Should We Reduce Nuts & Fruits?
ZahidaKhan144
Posts: 5 Member
As a new member, after logging my food intake I realize nuts and fruits are high in fats, carbs and sugars
I’m thinking 🤔 should I curtail my nuts and fruit intake when they are nature’s delights??
What do you recommend?
I’m thinking 🤔 should I curtail my nuts and fruit intake when they are nature’s delights??
What do you recommend?
0
Replies
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Nuts and fruits provide valuable nutrition. I would recommend accounting for them and other things you like to eat into your daily calorie and macro targets.13
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Nuts are a great source of healthy fats, but do have a lot of calories. If your nut calories are crowding out your protein calories, sure, reduce them.
If you are using the MFP default carb goal of 50% you should have plenty of room for fruit. For me, it's never fruit that uses up too much of my carb (and calorie) allowance, but foods like baked goods, ice cream, pizza, etc.6 -
They can be, but as with everything, moderation is key.
If you are eating so many nuts and fruits that you aren't getting much else in, then it may be a good idea to scale back. 7 -
ZahidaKhan144 wrote: »As a new member, after logging my food intake I realize nuts and fruits are high in fats, carbs and sugars
I’m thinking 🤔 should I curtail my nuts and fruit intake when they are nature’s delights??
What do you recommend?
Dietary fat is a highly essential nutrient...not some devil thing, and nuts are chalk full of the heart healthy mono and poly unsaturated fats...the kind you're supposed to be getting more of. Because of the fat content they are high calorie...dietary fat is 9 calories per gram...so in that respect, they may need to be limited to meet calorie targets, but they are most definitely not "bad"...calories having nothing to do with nutritional awesomeness.
I'm also pretty sure the obesity epidemic isn't a result of people eating their apple. Yes, fruits have sugar and some in higher amounts than others...but unless you're eating so much fruit that it's crowding out other nutrition, it's not a big deal. I usually have one to two servings of fruit per day. Sugar is also not the debil...the issue with sugar is vast overconsumption, largely in the form of added sugars, especially in things like "treats"...candy...cookies...soda, etc...Fruits have valuable micro-nutrition in the form of vitamins and minerals and antioxidants.9 -
All foods in moderation, portion control, and fitting into your calorie deficit for weight loss. Personally, I eat fruit and raw nuts daily, paying attention to overall nutrition goals. Example, 1 oz raw walnuts has a little over 4 grams of protein, under 200 calories. Nutritious, and delicious.6
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Say yes to fruit and nuts!
Nuts are not all the same. Tree nuts, such as walnuts, are a fantastic food, so long as you're not allergic to them. Almonds, pecans, and cashews are also great. I don't eat a lot hazel nuts, but they are also similar-- and delicious.
Peanuts are in a totally different category (legumes, not tree nuts), and their fats are not as highly regarded by some. But they are high in protein and delicious. I hear they taste good ground on toast with a little jam.
My main approach is to eat unsalted nuts. I typically eat 1oz of raw walnuts for breakfast then another oz of unsalted roasted nuts as an evening snack, sometimes with a piece of dark chocolate. Yes, that's nearly 370kcals of nuts in a day! That's where I get most of my fat.
I think fruit is great, too. I have berries in my oatmeal, an apple, pear, or orange with lunch, and another piece of fruit as an afternoon snack. These fruits are high in fiber which, to my thinking, balances out their sugar. An orange is a great example. A Cara Cara orange has 80kcals, which is almost entirely from it's natural sugars. But it also has 3 grams of soluble fiber and is high in vitamins (especially C). The act of peeling and eating one is very satisfying.8 -
as others have said, both fruits and nuts are little nutrient powerhouses. There is no need to eliminate them from your diet, unless perhaps, if they are items you can not have self control over.
