Fruit Myth... Fact or fiction.

TashTag

So my vegan friend has been trying to convince me that an all raw fruit and veg lifestyle is the way to go but then other people say how the sugar in fruit is sooooo bad for you.
I don't know what to believe. I love fruit but if it is not going to help me lose weight then I need to avoid it right?
Is it the case that people with higher metabolisms process the 'sugars' in fruit and turn them into energy and people with slower metabolisms turn the 'sugars' in fruit into fat?

HELP

poohbah4

It's bad only in excess. Moderation in all things. And by the way, cooking food is not a cardinal sin.

xxsophster

Theres loads of sugar in fruit if you blend them to make smoothies! Otherwise its just natural sugar which is better for you than normal sugar

Strawberries help the metalobism, but you can just live on fruit and veg on your diet! Jeeesh! It will be called 's.hit yourself slim'

smkean

There are pros and cons to both sides:

Cooking food also diminishes the natural life energy, and destroys much of the natural enzymes (your body can also create enzymes, but can only do so much) in your food that are needed to break down nutrients. Eating raw eliminates this problem.
There is reason to believe that you may sleep better and have more energu and mental clarity, and errr has digestive benefits too...
This is how your body was orriginally designed to eat, so there are serious health benefits to this.

However, although oyur bodies have no idea that the year is 2014 it has evolved a little more since caveman times and some people argue that cooked foods are a necessity, note that you may need to take supplements on this diet, as we certainly cannot eat raw meat etc on this diet, and foods like Quorn and soy meat often need to be cooked. Many people (including my friend who did this for a year) also find that the very second they start to go back to a normal way of eating they gain weight like crazy, and after a while they (or in this instance, my friend) found that the taste of cooked foods or more processed foods were too filling and unenjoyable, but not in that positive way that you feel like when you have been dieting and allow yourself a treat from your favourite restaurant, only to discover that you cannot eat the whole portion/the meal was too filling etc.

My advice? try Ketogenic or paleo diet, its better designed for 'todays' bodies if you want to be a bit more natural.;

MityMax96

I like my fruit.
Oranges, peaches, apples......grapes.

I say eat your fruit and enjoy

4legsRbetterthan2

sugar from fruit is nothing to worry about unless you are just eating crazy amounts. I eat 2-3 fruits a day (usually a banana and whatever is in season) and plenty of vegetables. Meat, eggs, and cheese can all be very helpful in hitting your protein and fat needs so I would not cut them out of my diet.

As for the metabolism bit, our bodies all handle food the same way (minus people with actual disorders), slower vs faster metabolisms just mean a difference in the amount of energy required to run the body. Just make sure you are eating at a caloric decificit and your body will do what it needs with the food you give it.

astrampe

Eat fruit in moderation...eat raw food in moderation - although as much as I like salmon sashimi, I prefer my potatoes well cooked and my steak at least medium-rare....
You do not need to go extreme or turn fanatic about food - Paleo is extreme, no-carbs is extreme, eat everything raw is also extreme....

Moderation is the key for me and has been for the last 5/6 years in which I maintained my weight, ate ice cream now and them, have pizza and red wine every weekend and eat mostly "good" food, exercise regularly and tried to stay away from fanatics as far as possible....

grimendale

Fruit is delicious. As long as you are under your calories and are getting enough protein and fat, have all the sugar you like. Your macro and calorie limits will keep sugar from getting out of hand.

ndj1979

calorie deficit is the way to go , period.

You can eat fruit, added sugar, sugar, etc as long as you maintain your calorie defict.

As far as vegan, I think that is more of a personal choice that has to do with the individual and not so much health...

I pretty much eat what I like - chicken, steak, potatoes, ice cream, pizza, burger - and I am in the best shape of my life (12% body fat) and my blood work comes back every year as nearly perfect....

Happymelz

Fruit is completely natural nutrition.
Unless you have a medical issue that requires you to limit sugar intake there is no need to limit fruit.
The fiber in fruit helps the sugar break down more slowly and besides, fruit is not bad for you.

No one ever got fat eating too many mangoes or bananas.

richardheath

So my vegan friend has been trying to convince me that an all raw fruit and veg lifestyle is the way to go but then other people say how the sugar in fruit is sooooo bad for you.
I don't know what to believe. I love fruit but if it is not going to help me lose weight then I need to avoid it right?
Is it the case that people with higher metabolisms process the 'sugars' in fruit and turn them into energy and people with slower metabolisms turn the 'sugars' in fruit into fat?

HELP

Only become a raw vegan if your ethics, lifestyle etc align with that. I've never done it, but I can imagine it is very hard to do. And for no major health benefit. Sure - eating veggies is good, but it has been suggested that we are cookatarians. Learning to cook our food enabled us to extract more energy from it, and fueled our brain growth.

As to fruit: sugar is sugar is sugar. Eat it, log it. It is good for you.

ndj1979

There are pros and cons to both sides:

Cooking food also diminishes the natural life energy, and destroys much of the natural enzymes (your body can also create enzymes, but can only do so much) in your food that are needed to break down nutrients. Eating raw eliminates this problem.
There is reason to believe that you may sleep better and have more energu and mental clarity, and errr has digestive benefits too...
This is how your body was orriginally designed to eat, so there are serious health benefits to this.

