How Much Fruit Is Good For You?
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Summer brings an abundance of delicious fruits… and fruit is good for you, right?
For most people, fruit is a good source of nutrition as long as it forms part of a
balanced diet. That means that fruit should be eaten as part of a meal not as a meal
in itself. Summer fruits are very high in sugar. It does not matter whether the sugar is natural fruit sugar or refined sucrose (white sugar), your body still treats it as an energy source with a high glycaemic index. This means your body quickly breaks down the sugar and needs to release insulin in order to metabolise it. |
I recommend that one should eat between 2 and 4 serves of fruit per day with a serve being what fits into a single hand. If you want to eat more occasionally that is OK, but it should not become a habit.
If you are trying to lose or manage your wieght then fruit should be limited to 2 serves per day including fruit juices and dried fruit. 125ml (1/2 a glass) of fruit juice or 30gm of dried fruit is considered a serve.
To lower the glycaemic index of the fruit (which releases the energy slowly rather than all at once) you could eat your fruit with natural yogurt (avoiding “lite” or skim yogurts), nuts or as a desert after your meal.
Diabetics should consult with their primary health care provider as to how much fruit they should eat.
Children, because they are generally more physically active, can eat more fruit.
Although too much fruit can be a problem, fruit is still a far better snack than processed fruit sticks,
dried fruits (which are very high in sugar) or other sweets (which contain little nutritional value).
Since stone fruits are high in vitamin C, they may cause loose stools if your child eats too much. If this
happens simply reduce the fruit intake and make sure your child drinks water to replace the lost
fluid (especially on hot days).