Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Eating Fruits Will Not Make You Fat



Many of my nutrition seminar attendees and personal training clients in the past have mentioned to me their fear of eating fruits. They fear that fruits would make them fat. “Fruits have fruit sugar,” they say. “And sugar makes me gain weight.” Although this argument sounds logical, it is flawed. This argument neglects the fact that different foods are in different forms and have different energy-density (or calorie density). Energy-density plays a huge role in determining whether a food is likely to make you fat.

For example, a 4 square inch brownie has approximately 225 calories while an apple of equivalent size has approximately 63 calories. Filling up on fruits and/or vegetables is a great strategy to eat more healthfully, lose weight, and still be satiated at every meal. Although eating fruits at the beginning of a meal may be an eccentric way of eating, my question to you is – do you want to conform (for the sake of being “normal” and ordinary), or do you want to lose weight?

Fruits, although containing fruit sugar (fructose), also contains lots of vitamins, antioxidants, fiber, and water in their natural form. Although it is scientifically well-established that fruits are good for you, I suspect that science is still not completely explaining how. However, the general principle is this: Foods retaining their natural form (as taught by Dr. Deepak Chopra) are generally better than foods in the processed form. For example, fructose in a whole fruit is good for you. However, fructose in high-fructose-corn-syrup is bad for you.

This however is not to say that everything natural is good. For example, cyanide in its natural form is still bad for you.

Also, fruits are a great source of energy without being fattening. Unlike simple sugars in candies and pastries, fruits in their natural form come with nutrients, fiber, and probably other beneficial contents not yet discovered by science.

The bottom line: eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables is one habit that will get you closer to your “weight-loss” or fitness goals.

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