Is It Good To Eat Fruit When Trying To Lose Weight?

Fruit should be a part of any healthy and well-balanced diet, especially when you are trying to lose weight. Fruit provides a low calorie and healthy source of essential vitamins and minerals. It also provides essential dietary fiber that can keep you fuller for a longer period of time. Fruit can be a dieter's best friend.

Nutrition

Most weight loss programs instruct you to cut back on your caloric intake. In doing so, it's easy to miss out on necessary nutrition. When you become overcome with the need to cut calories, it can be hard to also monitor your intake of necessary vitamins and minerals. Adding fruits to your daily diet can be a good way to easily sneak in essential nutrients. Fruits are a good source of vitamins A and C and the mineral potassium.

Energy Density

Most fruits are considered low-energy-dense foods, which means that you can eat a large amount while not consuming a large number of calories. Fruits are low in calories, so they fit right into a diet aimed at losing weight. For example, a slice of cake that contains only 100 calories would be very small, almost a bite. On the other hand, 100 calories of fruit is a whole banana or a whole orange, which is much more filling and satisfying.

Fiber

Fruit is also a good source of fiber. Fiber is key to any good diet because it helps you control the amount of food you eat. When you eat fiber-rich foods like fruit, you are less likely to over-eat. Fiber inside your digestive tract absorbs water, leading to a fuller feeling inside your stomach. Fiber also slows the release of glucose into your bloodstream, resulting in a slow and sustained rise in blood glucose -- another way it staves off hunger. High-fiber fruits include raspberries, apples, pears and raisins.

Recommendations

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends that adult men and women eat 2 cups of fruit per day. One cup of fruit counts as a cup of canned fruit, a small whole fruit or a half cup of dried fruit. Use fruits to accompany a meal or as a snack to keep you satisfied until your next meal.