Is fruit healthy and good for you?

During the current heatwave, but also in summer generally, we often crave less rich, heavy meals and prefer light snacks. We usually eat far more fruit than in other seasons, which of course is also linked to the harvest season for many fruits.

But is fruit really healthy for us?

Fruit is, after all, a natural, unprocessed food, and doctors, the government and our mothers regularly recommend eating more fruit (and vegetables).

The one small problem is that fruit contains a lot of sugar. And sugar definitely isn't good.

So is fruit healthy for us or not? Or somewhere in between? What about juice?

Fitting for the heatwave, I want to dig into all these topics so you get through summer healthily. There's no one-size-fits-all answer to this question - it depends on a lot of things.

Is fruit healthy and good for you?

I'm a fan of natural foods that are processed as little as possible. Fruit definitely belongs in that category. Plant-based foods contain essential vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and much more that our bodies need.

Fruit does, however, also contain a mix of different sugars, which vary from fruit to fruit:

Added sugar in foods can lead to metabolic diseases like diabetes, which is probably common knowledge by now. Here it's important to distinguish, though, because fruit doesn't contain added sugar - it contains naturally occurring sugar.

On top of sugar, fruit also contains fibre, which helps your body slow down the release of sugar into your bloodstream. Unlike, say, a chocolate bar.

While many fruits contain a lot of sugar, they're relatively low in calories and contain fibre that fills you up.

Sugar can also have benefits, of course, because it's a quickly available source of energy. I sometimes eat fruit myself as a healthy snack or before a workout, to have more short-term energy available.

In short: Fruit is generally healthy and definitely has its place on our plate.

BUT - there are a few things to keep in mind!

When switching to a mostly plant-based diet, it's easy to eat too much fruit. It's tasty, requires almost no prep time and is definitely healthier than sweets and soft drinks. No question.

Even so, fruit contains more calories than vegetables, for example, and your daily calorie limit is reached quickly. Plus, any kind of sugar is highly addictive. Your body gets used to a certain sugar level very quickly and wants more and more. That's dangerous!

In short, the benefits of fruit no longer outweigh the downsides once you're eating 20 bananas a day. Moderation is key!

Let's take a closer look at the average calorie and sugar content of a few fruits.

Average calorie and sugar content of fruit

Apples

Serving size: 1 medium apple (182 grams)

Calories: 95

Protein: 5g

Total carbohydrates: 25g

• Fibre: 4.4g
• Sugar: 19g
• Net carbs*: 20.6g

Bananas

Serving size: 1 medium banana (118 grams)

Calories: 105

Protein: 1.3g

Total carbohydrates: 27g

• Fibre: 3.1g
• Sugar: 14g
• Net carbs*: 23.9g

Blueberries

Serving size: 1 cup (148 grams)

Calories: 85

Protein: 1.1g

Total carbohydrates: 21g

• Fibre: 3.6g
• Sugar: 15g
• Net carbs*: 17.4g

Grapes

Serving size: 1 cup (92 grams)

Calories: 62

Protein: 0.6g

Total carbohydrates: 16g

• Fibre: 0.8g
• Sugar: 15g
• Net carbs*: 15.2g

Oranges

Serving size: 1 small orange (96 grams)

Calories: 45

Protein: 0.9g

Total carbohydrates: 11g

• Fibre: 2.3g
• Sugar: 9g
• Net carbs*: 8.7g

Raspberries

Serving size: 1 cup (123 grams)

Calories: 65

Protein: 1.5g

Total carbohydrates: 15g

• Fibre: 8g
• Sugar: 5g
• Net carbs*: 7g

Watermelon

Serving size: 280 grams

Calories: 85

Protein: 1.7g

Total carbohydrates:

• Fibre: 1.1g
• Sugar: 17g
• Net carbs*: 20.9g

*Net carbs = Total carbohydrates minus fibre

If you want to lose weight, it's essential to know how many calories you're eating. Only with a calorie deficit can you successfully lose weight.

If, for example, you're allowed 2,500 calories a day because you're tall and active, a few bananas obviously aren't a problem.

But if you're 1.60 metres tall and have a desk job, your calorie limit is probably closer to 1,200 calories - in that case, a few bananas make up a significant chunk of your daily food plan.

Are dried fruit and fruit juice healthy?

Fruit juices

Just because fruit itself is healthy doesn't mean fruit juice is healthy too. Unfortunately, most juices (apple juice, orange juice, etc.) can fairly be described as sugar water.

Aside from the fact that packaged juices from the supermarket usually contain barely any real fruit and even added sugar, there's a problem even with fresh fruit: when fruit is pressed, all the sugar stays in but the fibre is lost.

The average sugar content of some popular fruit juices per glass (350ml):

• Orange juice: 21 grams of sugar
• Apple juice: 28 grams of sugar
• Cranberry juice: 37 grams of sugar
• Grape juice: 38 grams of sugar

The same amount of cola, for example, contains 40 grams of sugar. So if you want to live healthily, fruit juice is unfortunately a no-go.

If you occasionally press yourself a fresh orange juice, that's no problem at all, but fruit juice shouldn't be a regular part of your diet.

Dried fruit

The problem with dried fruit is that it's easy to eat too much. Since it's dehydrated, it takes up far less space in your stomach. A handful of raisins, for example, contains 130 calories and 30 grams of sugar.

So although dried fruit contains healthy vitamins and minerals, you should be careful not to eat too much of it.

Summary

• Avoid fruit juice unless you've pressed it yourself
• Eat dried fruit only in moderation
• Include moderate amounts of whole fruit in your diet

It's best to combine vegetables, protein and healthy fats in a healthy way. Fruit should be part of your diet, but in moderate amounts.

Especially if you're struggling to lose weight, you should pay close attention to your fruit intake and count calories. Maybe you're making one of these 10 most common weight-loss mistakes?

I hope this overview on the topic of fruit has helped you a little, especially in getting through this heatwave and the summer healthily and happily.

If you have any questions or, for example, would like an individual nutrition plan made for you, just message me. I'm not just a personal trainer in Zurich, but a nutritionist too.