Losing weight can be a challenge for some people. It requires engaging in physical activities and persistently consuming a healthy diet. Health experts agree that a diet enriched with fruits and vegetables is the best for those willing to shed some extra pounds. Such a diet contains fewer calories and sugar than sweet treats and also provides vitamins that contribute to enhanced energy, cognition, and improved general health. While these are the facts, do you know that you shouldn’t consume all kinds of fresh fruits when trying to lose weight? Although all are healthy, some fruits don’t support weight loss. If you have finally decided to incorporate fruits into your diet, give our list of 5 fruits to avoid for weight loss a read.
Here are some fruits that won’t support your weight loss. These could also impact your digestive health due to the high concentration of simple carbs.
Eating fruits can be beneficial for your health as they provide essential vitamins and minerals. Some fruits have a high-calorie content, making it more difficult to shed extra pounds.
Avocado is one of those fruits that’s high in calories. With 100 grams containing up to 160 calories, limiting it to a few times a week or even less is best. Even though avocados are rich in healthy fats, their calorie content overrides their benefits when eaten regularly. About 77% of its calories come from fat (1). To maintain a healthy weight, you must watch how much avocado you include in your diet.
Meanwhile, consider incorporating fruits such as oranges and apples. These fruits help you lose weight when accompanied by a rich diet and a healthy lifestyle.
Mangos are one of the highest sugary fruits to avoid for weight loss.
They have a high content of vitamins A and C which make them great for healthy skin and hair and reduction of colon and breast cancer (2). Simultaneously, their high sugar content can be as high as 31g per mango (3). It can have dire implications for your diet.
Fortunately, they are quite large, which means you can either share or slice them before eating to lower your sugar intake. A typical mango contains over 40 grams of sugar which is high compared to other fruits. Eating a mango in moderation can still be beneficial as long as paired with an active lifestyle and exercise routine.
Read More: Beware Of Bad Fruits For Weight Loss!
Given how all the water content has been removed, dried fruits tend to have a high level of natural sugars. They pack a significant portion of calories and sugar in a smaller package. The following are some examples of sugars packed in dried fruits (4):
Around 22% – 55% of this sugar is fructose. Consuming plenty of fructose may bring negative effects, such as increased weight, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes (5).
Dried fruit can be a great way to boost your daily intake of fiber and key nutrients. These potent treats can provide numerous health benefits thanks to their high antioxidants.
That being said, dried fruit is also high in calories and sugar, making it an important food group to watch out for when trying to maintain or lose weight. To ensure you don’t consume too much, always stick to smaller servings of dried fruits. It would be best to balance them with nutrient-dense vegetables and fresh fruits to avoid negative weight loss.
Avoid processed foods or sugary snacks like cakes, cookies, or pre-packaged treats. They’re not only bad for overall health, but they can also inhibit weight loss as well.
Coconuts are celebrated for their amazing health benefits, particularly the water found inside them. The white meat of a coconut, also called the kernel, is one of the foods to avoid for weight loss.
The creamy texture and delightful sweet flavor are hard to resist. This is one of the foods that add body mass if eaten in large quantities due to its high-calorie count and carbohydrates. Even though it’s hard to avoid this delicious treat, anyone embracing a weight loss journey will have much better results if they skip out on foods like coconut meat.
Further, some research also shows that coconut oil can increase LDL (bad cholesterol levels), which often contributes to heart diseases (6). Thus, it is a food that you must take in moderation.
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Bananas are high in nutrients and bring many health benefits. They contain plenty of fiber and carbs alongside some essential minerals and vitamins.
A medium-sized banana contains:
All these minerals are accompanied by around 105 calories and 90% of which are carbohydrates. On the other hand, bananas contain a lower content of fat and proteins.
One medium banana provides 7% of the daily fiber intake. And fiber plays a significant role in regulating bowel movements (7). A study performed on 252 women for 20 months discovered that for every extra gram of fiber consumed by women each day, their body weight was 0.55 pounds lower (8).
Scientists believe this happens because fiber makes you feel full. Consequently, you tend to consume fewer calories in the long term.
Eating various fruits as part of a daily diet can provide essential nutrients and make weight loss easier. Bananas are well known to be full of potassium, but other fruit options should also be considered when trying to lose weight.
Pears and apples are higher in fiber than bananas, while cherries, avocados, and grapes have lower per-serving amounts. Experts recommend that people aim for two or more fruits daily as part of an overall nutritious lifestyle. This could include an occasional medium-sized banana as a part of a healthy weight-loss plan.
It is important to note that vegetables generally contain more dietary fiber than fruits. You should do your homework and find out which vegetables and fruits to avoid for weight loss. For example, if you prioritize vegetables in your meals to lose weight, try to avoid potatoes, corn, and peas.
If you’re looking to stay fit, watermelon is one of the fruits that will be your companion in this journey.
While watermelons are known for being low in calories and carbs, they also pack a lot of hidden nutritional benefits. For example, they contain L-arginine, which helps to build muscles (9). One of the main advantages of having watermelon as an occasional snack is that its high water content keeps you feeling full and satiated for hours. This is particularly important when trying to limit calorie intake.
A study conducted in 2019 supported the idea that watermelons aid in losing weight (10). In a test to see the effects of watermelon on health-related measures, overweight and obese men and women were divided into two groups.
One group ate two cups of watermelon daily, while the other consumed vanilla wafer cookies. This exercise ran for four weeks with a break in between. The participants could enjoy the designated snacks any time during the day, even as part of a bigger meal.
