Eating fruits can be an excellent source of vitamins, minerals, and high content of fiber, they also provide us with antioxidants and flavonoids. It is nature’s readymade gift packed with all the goodness.
Consuming a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. It helps keep in check your blood pressure, and inflammation and helps with your vision and your digestive system.
Citrus fruits and all berries are known to prevent diseases. These foods are high in the nutrient count but less calorie dense.
Advantages of having fruits
Fruits are nutrient-dense and low calorie
One large orange can fulfill your daily requirement for vitamin C twice which is highly essential for maintaining your immunity.
Fruits make you feel full
Not only are fruits less calorific but they also give you a feeling of fullness thanks to their water content. They also give your body a good amount of fiber hence increasing your digestion time which also gives you a feeling of fullness.
Multiple studies have shown that fiber from fruits and vegetables causes a reduction in appetite and thus food intake, Other studies have shown fiber also reduces the risk of weight and fat gain.
Due to their high fiber and water content fruits like apples and oranges are preferred above any other fruits.
Fruits contain natural sugar
Fruits contain natural sugar that is way different from added sugar found in processed foods. As these are different from each other they have different health effects.
Added sugars have been shown associated with multiple health issues like diabetes and cardiac diseases. Glucose and fructose are the most common added sugar and are high in quantity.
Fruits contain fructose, glucose, and sucrose (seen in fruits and vegetables) Causing many people to shy away from fruits as they have similar sugar present in them when people look to reduce weight and avoid sugar.
Fructose is highly harmful in large amounts which are seen in proceed food and not in fruits, In addition to that they contain fiber and polyphenol which reduce the risk of blood sugars due to fructose, glucose, and sucrose as weight gain is commonly caused by diabetes.
Drinking fruit juice has been linked to obesity
Though it sounds bizarre it is true, that there is a difference in health effects between fruits and fruit juices. While making fruit juice, the juice is extracted from the fruit leaving behind all the fiber causing the fruit juice to just be concentrated in sugar. Not just that many packaged fruit juices or the juice made at home have added sugar.
It has been found that 200 grams of apple juice contain about twice the amount of sugar as compared to just the fruit and about one-fourth of its fiber content. The fruit has 14 gms of sugar and the juice has 28 grams of sugar in it.
Thus reinforcing the fact that fruit juices and fruits have different health effects.
Try to avoid dry fruits or take them in moderation
Though dried fruits are very well known for their health benefits like the antioxidant property given by dates you have to remember what their name suggests, the concentrated water in them has been removed and dried hence making them not as beneficial for weight loss though they contain the same amount of vitamins, mineral, and fiber.
For example, 100 grams of grape contain just about 70 calories and 15 grams of sugar, as compared to raisins which have about 300 calories over 100 grams and 60 grams of sugar.
Additionally, some packaged dried fruits have added sugars to make them sweet. Therefore it is important to monitor your portion size when it comes to having dried fruits.
When should you avoid eating fruits?
Though fruits are healthy and help in weight loss there are some cases in which you should avoid them.
In case the person is fructose intolerant
As fruits are rich in fructose people with fructose intolerance should avoid it, though the amount of fructose is not harmful it can cause symptoms like pain in the abdomen and nausea.
If these symptoms are seen in you, you should consult a doctor.
If you are on a low-carb diet
People that are usually on a keto diet or a low carb diet avoid intake of fruits, As a small pear contains 25 grams of carbohydrates which is well over the daily limit for people who are on low carb diets.
Fruits to eat for weight loss
Grapefruit
Grapefruit is a cross between oranges and large citrus fruit from Asia called the Pomelo, it is commonly associated with dieting and weight loss. A grapefruit contains very few calories and provides 60% of the daily requirement of Vitamin C and 25% of the daily requirement of vitamin A.
In a study, eating grapefruit has shown a decrease in calorie intake in 3 to 4 months and also decreased cholesterol levels.
It is a very good fruit if you want to reduce body fat, reduce the size of your waist and get your blood pressure in control.
Apples
Apples even though they contain over 100 calories, as compared to many other foods also have high fibre content, and it has been showing signs of weight loss.
It has been found that an apple is twice as filling as a chocolate bar. As an apple is more filling it may cause you to eat less during the day.
Berries
Berries are very low-calorie foods that are highly rich in nutrients, As the other fruits, berries have also proven to be filling in a study where a candy with a certain amount of calories had been given to a few people and berries with the same amount of calories have been given to other people.
People who had berries ate less food for the rest of the day as compared to others. In addition, berries have been shown to reduce inflammation, reduce cholesterol, and blood pressure which is also really helpful for people who are overweight.
Kiwi
It is small brown fruit with black seeds. It is an excellent source of vitamins C and E, kiwi contains high dietary fibers and has low sugar content. It improves the health of the gut and promotes weight loss.
It is easy to eat, on the go as it can be eaten raw, peeled, or unpeeled.
Other fruits include:
- Rhubarb
- Passion fruit
- Stone fruit
- Watermelon
- Orange
- Banana
- Avocados
Risks of a diet with fruits
When people set a goal to lose weight they usually tend to join programs or diets that only consist of fruits, these people consume total or most of their daily calorie requirement from fruits. While they do get important vitamins and minerals they are usually in a deficit of the following:
- Calcium is one of the main components of the body ( the bones ) and should not be ignored or it may lead to breaking bones, it also plays a role in other important activities of the body like clotting, it helps in muscle contraction otherwise causing cramps and also helps in maintaining the normal rhythm of the heart.
To avoid this foods rich in calcium should be taken like milk.
- Iron
Iron is the most important component of hemoglobin which is a protein in red blood cells, it is very vital as they help in the formation of red blood cells without which our body would not get enough oxygen beside the multiple other risk factors.
- Omega 3 fatty acid
It is vital to promote eyesight and brain functions, it has also shown reduced risk in heart patients, reduce symptoms of metabolic syndromes, and autoimmune disorders, and prevented cancer and asthma. It helps with insomnia.
- Protein
Protein is the building block of the body as it is the major component of the muscles and is crucial for the repair and building up of cells.
- Vitamin D
Though most of our vitamin D comes from the sun, I need to say that due to our busy schedules most if not all of us do not go into the sun during the early hours of the day during which our body absorbs vitamin D and hence it should be substituted through food like eggs and fish.
- Zinc
- It helps in the proper functioning of the immune system and plays a role during pregnancy as the child needs zinc to carry out functions like wound healing.
Conclusion
Fruits come in a variety of shapes and sizes, to see the best results add fruits to your diet as they have many health benefits. As they are unsweetened they make up for the best snack, especially when your main aim is weight loss.
Now that it has become common news that fruits are one of the important foods to add to your diet to stay healthy and lose weight. By eating fruits a person is provided with multiple key vitamins, antioxidants, and fiber.
It is important to keep in mind that eating fruits is more beneficial than having fruit juice.