Eating a lot of fruits is considered good for health by many.
Fruits are generally liked and used by all as “health food.” There is hardly anyone who does not like fruits.
It is nature’s gift to human beings and animals. So many realities and tastes…. Every season of the year has fruits particular to them.
Fortunately, with the help of modern preservation and storage techniques, we can get numerous varieties of fruits from all over the world throughout the year in our nearest hypermarket stores.
Fruitarians believe that fruit alone is sufficient for good health.
But then there are many studies and medical guidelines that suggest that a lot of fruits can be bad for health.
It is worthwhile for us to have a close look at what should be the right approach we should have for fruits in our daily diet.
The Benefits Of Fruits
Undoubtedly, fruits are far better than processed and junk foods.
They have several health benefits as they can provide us with essential vitamins and nutrients. No cholesterol at all…. They reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke.
Below given are some of the outstanding health benefits of fruits you can expect.
Fruits help with weight loss
There is a lot of furor among health experts on fructose and carbohydrate content in fruits. It is quite true that fructose and carbohydrate could promote weight gain.
Does it mean that fruits could be bad for weight loss? Fruits help in weight loss.
Fruits make us feel full and satiated more quickly than any other food.
Most fruits contain a lot of fiber, water, and calories which are good for quickly suppressing the appetite.
As per the satiety index on different types of foods, oranges, and apples rank very high, even above meats and eggs. One or two apples and oranges make you feel full and instantly vanish your hunger.
Some fruits, like apples, peaches, berries, etc., have a good bit of chewing resistance that helps us in faster satiation and slower fructose absorption.
It means that fruits are good appetite suppressants. At the same time, they also provide the required amount of calories and nutrients for the body.
Fruitarians who have fruits, both fresh and dry, can prevent weight gain to a great extent. Some studies in the past have clearly shown the effects of a fruit diet on weight loss.
In a study, 11 overweight men were on a fruit diet for six months. They had only fruits, fresh or dry, and nothing else.
The result of this study was on the expected lines, as all of them lost several pounds of weight. Four of them end up having a body weight below the healthy level.
It was also noted that the participants in the study experienced satiety much faster than the normal diet.
If you are a diehard fast-food and junk food enthusiast, it is a nice option for you to switch over to fruits instead. You will lose many extra pounds and prevent future health complications if you can strictly substitute junk foods with fruits and veggies.
Proven health benefits of the fruit diet
It will be nice to see what the studies and researches tell us about the fruit diet.
Several observational and experimental studies on diet habits have shown that people who have fruits and vegetables as a staple diet are less prone to diseases, especially cardiovascular diseases.
If you have fruits as the major constituent of your diet, you have a 40% lesser risk of getting heart ailments.
One particular observational study conducted in the US, which had 9,665 participants, found that women have a 46% lesser risk of becoming diabetic with a fruits and vegetable diet.
Another observational study has shown that women on vegetable and fruit diets have the least risk of breast cancer. Especially apples and pomegranates, soybeans, all orange-colored fruits and veggies, berries, and broccoli are excellent for preventing breast cancer.
According to some other studies, major killer diseases like heart attacks and strokes could be prevented to a large extent with a fruit and vegetables rich diet. Fruits like oranges and pomegranates are known for their benefit in promoting better heart and brain health.
Few observational studies on Type II Diabetes have noted that people who have grapes, apples, and blueberries in their diet are more resistant to this disease.
Going by the nutritional value, each fruit has several health benefits. None can deny the importance of fruits to the body.
However, it must be important to note here that anything in excess will not help either. Fruits must be consumed as part of a balanced diet.
What is required here is having various fruits as an unavoidable item in your daily diet.
Fruits contain vitamins and nutrients
Some dietitians and health gurus simply condemn and discard fruits just because of the fructose in them. It is quite absurd and thoughtless.
Fruits generally have several nutrients and vitamins that are good for good health. They are rich in vitamins, fiber, minerals, antioxidants, and phytonutrients.[12]
Fruits are the best natural source of many essential vitamins and minerals. Since we can eat fruits without cooking, the nutrients in the fruits remain much more intact than in cooked foods.
The soluble fiber in fruits is extremely beneficial to the body. It is good for weight loss as it helps in faster satiety and limits the absorption of carbohydrates.
Some vitamins and minerals are mostly found only in fruits; for example, Folate, Potassium, Vitamin C, etc., our body can get more from fruits than other foods.
As for the nutritional value, each kind of fruit is different as the number of vitamins and minerals found in them varies in types and amounts. So we must have as many different types of fruits as possible in our daily diet plan.
