You know what I’m loving lately? Melon! I’m normally more of an apple or berry fan when it comes to fruit, but lately they have been super sweet. If you’re in Mumbai, tis the season to stock up on melon!
You know what I’m not loving? The “Damned if you do & damned if you don’t” motto that surrounds fruit. For years, fruit has been outlined as the epitome of good health. With the recent upsurge of low carb diets like Atkins & Paleo, fruit has suddenly been vilified as “unhealthy” because of its sugar content. Before I get into it, I am going to preface this post by saying that I don’t think sugar is the absolute devil…at all. Whether it’s in the form of an apple or a piece of cake, our bodies need sugar to function properly. The same goes for sodium: too much is not favourable yet our body NEEDS small amounts to carry out its metabolic processes. Some foods nourish us physically whereas others nourish us mentally. Personally small amounts of sugar daily keep me sane and happy.
That being said, I do try and keep a check on my intake especially as sugar consumption fuels further sugar cravings. However, it’s one thing laying off the Oreos but fruit…REALLY??? Even diabetics, or anyone watching their sugar levels, don’t need to entirely stay away from fruit. If you’re worried about fruit spiking your sugar levels, you can easily minimize the effect by pairing it with protein (e.g. yogurt) or healthy fats (e.g. nuts). Sugar aside, it’s important to remember that with all that natural sugar a piece of fruit contains, it also provides water, vitamins, minerals, fiber and phytonutrients (those naturally-occurring plant compounds that have wide-ranging beneficial effects on the body)…not too shabby for about 80 calories per serving!
Health aside, I want to quickly touch on the idea that “too much” fruit will make you (generic “you”) fat. Ultimately weight gain comes down to consuming more calories than you are expending. Whether it’s in the form of fruit, quinoa, or chocolate, eating a huge amount of calories from anything will cause weight gain. However at the same time, fruit’s fiber content will also keep you fuller for longer and help curb your appetite for a minimal amount of calories. The only time I would consider fruit as “unhealthy” or as being “too much” is when it replaces other vital nutrients in a diet…e.g. regularly foregoing a substantial lunch in favor of a fruit smoothie or juice.
Fruit is natural. Fruit has prevailed for centuries as a nutritious food. Fruit is a gold mine of antioxidants. Fruit is the foundation of a healthy diet. If you want to boost the nutrition of your diet, nixing fruit is only leading you in the opposite direction. And hey, if eating an extra banana or apple is your biggest dietary concern, I’d say you’re doing okay ;).
What’s your take on fruit? Foe or friend?
What’s your favorite fruit?
Oh my that title made me mad just reading it! Hahah I despise when people refuse fruit for no good reason except that it has too much sugar, and the horror of having a fattening banana loll! Great post k! 🙂
Glad you agree, Sonal! Newflash to the banana-haters: “fattening” is a poor word choice for a food which naturally has no fat ;)!
Such wise words.. I hope this applies to mangoes too!
It sure does! Want me to bring a few to London NEXT WEEK? Yeaaaaaah buddy 🙂
I love this! For so ping now I have ‘limited’ myself to two pieces of fruit a day, but lately I’ve realised how stupid that is! You don’t get much healthier foods that fruit! I’m loving melon at the moment too, so refreshing! (:
LOL ping! I meant long!
I’m so glad you have started to eat fruit more liberally- your’e doing great 🙂
I am with you, eat all the fruit! melon has to be my favorite, especially watermelon.
Mmm 🙂
My left eye starts twitching in an uncontrollable rage whenever I hear someone say that they’re avoiding fruit to lose weight… especially because these usually tend to be the characters that are scarfing down the 100 calorie snack packs that are loaded with god only knows what. I love fruit, and I eat a -lot- of it. Melons, berries, apples, bananas… I’d have to say that I eat at least 5 or 6 servings of fruit a day, and I’ve yet to experience any negative effects. So fruit? Definitely friend.
EXACTLY! Those people who give up fruit as a way “to clean up their diet” tend to be the ones who have plenty of other areas that could use some work!
Yes, yes, yes. What she said. Exactly.
Fruit is a friend for sure, and it’s one I couldn’t function without. Bring on the fruit.
Do strawberries have anything to do with your love for fruit ;)?
There’s a small chance strawberries and public bananas are both involved. And you should see me during blueberry season. I’m a maniac.
In my opinion, there is no such thing as too much fruit! 😛 It’s just full of so much natural goodness and tastes so amazing! I really don’t understand avoiding it. It might contain sugar, but why is that the end of the world? Like you said, we need some sugar, so might as well get it naturally!
This is really such a great post. Fruit is GOOD! 🙂
Thanks a bunch Alex- glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Oh, the fruit debate. It’s a weird one to me! I don’t understand why people are so desperate to avoid something so natural. Yes, there’s sugar in it, but it’s ridiculous to compare fruit to a slice of cake or something…not the same thing! (although clearly, I have no qualms about eating cake once in a while)
I don’t eat as much fruit in the winter, but that’s more due to availability and lack of cravings that anything else. Now that we’re into fruit season? Bring on the berries and the melon. Although, favourite fruits would have to be bananas and blueberries!
