Fruit...good or bad?

We are always told to get lots of fruits and veggies. Well that should be to get lots of veggies and some fruit. But, why not a lot of fruit???

Fruit is higher in sugar than veggies. That means that the insulin response is more pronounced when consuming the higher glycemic foods. Not all fruit is created equal though...below is a list of common fruit and their placement on the glycemic idex.

Dates - 103

Watermelon - 72

Pineapple - 66

Cantaloupe - 65

Raisins - 64

Pear - 58

Papaya - 58

Apricots - 57

Banana - 56

Mango - 55

Kiwi - 52

Grapes - 46

Orange - 43

Peach - 42

Blueberries - 40

Plums - 39

Apple - 38

Grapefruit - 25

Cherries - 22

Prunes - 15

This list gives you an idea of what fruit is better than others. It's a good rule of thumb to stay with the fruit below 50 on the glycemic index. Because of the high sugar in fruit, it's best to have it after a workout because that is when our body can most use that sugar.

Now, with all that said, it's not just about the Glycemic Index rating for the fruit. When consumed fruit replenished the glycogen stores in our liver. When our liver glycogen stores are back up to where they need to be, any excess glycogen turns into triglycerides. So, this isn't exactly where we want to focus on replenishing these stores. We want to get our muscle glycogen back up after a workout. Eating sweet potatoes, yams, and squash will do this for us. These are all good sources of low glycemic carbs, but they also replenish the glycogen in our muscles that we have depleted during a workout.

I am not trying to tell you not to eat fruit, but I am telling you to eat it in moderation and to make sure you're eating it at the right time of the day (post workout is best). If you have a goal to lean out and have been eating very healthy, cutting out fruit will help you reach that goal. Focus on getting more veggies in your diet and for your more "starchy" carbs go for yams or squash.