I'm sure that headline got your attention. I’m also sure you saw the question mark at the end of that subject line. Controversial isn't it?
Can eating fruit actually make you grow fat? The answer is NO.
But can eating fruits hinder weight loss? The answer is YES.
Today many people believe that weight loss can be accomplished when you add fruits and vegetables to your daily diet.
Truth is, many people have done that, and yet they are still massive, no changes in their overall size and weight, and they continue to wonder, what could be wrong?
On the other hand, I have received countless emails from subscribers asking me questions in the following line: “Can I really lose weight eating as much fruit as possible?”
If you belong to any of these two groups of people who have made some changes and yet retains your fatness, then you must be doing something wrong.
In this article, I’m going to reveal to you the truth about losing weight with only fruits, vegetables or both. Here is the question I’m going to answer:
What could cause someone who eats plenty of fruits not to lose weight even though he has reduced his ratio of carbohydrate and fatty foods intake?
Here are the reasons
People see fruits as a “free” from calorie diet food, and because of that misconception, they eat as much fruits as they can lay their hands on, in the hope that they will lose weight.
In reality, while fruits are very healthy choice of food with plenty of Vitamins and antioxidant, fruits contain calories and carbohydrates which are the culprit for weight gain. When excessive amounts of carbohydrate and calories available in fruits are consumed, your weight loss effort is sabotaged and you will continue to remain stagnant even after quitting on conventional unhealthy foods.
At this point, you may be surprised that your weight still remains the same and wonder that after all, for many years I have been preaching that we should all eat fruits to lose weight. Well, to further throw more light on how fat gain is possible let’s look at the reasons why fruits may hinder your weight loss efforts.
Why Excess Fruit May Hinder Weight Loss
Fruits, as I have established earlier, generally have calories and carbohydrate. When you are trying to lose weight, consumption of the amount of calories and carbohydrates matters a lot. One average size Banana has about 100 calories and 27 grams of carbohydrate. An Apple has more, about 115 calories and 30 grams of carbohydrate.
For those who watch calories while eating, and considering the fact that one Banana and one Apple alone collectively have 215 calories. It is easy to eat over 1000 calories from fruits alone in one day. If you add the reduced calories you eat from normal foods, you may exceed 3000 calories per day.(Whereas 1800 – 2000 calories per day is okay for a weight watcher)
So the additional 1000 calories gathered from fruits and foods can not be used up and are stored as fats.
Fruits are also high in simple natural sugars such as Fructose. Unlike Glucose which is used up as energy in other areas of the body such the muscles, brain and other organs of the body, Fructose is only used up or processed in the liver as energy.
Why is this bad?
It is bad because, if the liver already has plenty of energy, and additional fructose is supplied by eating of plenty fruits, there is a likelihood that the liver will repackage it as fat, saving it for later use. That saving of fat is what results in the increase of body size along the waistline called belly fat.
Am I saying that you should stop eating fruits by the virtue of this publication? Never may that be, because fruits has a lot of health advantages.
Just as we should watch the amount of carbohydrate foods intake like Yam, Rice, etc, we should also watch the amount of fruits eaten per day.
Why Fruit Is Good For Weight Loss
The carbohydrates found in fruits do not have significant impact on blood sugar levels because most fruits have a low Glycemic load. Additionally, fruits have a good dose of fibers which slows down digestion and make you fuller and less hungry.
Other important ingredients that most fruits have are plenty of antioxidants which play a large role in detoxifying the body, lowering blood pressure, fighting off oxidative stress, among other health benefits.
So my point is, when you incorporate eating of fruits in your diet, do not go all out eating excessive amount of fruits thinking that will help you lose weight entirely.
Here is what to do instead when you use fruits to lose weight.
How To Eat Fruits And Lose Weight
1.When you eat fruits, do not eat too much of it at a time. For instance if you want to eat banana, taking 3 to 4 bananas per day depending on the size is okay, same goes with apples.
2.While you should and must eat fruits in moderation to get results, more focus should be paid on eating plenty of vegetables. In other words, eat plenty of Ugu leaves, Ewedu, bitter leaf, cabbage and all edible green leaves in as much quantity as you wish.
3.Every day, ensure the carbohydrate foods (Yam, Rice, Potatoes etc) in the 3 meals you eat per day is small in quantity with plenty of vegetables. Use fruits as in-between meals or prepared as fruit juices.
Finally, take note that while it is good to eat moderate amount of fruits per day, it should be noted that eating fruits alone does not make you grow fat, but it stops or hinders your weight loss efforts when eaten in very large quantities.
In the month of April this year, I will be releasing a comprehensive guide on how to use fruits, vegetables and raw foods to lose weight in record time as I believe this will help clear all the misconceptions surrounding the use of fruits, and vegetables as foods for losing weight.
That guide will give you comprehensive nutritional facts of the major foods available in Nigeria and how to best use them to your health advantage.
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