Too much fruit?
v_hetu
Posts: 11 Member
Hello guys I am trying to incorporate more fruits and veggies in my diet. Is there such a thing as too much fruit intake? I really like fruits, but can it cause damage or problems if they are taken more than the suggested servings?
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Replies
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There is such a thing as too much anything. For optimal health you need a variety of foods, you need certain amounts of protein and carbs and fat, you need to get the recommended micronutrients. If you are eating so much fruit that you fail to do that, then it's too much.
That doesn't mean it will necessarily do you harm. The human body is very adaptable.7 -
Striking a balance is probably the most healthy option. Fruit and veggies are great for you, but your body also needs fat and protein to build muscle and keep your organs healthy. So as long as you're getting adequate fat and protein, you can enjoy your fruit and veggies.2
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Fruit is a weakness for me. It is "healthy" but you have to understand that fruit is very calorie dense. It's easy to get too many calories eating fruit. Veggies that's not going to happen easily at all.6
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i dont think nutritionally wit will harm you, but you need to be mindful of the calorie content and ensuring you have a wide variety of foods in your diet and meet your macros.3
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I limit fruits in general no more than 1-2 servings a day. Though I have noticed I don't eat fruits very much for some reason, but I'm trying to incorporate them more. Even though fruit has natural sugar (vs processed), it can still increase your sugar which can impact your blood sugar and cause you to crash. Maybe stick to low GI foods like berries to help maintain your energy if you see it being a problem.2
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soccerjerseyguy wrote: »Fruit is a weakness for me. It is "healthy" but you have to understand that fruit is very calorie dense. It's easy to get too many calories eating fruit. Veggies that's not going to happen easily at all.
Lots of vegetables are just as calorie dense as fruit, sometimes more so. Compare blueberries to sweet potato, and the fruit is less calorie dense. Compare spinach to bananas and the fruit is more calorie dense.4 -
I posted this in another thread with a similar question recently, and I think it would apply here too.
My quick cheat sheet to how you know if you are eating too much fruit:
Threshold question: Am I eating a lot of it? (generally 1-3 servings is recommended, so I'd think a lot is more than that, but that doesn't make it bad). The point here is just that there is no reason to consider these other things if you aren't at least eating a lot of it already. If so:
(1) Am I over calories (a reasonable calorie limit, not an artificially low one)? OR
(2) Am I struggling with satiety? OR
(3) Am I low on protein? (consider that you may want more than the MFP default if you are on low calories. Eating about your lean body mass (in lbs) in grams of protein or, say .65-.85 g/lb of a healthy goal weight can be helpful in protecting against muscle loss.) OR
(4) Am I either very low on fat or failing to eat sources of essential fatty acids like fatty fish, avocado, nuts and seeds, olives and olive oil? OR
(5) Am I low on vegetables and perhaps substituting fruit consumption for adequate vegetable consumption.
If no to all of these, I wouldn't worry about the fruit consumption. If yes to one or more, maybe consider if the diet is unbalanced.5 -
Wow there are some wonderful insights, suggestions and recommendations. My diet is considerably low in protein since I am a strict vegetarian. Fruits I take a lot more as source of fiber. So now I have to find a balance diet between that. I have started eating nuts a lot more, mostly almonds.. thank you so much for your all your time and suggestions!2
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Wow there are some wonderful insights, suggestions and recommendations. My diet is considerably low in protein since I am a strict vegetarian. Fruits I take a lot more as source of fiber. So now I have to find a balance diet between that. I have started eating nuts a lot more, mostly almonds.. thank you so much for your all your time and suggestions!
Nuts are a great source of fat, but not a good source of protein due little protein in relationship to all their fat calories.
Legumes and dairy are better sources of protein for vegetarians - how much of these do you eat?1 -
I eat legumes / lentils / beans etc every other day. My diet is mostly Indian food, therefore legumes or lentil curry is often part of my food. There are so many types of lentils that can be made differently.2
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I like fruit a lot and eat 2-4 servings a day. I keep it under calories and have been using it to replace dessert impulses like chocolate or ice cream, so it has been helpful for me. Not that those desserts are necessarily bad for you, I just know that I personally have impulse/portion control issues with sweets/snacks and it is more manageable for me to approach it this way. I have also been substituting more veggies, but that is a slower process for me
But too much of anything is not good for you, so I would follow a lot of the sound advice here.
