Top 10 Best Fruits When Dieting

Published on April 13, 2024

Love munching on apples, berries, and watermelon? Guess what – you can keep enjoying these sweet treats and still lose weight! Ditching fruit because they’re sugary? That’s not the smartest move. Actually, fruits should be a part of your diet if you’re looking to drop some pounds. The secret’s in picking the right fruits that help you slim down (1).

Fruits contain natural substances such as vitamins, minerals, fiber, antioxidants, and prebiotics. These substances are good for you not only to combat you from various chronic diseases but also to manage your weight. Remember that eating many vegetables is not enough since your body also needs all the natural substances contained by fruits.

It was shown that fruits are actually excellent foods for losing, not gaining weight. In fact, a study revealed that adults who are overweight and obese experience greater weight loss if they eat more fruits (2). Another study shows that 130,000 adults for 24 years have experienced greater weight loss through time by consuming more fruits (3).

Probably the most common reasons for weight loss are fruits are capable of satisfying your sweet cravings, boosting your satiety level, and decreasing your desire for goodies such as baked goods and candies. Plus, fruits can help in lowering your risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

Here are some of the best fruits to consume for losing weight:

Grapefruit

Perhaps, grapefruit is a combination of an orange and a pomelo. This is usually linked with weight loss. Do you know that half of a grapefruit contains only 39 calories? It also provides 65 percent of your reference daily intake (RDI) when it comes to vitamin C. On the other hand, red varieties of grapefruits provide 28 percent of your RDI for vitamin A.

Grapefruits also contain low glycemic index (GI). It means that the sugar is released more slowly in your bloodstream. A low GI diet can help in losing and maintaining weight (4). A study of 85 obese people shows that they experience about a 7.1 percent decrease in body weight by drinking grapefruit juice or eating grapefruit before meals for 12 consecutive weeks. Their cholesterol level also improved (5).

A recent study reveals that consuming grapefruits can help in reducing waist circumference, body fat, and blood pressure (6). You can eat the grapefruit itself, but it can also be used in salads and other menus.

Apples

Apples contain 5.4 grams of fiber and 116 calories per 223 grams of an apple. It only shows that apples are high in fiber and low in calories. This is probably helpful when it comes to losing weight. In fact, a study about women who are given apples a day for ten weeks loses around 2 pounds, higher compared to those who are given pears and oat cookies with the same calorie value (7).

An observational study conducted among 124,086 people ascertained that around 1.24 pounds of weight are lost for those who eat apples a day for a period of 4 years (8). Apples are low in calorie, the reason why you feel more filled when you eat them. In fact, a study has shown that apples are three times more filling compared to a chocolate bar. So if you want to lose weight and craving for sweets, eat apples instead of chocolates.

But, take note that in order to control your appetite and reduce hunger, you should eat apples when whole rather than juiced. But, drinking apple juice is still an effective means of reducing fats in your body compared to other fruit drinks with the same calorie count.

Berries

Berries contain low calories. For instance, 74 gram blueberries contain only 42 calories but gives 18 percent of the RDI for vitamin K, as well as 12 percent for manganese and vitamin C. A 152 gram strawberry contains 3 grams of fiber and at most 50 calories but gives almost 30 percent of the RDI for manganese, as well as 150 percent for vitamin C.

Berries are also filling. A study shows that those people who are given berry snacks containing 65 calories ate lesser foods on subsequent meals compared to those who are given candies with the same calorie count (9).

Aside from its benefits of losing weight, berries can also reduce your blood pressure, decrease your cholesterol levels, and lower your risk of inflammation. You can be creative in eating berries. You can add them to your favorite yogurt or cereal for breakfast. You can also make a smoothie out of these berries.

Stone fruits

Stone fruits are seasonal fruits which are composed of a fleshy exterior and a pit or stone interior. They include plums, peaches, nectarines, apricots, and cherries. Stone fruits are usually low in calories and low in GI, but they are rich in nutrients like vitamin A and vitamin C. Perhaps, these are the best reasons why stone fruits are perfect for those who want to lose weight.

For instance, a 150-gram peach contains 58 calories. A 130-gram cherry provides 87 calories. A 120-gram plum and a 140-gram apricot both contain 60 calories. This kind of fruits is actually more filling and nutrient-dense compared to other unhealthy snacks like cookies or chips. Well, aside from eating them fresh, you can mix them into your porridge or fruit salad.

Passion fruits

Passion fruits are usually found in South America. They grow on a flowering vine. Its outer rind is usually tough and color yellow or purple while its inside is made of edible and pulpy seeds. 18-gram passion fruit contains 17 calories, but it is rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, fiber, and potassium. Since it is rich in fiber, it helps in slowing down your digestion, which means that you can easily control your appetite.

