Fruit - Good or Bad

[Disco Dave]

A question of fruit! Is it good or bad? Obviously we're told to eat a certain number of fruits or veg a day, but I seem to remember reading fruit isn't all that good if you train. Banana's for example, are they counted as a complex carb? Is it fructose or somthing in fruit, some sort of sugary sh1t? Help me out here!

Ta.

 

[Stubby]

I think I remember some1 saying on here that fruit is a simple carb and so is good after excercise to replenish glycogen levels quickly.

Dunno about bananas though.

Also, I think I read in here that it only contains a little Fructose but because of its name, people think thats what the majority of fruit sugars are. But don't take my word for this as I said I read it here and am just relaying the info.

 

[keiko]

Fructose stops fat-burning dead in its tracks. if you're cutting, too much fruit isn't going to really help. Bananas are a simple carb, not a complex carb as they have little fiber and are low on the GI scale.

We're told to eat so many servings of fruit and veggies by the USDA which isn't exactly the cutting edge of BB nutrition . High fiber veggies are good on a cutting diet, and some fruit--berries and melon--are acceptable. Starchier fruits, like apples and pears, are best saved for maintainence.

 

[MR. BMJ]

By all means, fruit is very healthy for people. But as we all know, sometimes you can eat healthy and still not look all that great. Depending on which fruit you are eating, some will have a higher amount of certain sugars. Not all fruits are high in fructose. Some are and some are not. The problem most people run into is eating an excessive amount of fructose. Your body only has so many enzymes to break down and store fructose as glycogen before it is converted/transferred to fat cells. Some people can handle more fructose than others before it is turned into fat. Basically, it will come down to the timing of when to consume these sugars. They could be eaten as a preworkout meal as MS has stated, because they will have less of a chance to be stored as fat during your workout (will be used up). Also, most of the time, I like to take advantage of their low GI rating and eat them with the last meal of the day/night so that it keeps protein synthesis from declining. My last meal is usually the same for cutting and "bulking." It is usually a piece of meat like chicken, red meat, or fish, along with 1-2 tablespoons of all-natural peanut butter, a small serving of applesauce (this is usually my fructose meal), and a cup or two of broccoli. The fiber in most fruit also helps in the slowing of the GI. This is usually the only meal I have fruit/fructose throughout the day, and I usually never have more than 1 serving per day. Some may be able to get by with more servings depending on how capable their body is of using/breaking it down. As long as you do not go overboard, you probably have nothing to worry about.

I would not suggest anyone to eat fruit as a postworkout meal due to its low GI, especially on a "bulking" phase. The low GI on a HYPOcalorie diet may not matter much, I am still trying to determine this as we speak. I will get back to this some other time when I get enough answers.

So, YES, fruits are very good for you, but do not consider them as a whole meal and always eat them with some kind of protein if you can. At this time I am looking for a reference/book that gives the amount of different types of sugars/etc. in different fruits/food. I may have one i'll have to check. But determining the nutritional content of most fruit varies depending on the time of year it was grown/picked, when it is picked/how ripe it is, what soils it was grown on, and a host of other things, so this makes it a pain in the F'in ass to get any kind of accurate caloric precisiveness.

MR. BMJ

 

[MS]

Fruit is good, excess fructose is bad. All things in moderation and at the right time. Like the man above me said

 

[Enock]

And if you wanna eat bananas eat them while they are firm, as they get softer (and sweeter)it turns more and more into a sugar bomb.

 

[Enock]

Oh yeah and on the fruit thing, I really don't think its very good. Damn shame since I like it alot. But too much sugar. Once in a while I have an apple.


Sometimes I cheat with some Watermelon or Canalope, real sugary but filling

 

[Disco Dave]

Cheers guys, very informative.

 

[cozmokramer]

yes avoid fruit due to the very high sugar content

 

[blood_drinker]

mrbmj i don't understand why you shouldn't eat SIMPLE carbs post workout!

Explain your theory plz. I drink 500ml of Apple juice+whey protein post workout. (I know dextrose would be a better choice, but I have taste buds and I like to use em).

Please, explain.