Around food there are 101 myths; among others, the existence of foods with negative calories -those that in addition to not Add they manage to subtract from our diet- and the unwritten rule that drinking a lot fruit get fat Or is it also a matter of not taking it as dessert after a big meal?
Actually, the two assumptions they raise rivers of ink when it’s time to get in shape and temptations lurk everywhere, from the beach bar to life sedentary that are often imposed by the high temperatures of the summer.
But what about certain in both statements? The fruit does it get fat? No, she does not. What’s more, she is the best ally of a diet of slimming. “She’s very low on calorieshas few sugars and does not provide fat”, explains Laura Isabel Arranz, dietitian-nutritionist at dietalogica.com, ensuring that there are many nutritional reasons to include it in our menus. “The first is that we add a fresh food and normally in season, providing in turn its vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber, some nutrients that are essential for our health”, he points out.
Does eating a lot of fruit make you fat?
So what is the issueWhy is the belief that fruit makes you fat so widespread? The answer must be found in the amount of fructose that it contributes to our organism. “Fructose is like glucose, a sugar monosaccharide and the sweetest of all carbs natural sources”, explain the experts from the European Food Information Council (EUFIC), and “provides the same Energy calories per gram than any other sugar or digestible carbohydrate, that is, 4 kilocalories per gram”.
However, between fructose and sugar there are differences. “The Liberation of the fructose in the blood it is slower, because it is accompanied by fiber, something that does not happen when you eat sugar refined, which reaches the bloodstream directly, generating insulin spikes,” says Dario Santana, RealFitness Trainer. And it is these spikes that ensure that all that glucose is stored, mostly in the form of fat.
That is, the way in which the body assimilates both substances is not the same. In addition, “fruits are foods normally low in calories and thanks to its effect satiating they help to reduce hunger, as long as they are eaten whole, since in juice they lose fiber and a large part of their nutrients”, warns the coach. For example, compared to the 103 calories that a sweetened yogurt provides, a apple of 100 grams it has only 52 calories; the same quantity of pineapple adds 50.76 calories and a bananaone of the most famous fruits for gaining weight, adds only 89 calories.
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What happens if I eat fruit at night?
Even so, it is an established belief: eating fruit at night he gets fat. What is true? “Let’s start because the fruit provides a low amount of Energyregardless of whether you eat it in the morning, at noon or in the evening night”, points out Carolina González, PhD in Nutrition and Food Sciences from the University of Granada and author of the blog ‘Nutritional Awareness’. “And we must take into account that its main composition is Water, simple sugars (fructose and glucose) and that also provide fiber, vitaminsminerals and antioxidants”. Therefore, it is a good food to take at any time.
Affirming that fruit is fattening after a specific hour is nothing more than “a myth that lacks scientific rigor and foundation,” also points out José Luis Flores, dietitian and nutritionist at the More Healthy Clinic in Seville. “There is no food with the ability to make us lose or gain weight, but there is an expense that the body has and an energy intake. In short, you do not gain weight or lose weight for a specific product or food, but for the set of calories we take in throughout the day. And the fruit is mostly low in calories and rich in nutrients and fiber, he insists.
So what happens to the dinners? Why so many doubts? What happens is that at that time of day “we are tired and we want something quick and easy,” says Carolina González. The problem is not in eating fruit, but in “dining a bowl with five parts (I’m over the three servings recommended in a single sitting), with its corresponding sugar too much (which I’m not going to spend because I’m going to sleep in half an hour)”, he explains.
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Does fruit get fat for dessert?
It is one of the most repeated questions in the nutritionist’s consultation Laura Isabel Arranz. “In case anyone has any doubts, a piece or serving of fruit after eating does not make you fat, does not make you feel bad (except in people with gastrointestinal problems) and does not produce any harmful effect, quite the opposite,” he says.
In fact, the nutritionist recommends opting for a piece like dessert “because it is a fresh and pleasant way to end meals.” if we take a fruit we avoid other foods that can incorporate excesses of sugars and fats. “The desserts that are normally ordered can provide some calories extras that are not needed after a meal”, explains the expert. As an example, the 466 calories included in a brownies or the more than 300 that a slice of cheesecake has.
Another thing is when we talk about excesses, warns, or when looking for strategies to slim down. In these cases it is better to take the fruit for dessert at midmorning and mid-afternoon. “That works, but only due to the fact that we are distributing and decreasing the calories taken in during the day,” adds Arranz.
Does fruit lose weight if taken before eating?
The answer is no, because there is no food with calories negative“It’s a myth, they don’t exist,” says Ramón de Cangas, PhD in Functional and Molecular Biology and member of the Advisory Committee of the General Council of Professional Associations of Dietitians-Nutritionists in Spain. However, it is a practice works in weight control regimens. “It’s not that I lose weight, it’s that if I eat the fruit before eating, the feeling of hunger and this will make me avoid eating later quickly and automatically, because its fiber and content in Water will reduce the desire to eat“, Explain Caroline Gonzalez.