Does Eating Fruit Add Belly Fat?
October 12, 2010 by Jamin Thompson
Filed under nutrition, Recent Posts
I hear it all the time…people whining and complaining that they can’t eat fruit because some trainer or website told them that it will make them add belly fat.
Are the rumors true?
Could something so healthy be so “unhealthy”? Is fruit really the enemy?
Well it depends…
Some nutritionists might set a limit of 2 fruits a day because of the sugar content in fruits.
Others might advise to not worry about the sugar content and eat about 5 fruits a day.
Some trainers I know even advise clients to completely avoid fruit because the sugar in fruit can cause you to gain excess belly fat. This theory is very prevalent in the bodybuilding/figure competition/fitness modeling world as many of these athletes avoid fruit like the plague.
Is that confusing enough for you?
But like I always say, let’s address the science and forget about the nonsense!
Let’s face it, optimal health and feeling good is way more important than being “ripped” for a short period of time from following a restricted and unhealthy diet plan. With that being said, 3 to 5 servings of fruit a day is what I recommend and the reason is because you’re getting a ton of fiber with that fruit so the response your body has to the sugar is not quite as dramatic as eating a spoonful of sugar, for example.
Also, if you want to use fruit as part of your fat loss plan you need to eat properly throughout the entire day. It’s not just the fruit, or the sugar in the fruit, that’s going to cause weight gain and fat storage. If you’re eating properly, controlling your calories, and getting sufficient amounts of protein, vegetables, and fibrous carbs, then 3 to 5 servings of fruit a day is not going to make any difference regarding whether you lose belly flab or not.
That’s right…you heard me correctly. If you follow a good nutrition plan, the sugar, or fructose you consume in those servings of fruit will not dictate whether you’re successful at fat loss. Remember, these are combined with an entire day, not just 1 meal or 1 food.
So if you’re eating properly throughout the entire day, then 3 to 5 servings of fruit is perfectly okay. Now don’t just go out there and pound a 3 pound fruit salad in one sitting…that’s not healthy at all…that’s just called being a “healthy pig”.
So what about fruit juice…that’s pretty healthy right?
Not so fast my friend…
Fruit juice is one of the top offenders on my false health food list and many people these days mistakenly perceive it to be healthy…especially when it comes packaged with a fancy label which says “natural” or “organic”.
Just to be clear, I don’t care if your juice label says “made from all natural ingredients”…unless you’re juicing with a juicer or squeezing the juice out of fresh fruit…the juice you’re drinking should not be on the menu.
I mean after all…bird poop is also “made from all natural ingredients” and I don’t see anybody rushing out to eat any of that!
But I digress…
Sure it may say natural, organic, no sugar added, 100% juice, “fortified” with 50 vitamins, or even made by Jesus, I don’t really care…usually all of the carb calories in these types of drinks come directly from sugar.
And I don’t want to confuse you because I know I said earlier that fruits are good and yes the carbs from real fruit are sugar as well…but the difference lies in the fact that the vitamins and fiber that you would get from a fresh fruit are lost when you bottle a fruit juice and then store it.
Plus, your body is no dummy. It’s a highly intelligent, sophisticated machine that is unlike any other organism or being in the universe. Trust me, your body knows when you are drinking “fortified” juice and it will always choose not to use those false vitamins and minerals because they simply aren’t the real version. Did you really think you would get 100% vitamin C and “B Vitamins” by drinking a Sunny Orange Drink?
So how should you get your fruit nutrition in daily?
I recommend eating whole, fresh fruit that comes from natural sources. If you must have juice I suggest you go out and invest in a juicer and make fresh fruit juice that way. And before you start bitching and crying about how juicers are expensive and how being healthy costs so much money, I challenge you to add up the lifetime health care costs of someone with cancer, heart disease, or diabetes and compare and contrast.
The healthy lifestyle is definitely more cost effective PLUS you will save yourself a ton of pain and suffering from preventable disease later down the road.
TIP: My favorite times of the day to eat fruit are for breakfast and post-workout. By consuming natural carbs such as fruits post-workout helps promote an anabolic effect that can actually HELP your muscles repair faster. The faster your muscles repair, the faster you can increase your metabolism. You know what that means right? Accelerated fat loss!
Here are some of my favorite post-workout shake blends. If you ever feel inspired, perhaps you may want to try and whip one up yourself. If you do decide to make one, let me know what you think.
The Halle Berry (my favorite)
30g Prograde Protein (or your favorite brand, that’s mine)
½ cup greek yogurt (plain, lowfat)
½ cup sliced strawberries
½ cup sliced raspberries
1 cup ice cubes
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract (pure, not flavored syrup)
Healthy Bahama Mama
30g Prograde Protein
½ cup pineapple chunks
¾ cup sliced mango
1 orange slice
1 lemon slice
1 teaspoon lime juice
1 cup ice cubes
El Swolio
30g Prograde Protein
1 banana
1 cup mixed berries
8 oz vanilla almond milk
1 slice of papaya
1 date
pinch of cinnamon
2 cups ice cubes
***When you make these smoothies put all of the ingredients in a blender and blend on high speed until the mixture looks smoothie-ish. Drink immediately. Keep in mind that if you are using frozen fruit instead of fresh fruit you won’t need as much ice so you can reduce the 1 cup of ice to ¾ cup or so.
Eat clean n’ stay lean,
Jamin
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