When you're on a weight loss journey, fresh fruits are one of the first healthy switches we make for a sweet treat. Fruits contain essential vitamins, minerals, and amino acids, and some are loaded with antioxidants. What's not to like? Right?
Well, some fruits can be quite bad for you if you're trying to drop a couple of pounds because of the high sugar and/or calorie content. Here's a list of fruits to avoid when losing weight.
What Fruits Should You Avoid When Losing Weight?
These fruits are significantly high in calories and can hamper your weight loss goals. It's better to avoid consuming them altogether. But, if you plan to incorporate them into your diet, make sure to moderate the serving sizes.
#1. Avocado
Avocados are a fantastic source of healthy fats, but they have a high-calorie count that can tip the numbers on your weighing scale. But, don't worry. You can still enjoy avocado toast and guacamole!
This fruit is high in fiber, which means it has the potential to keep you fuller for longer, eliminating the need of snacking throughout the day. So, if you moderate your daily consumption of avocado, it should help you meet your weight loss goals.
#2. Banana
Bananas are high in calories and carbs and are often used in protein shakes for weight gain. They're even used to substitute a pre-workout energy bar, which is why you see professional players snack on them between games. As you can see, bananas won't help you lose weight, but that doesn't mean you have to cut them out of your diet!
Bananas are high in fiber, so they can do wonders for your digestive health. They also contain potassium, which may function as an electrolyte to boost your metabolism and increase your body's ability to burn fat. Given that they have a low glycemic index, bananas can help you lose weight - provided you don't eat too many.
#3. Coconut
Coconut can be divided into three different parts - coconut meat, coconut water, and coconut milk.
Coconut water, which has just 45 calories, is good for weight watchers. Coconut meat (the white, soft flesh found in the fruit) and coconut milk on the other hand? Not so much. Both coconut meat and coconut milk are high in fat and calories and can add to your body mass if consumed in excess. So, if you're watching your weight, steer clear of them.
#4. Grapes
The skin on grapes contains quercetin and resveratrol - two antioxidants that can reduce the risk of heart problems and combat "bad" cholesterol. In a perfect world, this would make grapes the ultimate fruit for weight loss. But, it's not as simple as that!
Grapes contain 15.75 grams of carbohydrates per cup (92 grams). When we eat carbs, our body breaks them down into sugar, causing our blood sugar levels to soar sky-high. In order to get this sugar out of our bloodstream, the pancreas releases insulin - which makes energy out of glucose. At times, our body can store the excess sugar as fat - which is bad for weight loss.
So, if you eat high-sugar fruits constantly, it could lead to insulin resistance, which is closely linked to diabetes or obesity and inactivity.
Thankfully, grapes are pretty small in size. So, you can easily consume them sparingly without impacting your weight loss goals.
#5. Mango
There is no real consensus on this one, but hear us out.
Mangoes are high in vitamins A and C, both of which are great for healthy, glowing skin and hair. Additionally, they offer anti-aging benefits and have been shown to reduce the risk of certain cancers, specifically, breast cancer and colon cancer.
Mangoes are great, except for the high sugar content.
One cup of this tropical fruit has more than 20 grams of sugar, with sugar forming more than 90% of the calories in mangoes! This can cause sharp insulin spikes and fluctuations in blood sugar levels, which could then lead to weight gain.
#6. Passion Fruit
Passion fruits pack a big punch in carbs and calories. However, since they are so small, you can safely eat them in moderation.
So, if you like passion fruits and would like to add them to your diet, you absolutely can! Just make sure to limit the number of passion fruits you eat. For context, one passion fruit can have about 17 calories.
#7. Pomegranate
Pomegranates can reduce blood sugar levels and lower blood pressure, thus helping minimize your risk of heart problems. Studies show that they can also reduce muscle soreness, improve strength gains, and enhance endurance and performance in athletes.
That said, pomegranates are high in calories and carbs, which can be pretty counterintuitive for your weight loss. However, they do contain a high amount of fiber that can keep you feeling fuller for longer, so a cup of pomegranate seeds now and then won't hurt.
Steer Clear Of Fruit Juices
Drinking fruit juice is a foolproof way of clocking in some extra calories, which can make you gain weight instead of helping you lose those extra pounds.
Why is that?
Fruit juices, particularly ready-to-drink juices, can be problematic to your weight loss goals. Most packaged fruit juices are extremely diluted and have little to no nutrients that contribute to your health. They also contain high amounts of sugar that can add empty calories to your body.
Even fresh fruit juices can be detrimental to your health. Unlike fruits, juices have no fiber content to offset the sugar content. And because one glass of juice is typically made with 2-3 fruits, you may end up consuming beyond the serving size of a fruit, piling up the calories and hampering your weight loss goal.
It's better to stick to fiber-rich fruits with high water content. Have them in moderation and you'll reap the benefits in no time!