Ask an Expert: Can a person eat too much fruit? Q: Health experts tell us to eat lots of fruits and veggies, but can a person eat too much fruit? On an average day, I eat about 2-1/2 cups of grapes, two apples, two pears and, at dinner, two servings of vegetables. I’m trying to lose a little weight and am worried that fruit may be deceptively high in calories and sugar. Answer provided by Terese S...collard, M.B.A., R.D., L.D., regional clinical nutrition manager for Providence Nutrition Services: Yes, fruit is high in natural sugars, and grapes are among the sweetest of fresh fruits. No wonder cold grapes taste so good! Should you cut back on fruit? Probably — especially if you want to lose weight and eat a balanced diet. All of the food groups are important. If you go overboard on one kind of food — even one as terrific as fruit — youll miss out on the valuable properties of other healthy foods. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend two cups of fruit and 2-1/2 cups of vegetables each day for a person on a 2,000-calorie diet. You are eating twice the recommended amount of fruit and less than half the recommended amount of vegetables. This is not an awful problem as diet problems go — it’s better to be nibbling too many grapes than M&Ms; or Cheetos. But a few changes will round out your overall diet and help you drop those pounds more easily. Add up your calories. I really dont like fixating on calories, because an overly strong focus on numbers can blur the big picture, which is to eat a varied diet of healthy foods and not to eat more than your body needs. However, counting your fruit calories will help you see what a big chunk of your diet the fruit makes up. So lets do some math. A good general formula for losing one pound a week is to create a 500-calorie daily deficit through a combination of exercise and diet. (The actual magic number of calories for losing weight depends on your age, height and activity level. But in general, when you eat or drink 3,500 calories more than what your body needs, you’ll gain a pound. When you burn 3,500 calories more than you consume, you’ll lose a pound. So if you burn 500 calories more than you consume each day, you’ll get to that 3,500-calorie deficit in seven days, for a pound a week.) Read more about counting calories. Lets say that you weigh 150 pounds, that you typically eat 2,000 calories per day, and that your goal is to get to that 500-calorie deficit by burning 200 calories through exercise and cutting 300 calories from your diet each day. That makes 1,700 calories your daily limit for what you can consume. Fruit is about 80–100 calories per serving. A serving is one cup of fresh fruit or a half cup of canned fruit. (Yes, the exact calories vary, but these are a useful overall guideline.) You are eating about 7-1/2 servings of fruit per day. At an average of 90 calories per serving, thats 630 calories from fruit alone! Vegetables vary in their calorie counts, but 35 calories per serving is another general guideline. So you are eating another 70 calories from the two daily servings of vegetables you mentioned. That adds up to 700 calories from produce. With a daily limit of 1,700 calories overall, you have only 1,000 calories left! Here are the other daily recommendations for a healthy diet: Five ounces of lean protein (poultry, tofu, fish, dried beans, lean meat). That adds up to about 350 calories; you have 650 calories to go. Three low-fat or non-fat dairy products at about 100 calories each. Subtract 300 from 650; you have 350 calories left. Six servings of grains (make half of them whole grains to get your fiber, B vitamins and a sense of Im full.). At about 80 calories for a one-ounce serving, that equals 480 — and, uh oh, youve already exceeded your goal. Another uh oh: You have no room for healthy fats and oils. The lesson from the math: Those fruit calories hog too much of your daily diet. So here are some strategies to help you lose weight and balance your diet: Trade some fruit for more vegetables. Obviously you love grapes, but can you hold yourself to one cup each day? For the rest of your snacking, try 1-1/2 cups of easy-to-munch raw vegetables, such as cucumbers, carrots, celery, bell pepper, radishes and Chinese peapods. Theyll fill you up and give you fiber, but with a lower calorie count. And youll add a much broader array of nutrients. Eat an orange. Trade a pear for citrus. Citrus fruits are nutritional powerhouses, packing in vitamins C and A, calcium and even a smidge of iron. Take your pick of an orange, tangerine, mandarin orange or grapefruit — and make it the whole fruit, not juice. Bring on the good fats. Too much fat is bad, but you do need 20 to 35 percent of your calories to come from healthy oils and fats. Oils and oily foods provide essential fatty acids (omega-3 and omega-6) that the body cant manufacture on its own. I’m a big fan of fish — such as tuna, salmon, halibut and sardines — as a source of these healthy fats. Other sources are flaxseed meal, tree nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, Brazil nuts), canola oil, soy and wheat germ. (Read more fat facts.) Get more active. Burning extra calories will either hasten your weight loss or bump up the overall calories you can afford to eat while losing a pound a week. Explore the virtues of variety.Its great that you are relying on quality foods and not vitamin supplements as the basis of your diet. Fruits and vegetables have stores of phytochemicals — powerful, naturally occurring substances that cant be bottled or packaged as a pill. The phytochemicals work together, often in mysterious ways, to