What about the sugar in fruit?

A common misconception about food when you are trying to lose weight is the sugar in fruit. When I do a nutritional analysis for a client and see no to little fruit, I always ask why. The response: "I thought fruit was bad for you - too much sugar".

So, is fruit bad for you? Is there too much sugar in it?

I love fruit. I don't think fruit is bad for you. But, I hold it to the same standard as all the food I consume - moderation! You can eat too much of a healthy food. Really, you can. Fruit included. I love fruit because it is natural. It is good. It is fresh. And as the seasons change, the fruits change. I think all of this is good.

Now there are some other options. Let's look at some of them.

An advertisement caught my eye - Del Monte's Fruit Naturals - with the tagline "It's healthy snacking made simple". Okay, healthy snacking is good. Simple is good.

1/2 cup serving size
70 calories
Okay, not too bad so far...
16g sugar

Would this product be better or the same as real fruit? This is an interesting website - Sugar Stacks - that gives you a visual of the amount of sugar in natural fruits.

Okay, for our little peach here, it is 12g sugar for 1 cup serving. So, if there is that much sugar in it, would the "Fruit Naturals" be a better choice?

Not necessarily.

The "Fruit Naturals" is a packaged product. Imagine sitting down and eating a serving of Fruit Naturals peach and then eating a natural peach. Look at the colors. Smell it. Taste it. Yes, the packaged product is going to taste sweeter, because of what they have added to make it so. But what you will taste from the real peach is real flavor. It's not processed. It's grown. It's natural.

• Yes, there is sugar in real fruit. 
• Yes, there is sugar in processed fruit. 

But, if I had to choose - I would choose real fruit - every day!

• You can eat more of it. 1/2 cup serving of packaged fruit vs. 1 cup real fruit. 
• It's healthier, fresher. 
• It's good for you, natural. 

So, going back to my previous comment - moderation! How much is too much? The USDA recommends 1-1/2 to 2 cups daily of fruit. That's not a whole lot, considering our little peach is 1 cup. So, moderation is key, as with any food you eat.

Don't be afraid of fruits. Take the time to eat a variety of fruits. Eat as natural as you can. Healthy snacking can be made simple - by eating natural fruit.