Please remind me fruit is not the enemy

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erinmick2
erinmick2 Posts: 32 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Before I started watching my macros on MFP, I was only paying attention to calories and maybe protein. I was eating tons of fruit, almost with all my meals & snacks.

However, now that I'm seeing my carb intake everyday, the carbs in fruit really turn me off of them :cry: I know fruit is really good for me, but I can't help getting freaked out every time I enter an orange or an apple in my diary. And it's not like I pig out on pasta & bread all day that I can cut out - carbs just really add up throughout the day in things you don't realize.

Can someone please convince me why eating fruit isn't all that bad carb-wise? Should I be netting my carbs with my fiber and using that number to compare to the MFP goal?
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Replies

  • EmilyOfTheSun
    EmilyOfTheSun Posts: 1,548 Member
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    I don't know much when it comes to nutrition. I want to learn a lot more. All I know is that I try to eat pretty clean. I am over on my sugar EVERY day because of the fruit I eat. I've been losing weight steadily and consistently though. So as long as it's coming from a good food....I don't worry too much about it.
  • mphlab
    mphlab Posts: 187 Member
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    I freaked out over cherries. Do you know how many carbs are in cherries? Geez!
  • jessalleyne
    jessalleyne Posts: 41
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    You have to remember that every person's body is different - and unless the carbs & sugar goals for each day were set for you by a professional nutritionist - vs. just this website - then I wouldn't worry too much about it. Jilllian Michaels book on Metabolism is a really good reminder of how your hormones & what we eat work together.

    I think that the carbs in fruit are better than the carbs in a cookie for your body. Now, some people can afford more sugar & need more sugar because of their body type - other can't. You need to find what works for you to reach your goals & feel good about yourself. The numbers produced by this on each nutritional factoid are so generically produced - they are a great place to start - but it's better to eat the whole fruit than a 100 calorie packet of some processed junk.

    Oh, and don't forget your veggies! :)
  • bradp1979
    bradp1979 Posts: 154 Member
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    It's important to remember that there are different types of carbs. MFP unfortunately lumps all carbs into the same category, and this isn't particularly accurate. One of the best carbs your body can take in is fiber, which there is a lot of in fruit. The carbs in fruit are not the bad kind of carbs, they're the good kind.

    Fruit can be your best friend in that it is a sweet treat, loaded with all kinds of good things your body needs, without any guilt.

    Fruit and veggies are made by nature, so our bodies naturally know exactly to do with every piece of it. The fiber in the whole cells of fruits counteract the sugars perfectly, and the sugar itself is the kind our body uses for long bursts of energy without a crash that you might expect from processed sugar.

    So here's your reminder: Fruit is not the enemy!!
  • Nina2503
    Nina2503 Posts: 172 Member
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    I would rather eat fruit than pasta any day!
  • Diablo360x
    Diablo360x Posts: 15 Member
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    Uh, I eat ice cream and/or kids cereal everyday. Nothing wrong with sugar.
  • LowFatMama
    LowFatMama Posts: 625 Member
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    With any food, you should always minus the dietary fiber from the carbs and that will be the real # of grams you take in. Most fruit is higher in cals & carbs then vegies are. Maybe you should consider snacking on raw or steamed vegies instead of so much fruit. If your gonna do an apple, eat half w/ one meal & the other half later??? Either way fruit is much more healthier for you than desert or other greasy snacks. Just eat them in smaller proportions :wink: Hope that was helpful!!! best wishes on your journey !
  • Scottish_charlene_84
    Scottish_charlene_84 Posts: 986 Member
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    I count my calories and thats it. I dont count fruit and the only veg i count is potates, corn, peas and parsnips so it cant b that bad :-p
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
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    Unless you're going on a low carb diet or are diabetic, carbs in fruit really aren't something to worry about. I'd stop monitoring carbs altogether.
  • divemunkey
    divemunkey Posts: 288 Member
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    If you are working at a low carb diet, then eat fruit if you are having a sugar craving. An apple/orange/pear/bunch of cherries is much better than a potato or hunk of bread if you are hungry and that's what's available. Lots more carbs are wasted on eating grains, pastas, and refined garbage than any fruit or vegetable.
  • Akimajuktuq
    Akimajuktuq Posts: 3,037 Member
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    Personally, I would get rid of carbs from grains (especially processed) before worrying about fruit. Fruit are healthy but some of us, including myself, still have to limit them for optimal health and weight loss. I can get all the same nutrients from vegetables, so I don't actually "need" fruit (except avocados), but I do try to have berries occasionally. Since I never was a big fruit eater it's not that hard for me.

