Myth Busting: “Fruit is full of sugar and should be avoided!”

Until 1992, tobacco was a main ingredient in Indian toothpaste as it was thought to be good for your teeth. And during the 1950s, people would deliberately infect themselves with tapeworm as a weight loss measure. As modern day eaters, we are still being bombarded with information that is conflicting, confusing and just plain incorrect when it comes to health and nutrition! Here at Veggiebuzz, we're breaking down the myths and giving it to you straight once and for all.

The myth: "Fruit is full of sugar and should be avoided!"

Sugar has become public enemy number one over the last few years. It's been touted as just as bad for you as smoking cigarettes, linked to everything from obesity and diabetes to cancer while sugar-free diet foods are majorly cashing in. Suddenly fruit, bursting as it is with natural sugars, has found itself under the bad-for-you sugar umbrella next to donuts, candy and fizzy drinks. Fitness websites, personal trainers and healthy meal plans are all shunning fruit intake, especially if the goal is weight loss, and it's making us crazy! Fruit is delicious, healthy and should always have a place in your daily diet. Here are 4 reasons why.

Reason #1: Fruit is basically just water and fiber
Alongside all the amazing vitamins and minerals that we'll get into next, fresh fruit is mostly made up of water and fiber! Yes, fruit contains natural sugar but it is not nearly enough for it to be lumped in with other sweet foods and so it will always be the superior choice. As a comparison, a whole cup of strawberries contains 7g of sugar while just one tablespoon of honey contains 17g. And a can of coca-cola contains a whopping 35g!

Reason #2: Fruit is brimming with vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants
How anyone can try and justify excluding from your diet a food group as nutritious as fruit is beyond me. Fruit takes form across a wide spectrum of shapes, sizes, tastes and health benefits. The antioxidants found in each 'fruit family' differs which is why the health benefits in stone fruits like peaches and cherries are different to those found in berries, citruses and melons. For example, did you know mango has been shown to prevent the growth of breast and colon cancer cells? Or that apples assist with high blood pressure?  In order to reap the all the benefits of fruit, you should be aiming to eat as much of a rainbow as you possibly can.

Reason #3: The sugar and carbs in fruit provide a burst of energy
If you workout, then you should be making fruit part of your pre-gym routine. One study showed that bananas offered just as many benefits during intense exercise as commercially produced sports drinks. So in other words, the effects of a product that has been specifically designed to enhance exercise performance is pretty much identical to the effects of something that grows on trees. Mother Nature is a pretty cool lady.

Reason #4: Fruit makes you beaaaaautiful
More good news about fruit's abundance of antioxidants - they make you beautiful. A 2012 study tracked the diets of 35 people, then took pictures of them to be rated by external participants. The people whose diets included an average of 3 portions of produce daily were rated as healthier looking and those who ate an extra 3.3 daily portions were considered to be more attractive! Antioxidants found in fruit and vegetables give you a natural glow and fend of skin-damage from the sun and pollution. You really are what you eat.

The bottom line

A varied and balanced diet is the key to optimum health so eat your wholegrains, eat your vegetables and certainly eat your fruit too. Recent literature has suggested that the health benefits of fruit are best absorbed on an empty stomach - all the more reason to blend up a fruit smoothie in the morning to fuel you for the day ahead. Some doctors recommend two servings of fruit day - but studies have also shown no ill effects in eating up to twenty servings of fruit a day!