At grocery stores, gas stations, and fast food places, fruit is often marketed as a healthy alternative to more indulgent snacks such as chips or candy. While fruit can be part of a balanced diet, it’s also fairly high in sugar and carbs—two things you want to keep minimal if you’re watching your weight.
With that said, it’s important to consider the potential downsides of eating too much fruit when you’re trying to watch your weight. Here are some things to know about eating fruit as a treat instead of as an everyday food.
Fruit is a Dessert
Treat fruit like the tasty dessert that it is. Consume it in moderation and only eat fruits that are in season and organic. If you truly love fruit, keep it to no more than 1 to 2 servings a day. Aim for those with low sugar, like berries, especially if you’re watching your weight.
Whole Fruit Only
The health benefits of fruits come when the fruit is eaten whole, not ground up into a juice or smoothie. In fact, fruit juices and smoothies can stimulate the sweet tooth because one smoothie can easily contain 18 grams or more of sugar.
As with anything, moderation is key. If you’re trying to lose weight or control your blood sugar, you might do better by avoiding smoothies and juicing in favor of whole fruits. If you do choose to juice, keep it to one serving daily, and make sure it’s fresh, organic produce.
Dangers of Fructose in Fruit
While the sugar in fruit is natural, it is a form called fructose, which, when eaten in high amounts, may overwhelm the liver as it turns the fructose into fat. Some theories by naturalists believe that fruit contains fructose instead of glucose to trick animals into eating more as a way to spread the seeds!
According to PubMed, fructose has also been implicated as the main cause of symptoms in some patients with chronic diarrhea or other functional bowel disturbances. In addition, excessive fructose consumption may be responsible in part for the increasing prevalence of obesity, diabetes mellitus, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
Problems With Excessive Fruit Consumption
Excessive fruit consumption can lead to:
- Weight gain
- Fatty liver
- Diabetes
- Digestive Issues, such as gas and bloating
Unnatural Fruit Sources
Most of the fruit we consume today does not and has never existed in nature. They’ve been genetically modified to be sweeter, prettier, and more appealing to our eyes and taste buds. They’re often doused with pesticides and other chemicals that keep them longer in stores and on the trees. Plus, they’re often picked far too early, before they’ve had a chance to develop their most nutritious profile.
Learn About Other Holistic Strategies for Your Health
There are a lot of reasons to avoid eating excessive fruit. It contains high levels of sugar, which lead to weight gain and other health problems. The fructose in fruit has been implicated as the cause of some digestive issues and numerous other health issues. If you’re looking for other holistic strategies to protect your health, check out the Age Defying Video Program.
