In place of fruit?

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Replies

  • leonadixon
    leonadixon Posts: 479 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    In the nutrients I track for MFP, I swapped out sugar for fiber.

    When I was in Costa Rica for 6 weeks I ate tropical fruit all day long and dropped a size without even trying. How? I created a calorie deficit because the higher calorie foods I normally ate were not available.

    However, these days I do add a protein with fruit snacks - for example 112 g cottage cheese. When I was eating higher fat I would have a small amount of PB and/or cheese with apples.

    OOO, I wonder if my local apple orchard has Honey Crisps in yet...

    Honey Crisps are the best best best! Off topic, but I love them enough to comment!
  • WailingDusk
    WailingDusk Posts: 58 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    Certain fruits are higher in sugars than others, but you also need to remember that fruit is very high in fiber, so you're definitely not going to be able to overeat it without feeling really full.

    If you're concerned about sugar, try going for berries (I buy frozen mixed berries and blend them), granny smith apples, kiwi (I usually have two of these before bed. They help you sleep), cantaloupe, watermelon. If you're craving something sweet, Fruit is going to be your best, most nutritious option. Yeah you could go for something that's artificially sweetened, but you're not going to get the extra benefits.

    Eat fruit. Don't be scared of it. I eat it all the time and still manage to lose weight. Stay away from fruit juices or dried fruits though.

    For me, dried fruit seems over-demonized at times, too. Yes, it's calorie dense (less water), but the fiber and nutrients are similar to fresh fruit. In a calorie counting context, reasonable portioning is possible.

    If you're the one drying the fruits, then I'd say, maybe... if you're already at your goal weight. The reason I say avoid is because if you're obese and trying to lose weight, it's easier to over-consume dried fruit because there's less volume to feel fuller and takes less time to eat which doesn't give your brain enough time to get the signal that you're full. If someone's concerned about sugar, a lot of dried packaged fruits have sugar added to them (and oils sometimes. Take a look at the nutrition facts of dried bananas. It's criminal.) which is why I said if you're the one drying fruit, it's a lot better.

    For obese people (I include myself in this because I was morbidly obese), it's better to stay away from nuts, seeds and dried fruit when starting out unless you are very strict with your portion sizes. Less than a handful is a complete serving size, which a lot of people find shocking.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 31,717 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    Certain fruits are higher in sugars than others, but you also need to remember that fruit is very high in fiber, so you're definitely not going to be able to overeat it without feeling really full.

    If you're concerned about sugar, try going for berries (I buy frozen mixed berries and blend them), granny smith apples, kiwi (I usually have two of these before bed. They help you sleep), cantaloupe, watermelon. If you're craving something sweet, Fruit is going to be your best, most nutritious option. Yeah you could go for something that's artificially sweetened, but you're not going to get the extra benefits.

    Eat fruit. Don't be scared of it. I eat it all the time and still manage to lose weight. Stay away from fruit juices or dried fruits though.

    For me, dried fruit seems over-demonized at times, too. Yes, it's calorie dense (less water), but the fiber and nutrients are similar to fresh fruit. In a calorie counting context, reasonable portioning is possible.

    If you're the one drying the fruits, then I'd say, maybe... if you're already at your goal weight. The reason I say avoid is because if you're obese and trying to lose weight, it's easier to over-consume dried fruit because there's less volume to feel fuller and takes less time to eat which doesn't give your brain enough time to get the signal that you're full. If someone's concerned about sugar, a lot of dried packaged fruits have sugar added to them (and oils sometimes. Take a look at the nutrition facts of dried bananas. It's criminal.) which is why I said if you're the one drying fruit, it's a lot better.

    For obese people (I include myself in this because I was morbidly obese), it's better to stay away from nuts, seeds and dried fruit when starting out unless you are very strict with your portion sizes. Less than a handful is a complete serving size, which a lot of people find shocking.

    Good point about sweetened dried fruit. I don't dry my own these days (did some, in the past). I buy it, but I nearly never buy sweetened dried fruit (maybe every once in a while something like health food store bulk cranberries, which are usually sweetened but a little less than mainstream brands, for muffins or something). Many dried fruits are plenty sweet enough on their own, and sweetened ones not as tasty, to me.