There’s definitely something about warmer temperatures that make my appreciation for fruit go through the roof!
Fruit is most definitely a goldmine of antioxidants. People don’t know the difference between added sugar and natural sugar–so sad! I can’t tell you how many diabetics I counseled who told me they don’t eat fruit but they’ll eat ice cream and cake. Crazy!
I’m racking my brain trying to find the logic in that 😉
Oh yeah, I definitely fell trap to the ‘fruit is evil’ mindset. I went through a low carb phase where I had no fruit for three months or something, and I saw great results in terms of fat loss, but I also noticed that my skin and hair looked terrible! I needed vitamins! Now I usually recommend a moderate fruit intake of 1-2 pieces a day. My problem isn’t with the carbs, but the way your body responds to simple sugars – hence why I’m much more likely to recommend an extra serve of sweet potato than a banana. But that’s just me 🙂
I’m glad you mentioned the effect not eating fruit had on your skin & hair- it’s often forgotten, especially when the scales are going down!
so true – people should stop hating fruits in the name of sugar and it baffles me to see them get their info from random websites promoting some processed crap. So glad you mentioned all the important aspect.
I can’t think of any single way that processed food trumps fruit…not even in terms of convenience!
Go Khushboo- fruit- sugar in general- is not bad!! Fruit is a Friend- friend- friend (like you ;)) celebrate don’t demonise the sweetness in life 😉 That cake looks like such a great celebration! My favourite fruit is apples (I know they are boring but I just love them) of course all the sexy summer fruit is amazing too though!! Xo Sophia
If you’re boring for liking apples, I guess I am too- they are my favorite 🙂
We shall be boring together 😉
I love fruit…a lot, haha! I love the summertime because of the diversity (and cheapness in price!) of fruit. Berries and melons are definitely a favorite, so I am eyeing that first picture you have here!
Love how cheap berries are in summer!
Love!
🙂
Great post girl! I’ve definitely struggled with the silly fruit debate. Who came up with this gosh awful thought. I guarantee it was someone trying to push a product and new fitness trend so they could make more money. Isn’t that how most diets are started anyways? Maybe.
I totally want don’t get the avoidance of fruit when people are trying to lose weight. Nooo – fruit is healthy, full of vitamins and nutrients!
But, I’ve fallen victim to that thinking in the past, so I guess I can’t judge.
You and me both..I thought minimising my fruit consumption would help boost my weight loss. Yeah that didn’t work out…at all!
I LOVE fruit and definitely eat “more than I am supposed to”…but I don’t care! Because seriously, it is FRUIT!! I am pretty sure my food choices could be WAY worse ;). I almost always eat a banana and an apple every day. I also throw in berries and melon, too!
If fruit’s “so bad” it’s still lesser than 2 evils, right!
THANK YOU! I always wonder how people can believe that fruit will ruin their diet. Fruit is healthy and essential for everyone, and I personally believe that most people don’t eat enough. The sugar in an apple and in a cookie are completely different!
Amen 🙂
Yes yes and more yes! Even if you ate nothing but fresh fruit for a meal or something, I feel like you’d feel way too full before you’d overdose on sugar. And fruit is natural! Can’t people see all the gorgeous natural colors? In my view, colors in real food = stuff that’s good for you. (not a nutritionist. haha.)
You’re absolutely better…the deeper the color, the more antoxidant-rich a food is!
Fruit, definitely a friend. Favorite fruits are bananas, raspberries, and blueberries. Yeah they have sugar, but you can’t always look at the negatives, sometimes we have to look at nutrition.
Exactly- the nutrition definitely outweighs the negatives!
Friend all the way! Even during the depths of my ED I never cut out fruit. I’ve only had a short stint of fear-the-sugar-in-fruit after starting my blog last year but luckily got back to senses quickly. One thing that I still held back on was having more than one banana a day in addition to the already embarrassingly huge amount of fruit I consume. Luckily the arrival of Summer magically solved the problem: Banana softserve twice a day? It happens and hello potassium kick, banana haters ;). Also: if choosing fruit over a heavily processed low-sugar snack bar is bad then I’m at a loss with those so-called health experts.
It makes me cringe when “health experts” advise laying off the fruit…which I have had the pleasure of hearing in the past !!
Go fruit! I’m definitely a fan of fruit. Who doesn’t feel better after eating some fresh fruit in the sunshine?
True story 🙂
Yup, a little fruit (or real, plain sugar) isn’t going to kill you. It’s all about moderation and ENJOYMENT. And I sure do enjoy fruit. Especially bananas–I’m still on a banana kick! Until blueberries are ripe around here, that is. Soon!
If only blueberries were available in Mumbai! It’s a good thing I am going to be in London soon enough to lap up berry season 😉