Most of us believe that fruits will help us lose weight.
If you are one of them, you are right.
Fruits will give you a lot of energy and will supply essential vitamins and nutrients to your body. They do not have bad fats and they also have fewer calories.
But this doesn’t mean you should eat fruits in addition to your regular diet. You should instead substitute snacks, desserts, or part of your meals with fruits.
By substitution part of your diet with fruits, your calorie intake will not increase. And since fruits do not have bad fats, your diet will be sensible and this will help you lose weight.
Well, what about fruit juices?
Most of us choose fruit juices than fruits.
Juices are less messy and easy.
But if you want to lose weight, stay away from juices. This is no alternative for solid, fresh fruits.
I can give you 3 reasons why you should stay away from juices.
Reason 1
- Weight loss is all about how many calories you eat and how many you burn. The more calories you eat, the more you gain.
When you eat fruits to lose weight, you actually substitute the food you would normally eat, with fruits. This is quite possible if you eat solid fruits. Solid fruits fill you up and you won’t overeat once your stomach is full. - But juices are like water. We, in fact, substitute water, not food, with juices. Water has no calories. But fruit juices have a lot of calories. So, by substituting water with juices, your calorie intake will be increased and this will result in weight gain, instead of weight loss.
Reason 2
- Another reason why fruit juices are not good for weight loss is the quantity.
- Let’s take an example.
When you eat oranges, for the snack, how many would you normally eat? 1, or 2 may be.
But when you drink juice, how many ounces would you drink. An 8oz glass may be.
How many oranges does it take to make one glass of juice? At least 3 or 4. Right? - You see, you are virtually taking 3 to 4 oranges and yet you will not be full.
These extra calories will, in fact, turn into fat resulting in weight gain, instead of weight loss.
Reason 3
- The 3rd reason to stay away from juices (the commercial juices) is “the added sugars”.
All commercial juices are loaded with simple sugars. Another unnecessary addition to your calorie intake. And these sugars will also result in an insulin spike, affecting your fat burning ability (metabolism).
Considering the above 3 reasons, it is safe to say that you should keep away from juices and should eat fruits to lose weight. - Still, it doesn’t mean that you can eat as many fruits as you want. Even though fruits do not have added sugars, they do have some sugars. (Rule of thumb – All sweet foods have simple sugars.)
So, do not take more than 2 servings of fruits in a day.
That should give you plenty of energy and nutrients to help you lose weight.
