Too much fruit?

SweetPandora

Packing my lunch this morning I realized how much fruit I eat in a day, here is just the fruit for today as an example:

Breakfast

Fruit and protein smoothie
1/2 banana
1 cup of mixed berries - raspberries, blueberries and black berries
1/4 cup of fresh pineapple

Morning Snack
1 banana

Lunch
Apple

Afternoon Snack
Peach

My thoughts are fruit is a healthier choice than some other foods, it's the sugar that I think that I should be concerned with. I also eat alot of veggies I am just showing the fruit.

Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated.

Thank you

Karen

ashlee954

I would definitely say that fruit IS the healthier choice. And if your body is craving sugar then fruit is the better alternative. Plus it has so many health benefits.

Sonflower

I did a little checking here and my thoughts are that natural sugars are way better for you that what has been processed into say a candy bar...enjoy your fruit and you veggies...make sure you are eating lots of grains as well..



http://www.mypyramid.gov/QandA/index.html

balfonso

Where having fruit is good for you, like everything else, it should all be eaten in moderation.

Here's an article I read, whether eating too much fruit could be bad for you.

Eating Too Much Fruit Can Be Bad For Your Health

Posted By Dr. Ben Kim on Jul 31, 2004 Health Warnings Healthy Eating Resources

Many of us have come to believe that eating healthier means eating lots of fruits and vegetables. While fruits and vegetables are much better for you than refined foods like cookies and chips, my experiences and research have led me to believe that too much fruit can be harmful to your health.

A lot of the fruit that is grown today is much higher in sugar than they would be in a natural environment. Have you ever tasted a wild blueberry? How about a wild apple? On their own, they are delicious, but you may be surprised to discover that they aren't nearly as sweet as modern day varieties. Over thousands of years, humans have been able to make fruits larger and sweeter than their wild predecessors through hybridization.

But sugar from fruit is natural, so you should be able to eat as much as you want, right? This question is best asked of fruitarians - people who eat nothing but raw fruits. It is not uncommon for a strict fruitarian to eat five bananas and five dates for breakfast, one large canteloupe for lunch, and five large peaches for dinner.

Some fruitarians take a more balanced approach and eat lots of less sweet, seed-bearing fruits like tomatoes and zuchinni. They also eat plenty of greens like romaine lettuce.

Regardless of which approach is taken, I have not met a single strict fruitarian of more than two years who didn't have significant health challenges. The most common challenges are dental decay, osteoporosis, wasting of muscle tissue, inability to maintain a healthy weight, chronic fatigue, skin problems, thinning hair, weakening nails, and excessive irritability.

Some of these problems are the result of nutritional deficiencies. The most common deficiencies that I know of in this population are vitamins B12, A*, D, zinc, and certain essential fatty acids.

Another problem with a high fruit diet is that it can lead to problems involving the hormones that regulate your blood sugar; insulin, glucagon, and growth hormone. A chronic imbalance of these hormones is a sure way to develop cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

The encouraging news is that when you eat fruits in moderation, they can contribute to excellent overall health and fitness. Here is a list of some of my favorite, healthy fruits:

1. Berries - Be sure that they are wild or organic, as commercially grown berries are heavily coated with pesticides. Berries tend to put less stress on your blood sugar - regulating mechanisms than other fruits, and provide loads of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals which protect you against disease. Frozen wild blueberries are available year-round in almost any grocery store.

2. Avocado - An excellent source of raw fat, which is essential for healing and maintenance of health. Avocados are also an excellent source of fiber, vitamins, and minerals. The fatty acids found in avocados provide excellent fuel for energy. A good avocado has a rich, creamy texture and a rich green color towards the outer part of its flesh.

3. Figs - If you haven't tried a fresh black or green fig, you are missing out on one of the most minerally dense fruits there is. Fresh figs are superior to dried figs, as the drying process creates an unhealthy concentration of the natural sugars in figs. If you are going to eat dried figs, strive to eat only a few per day. Figs are particularly high in potassium, calcium, and iron.

4. Pomegranates - If you could choose only one fruit to get into your blood and provide super protection against free radical damage and chronic disease, pomegranates would be a great choice. By weight, they have one of the highest concentrations of antioxidants among all fruits.

5. Apples - Like all of the fruits listed above, apples are high in fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. From a practical viewpoint, apples are one of the most affordable healthy fruits to eat on a regular basis.

If you want to eat super sweet fruits like bananas, grapes, and ripe persimmons, you may want to eat them with some dark green lettuce, celery sticks, and avocado, as the mineral density in these green foods will help to dampen the unhealthy effect that super sweet fruits have on your insulin levels.

I recommend staying away from fruit juices most of the time, as their concentrated sugars contribute to health problems related to too much insulin production.

* While it is true that vitamin A can be made from beta carotene, which is found in lots of fruits and vegetables, many people are unable to make enough vitamin A for their daily needs from beta carotene alone. Effective conversion of beta carotene to vitamin A depends on a number of factors, like a healthy gall bladder, sufficient dietary fat, and a healthy thyroid gland. Sufficient intake and absorption of vitamin A is essential to a number of processes, including building and maintaining healthy mucosal linings throughout your body, enhancing your immune system, and supporting your vision.

