10 Ways Fruit Can Make You Fat!
While the vitamins and minerals present in fruit are undeniable, a nutritious food is not necessarily one that will help you to lose weight or even maintain your current weight. In fact, fruit may even be the reason you’re getting fat!
10. You’re falling for the ‘health food’ fallacy. If you believe that eating a bowl of fruit for lunch entitles you to a second helping at dinner, you could be falling prey to this way of thinking. When eating healthful foods allows you to relax and think you are doing well when, in actuality, you are overeating later to compensate, you may indeed pack on the pounds.
9. You have insulin resistance or diabetes and don’t know it. The American Diabetes Foundation has estimated that over two million people in the United States are diabetic and don’t know it. If you have mild diabetes or its precursor, insulin resistance, snacking on high-sugar fruits could lead you to a spike in blood sugar. This can cause intense feelings of hunger and lead to overeating.
8. If fruit gives you diarrhea, it’s likely making you fat. Some people get uncontrollable diarrhea from fruit, usually because of the high amount of fiber present in many fruits. While this can cause a temporary loss of weight, the pounds will pack right back on once the diarrhea is resolved and your body craves sugar and carbohydrates to make up for the loss.
7. Snacking on fruit can lead to snacking more often. Once you get into a habit, it’s hard to break. If you are constantly nibbling on fruit, you may become more likely to nibble on other foods as well. This can cause a spike in your overall calorie consumption and make you gain weight over time.
6. For some people, stimulating the sweet tooth is a bad idea. If you have trouble regulating your consumption of sweets, choosing fruit instead of chocolate can be self-defeating. To stymie a craving for sweetness, try something hot such as a pepper or something sour like pickles.
5. You’re making smoothies and sucking down enormous amounts of calories. Fruit smoothies can be a nutritional powerhouse, but you need to be cognizant of the amount of calories you’re drinking. A smoothie with a few bananas, a fistful of strawberries and a cup of milk can clock in at 400 calories or more.
4. Your brain doesn’t know you’re full of fruit. Even if your insulin response is perfectly normal, the fructose in fruit doesn’t trigger the satiation response in your brain. This means that you could very well eat a huge plate of fruit and still not feel full. You will get fat if you don’t keep an eye on how much you are eating.
3. You can expand the capacity of your stomach with fruit, leading you to eat more overall. Our stomachs can stretch to a ridiculous degree. If you eat a ton of fruit, all that water and fiber can stretch your stomach. Then, when it’s time for a normal meal, you may overeat because you don’t feel full.
2. Pesticides have been shown to disrupt natural hormone levels. Unless all of your fruit is organic, you could very easily be ingesting pesticides daily. These chemicals have been proven to disrupt hormone levels, especially estrogen. A hormone imbalance can pile on the pounds, in addition to affecting your fertility.
1. It can destroy your teeth. The sugar and acids found in fruit can break down the enamel of your teeth, making them sore and painful. Once this happens, you may be restricted to soft, processed foods and more fruit! Being unable to chew properly can lead to serious weight gain, especially if you can’t manage vegetables and other healthy foods.
Fruit can be a wonderful part of a healthy diet, but it’s not a foolproof plan to losing or even maintaining your weight. By keeping these tips in mind, you can make smart dietary decisions and avoid the pitfalls of fruit-related weight gain.