Good luck!1 -
If you're eating so much fruit that you're not getting your other requisite nutrition, then it's too much fruit. There's such a thing as too much of anything.
Personally I emphasize veg and get a serving or two of fruit per day...and about 4-6 servings of veg depending on the day.1 -
Penthesilea514 wrote: »I like fruit a lot and eat 2-4 servings a day. I keep it under calories and have been using it to replace dessert impulses like chocolate or ice cream, so it has been helpful for me. Not that those desserts are necessarily bad for you, I just know that I personally have impulse/portion control issues with sweets/snacks and it is more manageable for me to approach it this way. I have also been substituting more veggies, but that is a slower process for me
But too much of anything is not good for you, so I would follow a lot of the sound advice here.
Good luck!
I do the same.. the biggest reason I eat fruits a lot more is to curb my sugar cravings!! I usually have 4 servings of fruits everyone.. thank you !
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kshama2001 wrote: »
Yesterday I made yellow mung daal and karela subzi.. Nothing like homemade food !!0 -
One rule of thumb is to "eat the rainbow" (as opposed to taste the rainbow with Skittles) so as long as you are finding a good balance between fruit and veg and eating a wide variety of each, that is going to be nutritionally optimal. I will generally eat 3-5 servings of fruit and 3-5 servings of veg, with my ideal being 10 servings a day. So for today as an example, my breakfast and lunch consist of 3-4 ounces of red salsa, orange sliced bell pepper, a large serving of yellow winter squash soup, green granny smith apple, green romaine, and a bag of freeze-dried blueberries (I didn't plan a rainbow, I was just particularly colorful today).
Regarding your comment on protein--for me, since I lift weights and in general am extremely active, it's important to hit a high level of protein (100+ grams) to retain/build muscle, and just for general glossiness of skin, hair and nails, along with higher satiety. You can do a lot of tricks to work in vegetarian-appropriate protein throughout the day; for example, I will add 5 ounces of 0% greek yogurt to my squash soup instead of sour cream. So just a public service announcement to not shirk on protein.1 -
Thank you so much for your guidance ! I may steal some of your breakfast mentioned above !!French_Peasant wrote: »One rule of thumb is to "eat the rainbow" (as opposed to taste the rainbow with Skittles) so as long as you are finding a good balance between fruit and veg and eating a wide variety of each, that is going to be nutritionally optimal. I will generally eat 3-5 servings of fruit and 3-5 servings of veg, with my ideal being 10 servings a day. So for today as an example, my breakfast and lunch consist of 3-4 ounces of red salsa, orange sliced bell pepper, a large serving of yellow winter squash soup, green granny smith apple, green romaine, and a bag of freeze-dried blueberries (I didn't plan a rainbow, I was just particularly colorful today).
Regarding your comment on protein--for me, since I lift weights and in general am extremely active, it's important to hit a high level of protein (100+ grams) to retain/build muscle, and just for general glossiness of skin, hair and nails, along with higher satiety. You can do a lot of tricks to work in vegetarian-appropriate protein throughout the day; for example, I will add 5 ounces of 0% greek yogurt to my squash soup instead of sour cream. So just a public service announcement to not shirk on protein.1 -
Dried fruit or fruit juices might be calorie dense, but whole fruit isn't calorie dense at all. Meats, dairy, grains, beans, and nuts are all more calorie dense. Starchy vegetables are comparable. The only other kind of food that's less calorie-dense is non-starchy vegetables. Because it has a lot of fiber and water in it, it's very hard to eat too many calories from fruit. Just as an illustration, a bowl of cereal has more calories than a whole medium cantaloupe. Three saltine crackers have more calories than a large orange. And a McDonalds hamburger (the size they serve to kids) has about the same number of calories as two large apples.soccerjerseyguy wrote: »Fruit is a weakness for me. It is "healthy" but you have to understand that fruit is very calorie dense. It's easy to get too many calories eating fruit. Veggies that's not going to happen easily at all.