I don't really eat much nuts simply because well, i don't. but i do eat a fair amount of fruit, especially as a snack or as a side with dinner, on salads, on yogurt or cottage cheese, etc....
its all about staying within your calorie goals.7 -
Well, fruits (besides avocado) don't have fat or if so, have very little, so there's that. I eat probably at least 3 servings of fruit per day, and while I'm not a big nut eater, I often add a little bit of almonds or walnuts (esp. good for Omega 3) in my smoothies or salads, because I know they're good for me even if they're calorically dense. I typically buy raw and unsalted (unless I need salted for a recipe), because I'm not likely to overeat those anyway.3
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ZahidaKhan144 wrote: »As a new member, after logging my food intake I realize nuts and fruits are high in fats, carbs and sugars
I’m thinking 🤔 should I curtail my nuts and fruit intake when they are nature’s delights??
What do you recommend?
It really depends on how many you are eating, and the rest of your diet. I try to get 1-2 servings of each per day, most of the time. That nuts and seeds are high fat is only a concern to me because they are high cal, so that they are healthy doesn't mean I can grab a bag and just eat as much as I want -- I weigh them (or otherwise measure them if not able to weigh). Similarly, I don't see any reason to be concerned about the sugar in fruit -- it comes with (depending on the fruit) fiber and lots of micronutrients.
What I do focus on is total cals and that I have sufficient protein, healthy fats (that can come from nuts and seeds), and fiber (which will be contributed to by nuts and seeds and fruit), as well as plenty of vegetables. If you aren't going over cals or making it impossible to meet other nutritional requirements, and if you feel satisfied with your diet, I don't see any problem with nuts and fruit -- in fact, I think on average diets that include nuts and fruits tend to be more nutrient dense than those without them.3 -
Personally I don't worry too much about fruit carbs. I guess I might if I was eating ten pieces every day or something like that, but I'm not. More of a carb problem for me are "white" carbs -- bread, rice, potatoes...but especially bread and baked goods. lol.2
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cwolfman13 wrote: »
I'm also pretty sure the obesity epidemic isn't a result of people eating their apple.
That, sir, is a keeper quote.
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The only nuts and fruits you should eliminate in your life, are the breathing kind.
Curtailing such drama reduces stress and increases happiness
. 13 -
I eat fruit and nuts everyday. You just have to have discipline to only eat within your calorie restriction for them. If you want to attribute say 600 calories to them, then make sure you only eat that much.
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springlering62 wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »
I'm also pretty sure the obesity epidemic isn't a result of people eating their apple.
That, sir, is a keeper quote.
Agreed1 -
WEIGH THEM! I'm guessing you may mean dried fruits (I could be wrong) which, like nuts, don't take much to become high calorie. They are great snacks in their nutrients and they taste good and can be filling, but they are not a high volume food so if you prefer to eat a lot of something also high in nutrients, cut up veggies are good for that. I love almonds but rarely eat more than 8-12 in one sitting, I use about 9 grams of peanut butter at a time, and about 20 grams of dried cranberries at a time. These are very small portions.0
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ChickenKillerPuppy wrote: »WEIGH THEM! I'm guessing you may mean dried fruits (I could be wrong) which, like nuts, don't take much to become high calorie. They are great snacks in their nutrients and they taste good and can be filling, but they are not a high volume food so if you prefer to eat a lot of something also high in nutrients, cut up veggies are good for that. I love almonds but rarely eat more than 8-12 in one sitting, I use about 9 grams of peanut butter at a time, and about 20 grams of dried cranberries at a time. These are very small portions.
Zahida if you meant DRIED fruits, yes, do be more cautious with them. It's very easy for me to overeat foods like dried apricots vs fresh any kind of fruit. Dried apricots can be a gastro-intestinal bomb as well as a calorie bomb, lol.3 -
Nuts are good but caloric. Scales exist for a reason. If your fresh fruits have fat check the entries you're using against the USDA.
How many fruits and nuts you eat depends on how satisfying and satiating they are for you given their caloric cost and your targets.
I have a "soft" target of 800g of veggies and fruits a day and a slightly less soft one of 400g. When I miss the 400g (5 a day) I don't cry much because I'm usually well over that on average.
I don't have a specific nut target except not to be one. But I do grab 15 to 20g palm fulls every so often5 -
The only nuts and fruits you should eliminate in your life, are the breathing kind.
Curtailing such drama reduces stress and increases happiness .
