The Worst Fruits For Weight Loss, According To Nutritionists
While fruit is usually considered a healthy food (and a great dessert!), some fruits don’t make the list of the best fruits to help you lose weight. Fruits have the vitamins, nutrients and fiber you need to stay in shape. Like any food, you should eat fruit in moderation. It’s also important to pick and choose the type of fruit you eat wisely. Eating too much sugary fruit can pack on the pounds. Although they are still better than a bag of chips, some fruits are worse than others. Stay away from dried fruits and tropical fruits if you want to lose weight.
To learn more about why nuts and tropical fruits are so bad for weight loss, we reached out to Lisa Richards, registered nutritionist and creator of the Candida Diet and nutrition coach, and Dr. Craig Primack, a weight loss doctor. They said that dry fruits are harmful for weight loss purposes because the water has been removed from dry fruits. So this packs all the sugar and calories into a much smaller package. And, tropical fruits like mango, papaya and pineapple are not good for weight loss because they are higher in sugar than other types of fruit. Read on to learn more!
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Dry fruit
Dried fruits are fruits from which almost all the water has been drained through drying methods. The fruit shrinks during this process, leaving a small, dry fruit. Raisins, dates, prunes, figs and apricots are the most common type of dried fruit. Other varieties of dried fruits are also available and sometimes they are in candied (sugar coated) form. These include mangoes, pineapples, blueberries, bananas and apples. After the drying process, dried fruits can be stored much longer than fresh fruits. Many people eat them as a snack or add to salad, oatmeal or even yogurt.
But when eaten in excess, dried fruit can actually have a devastating effect on your overall health and weight loss goals. We understand why you might think this snack would be healthy, but unfortunately, all the nutrients that were once in the fruit have been removed.
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“Nuts tend to have more sugar than I prefer to consume, mainly because they’re so concentrated in nature,” explains Richards. “This variety of fruit, regardless of type, is significantly high in calories and sugar.”
While fresh fruit is known for its sugar content, the fiber usually balances it out. But the dried variety doesn’t have much of the fiber that makes fruit so great for weight loss. “This is mainly due to the preparation method which results in a high concentration of sugar and calories in a small serving amount. Due to the small nature of dried fruit, it is easy to overdo it and the calories add up quickly.” Richards warns.
Tropical fruits
“Everything is fine in moderation; that being said, many are not good at moderation when it comes to eating and dieting,” says Dr. Primack. And that includes what Dr. Primack says they are “tropical fruits”. Bananas, papayas, mangoes and pineapples are considered tropical fruits.
Tropical fruits and vegetables grow in hot and humid areas of Asia, Africa, South America, Central America, the Caribbean and Oceania. “This category tends to have more sugar and calories than other fruit groups (berries and fruits grown in the continental US), and if you’re trying to avoid sugar, it’s best to avoid this group.” Tropical fruits can have hidden calories that can hinder your weight loss plans. It is best to avoid these fruits as they are also very sweet.
So nutritionists and weight loss experts like Richards and Dr. Primack suggests avoiding dried fruits and tropical fruits. These are the worst fruits for weight loss because they either offer no nutritional benefits or are extremely high in sugar and calories. Instead, choose fruits like blueberries and grapefruit that provide fiber and metabolism-boosting properties. Your body will thank you for it!
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