Fruit is Not the Enemy Either

Hi friends! Happy Hump Day! How are you today? All is well over here, moving and grooving through another week! 

You might remember me telling you that fat is not the enemy a few weeks ago, and today I’m here to tell you that it’t not the fruit either.

In honor of Wellness Wednesday, today I want to talk about something that I hear far too often. As a dietitian, I talk with people from all walks of life and with all with varying health conditions, including those with a very common condition in our country, type two diabetics. So that I can better understand how I can help someone, I always like to see what their current dietary practices are. While some are different, generally all diet recalls include things that I would suspect in the Standard American Diet (SAD): sugary cereal for breakfast, something involving sugar for a snack such as a chocolate chip granola bar, lunch includes a sandwich on white bread and has to be followed by some kind of sweet, the afternoon includes candy or some kind of sweet “pick-me-up”, and dinner is followed by something sweet too.

When I ask if it’s possible that one of these sweets be exchanged for fruit I hear the same thing every single day, “Fruit spikes my blood sugar.”

Fruit specs your blood sugar but all of the other sugar in your diet doesn’t? Interesting…

Today I’m talking to not only type two diabetics but to everyone looking to eat a healthy diet, since I’m often told by other folks that they limit their free due to its sugar content. Yes, fruit has sugar and fruit is a simple carbohydrate, however, it also contains disease-fighting fiber, vitamins and minerals that our bodies require in order to stay healthy. Fiber is found in plant-based foods and is not digested or absorbed by our bodies. Fiber slows down the digestion of the fruit causing it to hit your bloodstream much slower than anything with white sugar in it. Not only that but as I mentioned, fruit also contains so many vitamins and minerals, antioxidants, and phytonutrients which all keep our bodies healthy and fight off disease on a daily basis. 

For diabetics especially, I always recommend that fruit be paired with some kind of healthy fat (such as peanut butter, almonds, walnuts, etc.) in order to slow down the digestion and provide a steady stream of energy along with a healthy dose of fiber, vitamins and minerals

While it might be important to you to look good on the outside, internal health is far more important. Today I want to clear the misconception that fruit is bad and that it should be avoided because of its high sugar content. Just like everything we should enjoy fruit in moderation and actually we could all probably afford to eat a few more servings of fruit each day!

Do you get your 5-9 servings of fruits and veggies a day? I certainly hope so!

Looking for ways to sneak in more fruit? Try out one of my favorite recipes below:

• Yogurt Parfaits
• Raspberry Chia Jam
• Green Smoothie
• Blueberry Coconut Granola Bars
• Blueberry Pancakes
• Banana Splits
• Crockpot Apple Pie Oats

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Good health!

Tagged as: diabetes, disease, fiber, fruit, health, sugar, vegan