Should I eat that? Fruits

There are so many mixed messages about eating fruits out there so what should you do? Do you go eat those berries and mangoes or do you skip out on them?

Let’s think about we know about fruits. Most of us don’t eat enough of them so we aren’t gaining the natural health benefits that arise from them like antioxidant support or benefiting from the various nutrients and minerals that they possess. Nutrients like Vitamin C, potassium, fiber, folate are all present in various fruits which definitely can aid reducing weight gain, high blood pressure, and various other chronic diseases but can there be too much of a good thing?

On the downside, eating too many fruits can results in excess weight gain not only because most fruits have carbs but also because they are made up of fructose which is harder for the body to digest so often diets say to limit fruit consumption and eat more veggies because veggies are missing fructose but still have fiber to keep you full longer. So if you have diabetes, should be eating fruits? Probably not but best to check with your doctor because there are fruits with lower fructose content out there. Another reason, fruits are sometimes avoided in excess amounts is because of bacteria. You know that tough skin on mangoes that you peel away, you do this not only because you need to eat the inside of the mango but also because bacteria could be present on the outside. A good rule of thumb is too always wash your fruit and make sure the skin hasn’t been broken because if it has bacteria could have entered the inside of the fruit resulting in you getting sick!

Eating fruit has its benefits and cons but how much you eat and when you eat it is just as important. Eating fruits before and after a workout is probably good thing as the carbs will help you fuel your workout as well as be easily burned after a workout. Eating fresh fruit is always better than preserved frozen fruit or canned fruit due to the extra chemicals needed to keep it frozen.

Choose wisely and enjoy your fruit!