Most fruits are packed full of vitamins and minerals and are also high in fiber, so fruits are certainly a healthy food option, but as far their sugar content goes some fruits are better than others. Too much sugar is not good—that’s a fact, and the statement remains just as true whether the sugar has come from candy and cakes or from fruit.
Of course one of the big problems with fruit is it’s all too easy to forget it is a sugar-provider because . . . well, everyone knows fruit is good for you don’t they? And don’t all the medical and nutritional experts advise everyone to eat at least five pieces of fruit or veg each day? Of course they do, because fruit is good for you. It’s just a great pity that mother nature sometimes packages all those fruity vitamins and minerals etc. with enough sugar to help the eater develop a very fruity-looking pear-shape or—shudder!—the dreaded apple-shape.
Can Fruit Really make you Fat, You’re Kidding Right?
Nope! Fruit can do that to you. Fruit is still good of course. It’s just a case of getting the balance right and making sure you don’t eat too much fruit with a high sugar content. Just two cups of sliced bananas, for instance, can provide around 36g of sugar, and the riper the banana the worse it is because the sugar content in bananas increases as they ripen.
Maybe 36g of sugar doesn’t sound that bad. “It’s certainly no Mars bar,” I hear you argue.
Nope! It certainly is not. A standard (54g) Mars bar only contains around 32.1g of sugar. But it doesn’t have the same healthy-looking yellow packaging, so everyone knows it’s a bad-boy right from the start.
How Much Sugar is Too Much Sugar?
The American Heart Foundation warns against eating more than 36g of sugar a day, if you are a man and 26g of sugar a day, if you are a woman. Figures like that are enough to give banana plantation owner’s the collywobbles, but their businesses are safe. The sales will still come rolling in because everyone knows that fruit is good for you, right?
How Can Too Much Sugar Hurt Me?
Too much sugar (even fruity sugar) can contribute to tooth decay and weight gain. It can also elevate triglyceride levels, which may then lead to heart disease and high cholesterol. In fact, some studies suggest too much fructose (natural fruit sugar) may be more damaging to the health than many other sugar forms such as glucose
I Didn’t Know any of that; Which Fruits Have the Highest Sugar Content?
The following fruits contain a higher amount of sugar than most other fruits, but that doesn’t mean you need to avoid them entirely, it just means a little caution is advised whenever you are looking for a fruity fix.
- Raisins: 100g of Raisins provides 59g of sugar and 299 calories.
- Figs: 100g of figs provides 16g of sugar and 74 calories.
- Grapes: 100g of grapes provides 16g sugar and 67 calories.
- Pomegranates: 100g of Pomegranate provides 14g sugar and 83 calories.
- Mangos: 100g of Mango provides 14g of sugar and 60 calories.
Who would have ever thought raisins capable of smuggling so much sugar into the body? Downright sneaky, that’s what it is, but never mind, raisins aren’t all bad. They are also packed full of vitamins and minerals and, like the grapes that made them, raisins are a source of resveratrol (a polyphenol anti-oxidant) and several studies indicate resveratrol can protect against cancer, reduce the likelihood of heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and numerous other nasties that have the ability to spoil a person’s day.
Raisins are also high in dietary fiber. That means they can help you poop and purge the colon and of waste matter that could have a detrimental effect on the health.
They are good for detoxifying the liver too; so like most things in life, they may not be perfect, but they are still good. The same can be said of the other fruits in the list so total avoidance is probably a little OTT. Moderation is the key—a healthy, balanced diet.
Now howabout one of the best fruits
There are obviously many fruits that can promote long term weight loss. To find out arguably the best slimming fruit click here
