You probably know that fruit is a "healthy" food that is full of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. You may also know that fruit is a low-calorie food. Many people, however, are not sure if fruit is a good food to eat if you want to weight because it contains sugar. The sugar in fruit is naturally occurring and not in the form of added sweeteners that can raise your blood sugar levels and cause fat storage.
Grapefruit
Grapefruit is perhaps the best fruit you can eat if you want to lose weight and burn fat. Dr. Jonny Bowden, the American Council on Exercise and researchers at Scripps Clinic all recommend adding grapefruit to your calorie-deficit diet. A study published in the spring 2006 "Journal of Medicinal Food" found that a certain unknown compound in grapefruit can significantly aid weight loss by improving your insulin resistance and controlling blood sugar. A half grapefruit is only 39 calories and a great source of vitamin C.
Pineapple
Although pineapple is mainly associated with being high in vitamin C and potassium, pineapple also has a unique compound called bromelain that may help you lose weight when combined with a weight loss diet. According to Dr. Jonny Bowden, in his book "The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth," bromelain is an enzyme that aids digestion, which may contribute to weight loss. Bromelain speeds wound healing and reduces inflammation. A cup of pineapple has less than 90 calories. Pineapple also has a fair high amount of water. Water, especially water in food, helps to curb your appetite and keep you from getting hungry.
Raspberries
Raspberries, when compared to other antioxidant berries such as blueberries, hardly receive any publicity. Raspberries, however, may be the ideal berry for losing weight because they are very low in calories and have more fiber than just about any other fruit at an identical serving size. A cup of raspberries is 64 calories and provides 8 g of dietary fiber, equaling only 7 g net carbohydrates. Dr. Bowden explains that dietary fiber is important if you are losing weight because fiber helps keep your blood sugar levels low and stable by decreasing how fast your body absorbs sugar from food and beverages.
Watermelon
Adding watermelon to your weight loss diet can help you lose weight, according to Dr. Bowden and the American Council on Exercise. Watermelon is a water-heavy fruit that is extra filling. Watermelon has 50 calories per cup. Many people are concerned with watermelon's high glycemic index ranking of 72, but watermelon has a glycemic load score of 4 out of 40. Dr. Bowden claims that the glycemic load is a far better measure of after-meal glucose-insulin response because it measures not only the glycemic index but also how many carbohydrates a food has. Watermelon will not dramatically effect your blood sugar because it has very few carbohydrates per serving.
References
- "The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth"; Dr. Jonny Bowden; 2007
- American Council on Exercise: Do Negative Calorie Foods Really Exist?
- JonnyBowdenBlog.com; Dr. Jonny Bowden: 10 Superfoods for Weight Loss (Part One)
- MedicalNewsToday.com: Grapefruit and Weight Loss
- "Journal of Medicinal Foods": The Effects of Grapefruit on Weight and Insulin Resistance: Relationship to the Metabolic Syndrome.; 2006
- Penn State University: Eat Water, Lose Weight
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