Can Fruit really be that bad?

So my trainer says to try and stay away from most fruit as much as I can, only go with grapefruit. I have not exactly been following this and I am still losing weight. I was wondering if fruit is really that bad? I know when you compare it to like a candybar of course it is better I am just wondering if the sugar and carbs could really prevent weight loss that much. Thanks!

Unless you're a professional body-builder/figure athlete in the last stages of cutting down for a competition then there isn't really a good reason to limit your fruit.

The fiber, complex carbs & nutrients in fruit are good for you. As long as you eat vegetables, lean meat/protein sources & whole grains in addition to fruit, you'll be fine.

I can't stand it when people, especially "educated professionals" bash fruit. It is COMPLETE nonsense. Fruit is natural, the sugar in it is good for you, it tastes great, has TONS of nutrients that are necessary for your overall health.

Your body NEEDS sugar. It also NEEDS carbs. What better source for them than fruit?

Eat it eat it eat it.

Fruit is good for you!!! Depending on how many calories per day you are eating there is an appropriate amount of fruit you need to eat....If you're eating 15 pieces of fruit a day, then yes, that is a little too much fruit sugar. But if you eat the proper amount within your caloric needs that is 100% healthy. Fruit has soooo many vitamins and minerals that are healthy for you, plus it's delicious.

I agree.....eat it, eat it

I wouldn't suggest grabbing a whole 2lb bag of grapes and eating it at the same time (too much sugar) but fruit is healthy. And I'd suggest trying to vary the kinds you eat to get the maximum benefits from each.

Yes you can absolutely lose weight if you eat fruit there is no doubt about that. Unless you are already below 16% body fat and you are trying to get leaner than that there is no plausible reason to suppose that you should not be eating fruit. That is nonsense. It's an excellent choice, prior to and just after training with a combination of lean or whey protein.

Remember your trainer probably isn't a nutritionist or a dietician. However, if you really want to speed things up with weight loss cutting out all simple carbohydrates will probably get you there quicker, but it is not required.

You can drop weight like crazy if you cut out complex carbohydrates like grains and simple carbs like fruit, and instead eat nothing but vegetables, lean protein and healthy fats, but hell, that takes discipline. And unless you're in contest mode for a figure cometition it really isn't recommended.

Bottom line to take away from this, is fruit bad for you? **** no. 

Original Post by folkharpist:

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Your body NEEDS sugar. It also NEEDS carbs. What better source for them than fruit?

Eat it eat it eat it.

This isn't true, your body actually does not need sugar at all.

Cutting out sugars, even natural ones, can help you feel more satisfied.  It sounds like your trainer has you on a low GI diet, since grapefruit is a low GI food.  Eating foods with a low impact on your blood sugar helps you stay satisfied off of less food, making losing weight easier.  

I should have said glucose. Obviosuly I agree, I don't think the body needs refined sugars at all, but natural sugars, in terms of overall health, I really do.

The body uses glucose to produce energy, a necessity. Why cut out ALL sugars? I just don't understand the health benefits. If body fat is all you care about, I guess it might be an effective short-term way to go, but for overall health, I am still very skeptical. Anything that resembles a restrictive, fad type diet always makes me skeptical. It's just illogical to think of fruit as unhealthy, I can't wrap my head around it.

Original Post by morganbclaw:

Original Post by folkharpist:

.

Your body NEEDS sugar. It also NEEDS carbs. What better source for them than fruit?

Eat it eat it eat it.

This isn't true, your body actually does not need sugar at all.

Cutting out sugars, even natural ones, can help you feel more satisfied.  It sounds like your trainer has you on a low GI diet, since grapefruit is a low GI food.  Eating foods with a low impact on your blood sugar helps you stay satisfied off of less food, making losing weight easier.  

Actually, it does if you are talking about sugar in a general sense. Most people can do without refined sugars or high GI foods. Many peoples' diets could also do with a drastic cut in the percentage of calories derived from sugars. This doesn't mean that your body doesn't need any sugar at all and definitely doesn't mean that fruit should be cut out of the diet.

Most of the sugar in fruit is in the form of fructose. This is a low GI sugar. (It has a GI of 19.) While there are other sugars in fruit too, usually glucose and sucrose, many fruits do not contain them in high enough percentages to be considered high GI foods.

There are, of course, some fruits that are high GI. Melons, grapes and most tropical fruits all have GIs of at least 50. Bananas also are just over the 50 mark. 53, I think? (Sorry, this is just off the top of my head!) They are all higher in glucose and sucrose than many other fruits and bananas have all that starch too.

There are however many many fruits that are low GI. Apples, pears, peaches, oranges, cherries and, of course, grapefruit are all quite low. Much MUCH lower than most cereals, breads, pastas or oats (not to mention potato, pumpkin or parsnips!), where you could otherwise be obtaining your daily carbs.

I'm sorry this has been such a long post and I apologise if I have been unclear or rambled a bit. I am quite tired as it is pretty late over here in Australia. My main point was that if you want to eat a low GI diet (which, I agree, is very good for you), you can still include fruit, though I would avoid tropical fruits, grapes and possibly bananas. Fruit is a fibre-packed bundle of goodness and is preferable to a higher intake of grainy sources of carbs any day.

If you want to know more about GI, feel free to IM me or reply to this post or something. I'm a biologist and long time sufferer of hypoglycaemia, so I could talk sugar all day. But don't worry I'm usually more thorough and more concise!

BOTTOM LINE:

calories eaten < calories burned = weight loss

Cutting out any food group is not only impossible, its impractical and unnecessary. Fruit is good for you and is packed with nutrients. Maybe try eating fruit earlier in the day rather than at night so that you have more time to burn off the sugar. Eat fruit, just make sure you keep it within your caloric limits and you will be fine. Obviously this trainer has no nutrition certifications, because no nutritionist or dietitian would ever tell you to eliminate a food group unless you had some specific health condition which required it.

Doing some extensive research I came across these websites which I feel are very good on fructose vs glucose and the glycemic Index

Hint: If the link doesn't all come out all blue, you better do a 'copy & paste' rather than click on it.

LATE STUDIES

http://health.usnews.com/blogs/on-fitness/200 9/4/24/fitness-buzz-fructose-vs-glucose-gastr ic-bypass-and-more.html

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1892841,00.html

GLYCEMIC INDEX


Recipes

http://www.diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/

Great Overall Website
http://www.shakeoffthesugar.net/

General Information
http://www.mendosa.com/gilists.htm

http://www.mendosa.com/gidigest.htm

Common Foods
http://www.mendosa.com/common_foods.htm
or
http://www.mendosa.com/gi_by_gl.pdf

More on the GI
http://www.healthyweightforum.org/eng/article s/glycemic-index/

DIBETES DIET GOOD FOR EVERYONE

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/diabetes-die t/DA00027

http://www.karinya.com/sportsdrinks.htm