Apparently you are talking about people. The only use of fruit that I know of with respect to people is a pejorative slur for gays. Why do you think people should avoid gays?0 -
lynn_glenmont wrote: »The only nuts and fruits you should eliminate in your life, are the breathing kind.
Curtailing such drama reduces stress and increases happiness .
Apparently you are talking about people. The only use of fruit that I know of with respect to people is a pejorative slur for gays. Why do you think people should avoid gays?
When I saw this I thought of bad apples. I have been working to eliminate the bad apples in my life, it definitely has reduced stress!6 -
lynn_glenmont wrote: »The only nuts and fruits you should eliminate in your life, are the breathing kind.
Curtailing such drama reduces stress and increases happiness .
Apparently you are talking about people. The only use of fruit that I know of with respect to people is a pejorative slur for gays. Why do you think people should avoid gays?
Unfortunately, you're right, but it's also used to describe someone who's weird. Still not very pc! 1 -
lynn_glenmont wrote: »The only nuts and fruits you should eliminate in your life, are the breathing kind.
Curtailing such drama reduces stress and increases happiness .
Apparently you are talking about people. The only use of fruit that I know of with respect to people is a pejorative slur for gays. Why do you think people should avoid gays?
stop looking to be offended.
I made a joke on the thread title, and I tied it back to 'drama' not 'sexuality'
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lynn_glenmont wrote: »The only nuts and fruits you should eliminate in your life, are the breathing kind.
Curtailing such drama reduces stress and increases happiness .
Apparently you are talking about people. The only use of fruit that I know of with respect to people is a pejorative slur for gays. Why do you think people should avoid gays?
stop looking to be offended.
I made a joke on the thread title, and I tied it back to 'drama' not 'sexuality'
I don't think anyone is looking to be offended, it's just that in certain cultures (maybe not yours) the latter term, when applied to people, has a specific meaning.1 -
lynn_glenmont wrote: »The only nuts and fruits you should eliminate in your life, are the breathing kind.
Curtailing such drama reduces stress and increases happiness .
Apparently you are talking about people. The only use of fruit that I know of with respect to people is a pejorative slur for gays. Why do you think people should avoid gays?
I thought 'fruitcake' or fruitloop' which, at least in the UK, refers to someone with mental problems or who is eccentric. Never heard anything referring to our gay community but maybe I'm just not aware of slang these days.4 -
I’m in the UK too and it was definitely used in the way Lynn implies in the 1970’s . That’s what I took it to mean and was pleased to see Lynn call it out as inappropriate. If she hadn’t, I would have.
I’d like to think we’ve all moved on from those prejudices and derogatory terms, even in alleged ‘jest’. Sadly it appears we haven’t.3 -
BarbaraHelen2013 wrote: »I’m in the UK too and it was definitely used in the way Lynn implies in the 1970’s . That’s what I took it to mean and was pleased to see Lynn call it out as inappropriate. If she hadn’t, I would have.
I’d like to think we’ve all moved on from those prejudices and derogatory terms, even in alleged ‘jest’. Sadly it appears we haven’t.
Maybe it's a term that's no longer used; definitely not in my social circles. In general I think we've moved on but, as with many things, some people take a bit longer to catch up.
But back to the OP's original question - I eat nuts and fruit, daily, but in moderation. I have a small amount (15g) of dried fruit in my yoghurt and around 30g of berries go in my porridge. I typically have a 20g handful of almonds as a mid afternoon snack and/or an apple if I'm peckish. I usually pre-plan my days, so factor these in ahead of time. If I don't eat one of my snacks, it gives me a few more cals to play with for a dessert or more veg with my dinner.
As mentioned previously nuts and (dried) fruit are quite high in cals (and carbs) for the volume ,but they have their uses in a balanced diet.3 -
Fruit isn't really an issue calorically...a couple of apples equals a couple hundred calories, but would be very filling. I suspect most people aren't going to eat more than 2 apples in a sitting. Fruit also has fiber, which "off sets" some of the total carb count.
You might want to weigh out/measure nuts for awhile to at least get a visual of a serving. I can easily snack on a couple of servings of pistachios in a sitting. That can add up to over 300 calories. Nuts are still very healthy, but more calorically dense than some other foods.4
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