Can I Eat Fruit and Still Lose Weight?

Fruit can be a controversial topic in weight loss.  I am asked about fruit by every one of my clients at some point in their weight loss journey.  For years, we have been told that fruit is a healthy food, and it should be part of everyone’s regular diet. Lately however, with many people paying more attention to carbohydrates, fruit has come under scrutiny.  Those who follow a ketogenic diet eat very little fruit.  The controversy is overwhelming - What is the right answer? 

Priorities in Weight Loss

First of all, before you even address the issue of fruit in your weight loss program, step back and have a look at the big picture.  If you have a lot of weight to lose, I can almost guarantee that fruit is not the main issue.   Stepping back to the 1,000 feet level, you need to first address any overeating that is happening.  Are you keeping to your 3 meals a day?  Have you stopped snacking between meals and emotionally overeating?  If not, these must be addressed first.  These behaviors are far more detrimental to your weight loss than fruit. 

Next, work on cutting out processed sugar and flour.  This means high fructose corn syrup, breads, pasta, pastries, etc.  Highly refined and processed sugars and flour cause a huge spike in your insulin levels.  Remember that insulin is the storage hormone that tells your body to store fat.  If insulin is high, you cannot lose weight.  Therefore, this needs to be your next priority before even thinking about fruit.

Not All Whole Foods Are Created Equal

After overeating as well as cutting out sugar and flour have been addressed, it is time to take a look at whole food consumption.  Whole foods are a category of food that includes fruit, vegetables, whole grains (wheat, oats, etc), quinoa, and starchy vegetables (potatoes, squash, turnips, etc).  Whole foods have traditionally been thought of as healthy because they come packaged with nutrients.  This leads to a lot of confusion around these foods.  In this article we will be focusing specifically on fruit. 

There is no denying that fruit is packed with beneficial nutrients.  Fruit contains antioxidants, fiber, and other micronutrients.  However, it comes in a package that contains sugar as well.  This leads to the controversy – is fruit actually healthy? 

First, let me go on record as stating that compared to bread, pasta, and processed sugars, fruit is definitely a much better choice.  If you are actually replacing these foods with fruit – such as eating an apple instead of a bagel for breakfast, you are making a much better choice. 

The issue is that for many people, carbohydrates can stall weight loss.   Fruit absolutely does contain a lot of sugar.  It is natural sugar, and unprocessed, but it is sugar nonetheless.  Everyone’s insulin response to fruit is slightly different, and while some people are able to eat fruit regularly and still meet their weight loss goals, many people have to limit their fruit intake. 

One issue with fruit is that people tend to snack on fruit, because they view it as healthy.  It is absolutely possible to overeat healthy foods and gain weight.  Fruit is often consumed as a “healthy snack” in between meals, which has the effect of causing an insulin spike and preventing fat burning.  If you want to continue eating fruit on a regular basis, a better strategy is to have a small piece with your meal.  This way you are allowing your insulin levels to drop between meals and increasing your time in fat burning mode. 

Choose Your Fruit Wisely

Additionally, not all fruit is the same. Looking at blueberries, for example, which are packaged with the highest concentrations of antioxidants of any fruit.  These antioxidants help protect your body from free radicals, which contribute to aging, cancer, and many other diseases.  A 1 cup serving also packs in 24% of the RDI of vitamin C, 36% of Vitamin K, and 25% of Manganese.  1 cup of blueberries also provides 3.5 grams of fiber.  It also comes with 15 grams of fructose.  While 15 grams of sugar is on the lower side for a fruit, it is on the moderate side of a low carbohydrate lifestyle. 

Contrast this with grapes, which according to the USDA website, contain 23 grams of sugar in 1 cup.  Grapes contain only 1 gram of fiber, 6% of your RDI of vitamin C.  They do contain some antioxidants, but in much lower amounts.  If you were going to eat 1 cup of fruit, you can see that eating 1 cup of blueberries is a much better choice.

Another way to look at fruit is to use the glycemic index.  The glycemic index is a measure of how the body’s glucose levels will change in response to eating the food.  Knowing how the body’s glucose levels will change gives us a window into how our insulin levels might react.  One can infer that if the glycemic index is high, that your insulin levels will also be high in response.  This is not a perfect science, as everyone’s insulin levels respond differently, which is why some people are able to eat fruit and continue to lose weight, and some people cannot.  Looking at the two fruits above, blueberries have a glycemic index of 25, while grapes have a glycemic index of 59. 

The information presented here is meant to inform you, and empower you to make strategic choices for your goals and your lifestyle.  Keep in mind that in the end, choosing a fruit is much better than a slice of bread, which has a glycemic index of 71.  If you choose to eat fruit, make sure that you plan it into your 24 hour food plan, and eat it with meals or as a dessert right after a meal.

How Do I Know If Fruit Is Right For Me?

How can you know if fruit is a good choice for you, or if it is stalling your weight loss progress?  Again, if you have already addressed overeating, and have cut out processed sugar and flour from your diet, and you find that your weight loss has stalled, you are ready to take a close look at your whole food intake. 

To find out if fruit is having an effect on your weight loss, simply do a scientific experiment to determine the answer.  Make a change and stick with it for two solid weeks.  If you eat fruit at every meal, you might cut down to fruit at only one meal.  You might cut down to fruit only 2 days a week, or you might cut out fruit altogether for 2 weeks.  Do not make any other changes to your eating during this time.  Weigh yourself daily and see what happens.  If you start to lose weight by cutting out fruit, it may be that you are sensitive to the carbohydrates in fruit.  You will likely need to cut down your fruit intake, or make more strategic fruit choices.  If you see no change in your weight over the two weeks then you know that fruit is not the issue for you. 

Above all else, make sure that whatever you decide, it is an informed, empowered decision that you are making in order to achieve your goals.  If you would like personalized coaching with your weight loss please contact me for a free consultation session.