If you're eating a lot of fruit and still getting too many calories, it's likely to be coming from the other foods, not the fruit. Eating a lot of fruit could be a problem if you have some kind of health condition or if you are neglecting to eat other healthy foods, but otherwise it's not likely to be a problem.3 -
Fruit can act just as bad as candy....if you're not careful!
I was told to eat the following fruits by our trainer at work:
-Caneloupe
-Honeydew melon
-Blueberries
-Blackberries
-Raspberries
-Apples
-Pears
Avoid the following:
-Bananas
-Strawberries
-Grapes
Hope this helps!1 -
cstevenson86 wrote: »Fruit can act just as bad as candy....if you're not careful!
I was told to eat the following fruits by our trainer at work:
-Caneloupe
-Honeydew melon
-Blueberries
-Blackberries
-Raspberries
-Apples
-Pears
Avoid the following:
-Bananas
-Strawberries
-Grapes
Hope this helps!
Why? Is there any valid reason for avoiding the 3??0 -
cstevenson86 wrote: »Fruit can act just as bad as candy....if you're not careful!
I was told to eat the following fruits by our trainer at work:
-Caneloupe
-Honeydew melon
-Blueberries
-Blackberries
-Raspberries
-Apples
-Pears
Avoid the following:
-Bananas
-Strawberries
-Grapes
Hope this helps!
Why does your trainer recommend avoiding bananas, strawberries, and grapes? What do you do if you want to eat a fruit that isn't on either list?1 -
Strawberries are usually considered one of the "good guys". I did see a study referenced yesterday that said that fruits like apples and pears in your diet had a slight protective affect against diabetes and tropical fruits like mangoes and pineapple had a slight detrimental effect. Quantities matter greatly though I expect. The study talked about differences in men and women too.
Personally I'm not going to stop eating mangoes or pineapples, although I am motivated to eat more apples than I do now.1 -
I'm wondering too. It doesn't seem to have anything to do with the calories, sugar content, fiber, or glycemic index or glycemic load.janejellyroll wrote: »cstevenson86 wrote: »Fruit can act just as bad as candy....if you're not careful!
I was told to eat the following fruits by our trainer at work:
-Caneloupe
-Honeydew melon
-Blueberries
-Blackberries
-Raspberries
-Apples
-Pears
Avoid the following:
-Bananas
-Strawberries
-Grapes
Hope this helps!
Why does your trainer recommend avoiding bananas, strawberries, and grapes? What do you do if you want to eat a fruit that isn't on either list?0 -
Thank you so much for your guidance ! I may steal some of your breakfast mentioned above !!French_Peasant wrote: »One rule of thumb is to "eat the rainbow" (as opposed to taste the rainbow with Skittles) so as long as you are finding a good balance between fruit and veg and eating a wide variety of each, that is going to be nutritionally optimal. I will generally eat 3-5 servings of fruit and 3-5 servings of veg, with my ideal being 10 servings a day. So for today as an example, my breakfast and lunch consist of 3-4 ounces of red salsa, orange sliced bell pepper, a large serving of yellow winter squash soup, green granny smith apple, green romaine, and a bag of freeze-dried blueberries (I didn't plan a rainbow, I was just particularly colorful today).
Regarding your comment on protein--for me, since I lift weights and in general am extremely active, it's important to hit a high level of protein (100+ grams) to retain/build muscle, and just for general glossiness of skin, hair and nails, along with higher satiety. You can do a lot of tricks to work in vegetarian-appropriate protein throughout the day; for example, I will add 5 ounces of 0% greek yogurt to my squash soup instead of sour cream. So just a public service announcement to not shirk on protein.