    Once one reduces grains, there is a lot more room for fruit.
  • deb3129
    deb3129 Posts: 1,294 Member
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    Carbs are not the enemey, processed carbs are the enemy. The carbs and sugar and fruit are not bad. I have lost almost 90 pounds, and I am on a whole food plant based diet, and eat a ton of fruit. My weight loss has been steady, and my lab work looks great. Do not stress about the fruit.
  • guardian419
    guardian419 Posts: 391 Member
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    in a generalization, 200g and below per day and you're fine.... remember, ketchup has carbs, bbq sauce has carbs, apples have carbs, some veggies have carbs....

    The point I would actually like to make is this. Fruit is BETTER than ice cream. IT STILL HAS A LOT OF SUGAR! Don't give yourself an insulin resistance because that's all you're eating, but don't hate it either.
  • erinmick2
    erinmick2 Posts: 32 Member
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    It's important to remember that there are different types of carbs. MFP unfortunately lumps all carbs into the same category, and this isn't particularly accurate. One of the best carbs your body can take in is fiber, which there is a lot of in fruit. The carbs in fruit are not the bad kind of carbs, they're the good kind.

    Thanks! That helps a lot!!
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    Carbs are one of the three nutrients that we need every day! Just remember this: carbohydrates are pure energy. So long as you are getting enough protein and fat, then all you have to worry about is don't take in more energy than you need. I think your carb setting is too low if you are going over with just fruit. JMHO

    I get over 200g per day. Carbs are 50% of my calories.
  • angelraguel
    angelraguel Posts: 142 Member
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    i saw a nutritinist and he told me the best fruit to eat is berrys. get rid of apples and oranges and eat strawberrys, blueberrys, blackberrys, raspberrys and so on. I dunno how they are better but following his changes rly helped me =]
  • ValerieMartini2Olives
    ValerieMartini2Olives Posts: 3,024 Member
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    I eat fruit every single day and have for at least 6 months. It has not hindered my weight loss at all.
  • vonsay
    vonsay Posts: 31
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    It's important to remember that there are different types of carbs. MFP unfortunately lumps all carbs into the same category, and this isn't particularly accurate. One of the best carbs your body can take in is fiber, which there is a lot of in fruit. The carbs in fruit are not the bad kind of carbs, they're the good kind.

    Fruit can be your best friend in that it is a sweet treat, loaded with all kinds of good things your body needs, without any guilt.

    Fruit and veggies are made by nature, so our bodies naturally know exactly to do with every piece of it. The fiber in the whole cells of fruits counteract the sugars perfectly, and the sugar itself is the kind our body uses for long bursts of energy without a crash that you might expect from processed sugar.

    So here's your reminder: Fruit is not the enemy!!


    Good stuff!
  • savageman69
    savageman69 Posts: 339 Member
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    i saw a nutritinist and he told me the best fruit to eat is berrys. get rid of apples and oranges and eat strawberrys, blueberrys, blackberrys, raspberrys and so on. I dunno how they are better but following his changes rly helped me =]

    If your nutritinist told you to get rid of apples and oranges i woulda told him to go back to school....are you diabetic???? thats about the only reason to choose berries over apples...100 calories of apple and 100 calories of berries are just that 100 calories. carbs dont make you fat and apples certainly should not be left out of a diet.

    Weight loss comes down to calories in/calories out.....so eat your fruit, hit your macros/micros and stop worrying the little things
  • Lyssa62
    Lyssa62 Posts: 930 Member
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    my 20 grapes for lunch threw me over my sugar...go figure and I'm still eating supper.

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