Is fruit important for a healthy diet?

youngandaspiringxo
youngandaspiringxo Posts: 74 Member
edited November 30 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm trying to lose weight and I'm mostly just eating fruit, vegetables, chicken, and fish. However even just eating 1 cup of grapes I'm almost at my max sugar intake for the day. Is fruit even necessary? It just seems to add on a lot of sugar and carbs. Would I get better results in my diet without eating it?

Replies

  • briscogun
    briscogun Posts: 1,138 Member
    If you are just trying to lose weight only, the only figure that matters is calories in versus calories out. Period. There isn't any one category that is "necessary", but it is recommended for a healthy diet to eat balanced foods that include proper amounts of carbs, fats and proteins. Some folks don't like veggies so they just don't eat them, they get their carbs elsewhere and do just fine.

    I honestly stopped stressing about my sugar intake a while back, because I don't eat sweets or sugary foods. The only source of sugar I get is from fruits and the pack of Sweet N Low I put in my coffee each morning. So if I go over, who cares? Its all from natural sources, not cookies and sodas.

    Some folks have dietary issues that make them need to watch their sugar or sodium intake. If that's the case, then alter your diet accordingly. If not, then keep on doing what works for you. Those MFP numbers are just suggestions, you can change them up if you want, too.

    Good luck!
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    Don't look at single foods in isolation. Carbs are fine. Fruit is fine. Unless you have a *real* medical reason to avoid sugar, or anything else, don't. Instead, focus on getting in a variety of food to get all the nutrients you need.
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    Don't look at single foods in isolation. Carbs are fine. Fruit is fine. Unless you have a *real* medical reason to avoid sugar, or anything else, don't. Instead, focus on getting in a variety of food to get all the nutrients you need.

    ^^ that
  • Yi5hedr3
    Yi5hedr3 Posts: 2,696 Member
    Grapes are the worst as far as high sugar. Instead do 1/4 cup blueberries.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    edited March 2016
    I don't track sugar but do eat a lot of lower sugar fruits like berries, which I buy frozen this time of year.

    I upped fruit and decreased baked goods, which helped me create a calorie deficit and tame my sweet tooth.
  • tlflag1620
    tlflag1620 Posts: 1,358 Member
    There isn't anything in fruit that can't be had in veggies, so no, fruit isn't strictly "necessary". If you want to focus on sugar, you can always opt for lower sugar fruit, like kshama2001 mentioned. That said, maintaining a deficit is ultimately the only thing necessary for weight loss.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    Unless you have insulin resistance (like reactive hypoglycaemia, prediabetes, T2D, PCOS, NAFLD, dementia) you don't need to worry too much about the sugars in fruits. That being said, fruits are not needed for a healthy diet. Nutrients found i fruits can be found in veggies, and animal products too for that matter.
  • angerelle
    angerelle Posts: 175 Member
    No you don't need fruit, it doesn't give you anything you can't get by eating a variety of vegetables AFAIK. Sugar isn't inherently evil, but it is calorie dense.
  • umayster
    umayster Posts: 651 Member
    Meat, veggies and nuts give you better micronutrients per calorie than fruits. You can skip fruit and never miss anything nutritionally if you focus on other nutritionally dense foods.
  • firephoenix8
    firephoenix8 Posts: 102 Member
    I love fruit. I eat several small naval oranges and at least two packages of blackberries every week. Usually some bananas and blueberries also. I don't worry about sugar, just my total calorie figure, and I kind of keep an eye on my overall macro balance.
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