Fruit: friend or foe?

The jury’s out. With conflicting views from every corner of the health industry, it’s time to discover the truth. Fruit: friend or foe?

Since the hype for sugar detox diets, fruits have come into the firing line for their high fructose content. Whether we should eat fruit while dieting is a controversial topic; the internet is littered with articles claiming that eating fruit is bad for losing weight, while Weight Watchers deem fruit a ‘zero points food.’ But which is correct? Are fruits really a “free food”? Or are they the underdog baddies of the food world?

What ‘we’re realising is that fruit isn’t as innocent as we once thought,’ says Carina Norris, registered health nutritionist. Sadly this is ‘leading fruit to being labelled a ‘bad guy. I don’t like to see people demonising fruit, because it has a whole host of healthy properties,’ she says. We all know (or should know) that fruits are packed with nutrients and goodness. We believe that they’re all good for you, but it’s learning how fruits work in the body that’s the key for us understand why they tend to be so controversial to our diets.

Laura Thomas, health coach and sugar-free diet blogger helps to explain the benefits: ‘Fruits are a great source of a wide variety of vitamins and minerals. The vibrant colours of fruit show this in themselves,’ she tells us. ‘Fruit is also a great source of fibre and adds a naturally-occurring sweetness to our food to make it more palatable and delicious.’

The positive news for this and dieting is that ‘with a piece of fruit, you can quell a sweet craving,’ says Carina. ‘Because the sugar is combined with fibre it has a lower GI so it’s slower to hit your blood stream. Not only does this keep you feeling full for longer, it’s also healthier for your body.’ Louise Pyne, registered nutritionist, points out the fruits that are all low on the GI index: ‘berries like blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and blackberries as well as apples, plums and pears are all good examples. These pack in health-boosting antioxidants which have been shown to help protect against chronic conditions like cardiovascular disease and cancer,’ she explains.

The more problematic fruits for dieting are those on the other side of the GI scale, like mangos and bananas. These are the ones that can ‘spell bad news for your waistline if consumed in excess, as they mess with blood sugar levels,’ tells Louise. The higher amount of fructose in these fruits causes a negative or slower metabolic effect meaning that the liver can get overloaded and start turning the fructose into fat.

These fruits are still packed with goodness like vitamin C and what we’re learning is that the fructose in them is only harmful in very large amounts. ‘Rather than eliminating higher fructose fruits, use them as a more occasional natural sweet treat,” says Laura.

As moderation of fructose is paramount, what we may actually need to be more aware of for dieting and general health are fruit juices and smoothies. Action on Sugar, a group of specialists concerned with sugar and its effects on health, has found that more than a quarter of the beverages that they tested contained as much as six teaspoons of sugar per 250ml glass. Unlike whole fruits, fruit juices and smoothies don’t contain fibre or chewing resistance to slow down consumption, making it very easy to drink down large amounts of fructose. A lot of us may have tried or been intrigued by juice diets and although some are great, it’s also important to be aware of the goodness you might be missing out on!

Shona Wilkinson, head nutritionist at Nutricentre.com tells us that ‘juices and smoothies made primarily from fresh vegetables or fruit and can be fantastic sources of many nutrients.’ Both can provide valuable qualities, ‘but because fruits tend to contain more natural sugar than vegetables do, it’s best to have juices made primarily from vegetables rather than fruits.’ Launching just that is a new vegetable juice from wellbeing expert Calgary Avansino and itsu. Labelled the ‘glamour meets the godfather of food,’ these juices contain the highest ratio of vegetable compared to any other high street brand (68%). We totally recommend a try of these three flavours.

The truth is, we don’t believe that fruits are evil. They’re packed with great nutrients and are definitely essential for a healthy diet. Although they can hold more calories when compared to vegetables, they’re still a low-calorie choice; especially when considering how good fruit’s fibre and water content is at promoting feelings of fullness.