another (hopefully not annoying) question about fruit :)

so here's the thing -- i'm allergic to gluten and recently started a completely gluten free diet (i'm feeling soooo much better!!).  well, as maybe some of you know, gluten is in a lot of processed foods.  the diet isn't all that bad, since i prefer to eat fruits and veggies and natural, non processed foods anyway. 

my question has to do with fruit, tho.  i know this question has been asked a lot of times and people get annoyed someone would ask.....butttt here goes: is it bad to eat too much fruit?? 

okay, i know you're saying, um fruit is GOOD for you.  well, i know this.  i can assure you.  but i'm talking like 10+ servings of fruit a day.  at least 2 bananas, 2 apples, an orange, strawberries, blueberries, a pear, etc.  i also eat lots of veggies, egg whites, fish, beans, rice, and turkey (not a big red meat eater).  pretty much all of my snacks have been fruits or veggies, sometimes with pb or hummus.  i'm very limited in the food i can eat (i know there are lots of processed gluten free foods out there but i'm trying to eat mainly unprocessed foods for now).  

i'd love to hear anyone's thoughts on the amount of (natural) sugar i'm eating and if this sounds like too much.  if so, anyone have ideas for gluten free (unprocessed) snacks?  i eat nuts for snacks but i try to limit them because they are so caloric.  thanks for any input.....and sorry if this is a repetitive question.

I had exactly the same question. Here's the replies I got, hope it helps:

http://caloriecount.about.com/forums/post/100 572.html

Fruit's healthy but I do think it's possible to overdo it.  It's natural sugar but it's still sugar and the list of fruit you mention there tots up to well over 500 cals a day.   So it's a question of balance.   If 500 cals is more than 25% of your total for the day then you're at risk of missing out on other nutrients.   I'm thinking particularly iron if you don't eat much red meat and also calcium - you don't mention dairy products.  

ohh yes i forgot to say, i'm lactose intolerant as well.  i do drink soy milk that is fortified though.  other than that, i stay away from all dairy.

Fruit is never bad for you. I can completely understand if you eat a ton of fruit every day, since I tend to do the same thing, but because the sugar in fruit is natural and not refined/added, it's harmless. :) Enjoy your fruit and don't worry, but make sure you're eating a variety of things - fruit shouldn't necessarily be a substitute for your vegetables.

If you eat too much of any one thing, that generally means you're not getting enough of something else.  So take a look at your diet and see if it seems to be well rounded, or if maybe you need to increase something else and cut back on the fruit.  Otherwise, if it's not bothering your digestive system and you feel good, then you're probably OK.

On another note, how do you do with corn?  You can make your own tortilla chips  which might be a nice snack alternative to nuts.  Corn tortillas are pretty easy to make, and then can be toasted in the oven to make chips.