However, although oyur bodies have no idea that the year is 2014 it has evolved a little more since caveman times and some people argue that cooked foods are a necessity, note that you may need to take supplements on this diet, as we certainly cannot eat raw meat etc on this diet, and foods like Quorn and soy meat often need to be cooked. Many people (including my friend who did this for a year) also find that the very second they start to go back to a normal way of eating they gain weight like crazy, and after a while they (or in this instance, my friend) found that the taste of cooked foods or more processed foods were too filling and unenjoyable, but not in that positive way that you feel like when you have been dieting and allow yourself a treat from your favourite restaurant, only to discover that you cannot eat the whole portion/the meal was too filling etc.

My advice? try Ketogenic or paleo diet, its better designed for 'todays' bodies if you want to be a bit more natural.;

how is "paleo" better designed for today's body when it is supposed to be based on a style of eating from 25,000 years ago?

I would also love to hear the explanation as to how Keto is "better" for todays bodies, as opposed to any other method out there?

Rocbola

Fruit will make you thin. But it not necessary to eat an all raw diet to get the benefits of fruit. Start very simple and easy: just add a piece of fruit to every meal. The extra fiber, water and nutrients will satiate you and allow you to eat less overall calories. The extra energy will help you stay focused and allow you to be more active. The anti-oxidants will help you to stay cleaner.

And a very important part of any good fruit based diet is daily intake of green leafy vegetables. A salad a day keeps the pounds away.

WeepingAngel81

Not a sugar expert by any means, but I have found this article to be helpful with a "dumbed down" explanation for sugar in fruit VS refined sugar.
http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/body-process-fruit-sugars-same-way-refined-sugar-8174.html

Depending on what your goals are, you do not need to limit anything in your diet. It's calories in/ calories out. Fresh, raw, and in season is always the most nutritious way of eating fruits and veggies, but eating them cooked isn't bad or dangerous. If they fit in your calorie goal, cooked or not, then eat them.

mccindy72

So my vegan friend has been trying to convince me that an all raw fruit and veg lifestyle is the way to go but then other people say how the sugar in fruit is sooooo bad for you.
I don't know what to believe. I love fruit but if it is not going to help me lose weight then I need to avoid it right?
Is it the case that people with higher metabolisms process the 'sugars' in fruit and turn them into energy and people with slower metabolisms turn the 'sugars' in fruit into fat?

HELP

eat some fruit. Eat some vegetables. Eat some of them raw, if you like, and eat some of them cooked, if you like.
What it really comes down to is what you like and what works for you.
What is going to help you lose weight is eating in a calorie deficit, and eating a good variety of foods that your body needs, that provide you with protein, carbohydrates, fats, and other nutrients. If you choose to eat an entirely vegan diet, you'll need to carefully decide where to get adequate protein and fats from.
if you don't think you'll enjoy that type of eating lifestyle, then don't do it, you won't find it sustainable.
personally, I eat what I like to eat, in moderation. I do some cardio, and I heavy lift. I'm at about 16% body fat and the best shape of my life. I don't cut food groups out of my diet to avoid anything other than what I might be intolerant to. If I want to eat something, I eat it and make it fit into my calorie goals for the day.

richardheath

Theres loads of sugar in fruit if you blend them to make smoothies! Otherwise its just natural sugar which is better for you than normal sugar

Strawberries help the metalobism, but you can just live on fruit and veg on your diet! Jeeesh! It will be called 's.hit yourself slim'

Does the process of making a smoothie magically make the fruit have more sugar? Other than possibly removing the fiber, I don't think blending fruit is going to do anything like that.

And how is natural sugar in fruit (fructose and glucose, for the most part) different from the fructose and glucose in "normal" sugar (by which I guess you mean sucrose (which is made of fructose and glucose) or HFCS (which is also fructose and glucose))?

1princesswarrior

This is about a sustainable lifestyle change. If you can't sustain it then don't do it.

TashTag

lol @ xxsophster

I've done the raw thing once for a three day detox and it was great but as a lifestyle i'm not too sure.

Ah it all hurts my head. Thank you for the input though.

Rocbola

Theres loads of sugar in fruit if you blend them to make smoothies! Otherwise its just natural sugar which is better for you than normal sugar

Strawberries help the metalobism, but you can just live on fruit and veg on your diet! Jeeesh! It will be called 's.hit yourself slim'

Does the process of making a smoothie magically make the fruit have more sugar? Other than possibly removing the fiber, I don't think blending fruit is going to do anything like that.

And how is natural sugar in fruit (fructose and glucose, for the most part) different from the fructose and glucose in "normal" sugar (by which I guess you mean sucrose (which is made of fructose and glucose) or HFCS (which is also fructose and glucose))?

Blending fruit cuts up the fiber into smaller chunks, increasing the rate at which the sugar is absorbed, also making it easier to slip in more calories past your satiety mechanism. It also makes it so the food is less likely to mix with salivary enzymes than masticated food. However, i still think smoothies are the bee's knees, and drastically better then some refined sugar. You still get all the nutrients and fiber, even if it is a slightly chopped up fiber.

WeepingAngel81

lol @ xxsophster

I've done the raw thing once for a three day detox and it was great but as a lifestyle i'm not too sure.

Ah it all hurts my head. Thank you for the input though.

If it hurts your head, then you are setting yourself up for failure. Don't adopt a lifestyle, which is what this would be, that will overwhelm you. Calories in...calories out. Keep it that simple. Stay within your calorie range, workout on a regular basis, and you will succeed.

TashTag

Sorry just to clarify I WONT be converting to vegan any time soon. THANK YOU ALL. I am learning a lot right now.