The recent trend of believing fruits to be unhealthy should not be followed. The irresponsibility of some influences and the promotion of a low sugar diet have led to many people cut off fruits from the diet. There many reasons why you should not listen to these uncertified voices.
There are many kinds of diet out there for people to follow, which cut different food groups like dairy, gluten, caffeine, or sugar. Wild cutting out these sounds like a brilliant idea to lead a healthy life; not all so-called ‘healthy’ choices make sense. One such diet is one that excludes fruits.
It sounds absurd; however, its effect has been seen by looking at the declining rate of fruit consumption along with the rise of a sugar cleanse diet. This sugar cleanses diet propagated by uncertified health bloggers is the cause behind the study decline in fruit consumption. According to a statement by Public Health England, only 31% of adults and 8% of teenagers consume the optional minimum of five a day of fruit and vegetable.
What is the reason behind the growing bad reputation of fruits?
While the trendy influencers and alarmist headlines are the biggest culprits behind the lousy reputation of fruits, a particular right-wing paper is taking the crown as a recently published article proclaiming that fructose is a fattening carbohydrate.
Faith Toogood, a certified dietitian, tries to clear the misconception by clarifying that even though fruits contain sugar, it is neither harmful nor fattening. The rise in low sugar diets and restrictive diets keto is also responsible for the decline in fruit consumption.
The Actual Truth behind the nutritional value of fruits
Obesity rates are alarmingly rising, and the number of people with diabetes is also at an all-time high. These figures are not only caused by eating sugar. People also should need to understand that type 2 diabetes is not caused by sugar intake but weight gain. It is also improbable that pure fruit juice or fruits are solely responsible for your diet’s sugar, causing weight gain.
High insulin levels are associated with obesity and heart disease. Still, all carbohydrates are essentially sugar if you look at them correctly. So, even if you cut off all fruits but keep some carbohydrates in your diet, it will raise your blood sugar level. What people need is a balanced diet, and everything should be in moderation.
‘But it’s all about portions – eating an entire punnet of grapes is never going to be good. It’s boring, but the diet ethos everyone should follow is moderation and balance.’
It’s all about calories.
These misconceptions that people have and are propagated by influences are why many people cannot lose their weight. Even after consuming so-called healthy options, some people cannot eliminate excess weight. This is because of the calories contained in the food. We have to keep in mind that anything, when eaten in excess, will cause you to gain weight. Dr. Hazel Wallace has said that the main reasons for the misunderstanding arise from our classification of sugars.
Some kinds of sugar are found naturally in foods, like fructose in fruits, glucose in honey, and lactose in milk, whereas others are added to foods. We refer to these added sugars as free sugars now – these include sugars added to food and beverages by the producer, cook, or consumer and “natural sugars” found in honey, syrups, and juices.
Why you need fruits?
Now that’s a lot of misconceptions have been cleared, here are few benefits of fruits:
- It is brain food and helps in maintaining our mental as well as physical well being.
- Fruits help in maintaining a healthy bowel movement as it is rich in fiber.
- Fruits have many vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that help us from chronic diseases and maintain a sound immune system.
- Fruits contain water, which contributes to the fluid intake of your body. This is especially important in the case of summer fruits in
- tropical regions.
- Fruits are convenient to carry and consume anywhere. They can even be eaten raw and do not need almost any preparation. It is also
- great for snacking. A wide variety of colorful fruits can be a brilliant replacement for unhealthy candy.
