We encourage people to eat fresh fruits and vegetables at 180 Fitness in Gloucester, ON, Canada. Fruit contains valuable nutrients that provide a wealth of health benefits. They have antioxidants, phytonutrients that you can’t get in non-plant based food, fiber, vitamins and minerals. However, you can eat too much fruit, too. So, how much fruit should you eat? What type of fruit is best? Why is eating too much fruit bad for you? There are some simple answers to these questions.
Don’t start eating fruit to the exclusion of other food.
There are many types of diets, some are good—-others aren’t. One type of diet is the fruitarian diet, where people live on primarily fruits such as apples, bananas and oranges. While that may seem healthy at first, but it neglects many important nutrients. Fruit doesn’t contain many important minerals, like iron or zinc. If you’ve ever eaten too much fruit at one time, you probably experienced that bloating and diarrhea that can cause discomfort. For those with diabetes or with already high blood sugar, too much fruit can cause it to rise even more.
Try to get two cups of fruit a day.
The American Heart association suggests four servings of fruit each day, which is approximately two cups. However, you also need other types of food, such as vegetables. You need even more of those, approximately 2 ½ to 3 cups a day. In most cases, people don’t eat enough of either. However, you’ll know you’re eating more fruit than you should by your body’s reaction. You’ll spend far more time in the bathroom than you normally would and find yourself bloated and gassy.
Eat a wide variety of fruit.
Your focus should be more on variety than on consumption. If you’re eating a wider variety of fruit, such as apples, berries and bananas, you’ll have a healthier diet. The sugar in fruit comes with fiber, which helps level off blood sugar and provides other benefits. It has loads of nutrients and even water to aid with hydration. Choosing from a variety of fruit ensures you get a wider variety of vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals.
- If you eat unlimited amounts of fruit, it actually can cause weight gain. In most cases, that can only happen if you’re juicing. A good alternative is making smoothies or eating whole fruit, which includes the fiber in fruit.
- Snacking on fruit can add nutrition and keep you running at full steam. You can also add fruit to plain Greek yogurt for a tasty treat that’s healthy. Avoid the added fruit yogurt that’s often high in sugar.
- Get adventurous. Try fruit you might not otherwise eat or exotic ones. Mulberries, dragon fruit, jujube, mango steen and lychee are a few that you might not have tried. Too often people with mulberry trees don’t even bother to harvest that delicious fruit.
- Not only is eating fruit good for the body, it’s good for the brain. Berries can help improve memory, help prevent mood swings and reduce inflammation.
For more information, contact us today at 180 Fitness
