Surprised by fruit

ande2994

Have you ever been surprised by the number of calories in fruit??

I made what I thought was a healthy decision and snacked on grapes this afternoon. After logging them, I realized I had almost as many calories in my snack as my entire breakfast! So I found a site that lists the calories, carbs, proteins and fat in fruits in a handy chart: http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calories_in_fruit.htm.

Lemons are the lowest calorie, but they don't make a good snack. Melons, plums, peaches and strawberries round out the best five, and I like all of those. Grapes, it turns out, are among the worst.

Being a bit of a nerd, I copied the chart into Excel, sorted by the calorie column and printed so I can bring it with to the grocery store.

I don't know if the data is 100% accurate, but it seems about right. Hope it helps!

CassieLEO

I, personally, would gladly eat 200-300 calories of fruit over 200-300 calories of junk. Think of the vitamins and minerals you get from the fruit. Its quality of quantity.

frugalmomsrock

fruit has another benefit too-it contains the enzymes necessary for your body to break them down, so they don't weigh you down like processed foods that rely solely on your body to do the break down.

mgmlap

I usually stick to blueberries/raspberries/blackberries for breakfast..and then nectarine/plum/peach for snacks.

I can only do 3 servings max a day since I am IR

Romba

be careful eating alot of cantaloupe/watermellon/bananas because they have a tendency to boost your glycemic index the most. I agree with CassieLeo...I eat alot of fruit everyday and I have lost 40lbs. If it comes from the ground it's good for you!!!

Neize

Thanks for the information!!!

tofeelwell

I haven't checked the chart you mentioned but your comments sound like guidance I've received elsewhere.. It is true that fruit beats many other carbs in nutrition value but they still require scruitiny to choose well. Your list is pretty good. I would add nectarines to it. I also note that you can control portions of grapes, cherries and berries rather than avoid them, as they have good nutrition values. I use a scale and have became familiar with the number of grapes and cherries I can consume and keep to my calorie and nutrition needs. For instance, if cherries are average in size, I can assume 14 cherries are about 1/4 lb.

I also look for fiber as it helps fill me up. One of the best fiber fruits are pears albeit on the heavier side in calories. I now shop for smaller pears, oranges and apples, and other fruits that don't last well if cut but have good nutrition values.

I notice your list eliminated the high glycemic fruits like watermelon, pineapple and ripe bananas. Their sugar content, even as fructose, makes them bad choices. Also I avoid eating fruit with meals as the fructose is additive to other carbs and is more likely (with a meal) to trigger higher blood sugar at levels that can be converted to fat. Instead I eat fruit as a snack several hours after a meal when it is unlikely to trigger fat formation.

I will look up the chart you mention. I must be a little nerdy too as I like you Excel spreadsheet idea.

ande2994

Good points about the glycemic index -- that's something I should really get more familiar with. And I agree with all of the comments about the nutrients in fruit. I've just heard of some diets where fruit is "free" and thought people might like to know that all fruit is not equal. If you like grapes and strawberries equally, you can probably eat a lot more strawberries for the calories!