DeeJayTJ

i dont think an apple is good enough to be considered lunch.

i know my response doesnt answer your question, but if thats all you eat for the day u might be under eating.

July24Lioness

Packing my lunch this morning I realized how much fruit I eat in a day, here is just the fruit for today as an example:

Breakfast

Fruit and protein smoothie
1/2 banana
1 cup of mixed berries - raspberries, blueberries and black berries
1/4 cup of fresh pineapple

Morning Snack
1 banana

Lunch
Apple

Afternoon Snack
Peach

My thoughts are fruit is a healthier choice than some other foods, it's the sugar that I think that I should be concerned with. I also eat alot of veggies I am just showing the fruit.

Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated.

Thank you

Karen

Fruit is the healthier choice, however I would swap some of those fruits for even more veggies. There is nothing in fruit that can't be gotten from vegetables and will be better for your body in the long run.

Overloading the sugar (even natural sugar) can cause Leptin Resistance......which will make you start packing on the pounds, even eating healthy............

July24Lioness

I did a little checking here and my thoughts are that natural sugars are way better for you that what has been processed into say a candy bar...enjoy your fruit and you veggies...make sure you are eating lots of grains as well..



http://www.mypyramid.gov/QandA/index.html

The government food pyramid is the LAST place you would want to look.

Whether anyone wants to admit it or not, the government, medical community and Big Pharma are all in bed together. That is part of the reason they keep upping the grain requirements every time they re-do the food pyramid.

It is a fact that too heavy of a carb based diet makes people sick and is greatly contributing to the Obesity epidemic in this country.

The government, medical community and Big Pharma - all want to keep you on meds or get you to have to have some type of maintenance medication "so you won't get sicker"............. it sickens me and saddens me both at the same time.

Why do you think Dr's are so quick to offer weight loss drugs? High blood pressure, diabetes meds, etc...............Because they want to get on them and stay on them. Even though a lifestyle modification is all that is needed.

And in reference to sugar...............In the end, sugar is sugar, is sugar in the body. Yes fruit may take a bit longer to digest than some candy bars and such - but the end result is the same.

Too much fructose (fruit sugar) is just as bad for you as too much sucrose (table sugar).

SweetPandora

i dont think an apple is good enough to be considered lunch.

i know my response doesnt answer your question, but if thats all you eat for the day u might be under eating.

As mentioned in my OP I did not include my other foods for the day. I only showed the fruits that I am eating today.

I also did not include my 1/2 avocado that is in my spinach/tomato and chicken salad for lunch.

Thank you for the links and comments.

Karen

Maggie1960

i dont think an apple is good enough to be considered lunch.

i know my response doesnt answer your question, but if thats all you eat for the day u might be under eating.

As mentioned in my OP I did not include my other foods for the day. I only showed the fruits that I am eating today.

I also did not include my 1/2 avocado that is in my spinach/tomato and chicken salad for lunch.

Thank you for the links and comments.

Karen

Your diet sounds really healthy - can you give me the recipe for your salad? It sounds lovely! I need some more lunch ideas, I've only been dieting a week and I've realised I need more variety.

MzBug

If you are concerned about the amount of sugar from fruit you are getting, try some of the lower sugar fruits. If you google low sugar fruits you come up with a great list. Carrots and corn are high sugar vegies while leafy greens are low.

You can still have a lot of fruit in a day! Enjoy!

SweetPandora

MzBug - thank you for the info.

Maggie - This salad is
1/2 -1 cup fresh raw spinach
5-6 cherry tomatoes sliced in half
1/2 avocado diced
2 oz of grilled boneless skinless chicken breast
1 tbspn of homemade salad dress- evoo, maple syrup, mustard powder, balsamic vinegar

I sometimes add sliced strawberries and blueberries to increase the antioxidants and to change it up.

Karen

3110cynthia

not is that not only too much fruit - what you listed there - it's pretty much a perfect example of what all humans should eat given they also eat about 4-5 servings of vegis and 3-4 servings of grains and some sort of protien x 3 - i sure wish i had that kind of habit - i tend to eat no fruit at all and so suffer from lack of vitamin c (i take supplement) as well and some other vitamins and not to mention the fiber - wonderful i say

godblessourhome

i'm going to say while healthier than some alternatives, i think it is too much fruit. probably not a popular opinion. conservatively, you are eating 6 servings of fruit a day, but probably more like 9 or 10.

i think 2-3 servings of fruit a day is more than adaquate and 5-10 servings of veggies (although i put tomatoes and avocados on the veggie side).

at a minimum, i would switch the morning snack of a banana to a protien, such as string cheese, cottage cheese, etc or to a lower sugar fruit, such as blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, etc.

also, an apple or a peach can actually be 2 servings depending on the size you are eating. maybe for supper, try share the fruit and only eat half.

however, if what you are doing works for you and makes you feel good, why change?

1/2 -1 cup fresh raw spinach
5-6 cherry tomatoes sliced in half
1/2 avocado diced
2 oz of grilled boneless skinless chicken breast
1 tbspn of homemade salad dress- evoo, maple syrup, mustard powder, balsamic vinegar

your salad sounds great. especially with strawberries. another suggestion: on the days you include fruit in your salad, cut back on the berries in your smoothie.

good luck!