Ok, I need tip regarding fruit

kimber607

Hi

What are my best options considering cals, nutrition, anti-oxidants etc?
Before coming to this site the only fruits I really loved where banana and apples
I know banana are high in potassium...but aren't they also high in cals/sugar?
I'm just looking for the best options...BTW, I don't like any tropical fruits...mango, papaya etc

Thanks for any tips..
Kim

kimber607

Hi

What are my best options considering cals, nutrition, anti-oxidants etc?
Before coming to this site the only fruits I really loved where banana and apples
I know banana are high in potassium...but aren't they also high in cals/sugar?
I'm just looking for the best options...BTW, I don't like any tropical fruits...mango, papaya etc

Thanks for any tips..
Kim

Shannon023

My favorites (when they're in season) are blueberries. They're high in anti-oxidants too!

yoginimary

Berries are usually a good option. I wouldn't worry about the sugar in fruits unless you have diabetes, but yes, apples and bananas are higher in calories - about 100 each - about the same as 2 cups of strawberries. Peaches, plums, oranges, and apricots are low in calories.
As far as anti-oxidants, each fruit has its own, but generally speaking, the more colorful, the more anti-oxidants.
For nutrition, it depends what you are after. Cantaloupe is loaded with potassium, raspberries have lots of fiber, watermelon has lycopene, etc.
Here's a website that might help you if you are concerned:
http://www.whfoods.com/foodstoc.php

I think the best advice is: eat plenty of fruits and veggies, in season, and a variety. There's nothing wrong with bananas and apples.

bodibykelli

Hi! I'm a big believer in cantaloupe!

wriglucy

I love allllll fruit. But, my only suggestion for getting enough of the nutrients you need in a day, is to take a multivitamin too. That combined with the yummy fruit...you'll be a very healthy lady!

kerrilucko

Melons, like cataloupe, honeydew and watermelon!

spaul82478

melons and honeydew are the fruits lowest in cals and stuff you can have the most of them a cup and a halp equals a half of a banana... I love all fruits so i just mix them up....

ali106

red crunchy grapes, blueberries, watermelon, bosc pears, fugi apples, clementines....those are my favorites....

I think melons and berries are the lowest or maybe citrus....its all good for you and a variety is the best bet I think....okay now I want fruit which is good because I just wanted cake after another post...thanks for that!!!! :laugh:

hugs!
Ali

FatDancer

I 2nd the berries and the melons.

jcummings69

For me watermelon and strawberries are by far the most filling for their calorie value! LOVE THEM

shorerider

Fruit has natural sugar, which is a whole different creature than refined sugar! It doesn't impact your body the same way at all. Plus, they're good sources of fiber, too.

kerikitkat

Strawberries and plump crunchy grapes are involved in basically ever meal I eat nowadays.

Watermelon is awesome, and I love navel oranges, pears, kiwi, bananas, granny smith apples, pineapple, and peaches, too.

I guess there aren't many fruits I *don't* like! Not real big on mango or papaya, but I'll eat them if they're around, I just don't buy them.

I don't worry about the sugar in fruit. It's natural sugar and the great vitamins and stuff in fruit more than makes up for it. I think, IMHO, that too many dieters are WAY overconcerned about sugar. Yes, we all eat too much of it, but that should NOT make us scared of fruit. And although I drink diet soda occasionally because I don't like regular anymore, other than that I refuse to use fake sugars. It just seems weird!! I'd rather but a couple of teaspoons of regular in at 30 calories than use Splenda. I'm not exactly sure why, other than that it seems like an unneccessary extra chemical to put in my body.

beep

Grapes (red or purple)
Blueberries
Cherries
Currants
Red apples

There's something about the red........ Here it is.

Reduce Belly Fat With Cherries?

Tart cherries—frequently sold dried, frozen or in juice—may have more than just good taste and bright red color going for them, according to new animal research from the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center.

Rats that received whole tart cherry powder mixed into a high-fat diet didn't gain as much weight or build up as much body fat as rats that didn't receive cherries. And their blood showed much lower levels of molecules that indicate the kind of inflammation that has been linked to heart disease and diabetes. In addition, they had significantly lower blood levels of cholesterol and triglycerides than the other rats.

The results, which were seen in both lean and obese rats that were bred to have a predisposition to obesity and insulin resistance, were presented at the Experimental Biology 2008 meeting in San Diego, CA by a team from the U-M Cardioprotection Research Laboratory.

In addition, the obese rats that received cherry powder were less likely to build up belly fat, another factor linked to cardiovascular disease. All the measures on which the two groups of animals differed are linked to cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes.

While it's still far too early to know whether tart cherries will have the same effect in humans, U-M researchers are preparing to launch a pilot-phase clinical trial later this spring. They note that if a human wanted to eat as many tart cherries as the rats in the new study did, they would have to consume 1.5 cups every day.