The salsa is the breakfast part, and I eat it with 150-ish grams of scrambled eggs. Not sure if your vegetarian diet includes or excludes eggs or not, but again, it's a great way to get protein (15 g) AND a good portion of veg, and it is very filling for 240 calories.1 -
Dried fruit or fruit juices might be calorie dense, but whole fruit isn't calorie dense at all. Meats, dairy, grains, beans, and nuts are all more calorie dense. Starchy vegetables are comparable. The only other kind of food that's less calorie-dense is non-starchy vegetables. Because it has a lot of fiber and water in it, it's very hard to eat too many calories from fruit. Just as an illustration, a bowl of cereal has more calories than a whole medium cantaloupe. Three saltine crackers have more calories than a large orange. And a McDonalds hamburger (the size they serve to kids) has about the same number of calories as two large apples.soccerjerseyguy wrote: »Fruit is a weakness for me. It is "healthy" but you have to understand that fruit is very calorie dense. It's easy to get too many calories eating fruit. Veggies that's not going to happen easily at all.
If you're eating a lot of fruit and still getting too many calories, it's likely to be coming from the other foods, not the fruit. Eating a lot of fruit could be a problem if you have some kind of health condition or if you are neglecting to eat other healthy foods, but otherwise it's not likely to be a problem.
Absolutely !! And especially now it's summer, so mangoes are big in this season. And there is so much we can prepare with ripe and unripened mangoes like mango salads and salsa and mango chutney for spread..goldthistime wrote: »Strawberries are usually considered one of the "good guys". I did see a study referenced yesterday that said that fruits like apples and pears in your diet had a slight protective affect against diabetes and tropical fruits like mangoes and pineapple had a slight detrimental effect. Quantities matter greatly though I expect. The study talked about differences in men and women too.
Personally I'm not going to stop eating mangoes or pineapples, although I am motivated to eat more apples than I do now.
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This is a great reference. I will definitely try this out. I do not eat eggs at all however I can always use black beans in portion as a substitute. And I have also heard that spicy food is actually good in the morning because it enhances mood, so hot salsa will be a great to incorporate in my morning breakfast ! Thank you!French_Peasant wrote: »
Thank you so much for your guidance ! I may steal some of your breakfast mentioned above !!French_Peasant wrote: »One rule of thumb is to "eat the rainbow" (as opposed to taste the rainbow with Skittles) so as long as you are finding a good balance between fruit and veg and eating a wide variety of each, that is going to be nutritionally optimal. I will generally eat 3-5 servings of fruit and 3-5 servings of veg, with my ideal being 10 servings a day. So for today as an example, my breakfast and lunch consist of 3-4 ounces of red salsa, orange sliced bell pepper, a large serving of yellow winter squash soup, green granny smith apple, green romaine, and a bag of freeze-dried blueberries (I didn't plan a rainbow, I was just particularly colorful today).
Regarding your comment on protein--for me, since I lift weights and in general am extremely active, it's important to hit a high level of protein (100+ grams) to retain/build muscle, and just for general glossiness of skin, hair and nails, along with higher satiety. You can do a lot of tricks to work in vegetarian-appropriate protein throughout the day; for example, I will add 5 ounces of 0% greek yogurt to my squash soup instead of sour cream. So just a public service announcement to not shirk on protein.
The salsa is the breakfast part, and I eat it with 150-ish grams of scrambled eggs. Not sure if your vegetarian diet includes or excludes eggs or not, but again, it's a great way to get protein (15 g) AND a good portion of veg, and it is very filling for 240 calories.
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I eat a piece of fruit with every meal and one as snack, sometimes two. So 5-6 pieces a day. As long as I don't get the runs from to much fiber, I figure I'm good.1
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I eat a piece of fruit with every meal and one as snack, sometimes two. So 5-6 pieces a day. As long as I don't get the runs from to much fiber, I figure I'm good.
Thank you! That was my intake too on fruits. I thought they are a better choice when it comes to fiber and sugar cravings. I also add fruit with my each meal such as after lunch, breakfast, dinner and of course as snacks. I would choose fruit over any snack bar or protein bar..1 -
This is for our thread for today !! Sharing a little cheer !!1 -
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