Fruits for weight loss: Obesity is a global crisis with significant social, economic and health implications to individuals and communities. There is, therefore, a need for a serious standing solution to mitigate the pandemic.

The world health organization recommends healthy eating and regular body exercise as one of the most effective ways to lose weight.

It’s no secret that fruits are part of the package when we talk about a healthy diet. Fruits are packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber. All these are believed to help weight loss.

This article looks at some of the best fruits for weight loss, how they work, and those that we should avoid during the weight loss goal.

The fruits for weight loss in this article include; pineapples, grapefruit, pomegranate, oranges, passion fruits, apples, bananas, watermelon, lemon, and berries.

Let us look at the fruits for weight loss in detail below.

1.Apples

You have had of a saying that “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”. Apples are low in calories and high in fiber. This is the main reason why apples are desired for weight loss.

Apples are rich in flavonoids and antioxidants which help to reduce the risk to diabetes, cancer, hypertension and other obese related diseases.

2.Watermelon

Just like the name, watermelons have a very high in water content. These keep you hydrated all the time, which is a very important factor for weight loss.

Watermelons also contain healthy nutrients like amino acids and vitamins C which is good for weight loss. When amino acids are combines with proteins, they improve the synthesis of muscle which eventually aid weight loss.

3.Berries

Berries are significant fat burners and digestive stimulants. They are low in calories, carbs and high in fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, and antioxidants. All these nutrients are good for weight loss.

The barriers may also help to lower blood sugar levels, lower bad cholesterol, and triglycerides which may particularly help overweight people.

4.Grapefruit

The grapefruit is a cross between a pomelo and orange. It is rich in vitamin C, lycopene, potassium and fiber.

According to research from Vanderbilt University, grapefruit is good at fat burning. Obese people who consumed half of the grapefruit were found to have decreased weight, body mass index, and waist circumference.

5.Lemon

This is another effective fruit for weight loss. It is rich in vitamin C, pantothenic acid, calcium, and magnesium and foliate. Magnesium and vitamin c maybe help obese people in regulating blood sugar and insulin levels. This helps weight loss

In addition to that, lemon helps digestion and detoxing of the body. This helps the body to do away with the toxins in the body that may trigger weight gain.

6.Pineapples

 

This is one of the most consumed tropical fruit. They are rich in fiber, vitamin C, B and minerals like manganese and low in calories. Pineapples do not contain Tran’s fats or saturated fats.

Pineapples will fill you up without packing you with calories. An individual will end up eating fewer calories and in turn, weight loss.

7.Bananas

Bananas are among the most consumed fruits worldwide. They are rich in potassium, vitamin B6, magnesium, vitamin C and proteins.

Bananas are good at fat burning because they are high in dietary fiber and low in calories. Bananas will help to reduce the appetite by making you fill full, replace the processed sugars and in turn weight loss.

8.Pomegranate

This is also another celebrated fat burner. It is rich in antioxidants, fiber, protein, flavonoids, polyphenols and more.

The properties compounds like antioxidants have the property of combating inflammation, high cholesterol, and oxidative stress. All these aid weight loss.

9.Oranges

Oranges are low in calories and contain nutrients like vitamin C, fiber, potassium, calcium and more 87% of the orange is water. This means that the fruit will keep you hydrated.  In addition to the water content, the fiber in the orange eases the bowel movements to make you feel between meals. All these aid weight loss.

10.Passion fruits

Passion fruits are a good source of fiber, vitamin A, C, and potassium. The fiber in the passion fruits slows down the digestive process to make you fill fuller for a long period of time. This will cut down your appetite, calorie intake and hence weight loss.

Passion fruits are also said to be a source of piceatannol, a compound that is believed to reduce blood pressure and insulin sensitivity.

Do fruits really work for weight loss?

There is no bet on the fact that; fruits are part of the components of a healthy diet. They are packed with minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, and fiber.

Fruits help weight loss in the following ways

• Fruits are low in calories. The low calories replace the high-calorie foods, creating a calorie deficiency and hence weight loss.
• Fruits are high in fiber and water. This increases fullness and decrease appetite. One will eventually have to eat less compared to when fruits were not taken. This helps with weight loss.

In one study where the effect of one-week fiber supplementation was assessed in obese women, it was found that hunger scores significantly reduced after fiber supplementation.

• Fruits are high in antioxidants which help to protect the body from oxidative stress. With stress, you are likely to increase your appetite and consequently develop hunger. Therefore the antioxidants play an important role in protecting your body from oxidative stress.

The antioxidants also lower the risk of chronic diseases like cancer and diabetes.

Can you get fat eating fruits?

This is a common question that most people ask when they are cautioned on the amount of sugar they are supposed to eat on a diet. People wonder whether the sugar in the fruits is not harmful to their health.

The sugar in fruits is natural sugar i.e. glucose and fructose, which is opposed to the dangerous added sugar.

Therefore fruits will not make you gain weight because of the following reasons

• The fruits are rich in fiber. The fiber slows down the breakdown of the sugar in the fruits. The sugar will, therefore, find it had to enter the bloodstream. The blood sugar and the insulin levels will not be affected and the energy from the sugar will not be stored as fat
• Secondly, fruits contain less sugar compared to the added sugar in packaged foods like sodas, candy, and snacks. One is, therefore, more likely to overeat added sugar compared to fruit sugar. The amount of fruits one has to eat in order to overeat fruit sugar is way too large than what an individual can consume.

In one study where participants ate 20 servings of fruits per day for two weeks, the participants experienced no adverse effect on weight and blood pressure but instead reduced blood cholesterol.

What fruits should be avoided if we are trying to lose weight?

Despite the fact that fruits are considered healthy and can aid weight loss, some fruits are not efficient because they have a high-calorie count and can easily raise the numbers on the weighing scale if they are not used in reasonable amounts. Among the fruits we should distance ourselves from when trying to lose weight include;

Dry fruits

• Prunes
• Dates
• Apricots
• Figs
• Sultans

Fresh fruits

• Avocados
• Coconut meat
• mango

Is fruit juice good for weight loss?

According to an article from the Mayo Clinic, juicing fresh fruits extracts the vitamins and minerals from the fruits but leaves out the healthy fiber which is very important in aiding weight loss. It is therefore advisable to eat whole fruits in order to reap the weight-loss benefits from the fruits.

Is a breakfast of fruits good for weight loss?

Replacing breakfast with fruits may be good for weight loss in any of the following ways

• Since fruits are rich in fiber, a breakfast of fruits will make you stay fuller for a considerably longer time period. This implies that you will take in a few calories and hence weight loss.
• Skipping breakfast and instead eat fruits limits your calorie intake. This is because fruits are low in calories and high in fiber.

Here is everything you need to know about the weight loss breakfast

How many fruits should I eat a day?

Although fruits are healthy, moderate intake is recommended.  The recommended amount is 400 grams per day of five servings of 80 grams according to health line.com.

 Bottom line

Fruits are very essential when it comes to weight loss. They are composed of low calories but have a high composition of fiber, and nutrients like vitamins, magnesium and more.

The fiber in the fruits will make you full for a considerable about of time, thereby reducing your appetite, cutting calorie intake and hence weight loss.

To get the best of the nutrients from the fruits like fiber, it is advisable to eat them whole instead of making juices or smoothies. This is because the pulp and the skin of most fruits are high in vitamins, fiber, and other nutrients. Extracting the juice leaves these nutrients behind.

 

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