Are Fruits Fatenning?

Everyone knows that fruit is nutritious and generally good for us. It’s certainly better for us than the much of the food we eat. However, not all fruits are created equal and they may not always be the best thing to eat if you are trying to lose weight. Some fruits have more sugar and/or less fiber than others which would cause a spike in insulin levels and inhibit fat burning. The effect on insulin wouldn’t be much different than eating bread or even a cookie, even though the fruit is more nutritious.

The difference is how quickly sugar enters the bloodstream and elevates insulin levels. The fiber in many fruits slows this down so there is little or no increase in insulin levels. For example, the apple has about the same effect on insulin levels as a raw carrot, which is almost none, so fat burning would not be inhibited. When insulin levels spike, fat burning is stopped while insulin removes the excess sugar that your body can’t immediately burn or store in the muscles or the liver as glycogen, and stores it as fat. Very little sugar can be stored in the muscles and liver so most of the sugar in the bloodstream is stored as fat. Slowing down the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream allows the body to burn and store it as glycogen and keeps insulin levels low.

Some fruits that have less of an effect on insulin are: apples, berries, citrus, melons, apricots, plums, pears, peaches, nectarines, cherries, persimmons, and tomatoes. The apple is the lowest glycemic fruit. Citrus is known for helping in the breakdown of fat, but grapefruit can increase the potency of some medications so check with your doctor if you are taking any meds. A dessert alternate is mixing berries with plain yogurt or cottage cheese. The fat and protein in the yogurt and cottage cheese will also help slow down the sugar going into the bloodstream.

Fruits to avoid are:raisins, dates, canned fruit, dried fruit, mangoes and bananas. Juices are just straight sugar and no fiber so they will definitely increase insulin levels and end up being stored as fat.

If you are on a diet that limits your starches to 2-3 a day, then you will want to count a fruit as a starch, with maybe an apple as the exception. Try to eat fruit with a protein and fat source likes nuts, natural peanut butter (unsweetened), plain yogurt, cottage cheese or a cheese stick to keep the glycemic index down. Some recommend eating a third as many fruits as vegetables per day.