Is Fruit Actually Good for you? Here’s What Science Tells us

I despise fruit. There, I said it. Not only does the food group comprise of weird textures (I’m looking at you, bananas) they also just seem unappealing. Don’t get me wrong, I will eat a bowl of fruit if it’s offered to me (any southern-European grandparent’s love language), but I have to force myself to stay in the fresh fruit section of the supermarket for longer than a second. So, let’s get down to business – do I have something to feel guilty about? Am I depriving myself of essential vitamins?

The Benefits

Although fruit is commonly referred to as a natural source of sweetness, it is just that – natural. Fruit is comprised of roughly half glucose and half fructose. The former raises blood sugar and needs insulin to be broken down. The latter is processed by our liver.

So why does sugar get such a bad rep, especially when associated with fruit?

The reason we associate sugar with such negative connotations is due to manufacturers, who tend to overuse processed sugars. Our bodies process unnatural sugars like corn syrup, maltose and sucrose a lot quicker, which also means we don’t stay full, eating more processed products and… you get it.

Besides staying fuller for longer, fruit has fibre and antioxidants, which improve digestion and lower blood pressure respectively. Increasing your fruit and veggie intake was also found to decrease your risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer and mortality.

The Negatives

Some dieticians recommend reducing fruit intake, especially if your aim is weight loss. As fructose is processed by the liver, it isn’t always needed, and may be stored as fat instead. This apparently isn’t a huge concern though, as fruit isn’t the common source of fructose in a western diet anyway.

All in all, I’m just a fruit hater. Keep on eating fruit, it’s good for you.