Now that we have discussed how fruits help to maintain a healthy weight, we can focus on which fruits are the best for fat loss.
After all, some fruits have more sugar than others and other fruit products are so highly processed that they no longer resemble the fruit they once were.
Top Five Fruits
- Pears: The fiber content of pears is one of the highest–about 4 grams of fiber per medium pear. More fiber means the fruit is more filling and will keep your blood sugar more stable while ingesting the fruit sugar.
- Apples: Just like pears, apples are also very filling. You know what they say; an apple a day keeps the pounds away.
- Melons: These fruits have a very high water content making them very filling and low calorie. For example, you can eat a whole half of a cantaloupe and it is less than 100 calories!
- Cherries: This fruit has one of the lowest glycemic index ratings, meaning the sugars in the fruit are not rapidly absorbed. So, even though cherries taste sweet and delicious, they are a fruit that will keep your blood sugar fairly stable which is ideal for weight loss.
- Grapefruit: This one has a lot of myths surrounding its affect on fat loss. The truth is that grapefruit does not help speed up burning fat directly. However, it still happens to be a great fruit for weight loss since the sugars in grapefruit are not rapidly absorbed.
Fruit Products to Avoid
First of all, it is important to remember to avoid fruit juices even if it is 100% juice. Juice has a highly concentrated amount of sugar and is lacking the filling fiber content of whole fruit.
Secondly, avoid snacking on dried fruit. Half a cup of dried fruit is about 200 calories, but half a cup of fresh grapes is about 60 calories!
Finally, watch out for canned fruit packed in sugary syrups. Fruit can be a great food for fat loss by following a few simple suggestions.
In Singapore it’s Wolf Berries. Full of lots of stuff except a bang of sugar.
Yes to all 5 and any berry is a + 6
i HAVE TRYED EVERY DIET SO WHAT IF I BASE MY CAL INTAKE ON 2000 A DAY
If you like juice, you can dilute it with water (I like 50:50) for less of a quick hit or you could easily combine it with something higher fiber to slow down absorption – either as a separate food, or just add some whole fruit to it. You can actually make your own full-fiber juice in a heavy-duty blender (or a regular one for soft fruits) by just cutting up fresh fruit and adding some ice cubes, but the lazy way is to add frozen fruit to store-bought juice. I do this routinely myself – I add at least half a cup of frozen fruit to 8 oz of juice and blend. Some fruits – up to a full cup (sometimes that makes it more spoonable, which can be a good thing). For the total DIY approach starting with fresh fruit – try freezing pieces of melon or peaches or nectarines or pineapple etc. or individual grapes or strawberries or other berries to make an easy dairy-free “smoothie”. Frozen melon is especially wonderful this way. Just a little water has to be added to blend, experiment. You can combine different fruits, of course.
I’d substitute berries for melon on this list. Berries are loaded with polyphenols and antioxicants and have less of an impact on elevating blood sugar than melons do. Berries have played a big part in my succesful experiences with the Zone diet and lifestyle.
I like the list, but I would agree with Dan and Nicole that strawberries should also be on there, for all the reasons above. I would also add blueberries to the list–blueberries are high in fiber, contain a lot of manganese and vitamin C, and have an extremely high level of antioxidants. I eat them just about every day and they’re awesome!
I agree! Strawberries would have been on my list, a bonus fruit. However, I figure we all normally think of strawberries as making the list, so I wanted to switch it up a little. And thanks for the great added information!
I agree with the fruits listed- esp. since I previously noted that a person could eat a whole lot of cantaloupe for 100 calories. Cantaloupe is also loaded with Vitamin C and Beta Carotene. I agree that apples and pears are filling. I don’t eat cherries very often, and grapefruit virtually never. However, I would suggest maybe making room for a 6th fruit- strawberries. It is possible that even more fruits could also make the list. Strawberries only have 9 calories per ounce, compared to 25 for bananas. Therefore a person could eat a whole lot of them for few calories. They are loaded with more Vitamin C than oranges. The main drawback to them is the price. Strawberries are expensive. One reason I eat so many bananas is that they are relatively cheap. Here is a quote from an article Leo Galland wrote in the Huffpost May 11, 2011.
The ellagic acid and anthocyanins found in strawberries aid weight loss in at least three ways:
1. Chronic inflammation blocks the hormones involved in keeping you lean. Anti-inflammatory foods like strawberries help restore normal function to weight-reducing hormones.
2. Anthocyanins actually increase the body’s production of a hormone called adiponectin, which stimulates your metabolism and suppresses your appetite.
3. Both ellagic acid and anthocyanins slow the rate of digestion of starchy foods, controlling the rise in blood sugar that follows a starchy meal. This effect is used to control blood sugar in people with adult-onset (Type 2) diabetes.