With all the recent health focus on sugar , poor old fruit has gotten undeserved attention for the simple reason that it ’ s high in sugar . And from that , some very average advice has surfaced that people need to limit how much whole fruit they eat too . Now a systematic review puts to bed any health concerns we should have about fruit , finding that whole fresh fruit does not contribute to weight gain . So eat up !
Fruit and sugar – the backstory
Fruit is a core part of the dietary guidelines ; but with the rise in obesity rates , health problems and the greater scrutiny that sugar has received , fruit has been vilified because of its ‘ high sugar content ’. There have been some very loud voices warning people of the dangers of too much sugar with very little attention paid to the source of it , or the food matrix it is found in . And for this , recommendations on eating fruit have succumbed to friendly fire .
Whole fruit though , is a very different food from refined sugar added to highly palatable , energy-dense discretionary foods . Fruit is a good source of fibre , contains many important nutrients and because of its water content , is less energy dense than many high-sugar containing convenience foods .
Let ’ s look at the science
If diets high in sugar are a driver of obesity and disease risk , is there any merit then to the line that ‘ whole fruit should also be limited or even avoided ’ simply because of its sugar content ? This question has been answered in a recent systematic review .
The review involved 41 studies with a mixture of both randomised controlled trials and observational studies where fruit consumption was tracked against body weight changes . From this review a consistent outcome was found :
Increasing consumption of whole , fresh fruit did not increase body weight and likely even had a modest impact on weight loss – especially when you looked at the higher quality randomised-controlled trials that run for up to 6 months .
Eating fruit also helped to reduce the total amount of food eaten , either by displacing more energy dense foods or helping control appetite . So , it ’ s pretty clear that fruit in its whole form rightly counts as a healthy part of any diet , and concerns about weight gain from it are very misguided .
There are lots of reasons to eat fewer foods high in added sugar , but when it comes to healthy fruit and its naturally present sugar , there ’ s no need to be cutting back . Whole , fresh fruit is unlikely to add excess kilojoules to the diet or cause weight gain , and if anything may help protect against it . That makes for a good reason to continue to enjoy fruit every day .
Increasing consumption of whole , fresh fruit did not increase body weight and likely even had a modest impact on weight loss – especially when you looked at the higher quality randomised-controlled trials that run for up to 6 months .
Boost fruit and vegetable intake by having frozen on hand
Several studies have found that fruits and vegetables packaged as frozen or even canned are cost-effective and nutritious options for meeting daily vegetable and fruit recommendations in the context of a healthy diet . So the question is , do people who have plenty of frozen produce on hand at home actually eat more fruit and vegetables on average compared to the general population ?
A 2017 American study that looked at fresh and frozen fruit and vegetable intake found that people who were regular eaters of frozen fruit and vegetables ate significantly more compared to people who only ate fresh produce .
A consequence of eating more frozen fruit and vegetables was that a person ’ s diet was overall better . More fibre , potassium , calcium , and vitamin D was consumed , and less salt was eaten in people who had frozen produce as part of their diet .
The energy intake of people 18 years and under was lower among frozen fruit and vegetable consumers which is a positive finding considering the rise in childhood obesity rates . Adult eaters of frozen produce were significantly more likely to have a lower body mass index too .
So , let ’ s wrap all this up . Fruit is good for you ! Keep it in your diet and ignore the ramblings of those pushing the tired message that you need to eat less of it ( along with their ‘ sugar is toxic ’ books and online quit programs ). And lastly , make sure you have frozen options as a convenient back-up to ensure you get more fruit and vegetables into your diet each day .
YMCA HEALTHY LIVING MAGAZINE 7