• Home
• Archive
• Ask
• Random
• Rss
• Theme
• Dashboard

What’s The Deal With Fruit and Weight/Fat Loss?

Since the summer began, I have been receiving messages from my lovely fitblrs asking about fruit consumption.  I know some of you who are trying to lose or maintain weight are struggling with the concept of fruit, ie. how much to eat, what types to eat and if you should be consuming any at all.

In short, YES, fruit is a necessary and important part of eating clean because it contains fiber and so many vital vitamins and nutrients.  Sure, fruit is saturated with naturally occurring sugars such as fructose but it is becoming more and more understood within the progressive science of nutrition about how important sugar actually is for the body…the right kind of course.

For me it comes down to portion sizes when it comes to fruit.  Here are my guidelines:

• Berries - 1 Cup = 1 Serving
• Apple/Pear/Peach/Banana/Pear - 1 Whole Fruit = 1 Serving
• Tropical Fruit Mango/Pineapple/Guava - 1-1/4 Cups = 1 Serving
• Kiwis/Tangerines/Figs/Plums - 2 Whole Fruit = 1 Serving
• Cherries/Grapes - 20-25 = 1 Serving
• Dried Fruit - 1/8 Cup = 1 Serving
• Coconut Water - 345ml Bottle = 1 Serving

**I usually opt for 2 servings of fruit per day now that I am in my maintenance level and although I like to mix it up seasonally, I usually use one of my fruits for a serving of coconut water and the other for mixed fruit.  

***During my weight loss phase, however, I would only consume 1 serving of fruit and divide it into 2 half servings in the day so I would eat fruit with my mid morning meal around 11:00am and my second serving around 5pm.

****I try to eat whatever fruits are in season so right now, its all about the berries baby!!

Below is an article that I love from Oxygen Magazine, by Linda Melone, about the consumption of fruit that I think you will enjoy!

Mother Nature’s candy is by far the most conflicting food when it comes to losing weight. For one thing, American adults don’t eat the recommended daily amount of fruit (about two servings), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

However, healthy women trying to lose body fat sometimes eat too much, says Melina Jampolis, MD, author of The No-Time-to-Lose Diet: The Busy Person’s Guide to Permanent Weight Loss (Thomas Nelson, 2008). “Eating too much of anything, including fruit, will either cause weight gain or prevent weight loss,” says Jampolis. So should you keep your fruit bowl full or empty? 

Fruit and Fat Loss

The amount of fruit sugar (fructose) varies from fruit to fruit and may have some adverse metabolic effects, such as a decrease in fat burning, explains Jampolis. “However, the benefits of fruit (low calories, high fiber, water and nutrient content) outweigh the adverse effects in most people. But if you are having trouble losing weight and can’t figure out why, limiting your fruit intake may help.”

Firstly, it’s important to differentiate between naturally occurring sugar and added sugar. Most experts recommend a minimum of 130 grams of total carbs per day, including fruits and whole grains. “In general, no more than 10 percent of your calories should come from added sugars found in products like sweetened beverages, sauces and dressings,” says Jampolis.

While fruit does not contain added sugars, if you are trying to lose weight, limiting your sugar intake is key, and this means no more than two servings of fruit per day. That’s a medium banana and a half cup of berries. But if you’re active and do not have excess belly fat, you can go up to three or four servings a day, says Jampolis.

Besides sugar, the total number of calories also counts. Fruit contains almost three times the calories per serving as most nonstarchy vegetables, so don’t consider fruit a “free food” (where the calories don’t matter), as you may unknowingly consume up to 250 extra calories per day. “This may prevent you from losing one pound of fat every two weeks,” explains Jampolis. Avoid dried fruit, fruit cups and fruit juice, since they’re higher in calories and typically lower in fiber than fresh or frozen fruit.

For effective weight loss, stick with fresh or frozen fruit only. And remember, while natural sugar is healthier than refined sugar or high-fructose corn syrup, it still contains the same number of calories per serving (four per gram).