Without fail .. pretty much daily .. I see someone post on social media a picture like this one below. A big ole bowl of fruit for breakfast, lunch, or as a snack. Sometimes it's in the form of a smoothie and sometimes it's just a big bowl of fruit.
Of course fruit is good for you and of course you should eat it (real fruit that is ... not any of that canned syrupy or dried stuff)! But most people fail to realize that eating this "meal" could sabotage your fitness goals! Yup .. it may not be fried chicken .. but it can still make you GAIN weight just as easily!
You see ... while fruit may not have a ton of calories... it does have SUGAR .. and too much sugar (regardless of where it comes from) can have some seriously negative effects.
The solution? Like anything you eat ... you need to watch your portion sizes. If you fill a bowl full of fruit ... you are likely getting in a couple days worth of what you should be having. Not to mention it is NOT a balanced meal, so you won't stay full and you will just crash soon after, finding yourself out 300+ calories and goodness knows how many grams of sugar - - and still starving!
If you are having a fruit smoothie limit your fruit to one total serving (mix it up w/different fruits is fine) and make sure you are adding in some protein like egg whites or a good protein powder. I prefer the brands Muscle Sport International or 1st Phorm. Please don't buy the cheap stuff typically found on the shelves of wal-mart or many grocery stories ... it's best to invest in a good quality protein.
If you are having fruit as a snack .... again limit it to one total serving in each sitting and try adding in ONE serving of nuts! Better yet .. have a MEAL that has some good veggies and lean protein and add in the fruit as a side .. or make it into a salad!
All fruit isn't equal either. I've done tons of research on fruit over the years and found it's best to choose ones that rank low on the GI scale. I found this chart on one medical webpage that may help a little bit.
(Low rankings are those that score below 55; intermediate-GI foods score between 55 and 70, and high GI foods score above 70.) Good choices would include an average-sized apple (38), cherries (22), grapefruit (25), an average-sized orange (44), an average-sized pear (38), or a plum (39). Intermediate GI fruits include banana (55), cantaloupe (65), mango (55), papaya (58), and pineapple (66). High GI fruits include dried dates (103), and canned fruit cocktail (79)
If you don't have a food scale (you should get one) .. you can eye ball it pretty well. A serving size is the amount that can comfortably fit in the palm of your hand.
Personally - my favorite daily fruits are banana, apple or grapefruit! However I loooooooooooooooove me some watermelon, kiwi, strawberry and pineapple :) Yummmmm!!! I usually save those fruits for my "splurge days". One of my favorite ways to eat those is when I splurge with Sushi! It's a sushi roll called "Starburst" at my fave Nashville sushi place .. Zumi!
Try it and let me know what you think -- they also have a great patio that is DOG FRIENDLY :)
Eat Clean. Train Dirty.
Stacy
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