"These new findings are very encouraging, especially in light of what is becoming known about the interplay between inflammation, blood lipids, obesity and body composition in cardiovascular disease and diabetes," says Steven Bolling, M.D., a U-M cardiac surgeon and the laboratory's director. "The fact that these factors decreased despite the rats' predisposition to obesity, and despite their high-fat 'American-style' diet, is especially interesting."

The experiments are funded by an unrestricted grant from the Cherry Marketing Institute, a trade association for the cherry industry. CMI has no influence on the design, conduct or analysis of any U-M research it funds.

The correlation between cherry intake and significant changes in cardiovascular risk factors suggests—but does not directly demonstrate—a positive effect from the high concentrations of antioxidant compounds called anthocyanins that are found in tart cherries. The anthocyanins are responsible for the color of these and of other darkly pigmented fruits.

The potential for protective effects from antioxidant-rich foods and food extracts is a promising area of research, says Bolling, who is the Professor of Integrative Medicine at U-M.

The team performed the study using 48 obesity-prone rats, half of which were obese, and a diet in which 45 percent of calories came from fat and 35 percent came from carbohydrates. All the rats were six weeks old when the study began. For the next 90 days they were fed either a cherry-enriched diet, or a diet that contained an equivalent number of carbohydrates and calories.

At the end of the study, the rats had blood tests for glucose, cholesterol and triglyceride levels, received scans to measure their body fat and to see where the fat had collected, and had tests for two plasma inflammation markers: TNF-alpha and interleukin-6.

These two molecules are related to the level of vascular inflammation, or immune-system reaction to blood-vessel walls, that is often seen in people and animals with cardiovascular disease. While inflammation is a normal process the body uses to fight off infection or injury, according to recent science, a chronic state of inflammation may increase the risk for a number of diseases.

The cherries were Montmorency tart cherries grown in Michigan, which is the nation's largest producer of tart cherries. They are different from the sweet Bing cherries that are often eaten fresh. Tart cherries have higher concentrations of antioxidant anthocyanins than sweet cherries.

By the end of the study, the rats that received the cherries had lower body weight, fat mass, total cholesterol, triglyceride, TNF-alpha and IL-6 than the rats that did not receive cherries. In all, TNF-alpha was reduced by 50 percent in the lean rats and 40 percent in the obese rats and IL-6 was lowered by 31 percent in the obese rats and 38 percent in the lean rats.

The obese rats that received cherries also had lower-weight retroperitoneal fat, a type of belly fat that has been associated with especially high cardiovascular risk and inflammation in humans.

In addition to Seymour and Bolling, the research team includes Daniel Urcuyo-Llanes, Ara Kirakosyan, Peter B. Kaufman, and Sarah K. Lewis of U-M, and Maurice Bennink of Michigan State University.

Even as the Cardioprotection Laboratory team continues its work in animals, U-M Integrative Medicine co-director Sara Warber, M.D., an assistant professor of family medicine at the U-M Medical School, is preparing to lead a pilot clinical trial of whole tart cherries in humans.

Source: Press Release by Kara Gavin, Univ. of Michigan Health System

ali106

oooo yes I love cherries...interesting article too!!!

I am also a fan of mangos....you just have to get them at the right time...and DO NOT BUY CANNED ick! lol...but mmm mango smoothies or just fresh mango is sooo yummy and filling...and sweet!! a bad mango can make you stay clear from them for awhile...yup that's a bummer....lol

I had the sweetest watermelon tonight and it really curbed my sweet tooth!

hugs!
Ali

littlespoon

Kiwi Fruit!!!

REB89

strawberries :bigsmile:

TashaKnight

Strawberries boost your metabolism!!!
Try Korean strawberries if you can find them.
They taste SOO much better than the others.

And frozen grapes are my favorite

Katy009

I love frozen grapes, too....and since they are frozen, you can't plow through them as you would normal grapes You tend to eat less of them and enjoy them more.

banks1850

Keep eating the banana's! they are great for you. And the sugar they give you is the right kind of sugar, the good for you sugar, and they give plenty of fiber. Trust me, you won't gain fat eating banana's (within reason)

In fact, there are very few fruits you can't eat all day and still stay healthy. Fruit usually doesn't spike insulin levels and therefore doesn't screw up the metabolism, you can chow on fruit all day and it won't be bad. This is all predicated on the fact that you don't sit down with giant fruit storms and eat like a glutton, I mean, if you have 2 apples, 2 or 3 bananas and some grapes in a day, that's not a problem, but have triple that and well.... you know, everything in moderation.

Hey, why do you think Gilligan stayed so skinny on the island? Mango's and coconuts!

FitJoani

I LOVE ALL fruits but the biggest AOX punch is a pomegranate they are yummy as well!!!!