There was a time when we didn't question whether fruit was good for us, when we more or less took "eat your fruits and veggies" to heart. Today, many people are worried fruit is high in sugar, carbs and calories.
There's so much information available on the internet, and people follow diets promoted by celebrities without understanding what's actually good for them and their body. Being a nutritionist, it's a struggle for us to help patients understand what's actually good for them.
One of my patients wouldn't eat any fruit other than blueberries because she'd heard and read the myth, promoted by fad diets, that blueberries are the only "safe" fruit to eat because they're "low glycemic," i.e. they don't spike blood sugar levels.
A lot of new diet trends like keto, pegan and others eliminate the fruit group completely; in fact, they even call fruit "toxic" because of its sugar content.
So is the sugar in fruit really bad for you?
The truth is, there's a huge difference between added sugar — like white sugar, or even more "natural" sugars like jaggery, coconut sugar or honey — and the sugar found in fruit. Added sugars don't come with additional nutrients (although a case could be made for some, like honey or jaggery, but you'd have to consume a very large quantity of them to get the trace amount of nutrients).
When you eat an apple, a papaya, a peach or some berries, their sugar comes wrapped in a fibre-rich, water-rich, nutrient-rich package. That fibre slows the release of the fruit's natural sugar into your bloodstream, preventing a sugar spike, especially if you eat your fruit as part of a meal or snack that contains protein and healthy fats.
The fibre in fruit also contributes to feelings of fullness and better digestion, and it helps feed the good bacteria in your gut.
Of course, "eat your fruit" means eat a whole fruit, not fruit juice — so you can take care of the sugar intake. Fruit juice even lacks the fibre content, which makes it high GI, i.e. it spikes your blood sugar.
On the topic of diabetes: diabetes doesn't mean you have to exclude fruit from your diet. It means you have to eat a reasonable portion (one standard serving) at a time and not overdo it. It's also wise to pair your fruit with protein or healthy fat — like fruit with a few nuts, or Greek yogurt with fruit — to slow the absorption of glucose into your blood. But you still don't have to cut out fruit, contrary to popular belief.
Fruit also contains tons of vitamins and minerals, especially vitamins A and C, potassium and magnesium. Finally, fruit is one of the best sources of disease-fighting phytonutrients — different colours of fruit represent different phytonutrients, many with cancer-fighting antioxidant or inflammation-lowering properties. Eating fruit is associated with a lower risk of cancer, heart disease and memory problems.
Bottom line: an apple a day keeps the doctor away! Fruit is nutritious, so don't eliminate it from your diet — you can limit your serving size. The sugar in fruit is definitely not the same as extra added sugars.
