Fruit = fat?

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eeebee
eeebee Posts: 471 Member
in Food and Nutrition
We all know fruit is good for us, lots of nutrients and vitamains, that is a given.

If most fruit = high sugar levels (albeit in fructose form, not processed), then surely high sugar levels = fattening?

So really, fruit is beneficial to our weight loss but it appears it can also be detrimental. Right or wrong?

A contradiction in nutritional terms if ever there was one...discuss.....
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Replies

  • PBJunkie
    PBJunkie Posts: 652
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    If you consume more a day than you are burning then you will get fatter, no matter what you are eating. Enjoy it and make sure you stay within your calorie intake for the day then you will be fine.
  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
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    If you consume more a day than you are burning then you will get fatter, no matter what you are eating. Enjoy it and make sure you stay within your calorie intake for the day then you will be fine.

    Exactly.. Any food(even healthy ones) will make you fat if you eat too much of them... thats just common sense.

    Keep your fruit in the recommended servings and you'll be ok.
  • lottycat
    lottycat Posts: 333 Member
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    I eat lots of fruit, I find it gives me energy and I hardly ever get ill with coughs and colds etc. I know it's high in sugar, but I think the vitamins and fibre far out way any detremental effects of that.

    Thinking about it logically, if we were living in the wild we'd naturally eat a lot of fruit surely, as it grows freely everywhere, so it really can't be that bad for us right?
  • eeebee
    eeebee Posts: 471 Member
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    I eat lots of fruit, I find it gives me energy and I hardly ever get ill with coughs and colds etc. I know it's high in sugar, but I think the vitamins and fibre far out way any detremental effects of that.

    Thinking about it logically, if we were living in the wild we'd naturally eat a lot of fruit surely, as it grows freely everywhere, so it really can't be that bad for us right?

    this would be my theory but according to the food diary, i eat WAY over my sugar just from one mango, a slice of melon and a handful of grapes, but that is part of my 5-a-day and i would call that eating fruit in moderaton, wouldn't you?

    so unless i omit most fruit intake and make up the 5-a-day with veg, then i am apparently going over double my daily sugar allowance.

    slightly confusing.
  • millermail101
    millermail101 Posts: 5 Member
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    I have a hard time saying it is true because we all know that fruit (especially in raw form) is great and has many vitamins and nutrients..... That being said I have cut a lot of it out of my diet the past 10 days or so (just from a lack of grocery shopping) and my weight has DROPPED! For me this is serious food for thought. For me eating a peach, apple, or banana for a snack was keeping me away from the "snack food" shelf in the pantry. So far I have been incorporating a lot more veggies and water into my daily binging and the results are there.
  • Rilke
    Rilke Posts: 1,201 Member
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    I eat lots of fruit, I find it gives me energy and I hardly ever get ill with coughs and colds etc. I know it's high in sugar, but I think the vitamins and fibre far out way any detremental effects of that.

    Thinking about it logically, if we were living in the wild we'd naturally eat a lot of fruit surely, as it grows freely everywhere, so it really can't be that bad for us right?

    this would be my theory but according to the food diary, i eat WAY over my sugar just from one mango, a slice of melon and a handful of grapes, but that is part of my 5-a-day and i would call that eating fruit in moderaton, wouldn't you?

    so unless i omit most fruit intake and make up the 5-a-day with veg, then i am apparently going over double my daily sugar allowance.

    slightly confusing.

    Stop tracking sugar.

    MFP (just like nutrition labels) does not discriminate between added sugar and natural sugar.

    Fruit is good for you. Eat up.
  • sarahliftsUP
    sarahliftsUP Posts: 752 Member
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    If you eat fruit as a snack within your calorie limits, you won't get fat. Some people are concerned because of the high sugar levels in fruit, but it's paired with fiber, and its not processed sugar. Think about it.. what do you think is better for you, getting some natural sugars in an apple or eating a donut? Big difference in the nutritional makeup of those foods.
  • OSC_ESD
    OSC_ESD Posts: 752 Member
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    Bottom line is calories consumed MUST be less than calories burned. Your body doesn't know a snickers from a banana in calories form .... although it will KNOW the difference in nutrition as far as how good you will feel. What we choose to eat is not soley based on calories. IF you choose a healthy diet ... you will look and feel better while losing weight, if you choose a not so healthy diet but remain within caloric burn quota ... you will still lose weight, but certainly not " feel " your best.

    Just remember too much of a good thing can also be a bad thing ... pay close attention to what the recommended daily suggestions of fruit are per day ... like it was mentioned earlier, there are different types of sugar and this site does not separate the two. Unless you are watching your sugar intake for medical purposes and eat fruit daily within reason ... you will be fine. Also remember your sugar numbers will increase if your activity increases as well.

    Don't look to much into all the small details and focus on the big picture ... burn those calories ! :)
  • engineman312
    engineman312 Posts: 3,450 Member
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    If you eat fruit as a snack within your calorie limits, you won't get fat. Some people are concerned because of the high sugar levels in fruit, but it's paired with fiber, and its not processed sugar. Think about it.. what do you think is better for you, getting some natural sugars in an apple or eating a donut? Big difference in the nutritional makeup of those foods.


    best answer here.
  • myofibril
    myofibril Posts: 4,500 Member
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    If you eat fruit as a snack within your calorie limits, you won't get fat. Some people are concerned because of the high sugar levels in fruit, but it's paired with fiber, and its not processed sugar. Think about it.. what do you think is better for you, getting some natural sugars in an apple or eating a donut? Big difference in the nutritional makeup of those foods.
    best answer here.

