The truth about the calories in fruit...? (calling all knowledgable people)

laheze
laheze Posts: 1 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
So, if I eat 2 cups of watermelon that is about 100 calories, is that really the same as eating 100 calories of avocado (also a healthy food, but contains fat)? Obviously their nutritional content differs, but how does the digestion process differ if it contains no fat?

Replies

  • Wiseandcurious
    Wiseandcurious Posts: 730 Member
    Digestion process? You wouldn't dabsorb the vitamin A from the watermelon without fat, because it's fat-soluble. If you had balanced your calories between the two, you'd be much better off.

    You would also get hungrier faster after the fat-free meal. Seriously, a balanced diet is your best bet to be able to keep it up and stay healthy and lose weight easily (not fast - easily).

    In terms of pure weight loss/gain and CICO, calories are calories. That's why such a measurement as a calorie is used in nutrition - to be able to compare the energy content of very different foods.

    The question sounds very much like "Which is heavier - a lb of wool or a lb of iron" :)



  • Wiseandcurious
    Wiseandcurious Posts: 730 Member
    By the way I thought it was another one of those threads by former Weight Watchers people who just discovered fruit is not "free" ...
  • Elise4270
    Elise4270 Posts: 8,375 Member
    "How does the digestion process differ?"? That's kind of a strange question. Guess you wouldn't excret bile with the watermelon. And more insulin would be released with the watermelon. They both have ample fiber. Oh, watermelon causes loose stools, but not because of the fiber. Google it.

    Just eat both of them, its only 100 calories.
  • griffinca2
    griffinca2 Posts: 672 Member
    Thing about the lb of wool or lb of iron; the iron takes up less space (so a lb of muscle takes up less space then a lb of fat). You would be better off eating the avocado--you would feel fuller and more satisfied; by eating the watermelon you'll probably feel hungry about an hour after you have eaten it.
  • Wiseandcurious
    Wiseandcurious Posts: 730 Member
    griffinca2 wrote: »
    Thing about the lb of wool or lb of iron; the iron takes up less space (so a lb of muscle takes up less space then a lb of fat). You would be better off eating the avocado--you would feel fuller and more satisfied; by eating the watermelon you'll probably feel hungry about an hour after you have eaten it.

    Totally agree one would get hungrier faster on the watermelon. Muscle and fat - you are confusing the question a bit I think. She asks how 100 cal is different from 100 cal (energy measurement) - same as how 1lb is different from 1 lb (weight measurement) - a question often used to confuse school age kids for fun, at least where I come from. The volume is something else entirely and fat and muscle are not under discussion at all here.
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  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    laheze wrote: »
    So, if I eat 2 cups of watermelon that is about 100 calories, is that really the same as eating 100 calories of avocado (also a healthy food, but contains fat)? Obviously their nutritional content differs, but how does the digestion process differ if it contains no fat?

    As to weight loss, 100 calories of watermelon is the same as 100 calories of avocado.

    Well, I find watermelon goes through me pretty quickly, I get hungrier quicker, and I pee a lot. With Avocado, I stay full longer and I don't pee as much. :)
  • losingitseattle
    losingitseattle Posts: 90 Member
    I think you're asking about the thermic effect of food on some level. Some people believe in it as a diet strategy and others don't. Three things have an impact on energy expenditure:

    Thermic Effect of Food (10% of EE): the number of calories required to digest, absorb, transport, and store food.
    Basal Metabolic Rate (60-70% of EE): the number of calories the body needs to maintain body functions at rest.
    Physical Activity (20-30% of EE): the number of calories expended during daily activity and exercise.

    You can see that thermic effect of food is pretty minor overall in daily calorie expenditure. I think you'd fare better watching your macronutrients overall but that's JMO.
  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
    Watermelon has a very High GI, so it raises your blood glucose.
    Avocado is very low to not even on the chart.
  • Nony_Mouse
    Nony_Mouse Posts: 5,648 Member
    Watermelon is delicious.
    Avocado is delicious.
    Eat both.
  • SherryTeach
    SherryTeach Posts: 2,836 Member
    Definitely eat both. I don't happen to like avocado, but I generally pick my fruits based on what I like, weigh them and log them like anything else. Also delicious: apple, banana, pear, peach, grapes, cantaloupe, strawberries, blueberries, plums, clementines, and probably other things I'm not thinking of at the moment. Sometimes it depends on what you are in the mood for. When it's super hot, I'm in the mood for watermelon!
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    Watermelon was my go-to food after surgery last summer. I could eat very little at a time, and it was a battle to stay hydrated. Watermelon felt so good.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    Both watermelon and avocado are two foods I love.
This discussion has been closed.

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