come jammed pack with nutrients and other good stuff like anti-oxidants but also they help keep you full (satiety). If you have two items both of which have the same calorie content but one helps keep you fuller which one do you think has less likelihood of making you over eat, all things being held equal?
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  • Queenmunchy
    Queenmunchy Posts: 3,380 Member
    I just bought blueberries for 1.29 and strawberries for 1.49 per lb. I say that's good!
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    Fruit can help with weight loss if you want something sweet and replace a higher calorie food with fruit, for example Kit Kats versus strawberries:

    2779955636b9ccc2461b64fc01ca5a13.png
  • Life0fbrian
    Life0fbrian Posts: 69 Member
    fruit is good for you, bananas are high in sugar so just eat them in moderation or before/after working out. there is a time and place for everything but for the most part fruit is great and should be eaten unless your dr tells you not to because of a health condition.
  • WaterBunnie
    WaterBunnie Posts: 1,371 Member
    If your calorie deficit doesn't allow enough calories to be eating fruit each day then it's way too restrictive for you. Get it down you, it's full of essential vitamins and fibre and natural sugars are fine in moderation. Don't demonise fruit!
  • ManiacalLaugh
    ManiacalLaugh Posts: 1,048 Member
    My only thing about fruit and eating at a deficit is that sometimes it leaves me hungrier after I've finished than I was before I ate it. This only happens with some fruits, namely apples and pears. I've heard from other "MFP veterans" that they experience the same phenomenon. Not sure what it is...

    For this reason, I stick to bananas if I'm hungry. If I'm just looking for a snack though, fruit's an awesome sweet treat in any form. And it will give you a lot of nutrition for its calorie count, too. I also grew up in a family full of diabetics who regularly ate all sorts of fruits and stayed within their normal BG levels, so I really don't think the sugar content is an issue.
  • isulo_kura
    isulo_kura Posts: 818 Member
    4Deepak wrote: »
    Not diabetic. Just that most fruit has high calories.

    Have you met strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, pineapple, watermelon ...............