Aside from that, passion fruits contain piceatannol. This substance helps in reducing your blood pressure as well as improving your insulin sensitivity, especially if applied to overweight men (10). It is best consumed when whole. But, you can use it as a filling or as a topping for desserts or as an add-on to your drinks.

Rhubarb

Although this is actually a vegetable, most people in North America and Europe often considered this as a fruit. It contains only 11 calories, but it has fiber. Since people who are overweight usually suffer from high cholesterol, rhubarb can help in reducing such a problem. It also contains 20 percent of the RDI for vitamin K.

A study has shown that people who are suffering from atherosclerosis loss a kilo per 50 mg of dried rhubarb for six months. Aside from that, they experience a significant decrease in their cholesterol levels and improve the function of their blood vessels (11). Rhubarb stalks can be served with your favorite cereal or porridge. Although you can use rhubarb in many ways, you should always stick to rhubarb dishes low in sugar when you want to lose weight.

Kiwi Fruit

Kiwifruits are rich in vitamin C, vitamin E, fiber, and folate. They are brown fruits with bright yellow or green flesh and small black seeds. A study shows that people who eat two kiwis per day for 12 weeks experienced a reduction in blood pressure, an increase in Vitamin C levels, and a reduction in waist circumference about 3.1 cm (12).

Aside from that, kiwifruits are known to improve cholesterol, control blood sugar, and support gut health. These are all beneficial for your losing weight. And since they have a low GI, these are not bad for your blood. It means that even if they contain sugar, these are released slowly in the blood.

Kiwifruits are also rich in fiber. Its skin can provide 1 gram of fiber while the fruit itself contains almost 2 grams of fiber. According to a study, a diet high in fiber can help not just in promoting weight loss and increasing fullness, but also in improving your gut health (13).

Kiwifruits are delicious because they are sweet and soft. They can be eaten raw, whether peeled or not. It can also be served as a juice or as a salad. You can even add them to your baked goodies or your morning cereals.

Melons

Melons contain a high content of water and low calories. Probably, these are just a few reasons why these are perfect for losing weight. A 150 gram of melon, watermelon or honeydew, can give at most 61 calories. Although melons are low in calories, they are rich in potassium, fiber, and antioxidants such as lycopene, beta-carotene, and vitamin C.

According to a study, fruits with high water contents are beneficial for weight loss. The reason for this is that increased hydration can actually aid in losing weight (14). But since watermelon is high in GI, it is crucial for you to control its portion.

Well, melons are undoubtedly delicious. They can be eaten fresh, balled, or cubed. They can also be blended as shakes or smoothies or even frozen as ice creams.

Oranges

Just like any other citrus fruits, oranges are rich in fiber and vitamin C, but they are low in calories. Do you know that eating an orange is actually twice as filling as a muesli bar and four times than a croissant? You no longer need to crave for unhealthy foods by eating oranges (15).

Indeed, many people have been drinking orange fruit juices compared to eating orange slices. But, consuming whole fruit orange is actually better compared to juice. It will not only lessen your hunger, but it will also limit your calorie intake because of the increased feeling of fullness when consuming orange slices. You can add them to your favorite dessert or salad.

Bananas

Some people tend to avoid eating bananas because they are rich in calories and sugar. But, they are actually nutrient-dense fruit which can provide you with magnesium, potassium, manganese, antioxidants, fiber, vitamin A, vitamin B6, and vitamin C (16).

Since bananas have a low GI, these fruits can actually help control your insulin levels. It can also help in regulating your weight. Bananas are particularly beneficial for people who have diabetes. A study shows that eating a banana a day can help reduce your blood cholesterol and blood sugar (17). Since these are low-calorie and nutrient-dense foods, these are crucial for your healthy weight loss program.

Conclusion

We already know how fruits are an important part of a healthy diet, whether or not we want to lose weight. Most fruits are high in fiber and nutrients which can aid in your feeling of fullness. Most fruits also contain low calories. But, even if some are rich in calories, they are still healthy to eat, depending upon the kind of fruits you eat.

You should also remember that it’s always better to eat whole fruits rather than juice. Eating fruits is just one of the keys to losing weight. You should also strive to have a proper diet and regular exercise.

Indeed, fruits are good for you because it contains various vitamins, minerals, fiber, antioxidants, and prebiotics. Just come to think that fruits and vegetables always go hand in hand. Don’t just depend on vegetables alone. They are not enough. Always dwell on fruits and vegetables, especially if your goal is to lose weight.

References: