Here’s why you should eat fruit even though it contains sugar

Cutting back on sugar? That’s no reason to cut back on fruit. Here’s why fruit is an essential part of a healthy diet.

Key Points

• Fruit’s natural sugar is paired with fiber, vitamins and antioxidants—a nutrient-rich choice.
• Eating fruit may support heart health, reduce cancer risk and help with weight loss.
• Pair fruit with protein or healthy fats; check labels for added sugars in packaged options.

Sugar can often feel like an ex-relationship you can’t seem to stay away from no matter how hard you try. You know you need to eat less of it—maybe even giving it up completely for a short while in an attempt to stop the craving—but even just a small taste may quickly send you back into a full-on sugar thoughts.

But there’s one kind of sugar that doesn’t deserve to get kicked to the curb: fruit.

“It’s one of my biggest dietitian pet peeves that people think fruit is unhealthy because it has sugar. I hear it all the time about bananas especially, but everything from blueberries to oranges have gotten a bad reputation,” says Lisa Valente, M.S., RD. Here are a some reasons to make fruit a part of your healthy diet.

It’s Good for Your Heart

Research suggests that eating fruits (and vegetables) provides heart-healthy benefits by lowering your risk of stroke and coronary heart disease. Some of fruits that showed benefits include citrus fruits, berries, apples, avocados, grapes and pomegranates. Fruits contain compounds such as fiber, monounsaturated fats, carotenoids and polyphenols, which can help lower overall systemic inflammation.

Related to cardiovascular disease, fruit intake may also help reduce the risk of stroke and hypertension. Perhaps that’s why the American Heart Association suggests two cups of fruit each day.

It May Reduce Your Risk of Cancer

Eating fruit may also help protect against certain types of cancer. For example, one study suggests that high fruit intake is associated with a significantly reduced risk of breast cancer. This study also found that high consumption of fruit juice was associated with a higher risk of breast cancer. The authors note that the lack of fiber in the juice may have something to do with it, as fiber binds to estrogen and takes it out of the body. Since excess exposure to estrogen has been linked to certain types of breast cancer, you want to eat plenty of fiber to help remove excess estrogen.

In addition to breast cancer, a diet rich in fruits and vegetables has been linked to a decreased risk of several types of cancer, including cancer of the mouth, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, stomach, lung, colon, pancreas and prostate. The report also states that the recommended amount of fruit per day is 1 to 2.5 cups for cancer-protection benefits.

It Can Help Maintain a Healthy Weight

Some diets, like keto, eliminate certain “high sugar” fruits, like bananas, pears, dates and mango. The reasoning is that these fruits (among other foods on the keto do-not-eat list) are too high in carbs and will make you gain weight—or prevent you from losing it. But research suggests the opposite. Higher levels of fruit intake have been associated with lower rates of obesity. Fruits are typically high in water and contain fiber, so it’s difficult to overeat them, even though they are sweet.

It’s Great for Gut Health

Most fruits are typically a good source of fiber—an essential nutrient many of us don’t get enough of. Not only is fiber great for our digestive and gut health, but it also helps slow our body’s roll when breaking down fruit sugar, so we don’t experience the same sugar high we would if we had eaten candy or cookies. Most products with added sugars don’t contain fiber, which creates insulin spikes and leaves you hungry again an hour later.

And if you’re wondering if you can eat fruit if you have diabetes, Valente says yes. “Eating fruit has not been linked with higher blood sugar, even for people with diabetes.”

Natural vs. Added Sugar

Fruit often gets a bad rap for its sugar content, but you can’t compare bananas to donuts. The sugar naturally found in fruit is different from the dozens of various sweeteners on grocery store shelves. Naturally occurring sugars are also found in dairy and vegetables. “If you need to watch your sugar or carb intake, you may want to be more careful about portioning out your fruit but it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t eat it. Try pairing fruit with a healthy fat or protein, like apple and almond butter, banana and peanut butter or pear and cheese,” says Valente.

While your body processes the natural sugar in fruit, vegetables and dairy the same way it processes the added sugar in your favorite soda or candy, when you eat whole foods, you’re getting more than just sugar. You’re also getting a plethora of other nutrients. For example, fruits and vegetables provide you with vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants. Dairy gives you protein, vitamins and minerals, including calcium and (if fortified) vitamin D—both nutrients that many people tend to be low in.

And some dairy—like yogurt, kefir and cheese—also provide your gut with healthy bacteria called probiotics. Fruits and vegetables provide prebiotics—the food the healthy gut bacteria love to nosh on, which helps them stay healthy.

Sugar in Prepackaged Fruit

Hopefully, you see that fruit is not the villain some have made it out to be. Some forms of fruit do contain added sugar, though, so if you’re buying any kind of packaged fruit, read the label.

“Dried fruit, canned fruit and frozen fruit might have added sugar, so check the labels,” says Valente. “If you buy plain versions with just fruit as an ingredient it can be a really affordable way to add more fruit to your diet. I especially like frozen fruit for smoothies and dried fruit for snacking.”

Our Expert Take

Fruit can and should be a part of a healthy diet that includes a variety of foods. “The benefits to eating fruit definitely outweigh any downsides,” says Valente. “Fruit has so many great nutritional qualities and it just happens to taste good. That’s a win-win in my book.”

Read the original article on EatingWell