Should You Avoid Fruit?

Have you ever been told you should avoid fruit if you want to lose weight? Let certified personal trainer and health coach Chris Freytag debunk this worn-out myth. In this brief video, Chris explains why fruit is one of the best carbs out there and why you don’t need to avoid fruit if you’re trying to lose weight.

Many people try to avoid fruit because they know that fruit has sugar, and excess sugar can lead to weight gain. But there’s a big difference in how your body handles added, processed sugar versus the naturally occurring sugar found in fruit. Added sugars and white processed carbs are what you need to avoid, not apples and bananas. Added sugars (what humans and manufacturers add to foods) are absorbed much more quickly into your bloodstream. This causes your insulin to spike, and as your insulin tries to use up as much as it can of the sugar, whatever doesn’t get used gets stored as fat. You also get that dreaded “sugar rush” and then inevitable “sugar crash” shortly afterwards.

Naturally occurring sugars like the ones found in fruit, however, are not a problem! When natural sugar is accompanied by fiber, as it is in fruit, it leads to a slower absorption of sugar in the body. This reduces the risk of insulin resistance, and also helps to curb hunger and cravings. The next time you’re craving something sweet, steer clear of sodas and candy bars and reach for fruit! You have no reason to avoid fruit—it’s full of healthy fiber as well as antioxidants that keep you healthy.

When your favorite fruits aren’t in season, you can also reach for freeze-dried fruit, which keeps the sweet fruit taste but is a lighter, more portable way to eat fruit on the go. Because freeze-dried fruit doesn’t have the water content that normally dried fruit does, it’s an ideal snack to keep in your gym bag or at home for a quick, healthy snack.