Don't Fear the Fruit, Enjoy It

Fork U with Dr. Terry Simpson

Don't Fear the Fruit, Enjoy It

Are you afraid that eating fruit will cause your blood sugar to spike? Let us bust that myth right now.

Only ten percent of adults eat enough whole fruit daily despite the clear benefits of fruit.

Eating fruit and Living Longer

My 98-year-old dad eats fruit with breakfast for as long as I have known him. We would have grapefruit every morning. We even had those cute grapefruit spoons to wrestle the goodness out of the half grapefruit.

Now, dad enjoys a mixed bit of fruit.

In 28 studies with over 1.6 million people, each serving of fruit led to a 5% lower incidence of death (reference).

Each serving of fruit

8% less risk of heart disease

3% lower risk of cancer

200 grams (7 ounces) showed the lowest risk of cancer rates and deaths from cancer.

Even the Low Carb Community is coming around

Thirty years ago, the low-carb community advised against whole fruits. Their rationale was that fruits spiked blood sugar, which caused insulin to rise, which caused fat storage. They even cautioned against eating carrots for the same reason. But now, even the most extreme members of that community proudly eat fruit.

What 5 servings looks like

Breakfast with 1/2 cup of blueberries

Morning snack of one medium banana

Lunch with one apple

Afternoon snack of 1/2 cup of grapes (about 16)

Evening snack of 1 clementine

Don't forget the tomato

The tomato is a fruit. Yes, the Supreme Court said, for taxation purposes, it is a vegetable, but it isn't.

Other Benefits of Fruit

• promoting long-term weight management
• reducing the risk of heart disease
• reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes
• decreasing the risk of colon and lung cancer
• lowering the risk of depression
• successful aging (like dad)
• higher bone mineral density
• decreasing incidence of seborrheic dermatitis
• less constipation
• less irritable bowel
• less inflammatory bowel
• less diverticular disease
• less hemorrhoids
• less stress

Fruit is not the enemy - but it is one of the easiest of the nine food groups to add to your Mediterranean Diet and one of the easiest and most delicious to add to the DASH diet.

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