Dr. Oz: Does Fruit Make Us Fat?
Dr. Oz said that some are now saying the sugar in fruit may be doing more harm than good. It’s causing controversy among health experts.
Fruits are packed with water, vitamins, and fiber. Some fruits have even been shown to cut the risk of heart disease by 40 percent. But now, some experts think the high sugar content is a concerning factor in America’s battle with obesity. That’s because some of our most popular fruits are high in a simple sugar called fructose and carbohydrates.
Dr. Oz: Is Fruit Still Healthy?
Is fruit making us gain weight? New research is out suggesting natural sugars might be contributing to weight gain more than we’d like them to be.
Dr. Oz talked to Dr. Mike Roizen, who said fruit can make you fat if you eat too much of it. One of his patients went on a fruit and veggie diet and had 75 portions a day. Even at 50 calories a portion, she was eating 3500 calories a day.
Dr. Oz wondered why the natural sugar of fruit is a concern. Dr. Roizen said it comes down to how much of it you’re actually using. If you eat a high-sugar fruit and don’t exercise during the day, that sugar will just go to your liver. Your liver will put it into storage as fat.
Dr. Oz: Added Sugar Vs. Sugar From Fruit
Dr. Roizen said fruit is healthy overall, so it’s important not to cut it out altogether. The American Heart Association has a guideline for added sugar, which is 26 grams for women and 36 grams for men. Dr. Oz said we should use this same guideline for fruit: 26 grams a day of sugar from fruit for women and 36 grams of sugar from fruit for men.
A cup of bananas is 18 grams of sugar, a cup of mangoes is 23 grams, and a cup of grapes is also 23 grams. These are high-sugar fruits, so make sure to go easy on these. Raisins have 98 grams of sugar in a cup. Comparatively, a cup of vanilla ice cream has 28 grams of sugar.
Dr. Roizen clarified that ice cream is still worse because it’s added sugar. Raisins are still good if you put them on a salad or something like that.
Fruits with the least amount of sugar are strawberries and blackberries, with 7 grams per cup, apples with 11 grams per cup, and blueberries with 15 grams per cup. Dr. Roizen said a serving size is about the size of a tennis ball or your fist.
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