Will Fruit Make You Fat? Should I Eat Fruit To Lose Weight?

Fruit is a wonderful, yet questionable food because of its sugar content...but does that mean it makes you gain weight? Or at the very least, if you want to lose weight, should it be avoided because of that sugar? Read on to discover The Fit Dad's rationale and reasoning for eating lots and lots and lots and lots of fruit!

By: Ed Scow, NSCA-CPT: Certified Fitness & Nutrition Expert to the True Superheroes - Busy Moms & Dads and author of Fat Loss To Go

I’ve been noticing a scary trend over the past couple years, and it seems to have only gotten worse lately and that is scare tactics when it comes to diet.

Scare tactics are nothing new. They’ve been around for quite some time.

I don’t know if this is true or not, but I remember reading that Henry Ford (the car dude) stopped eating sugar after seeing some under a microscope while hanging out with his good buddy Thomas Edison. The sharp edges freaked him out so much that he thought it would rip apart his insides.

I suppose that could be a good scare tactic?

But I digress…

Before I digress :) I want to give you the option of watching a video I made on the same topic.

Video Discussing Whether You Should Stop Eating Fruit If You Want To Lose Weight

Okay, now on with the writin' and readin'.

The scare tactic I’ve been seeing lately is that fruit will make you fat, or at the very least hinder your weight loss results.

The argument, and they may even cite studies to prove their point, is that the fructose in fruit is easily converted to fat and stored around your stomach.

But is it true and even if it were true does it make that much of a difference?

Let me answer that by asking you a question…

When was the last time you saw an overweight person devouring fruit – I'm talkin' real fruit, not fruit juice, or any processed food “containing” fruit?

When was the last time you heard someone say “Boy…I just can’t eat anymore of those apples. I’m stuffed!” while simultaneously patting their big ol' belly?

I’m guessing never on both accounts.

However, when you watch people who are fit, the people whose physiques you envy, what are they eating?

I’m guessing that, unless told otherwise due to a medical condition or because of personal preference, or because they are going from very fit to super-duper fit, they’re eating some fruit.

Some may be eating lots of it.

Personally, I love fruit.

Andrea loves fruit.

Maren loves fruit.

So you know what? We eat fruit.

We throw it in our smoothies on a daily basis and eat it with most meals. We dip apple slices in all natural peanut butter (sometimes caramel…yum!) as a snack and we munch on grapes when we watch cartoons.

Are we overweight and unhealthy?

Nope.

Don’t get me wrong. I know there’s a time and place when consuming lots of fruit can be bad for your waistline, but with a population where 2/3 of us are overweight or obese, the overwhelming majority NEVER has to worry about that (I’m talking about people who are preparing for photo shoots, etc.)

Fruit is very low in calories – most servings are roughly 60-80 calories.

Fruit is loaded with water which helps satisfy your appetite, which will make you eat less at mealtime.

Most fruit is a good source of fiber – apples have roughly 5 grams in their total 60-80 calories.

Fruit is LOADED with healthy vitamins and minerals, which the majority of us lack and that simply taking a multi-vitamin won’t make up for.

If you’re active, you need the carbohydrates found in fruit to give you energy and make you not want to rip someone’s face off due to being “down.”

True and lasting weight loss and fitness is not about creating “bad guys,” it’s about creating good habits and making good lifestyle changes.

That may not sound sexy and it doesn’t help with headlines, but it’s the truth.

Anyone who makes a scapegoat out of a perfectly good apple and tells you eating said apple is going to stop you from losing weight deserves a wedgie.

Fruit is beneficial. Fruit boosts your energy. Fruit is loaded with water and nutrients and most is a good source of fiber.

Eat it and enjoy life!

That is all…rant over!

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