    I still say I find it filling, when eaten with a beverage. Others may differ.

    I did eat dried fruit while losing weight from obese to here, though. I do weigh my portions of nearly everything, and certainly dried fruit. Ditto for nuts & seeds - though I do eat -more- of those in maintenance.

    Dried bananas taste like they're made out of low-grade plastic. I never eat them. 😆

    That preceding paragraph is probably enough unpopular opinion for one post, but I'll add that I find most modern varieties of apples way too sweet, plus usually insipid tasting in other ways. I get that many people love Honey Crisps (among others), but I'd put them in the "not worth eating" category. Others can have my share of those!
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,899 Member
    Echoing Ann, it's incredibly easy to find versions of most dried fruits without sugar added. I get dried apricots a lot (for cooking, not eating on their own), and there's never any sugar added. My dad recently did a cross-country drive and he had the same dried apricots, as well as other dried fruits, none with sugar added.

    As for dried bananas (which I do like, but don't buy since for me they are a snack food and don't go with a meal and I tend to eat only at meals or an occasional real dessert/cheese course), these are the ones I see most often, and they are bananas only: https://baresnacks.com/products/simply-banana-chips

    I disagree with the idea that obese people must only eat high volume foods. People are different. For me, nuts and seeds were foods I've included without problem with losing weight. I don't usually eat dried fruits (I have on biking trips and use them in some recipes, as noted), but that's only because I generally don't like them as much as fresh fruits.
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 8,926 Member
    I am a big fan of dried apricots and sultanas.

    No added sugar in the versions here - and easy to weigh and portion out.

    I tend to eat them as part of a lunch box - ie with other things, not a stand alone snack

    40mg of dried apricots is 100 calories.

    If you weigh them properly and adhere to portion size - not hard to fit into a reasonable calorie allowance.
  • penguinmama87
    penguinmama87 Posts: 1,158 Member
    I don't eat dried fruit very often, but it does feature in my emergency power outage food stash. :D

  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,843 Member
    If anyone else is like me - needs unsulfured apricots and can't find them locally/thinks Whole Foods charges too much, I like these from Amazon:

    https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00T3JKX3I/

    Here's a yummy Chicken & Apricot Masala recipe! (Only the "shoe leather" type apricots need to be soaked.) I mash it up with another recipe and add 8 oz coconut milk.

    https://www.food.com/recipe/nigella-lawson-chicken-apricot-masala-59448
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 9,950 Member
    edited September 2021
    I am a big fan of dried apricots and sultanas.

    No added sugar in the versions here - and easy to weigh and portion out.

    I tend to eat them as part of a lunch box - ie with other things, not a stand alone snack

    40mg of dried apricots is 100 calories.

    If you weigh them properly and adhere to portion size - not hard to fit into a reasonable calorie allowance.


    For U.S. residents who don't watch non-U.S. cooking shows, sultanas are essentially what's more commonly sold in the U.S. as golden raisins (i.e., made from green grapes, also known as sultanas).

    ETA: decided to double check with the Internet after I wrote the above, and apparently what I thought I remembered is not exactly true -- dark raisins, in the U.S. anyway, are mostly made from green grapes as well, and it's differences in the drying process that results in different colors. Hence the lady with the green grapes and the dark raisins on the front of the boxes of the major national brand.
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 8,926 Member
    Oh yes, I remember now.

    The sentence ' every fortnight I eat sultanas ' which makes perfect sense here apparently is confusing to Americans on both counts.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,843 Member
    edited September 2021
    Oh yes, I remember now.

    The sentence ' every fortnight I eat sultanas ' which makes perfect sense here apparently is confusing to Americans on both counts.

    Not to those of us who have read a lot of Brit lit ;)

    In fact, that was responsible for me getting words like theater (theatre) wrong on spelling tests in primary school.
  • SuzySunshine99
    SuzySunshine99 Posts: 2,983 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    Oh yes, I remember now.

    The sentence ' every fortnight I eat sultanas ' which makes perfect sense here apparently is confusing to Americans on both counts.

    Not to those of us who have read a lot of Brit lit ;)

    I've learned so many Brit food terms just from watching the Great British Baking Show. :D