Lose Weight by Avoiding This Fruit

By Unite Fitness Retreat Dietician, Brooke Bouwhuis

Fruits are sweet and delicious which means they must be bad for us.  Or are they ok?  Sometimes it gets really confusing when we talk about decreasing sugar consumption but there is sugar in fruit, so is fruit off the table too?

Sweets like candy, sodas, fruit snacks and other heavily processed foods are the foods that are linked to obesity and insulin resistance.  These heavily processed types of sugar are toxic to our body but delicious to our taste buds.

Fruit on the other hand is entirely different.

Fruit does contain sugar but when it enters our body wrapped in fiber, full of water, vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals – that is fruit wrapped like a gift designed for us to enjoy.

Fruit is something I encourage EVERY client to enjoy.  Start with berries and at least a ½ cup EVERY single day.  Berries are packed with fiber, phytochemicals that protect and heal our bodies and they are super rich in antioxidants.

Want to know what evil fruit to avoid?  It’s the JUICED or DRIED fruit.  Orange juice, apple juice, grape juice, dried apples, dried banana chips, raisins, the list can go on and on.

Juiced fruit is missing almost all of the fiber.  Fiber that is critical in slowing intestinal motility.  Fiber slows down how fast sugar is absorbed in the intestines.  The slower sugar is absorbed the better our insulin response.  The better our insulin response = improved ability to burn fat and decrease fat storage.

Fruit juices are often highly concentrated – it takes 3-5 oranges to make 1 cup of orange juice, but we would never sit down to eating 3-5 whole oranges with our breakfast.

Dried fruit is better for you than a bag of Skittles but it’s so easy to eat way too much way too fast when we don’t paying attention, it’s best to treat it like candy.

Eating fruit as part of a diet where ½ your plate is plants, ¼ protein and ¼ whole grains means eating in a balanced and very healthy way.

At Unite, we pair our snacks of whole fresh fruit – apples, pears, grapes, oranges, clementine’s – With raw nuts, peanut butter, or cheese sticks.  Fruit with protein and a little bit of fat – it’s done for a reason.  This combination provides fiber, water, protein, fat, phytonutrients, vitamins and minerals help keep you full but also balance the insulin response.

Balance your insulin response get better long-term results as your change your lifestyle.  Habits like this lead to long term success. Which is how we want you to measure success!