Fruit has a bad rap. It’s true that an excess of fruit sugar (fructose) can be difficult to effectively store as glycogen (stored carbohydrate) and can lead to fat gain and encourage ‘insulin resistance’ (which is linked to Type 2 Diabetes). But the primary culprits of a fruit-sugar overload are processed foods and high-fructose corn syrup from soft drinks—not fruit.
Eating one or two servings of fruit per day is unlikely to lead to fat gain or sugar-related health problems. In fact, contra to what many think, some high sugar fruits may help the body regulate blood sugar more effectively. Fruit in lesser amounts can be a great carbohydrate choice that also helps to provide many of the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that are beneficial for our health. The exception to this is if you are following a ‘very low carbohydrate ketogenic diet’ (VLCKD), a type of low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet that is used for weight loss and as a treatment for epilepsy and other disorders, or if you have metabolic problems that reduce your ability to properly dispose of these fruit sugars (i.e. in ‘pre-diabetes’, or diabetes). In these cases, it can be prudent to reduce all sugars, even natural ones. Of course, if you have any medical condition, or suspect that you might have one, it’s best to consult with a suitably qualified practitioner. If you aren’t at your ideal or desired weight, and you are eating an unprocessed diet at least 80% of the time, consider cutting fruit back to one or two servings a day. Gauge your body’s response and if you begin losing weight, then stick with lower fruit intake.
Consider cutting fruit back to one or two servings a day
From Carb-Appropriate 101 by Cliff Harvey PhD
Carb-Appropriate 101 gives you 101 daily tips to help you achieve the energy, health & performance you deserve. It includes daily tips for nutrition, movement, exercise, meditation, mindfulness, sleep, stress-reduction, and more! These tips are some of the themes that Cliff has written and spoken about over his decades in practice, in ‘bite-sized’ mini-articles.
Read the book from cover-to-cover, applying a tip a day, or simply open the book to any page to find a valuable health and performance tip to help you feel and perform at your very best.