    In addition to this there is also the fact that fructose is the body's preferred source of refuelling liver glycogen. When liver glycogen levels are depleted hunger signals are processed by the brain but when they are topped up it sends out a "Full, stop eating" signal. There are various studies on PubMed shows that the moderate (as opposed to excessive) consumption of whole fruit (rather than fruit juice) helps with weight loss given it assists in preventing over eating.

    Short answer: stick within your calorie limits and you will be fine.
  • SueGremlin
    SueGremlin Posts: 1,066 Member
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    The sugar in fruit is unprocessed so your digestion needs to go through more steps to break it down than with something like HFCS or other refined sugars. That makes a difference, metabolically speaking.
  • eeebee
    eeebee Posts: 471 Member
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    If you eat fruit as a snack within your calorie limits, you won't get fat. Some people are concerned because of the high sugar levels in fruit, but it's paired with fiber, and its not processed sugar. Think about it.. what do you think is better for you, getting some natural sugars in an apple or eating a donut? Big difference in the nutritional makeup of those foods.

    Yes, this I am aware of!

    I wasn't comparing fruits as snacks VS sugary treats such as donuts as snacks. I was talking about the sugar turning into fat, be it natural fructose or other, then that fat turning into eventual weight gain.
  • Emma1903
    Emma1903 Posts: 195
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    You are better off replacing your fruit with leafy green veg for a more nutrient dense option, but lower sugar fruits in the morning are a good option such as berries. Otherwise I stick to veggies. And yes you can eat too much fruit because of the amount of sugar in them, if you are going to eat say a banana or apple make it post or pre workout so that your body uses the glucose to fuel your workout or recovery.
  • hottottie11
    hottottie11 Posts: 907 Member
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    If you eat fruit as a snack within your calorie limits, you won't get fat. Some people are concerned because of the high sugar levels in fruit, but it's paired with fiber, and its not processed sugar. Think about it.. what do you think is better for you, getting some natural sugars in an apple or eating a donut? Big difference in the nutritional makeup of those foods.

    Yes, this I am aware of!

    I wasn't comparing fruits as snacks VS sugary treats such as donuts as snacks. I was talking about the sugar turning into fat, be it natural fructose or other, then that fat turning into eventual weight gain.

    You will gain if your calories in > calories out.

    I eat tons of fruit and I don't worry about gaining. You shouldn't either if you are in your calorie limit.

    (If you are diabetic I think that's a different story tho...I'm not sure)
  • eeebee
    eeebee Posts: 471 Member
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    My calories are always under, which is very motivating to see visualised on this site, in diary form.

    On average, I would never eat more than say, 1 large orange and a slice of melon or.....a bunch of grapes + a mango, per day.

    However the sugar always comes up in red font, with a -28 or whatever (note: when i scroll up the list of my foods consumed, the highest sugar content is always int he fuit, not the other foods I consume, I don't eat biscuits or chocolates, cakes or donuts very often, I like savoury mainly) which got me thinking about that sugar eventually turning into calories.

    It would be a good idea if MFP logged sugar in its 2 different forms, natural and processed, dont you think?
  • eeebee
    eeebee Posts: 471 Member
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    You are better off replacing your fruit with leafy green veg for a more nutrient dense option, but lower sugar fruits in the morning are a good option such as berries. Otherwise I stick to veggies. And yes you can eat too much fruit because of the amount of sugar in them, if you are going to eat say a banana or apple make it post or pre workout so that your body uses the glucose to fuel your workout or recovery.

    This is what I have heard recently.

    Take for example, the Atkins diet: Fruits are generally forbidden as they contains sugars which are, despite being all natural and healthy, considered carbs, which subsequently mean out-of-bounds for those who are following this diet.

    I have never tried Atkins and dont think I could, to be honest, but I take a bit of useful knowledge out of every diet I have ever read about and put together a base of facts which may or may not be true, so it's good to learn other people's POV's.
  • hottottie11
    hottottie11 Posts: 907 Member
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    My calories are always under, which is very motivating to see visualised on this site, in diary form.

    On average, I would never eat more than say, 1 large orange and a slice of melon or.....a bunch of grapes + a mango, per day.

    However the sugar always comes up in red font, with a -28 or whatever (note: when i scroll up the list of my foods consumed, the highest sugar content is always int he fuit, not the other foods I consume, I don't eat biscuits or chocolates, cakes or donuts very often, I like savoury mainly) which got me thinking about that sugar eventually turning into calories.

    It would be a good idea if MFP logged sugar in its 2 different forms, natural and processed, dont you think?

    Well sugar is a carb which has 4 calories per gram. If you are worried about it, try some lower sugar fruits like berries. I also found peaches are also relatively low in sugar and carbs.

    I don't track my sugars usually because all my sugar comes from fruit.
  • jedi9393
    jedi9393 Posts: 121
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    I dont eat fruit cause of this and im low carb, but with that being said you can eat fruit. Any kind of berry is great for you. So If i need a fruit fix I do strawberries. Low carb and low sugar. I personally cant handle sugar. I have a serious addiction.
  • eeebee
    eeebee Posts: 471 Member
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    Unfortuntatley I am allergic to apples, peaches, nectarines, & cherries, really frustrating, I didnt used to be until I developed hayfever about 5 years ago.

    Fave fruits to snack on: Blueberries (I have 2 blueberry bushes at home on my windowsill) Grapes, watermelon or other melon.

    What is considered the fruits with higher sugar levels? Banana's I imagine, what else?

    I know dried fruits are meant to be great to snack on but they have some of the highest levels of concentrated natural sugars around - thus being a good source of energy before a workout.
  • Silverkittycat
    Silverkittycat Posts: 1,997 Member
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    Stop tracking sugar.

    MFP (just like nutrition labels) does not discriminate between added sugar and natural sugar.

    Fruit is good for you. Eat up.

    Do this.

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