At the end of the trial period, both groups exchanged snacks after a 2-4 week “washout period.” The results showed an interesting correlation between individuals consuming regular doses of watermelon and their general well-being compared to those who ate vanilla wafers as part of their daily diets.
This study involved 92 calories from both snacks. It revealed that after four weeks of watermelon consumption, the body weight and BMI were significantly lower, but after four weeks of cookies, they were significantly higher.
Further, the four weeks of cookies led to higher blood pressure and body fat with no change in the watermelon intervention. Interestingly, the study also revealed that the watermelon led to longer periods of feeling full and satisfied after eating the snack – something that could benefit those trying hard to maintain or reach their weight loss goals.
If done right, incorporating watermelons into your diet can benefit your journey toward healthier habits. Besides their role in weight loss, watermelons are also a good source of Vitamin C. They help to maintain immune health and supply the body with Vitamin C, which is key for eyesight.
Read More: Are Avocados Keto? Here’s the Lowdown on these Creamy Fruits
Grapes are also one of the best fruits to include in your diet. Unlike other high-sugar fruits to avoid for weight loss, grapes are one of the best foods to include in your diet if you’re trying to lose weight.
Grapes contain no sodium, cholesterol, or fat. This means you can enjoy them guilt-free. Plus, high amounts of water in grapes help your body to flush out toxins that may otherwise cause a slow metabolism.
Their skins are loaded with powerful antioxidants such as quercetin and resveratrol, which can help reduce your risk of heart disease (11). These nutrients also help lower bad cholesterol while aiding weight loss.
It’s important to remember that grapes can contain up to 15g of sugar per cup, so they should be enjoyed responsibly. Still, grapes are an easy and tasty treat with plenty of health benefits!
Eating grapes with a meal can also fill you up and help you avoid overeating high-calorie foods. Therefore, incorporating this high-sugar fruit into your diet has many benefits when shedding excess pounds.
Fruits are an incredible source of essential vitamins and minerals, but many people don’t realize the calories fruits contain. They should not be completely removed from your diet due to their nutritional value. Instead, it is important to practice balance and moderation.
Eating 3-4 small servings (each a bit more than half a cup) should work well to get the most benefits while keeping additional calorie intake low.
When trying to lose weight, fruits are best eaten earlier in the day, as consuming fruits at night before bed can ferment in the stomach leading to indigestion and extra weight gain. Try to research more about fruits to avoid at night for weight loss if you are concerned about particular fruits contributing to your weight gain.
Therefore, paying attention to portion size and what time fruits are consumed is key when incorporating them into any diet plan.
It is easy to fall into the trap of believing that eating fruits throughout the day while on a diet will automatically lead to weight loss. This is a misguided belief that results in weight gain.
Although fruits are rich in natural sugars and calories, their health benefits should not be ignored. Focus on portion control when consuming them for weight loss.
Experts recommend three servings of fruit per day and no more than that. This is so because a higher intake defeats the purpose. If your goal is to maintain a calorie deficit, it may become necessary to cut out fruits completely from your diet.
A good practice would be to have nutrient-dense and fibrous fruits daily to lose weight. They help beat cravings without adding too many extra calories.
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Many popular foods are unfortunately laden with sugar, refined carbs, and saturated fat. These foods add extra calories to your diet and make it difficult to lose weight.
Most of the time, these foods are typically very low in fiber and protein, which helps satiate hunger. Over time, consuming large amounts of sugary snacks could increase the risk of diabetes and other health conditions (12).
To better manage your health-related goals, try to opt for healthier alternatives with the same sweetness and heartiness level without lacking in important macro and micronutrients.
Here is the list of foods you should avoid when trying to lose weight:
French fries and potato chips might be delicious and convenient snack foods, but it’s important to consider the potential health risks of eating too much of them. Despite their diet-spoiling reputation, observational studies have shown a clear link between consuming these foods and weight gain (13).
In addition, research has suggested that a single serving of potato chips could contribute more to weight gain than other commonly eaten snacks (14). It is also worth noting that the high temperatures used during cooking can produce acrylamides, which have been linked to cancer in animal studies (15).
Moderation is key when treating yourself to French fries or potato chips. So, enjoy them as part of a balanced diet for the best health results.
Sugar-sweetened beverages, such as soda, contain high levels of calories and added sugar. Together, they can lead to weight gain and negative health impacts when consumed in excess.
Unfortunately, the calories present in these drinks don’t have the same effect on you as solid food due to their liquid state. This means that your brain does not register them adequately. Consequently, even though they are loaded with calories, they do not make you feel full, so you consume more food. This is something that doesn’t happen with normal food.
To promote healthy habits and assist with weight loss goals, it is highly recommended to substitute sugary drinks for healthier alternatives such as flavored water, kombucha, tea, or coffee.
Although drinking fruit juice seems like a healthier option than soda, many processed juices available at the store are far from wholesome. They may contain large amounts of sugar and calories that can easily float under the radar, but these juices lack fiber.
Besides being in liquid form, consuming large quantities is easier without satisfying hunger cravings (16). Given that no chewing is required, it may be difficult for your body to determine how much you’ve actually had. It is, thus, best to stick with eating whole fruits and ensure that your juice consumption doesn’t exceed 4 ounces (118 milliliters) per serving.
In conclusion, eating more fruit instead of junk food is an ideal way to lose weight. They are packed with fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that keep the body healthy and young. Plus, you will enjoy feeling full long after eating a delicious bowl of fruit, which is why this is an excellent strategy for weight loss.
Eating fruit is far healthier than junk food as it offers much more nutrients. When combined with exercises, they can lead to long-term weight-loss success. Make sure to incorporate a variety of fresh seasonal fruits into your diet today and start seeing results!
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