More than the taste, it is important that we give preference to fruits with a good amount of fiber, minerals, and vitamins.
What Is Bad About The Fruits
Fruits are nature’s gift to humans and animals.
For most of us, the absence of fruits on the daily menu can make us feel like the food needs to be completed.
However, there can also be cases where fruits could be better for some.
Diabetes patients (in America, 10% of the population) must think twice before they gorge on their favorite fruits.
Most of the fruits have a good amount of natural fructose in them. Fructose is similar to sugar that can gradually raise the sugar levels in the blood.
There are a lot of arguments for and against fructose present in fruits. Most health experts agree that fructose in naturally grown fruits is minimal and perfect for health. It is almost impossible to exceed the fructose intake limits by eating fruits.
The problem lies in the fruits from genetically modified high-breeding fruit trees like mangoes, bananas, berries, etc., grown in controlled farming. The sugar content in them is much higher than those fruit trees grow naturally.
The wild berries and apples are not sweet and tasty as the ones we use from those hybridized fruit trees grown in the orchards.
Today it is a food trend to have fruit juices and salads than eating whole fruits. In most cases, sugars and artificial flavors are added to these juices and salads.
The fructose (sugar) in fruit juices is quickly digested and absorbed by the body, which leads to the rise of sugar levels in the blood.
When we have fruit juices, we have fruits without the fibrous content. The fiber in fruits is excellent for a healthy metabolism and reduces the absorption of sugar and carbohydrates.
The American Diabetes Association recommends natural sugar in fruits is perfect for diabetes patients as this fructose is not so significant. The body does not fully absorb the fructose in fruits because of the fibrous content in the fruits themselves.
However, diabetes patients could avoid pineapple and sweet melons as they have a higher glycemic index than other fruits.
It is unhealthy to have regularly packaged fruit juices, dry fruits, fructose syrups, and processed fruit delicacies with added sugar and preservatives.
Fructose In Fruits Vs. Fructose In Corn Syrup
There is a misconception among some people that fructose in fruits is the same as fructose in corn syrup. Scientifically speaking, the fructose found in corn and fruits is similar except for the sugar concentration density.
The fructose in corn syrups comes in two compositions HFCS-42 and HFCS-55. The amount of glucose and fructose it contains is similar to the table sugar.
The fructose in fruits is minimal and at a healthy level acceptable to the human body.
For example, an orange contains only 12 grams of sugar, and a cup of strawberry contains only 8 grams. The maximum amount of calories they add could be, at most, 60.
On the other hand, a bottle of soda (20 ounces) contains up to 60 grams of sugar (fructose corn syrup mostly used), equal to 225 calories.
The body does not fully absorb fructose from fruits, and even the absorption process is very gradual. But the high fructose from corn syrups is quickly absorbed and processed by the liver, and the sugar levels in the blood can rise quickly with it.
The human body is well adapted to the fructose in the fruits. The artificially manufactured fructose from corn and honey is a high fructose and glucose concentrate that is unhealthy if taken regularly.
When Should Fruits Be Avoided?
Moderation in everything is the key to a healthy and happy life.
Even the sweetest honey can become a bitter health disaster if consumed excessively.
Some reasons will require some of you to think of not having fruits. Some are highly sensitive and intolerant to fructose as it causes digestive symptoms.
Anyone on a strict low-carb diet, not more than 50 – 60 grams of carbohydrates per day, cannot think of having fruits. This is typical of a ketogenic diet plan where one tries to make the brain function on ketone bodies instead of glucose from carbohydrates.
For example, an apple has about 25 grams of carbohydrates in it……it is quite similar to other fruits, too… so it is impossible to have fruits for people on a ketogenic diet plan.
Severe Type-II Diabetes patients must be very careful with even little variations in sugar levels in the blood. As they are super sensitive to sugar, even the minimal amount of fructose in the fruits can fluctuate their blood sugar level.
Final Thought
Fruits and vegetables are the healthiest foods per all medical estimations and studies. Fruits are superfoods that must be compulsorily included in everyone’s daily diet.
Only those hypersensitive to fructose or on a strict ketogenic diet plan should think of avoiding fruits. Otherwise, fruits are one of the most relishing and satiating foods with numerous health benefits.
However, fruit juices and dry fruits do NOT have the fullest benefit that you can get a whole fresh fruit.
Dry fruits have a much higher amount of sugar than whole fruit. Most people also naturally eat a large quantity of dry fruit at a time as it is less satiating and filling.
The chewing resistance and fiber content in the whole fruit is beneficial as they can suppress the appetite, reduce sugar absorption, and improve the overall metabolism.