Being in the body transformation and weight loss space, I am asked this all the time – does fruit make you fat?

NO! Is the simple answer, and in this article we are going to explore it a little further.

And the very same people who claim they don’t eat fruit because it makes them fat, don’t hesitate to down a bottle of Champaign and a cheese platter with Cadbury chocolate on the weekends.

Chocolate contains sugar, as do lollies, cakes, white grain products, caramel lattes, ice-cream, biscuits and the muffins your boss brings you at work.

Whilst fruit does contain sugar, it also contains essential nutrients that your body needs in order to thrive. It also contains fibre, and that fibre within the fruit somewhat dampens the insulin response in the body.

Insulin is the hormone we so often attribute to fat storage these days, but’s getting the short end of the stick because it’s not just insulin that is the problem, it’s also stress, what else is in the food along with the sugar, and someone’s activity levels that dictate the action of sugar I your body. .

If you are overweight, or diabetic, then sure you probably shouldn’t eat 5 pieces of fruit/day, and it is optimal to choose fruits that are higher in nutritional value and fibre, such as berries, pears and apples. If you use the National Diabetes Services Scheme resources, you can decipher for yourself which fruits are best for you to consume.

If you’re not worried about your weight, and/or not needing to lose weight, you should feel free to eat and enjoy fruit because it is a health food, and we use the carbs/sugar for energy and eating fruit is a much healthier choice than eating packet of lolly snakes or a donut, because those foods have zero nutritional value.

What about the fructose!? Doesn’t fructose in fruit make you fat?

All refined sugar products break down into fructose in your body to some degree, so if you’re worried about the sugar in fruit, you should be worried about ALL sugar products. 

My point here is, worrying about fruit yet consuming mars bars and soft drinks is misguided (but common) and will be detrimental to your health long term. Eat the fruit, start pushing out the junk. 

If you’re interested in improving your nutrition for the better, check out Nourish & Flourish, my self-coaching course on nutrition for women who struggle to work out how to eat.

And the next time you ask yourself ‘does fruit make you fat’, I hope you think of this article 😉

Jen x