While fruit is usually considered a healthy food (and a great sweet treat!), some fruits are not on the list of the best fruits to help you lose weight. Fruit contains the vitamins, nutrients and fiber you need to stay fit. Like any other food, you should eat fruits in moderation. It is also important to choose wisely what kind of fruit you eat. Consuming too many sugary fruits can put on pounds. While they’re still better than a bag of chips, some fruits are worse than others. Stay clear dried fruit And tropical fruits if you want to lose weight.
To learn more about why dried fruits 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 physician. They said dried fruit is detrimental to weight loss goals because the water has been removed from dried fruit. So this concentrates all the sugar and calories in a much smaller package. And tropical fruits like mango, papaya and pineapple aren’t great for weight loss because they contain more sugar than other fruits. Read on to find out more!
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Dried fruit
Dried fruit is fruit from which almost all of the water has been drained through drying methods. The fruit shrinks during this process, leaving behind a small, dried fruit. Raisins, dates, prunes, figs and apricots are the most common types of dried fruit. Other types of dried fruit are also available, sometimes in candied (sugar-coated) form. These include mangoes, pineapples, cranberries, bananas and apples. Dried fruit has a much longer shelf life than fresh fruit after the drying process. Many people eat them as a snack or as an addition to their salad, oatmeal or even yogurt.
But when dried fruit is eaten in excess, it can have a destructive 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 used to be in the fruit have been taken away.
“Dried fruit usually contains more sugar than I prefer to consume, mainly because it is very concentrated in nature,” explains Richards. “This fruit, regardless of the type, contains a significant amount of calories and sugar.”
While fresh fruit is known for its sugar content, it is usually offset by the fiber. But the dried variety is devoid of much of the fiber that makes fruit so great for weight loss. “This is mainly due to the preparation method which creates a high concentration of sugar and calories in a small serving. Due to the small nature of dried fruit, it’s easy to overeat on these snacks and the calories add up quickly,” Richards warns.
Tropical fruits
“Everything is fine in moderation; that said, many are not good with moderation when it comes to eating and dieting,” says Dr. primack. And that includes what, according to Dr. Primack are “the tropical” fruits. Tropical fruits are considered to be bananas, papaya, mango and pineapple.
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 the other fruit groups (berries and fruits that grow in the continental US), and if you’re trying to avoid sugar, it’s best to avoid this group.” Tropical fruits can contain hidden calories that can hinder your weight loss plans. It is best to avoid these fruits as they are also overly sweet.
That’s why nutritionists and weight loss experts like Richards and Dr. Primack, to avoid dried fruits and tropical fruits. These are the worst fruits for weight loss because they provide no nutritional benefit or are too high in sugar and calories. Instead, opt for fruits like blueberries and grapefruit, which provide fiber and metabolism-boosting properties. Your body will thank you for it!
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