Is fruit fattening?

Fruit comes in a wide range of colours, sizes, shapes and tastes! Most of them are sweet and are a welcome addition to any diet and including those wanting to lose weight. Unfortunately, fruit has become a dirty word in the low-carb and anti-sugar dieting world. The fear is that the natural sugars in fruit are somehow fattening and to be avoided.

Why do people think fruit is fattening?

Fruits contain sugars known as fructose and glucose. Fructose is the sweetest of all the sugars which is why fruit is so enjoyable to eat. When you combine fructose with glucose, you get sucrose - which is what we all know as table/white sugar. When these sugars are combined in whole fruit however, it is a very different food altogether to table sugar.

The first and one of the most important points of difference is the concentration of sugar. As opposed to the 100% concentration in sugar, in fruit, sugar is only a very minor component. For example, in your average apple, just over 10% of the weight is sugar. The other 90% is made up of mostly water alongside important nutrients such as fibre, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytonutrients. You won’t find those in your sugar bowl.

Another reason that fruit gets a bad rap is that some research suggests that fructose when absorbed by the body encourages fat production in the liver. This process however is more likely to lead to detrimental effects on your health and your blood sugar levels if eaten in highly concentrated forms. The small percentage of fructose in fruit isn’t likely to make much of an impact. Rather it is the very concentrated fructose in the form of High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) found in highly processed sweet foods are more likely to lead to health problems.

Can fruit help with weight loss?

Daily fruit intake is protective for your health. Some recent high quality research  found that those who ate more fruit were more likely to experience a small amount of weight loss. Fruit consumption also helped to reduce the total calories eaten because it resulted in a smaller intake of processed foods (by replacing it and a reduction in appetite).

An apple a day keeps the doctor away

In addition to helping with your weight, daily fruit intake can have many benefits for your overall health and well-being including:

• Reduce risk of an aneurysm: Research from Sweden found that at least 2 whole fruits per day could reduce the risk of a deadly form of aortic aneurysm by almost a third.
• Reduce inflammation: Fruit has high levels of antioxidants which may offer protection against the build-up of oxidative stress and inflammation in the body.
• Reduce your risk of diabetes: A study published in a British medical journal reported that eating at least 2 serves of certain fruits (blueberries, grapes, apples and pears) could lower the risk of developing diabetes by as much as 23%. It was important that the fruit was eaten and not drunk as those who had those serves of fruit as juice had an equal but increased risk of developing diabetes.
• Reduce risk of a heart attack: Results from one study found that people who consumed three or more servings of strawberries and blueberries per week had a 32% reduced risk of a heart attack compared to those that ate one serving or less per month – even if their diet was rich in other fruit and vegetables.
• Keep your blood pressure down: A research team from Harvard Medical School found that compared to no berries at all, people who ate one serve of blueberries each week reduced their risk of developing hypertension by 10%.
• Lower cholesterol: After eating an apple a day for 6 months, post-menopausal women in one study reduced their  harmful cholesterol by 23% and raised their helpful cholesterol by 4%. And the cherry on the top was that women lost an average of 1.5kg over the 6 months.

What is the best fruit to eat?

Just as no two fruits look the same, the same can be said for their nutritional value. Some fruits are higher in certain polyphenols such as dark coloured berries, whereas citrus fruits are high in vitamin C, avocado is high is healthy fats and bananas and kiwis are high in fibre.

So rather than making a leaderboard of fruit, it is much better for your health to spread the love.  Choose a rainbow of colours and aim to include as many different fruits as possible. Most people will benefit from 2 whole fruit per day so there is lots of opportunity for variety over the week and month. The cost and taste of fruit varies with the seasons so look for when they are on sale or cheaper as this is a good indication of being in season.

Is eating a lot of fruit fattening?

Absolutely not. Fruit (apart from avocado) contains almost no fat and if you are eating in moderation so that you have space for a balanced diet, there is very little risk you will overdo it! So, start or continue to add fruit to your regular shopping list and see how many colours of the rainbow you can tick off each week!