How Much Fruit is Too Much?
I’m sure you’ve heard it one way or another: “fruit has too much sugar,” or “avoid this specific fruit.” But is it true - can you eat too much fruit?
I’ve heard so many variations of myths about fruit.
“Pineapple has too much sugar.” “Only eat half a banana at a time.” “Don’t eat fruit on an empty stomach.”
The list goes on.
Let me shut all of these myths down now: they’re all false.
Pineapple does not have too much sugar. You can definitely eat a whole banana. And you can certainly eat fruit on an empty stomach.
So where do these myths come from? Can you eat too much fruit? And how much is too much? In order to break down all of these questions, it’s important to first understand what fruit is and why it gets so demonized.
What is fruit and why the bad rap?
Fruit, like a vegetable, is a type of produce. It grows on trees and is eaten pretty much as is.
Unlike vegetables though, fruit is pretty sweet. Which means is contains sugar. (Most veggies contain sugar too, but fruit has more).
If you think back to diet trends over the past few decades, there’s typically an ingredient that gets demonized for a few years at once.
In the 90’s, it was fat. Remember low fat SnackWell’s cookies?!
In the 2000’s, carbs and gluten became public enemies #1 and 2.
And at some point, sugar became a diet culture demon too. And with it, unfortunately, came fruit.
As a registered dietitian, let me be frank: sugar does not have nutritious value. But, at the same time, that definitely doesn’t mean it needs to be demonized.
An excess of sugar in the diet can affect our blood sugar levels and lipids profiles. But again - an excess. Sugar in the scheme of an overall balanced and varied diet? Not a problem at all.
And, don’t forget that while it doesn’t contribute much nutritionally, it is delicious. And having a favorable taste is a really important reason to choose food too.
Sugar… as it relates to fruit
We now that fruit contains sugar.
I like to explain it to clients like this: fruit is one of the most “natural” foods you can choose. Once it’s picked and washed, it’s pretty much unaltered from its natural state and eaten as is.
Yes, fruit contains sugar, but it’s natural sugar. If you compare to that something like a slice of chocolate cake, the slice of cake of course has a lot more sugar, all in the form of added sugar.
Plus, fruit contains many beneficial nutrients in addition to the sugar too.
(Please know that this does not mean cake is “bad.” No food is bad. Cake is delicious.)
Most fruit contains fiber. Think about the skin on an apple or those white stringy parts on an orange that are slightly hard to chew. They both contribute fiber.
Fiber has so many benefits. It helps with fullness and satiety. It promotes bowel regularity. It helps to lower overall cholesterol and triglyceride levels. And, it counteracts sugar in the body to regulate blood sugar levels.
In addition to the fiber, fruit also has many micronutrients - vitamins and minerals. Strawberries and oranges are great ways to get vitamin C. Bananas contain potassium, an important electrolyte. Blueberries and grapes have antioxidants, important compounds that benefit our overall health.
Even fruit like watermelon and pineapple contain a lot of water and are great ways to help stay hydrated.
So yeah, fruit has sugar. But when compared to the vast amount of other beneficial nutrients that it contains, the little natural sugar really isn’t something to get riled up about.
The bottom line
Does pineapple have too much sugar? Absolutely not. It contains natural sugar, in addition to fiber, vitamin C and potassium.
Should you only eat half a banana at a time? Nope. That seems silly - what do you do with the other half?!
And don’t eat fruit on an empty stomach? There’s really just no basis here.
So no, fruit should not be avoided. In fact, fruit is something you should really aim to include in your diet.
We often focus so narrowly on vegetables, that fruit gets forgotten about. And fruit is equally as important.
Plus, if you don’t eat many veggies (I especially find this tip helpful for young children), eating fruit can provide your body with similar important nutrients.
Like with anything, variety is important.
Any medical conditions aside (like renal disease or diabetes), you’d be hard pressed to eat too much fruit. After all, fruit is super nutritious.
That said, does that mean you should eat 5 oranges in a day? Probably not.
Just like I wouldn’t recommend you eat 5 cups of yogurt in a day or 5 salads in a day. Variety is important.
Aim to enjoy different types of fruit. Include a variety of food groups in your diet.
Different colors provide different nutrients. As cliche as it is, eating the rainbow has a lot of benefits.
Enjoy delicious and nutritious fruit. Please, please don’t worry about it having too much sugar or any other ridiculous myth you’ve heard.
More worrisome? The fact that these myths even start to begin with.
