The Truth About Fruit
Nothing beats cold watermelon on a hot day, but did you know that might not be the best choice when looking to lose weight? The truth is, while fruits are an excellent source of vitamins and minerals, the sugar in some fruits can have an impact on our blood sugar and ability to lose weight. While all fruit can be enjoyed in moderation, there are some better choices we can make
First, let’s learn more about how fruit impacts our bodies. We can thank our prehistoric ancestors for our love of fruit. They were hardwired to prefer foods that were the fastest, most accessible source of energy – in their case, fruit sugar (fructose). Fast-forward to our modern-day diet, and our bodies still crave fructose. Unfortunately, most of us are consuming way more fructose than our bodies need or can process. This fructose comes in many forms including fruit, high-fructose corn syrup, and table sugar (made of fructose and glucose). All of this fructose, especially all at once, can overwhelm our metabolic systems. To manage this excess, our liver turns this fructose into fat for future storage.
Now it’s not fruit that is causing this excess fructose problem. Fruit is always the better choice when it comes to eating something refreshing and sweet. Still, it’s helpful to be make mindful choices when incorporating it into your diet. Check out the tips below find out how.
Choose Low Glycemic Fruits
It’s always best to choose fruits that are low in sugar and high in fiber. These low-glycemic fruits take longer for our bodies to process, helping our bloodstream absorb the fruit sugar in a steady way. This helps us avoid sugar crashes, insulin spikes, and our liver from being overwhelmed and storing fat.
Examples of low-glycemic fruits include:
- Berries, especially blackberries and raspberries
- Citrus like lemons, limes, grapefruit, and oranges
- Cherries
- Peaches
- Plums
- Apples
Eat Whole Fruits
Another great way to incorporate fruit into your diet is by eating it in its whole, unprocessed form. While juices, and purees have all of the nutrients of the fruit, the fiber is broken down in the processing. Without this fiber, the fruit sugars absorb too quickly into our system.
Pair Them with Healthy Protein & Fats
If you are going to choose a higher glycemic index fruit, try to pair it with a food that is high in protein or fat. The combination of these foods can slow down digestion, helping to pace the absorption of sugar. This can look like sprinkling chia seeds on your banana or no sugar added almond butter or peanut butter with your apple.
In summary, you can still enjoy all fruits as a part of your healthy diet. They are a delicious way to nourish your body. Just keep these tips in mind to help manage your blood sugar and support weight loss. Enjoy fruit in moderation while doing the Plantable Reboot to help reset your metabolic health and lose weight for good.