potentially reduce the risk of certain health problems. We dietitians like to suggest eating a rainbow of fruits and vegetables to maximize nutritional variety and tap into an array of phytochemicals. As they come into season, explore melons, kiwi, peaches, berries, pineapple, mango and cherries. Fruit is wonderful. But youre right in not wanting to overdo a good thing The right amount for you depends on several factors, including age, gender, and physical activity. These characteristics determine how many fruits and vegetables you should be eating everyday. To get started, check our guidelines below to find the right amount that you need to enjoy on a daily basis. Physical activity has been categorized into three levels of exercise above the hustle and bustle of your everyday routine. Lightly Active: An average of less than 30 minutes of exercise a day Women ages 19-30: 2 cups Fruits + 2 1/2 cups Veggies = 4 1/2 cups TOTAL Men ages 19-50: 2 cups Fruits + 3 cups Veggies = 5 cups TOTAL Women ages 31-50: 1 1/2 cups Fruits + 2 1/2 cups Veggies = 4 cups TOTAL Men ages 51+: 2 cups Fruits + 2 1/2 cups Veggies = 4 1/2 cups TOTAL Women ages 51+: 1 1/2 cups Fruits + 2 cups Veggies = 3 1/2 cups TOTAL Moderately Active: An average of 30 to 60 minutes of exercise a day Women ages 19-50: 2 cups Fruits + 2 1/2 cups Veggies = 4 1/2 cups TOTAL Men ages 19-30: 2 cups Fruits + 3 1/2 cups Veggies = 5 1/2 cups TOTAL Women ages 51+: 1 1/2 cups Fruits + 2 1/2 cups Veggies = 4 cups TOTAL Men ages 31+: 2 cups Fruits + 3 cups Veggies = 5 cups TOTAL Very Active: An average of 60 minutes of exercise or more a day Men ages 19-30: 2 1/2 cups Fruits + 4 cups Veggies = 6 1/2 cups TOTAL Women ages 19-50: 2 cups Fruits + 3 cups Veggies = 5 cups TOTAL Men ages 31-50: 2 1/2 cups + 3 1/2 cups Veggies = 6 cups TOTAL Women ages 51+: 2 cups Fruits + 2 1/2 cups Veggies = 4 1/2 cups TOTAL Men ages 51+: 2 cups Fruits + 3 cups Veggies = 5 cups TOTAL So how do you manage to eat that many fruits and veggies a day without running into problems or feeling overwhelmed? Here are some simple ways to cut calories and eat fruits and vegetables throughout your day: Breakfast: Start the Day Right Substitute some spinach, onions, or mushrooms for one of the eggs or half of the cheese in your morning omelet. The vegetables will add volume and flavor to the dish with fewer calories than the egg or cheese. Cut back on the amount of cereal in your bowl to make room for some cut-up bananas, peaches, or strawberries. You can still eat a full bowl, but with fewer calories. Lighten Up Your Lunch Substitute vegetables such as lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, or onions for 2 ounces of the cheese and 2 ounces of the meat in your sandwich, wrap, or burrito. The new version will fill you up with fewer calories than the original. Add a cup of chopped vegetables, such as broccoli, carrots, beans, or red peppers, in place of 2 ounces of the meat or 1 cup of noodles in your favorite broth-based soup. The vegetables will help fill you up, so you wont miss those extra calories. Dinner Add in 1 cup of chopped vegetables such as broccoli, tomatoes, squash, onions, or peppers, while removing 1 cup of the rice or pasta in your favorite dish. The dish with the vegetables will be just as satisfying but have fewer calories than the same amount of the original version. Take a good look at your dinner plate. Vegetables, fruit, and whole grains should take up the largest portion of your plate. If they do not, replace some of the meat, cheese, white pasta, or rice with legumes, steamed broccoli, asparagus, greens, or another favorite vegetable. This will reduce the total calories in your meal without reducing the amount of food you eat. BUT remember to use a normal- or small-size plate — not a platter. The total number of calories that you eat counts, even if a good proportion of them come from fruits and vegetables. Smart Snacks Most healthy eating plans allow for one or two small snacks a day. Choosing most fruits and vegetables will allow you to eat a snack with only 100 calories. About 100 Calories or Less a medium-size apple (72 calories) a medium-size banana (105 calories) 1 cup steamed green beans (44 calories) 1 cup blueberries (83 calories) 1 cup grapes (100 calories) 1 cup carrots (45 calories), broccoli (30 calories), or bell peppers (30 calories) with 2 tbsp. hummus (46 calories) For those wanting to know how much sugar is in various types of fruits:: Fruit Serving - Size - Grams of Fructose Limes 1 medium 0 Lemons 1 medium 0.6 Cranberries 1 cup 0.7 Passion fruit 1 medium 0.9 Prune 1 medium 1.2 Apricot 1 medium 1.3 Guava 2 medium 2.2 Date (Deglet Noor style) 1 medium 2.6 Cantaloupe 1/8 of med. melon 2.8 Raspberries 1 cup 3.0 Clementine 1 medium 3.4 Kiwifruit 1 medium 3.4 Blackberries 1 cup 3.5 Star fruit 1 medium 3.6 Cherries, sweet 10 3.8 Strawberries 1 cup 3.8 Cherries, sour 1 cup 4.0 Pineapple 1 slice (3.5″ x .75″) 4.0 Grapefruit, pink or red 1/2 medium 4.3 Boysenberries 1 cup 4.6 Tangerine/mandarin orange 1 medium 4.8 Nectarine 1 medium 5.4 Peach 1 medium 5.9 Orange (navel) 1 medium 6.1 Papaya 1/2 medium 6.3 Honeydew 1/8 of med. melon 6.7 Banana 1 medium 7.1 Blueberries 1 cup 7.4 Date (Medjool) 1 medium 7.7 Apple (composite) 1 medium 9.5 Persimmon 1 medium 10.6 Watermelon 1/16 med. melon 11.3 Pear 1 medium 11.8 Raisins 1/4 cup 12.3 Grapes, seedless (green or red) 1 cup 12.4 Mango 1/2 medium 16.2 Apricots, dried 1 cup 16.4 Figs, dried 1 cup 23.0 I hope you have found this information as interesting as I have!!!! 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Posted on: Thu, 24 Jul 2014 19:00:14 +0000