4 should, 2 avoid when eating fruit to avoid gaining weight

Fruit is an important part of a healthy eating plan. Fruit contains many nutrients that your body needs. In fact, a healthy diet that includes fruit has been shown to reduce the risk of several chronic diseases.

But fruit contains natural sugars and some types are quite high in calories. Therefore, if eaten incorrectly, it can make you gain weight.

To get the maximum benefits from eating fruit without fear of affecting your weight, you can rely on this "4 shoulds, 2 avoids" rule.

1. Choose fruits with a low glycemic index (GI)

When you eat low glycemic fruits, the release of sugar into the bloodstream is slower, helping to regulate blood sugar levels and prevent spikes that can contribute to weight gain.

On the contrary, if you choose fruits and foods with a high glycemic index, blood sugar levels increase quickly, then the amount of insulin released into the blood increases. And insulin can act on the liver to convert sugar into fat, which over time will lead to weight gain and belly fat.

Fruits with a lower GI include berries, plums, kiwifruit and grapefruit. Fruits with a higher GI include bananas, oranges, mangoes, grapes, raisins, dates and pears.

Although it is recommended to choose fruits with a low glycemic index, you do not need to completely avoid fruits with a high glycemic index. You can still eat all types of fruit, but if you have a lot of sugar, you should limit eating too much.

2. You should combine eating fruit with protein-rich foods.

When eating fruit, you should combine it with protein to provide enough energy for your body, satisfy your cravings but not cause weight gain.

Consuming protein-rich foods like Greek yogurt, cheese, or some nuts along with fruit can help control hunger and keep you feeling full longer, thereby limiting overeating - the cause of weight gain.

3. Should eat fruit as a dish

Surely you often eat fruit as a snack, this will make you eat more fruit. But many fruits have high natural sugar content, eating too much will make you gain weight.

Therefore, instead of just relying on fruits as snacks, incorporate them into your main meals to add nutrients and fiber. For example, add fruit to a salad, make a smoothie during meals, mix with nuts to make breakfast,...

4. Should control food portions

Although fruits are healthy, they still contain natural sugars and calories. Pay attention to your portion sizes and avoid overconsumption, especially if you are trying to control your weight.

According to Webmd, if you eat too much fruit, especially those with high sugar content, it can cause health problems such as: weight gain; diabetes; complications with pancreatic and kidney conditions; tooth decay; lack of vitamin B12, calcium, vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids.

The general recommendation for fruit and vegetable intake is at least 400 grams per day or five 80 gram servings.

5. Avoid squeezing fruit into juice

Drinking fruit juice is believed to improve cardiometabolic health and help prevent chronic disease. Indeed, drinking fruit juice is delicious, convenient, and has certain health benefits.

However, the downside of fruit juice is that it is low in fiber (the pulp containing a lot of fiber is discarded), and higher in sugar and calories than whole fruit.

If you continuously drink juice instead of eating whole fruits, you can increase blood sugar, cause a lack of fiber in the body, increase appetite, and increase the risk of tooth decay.

Therefore, it is better to prioritize eating whole fruits. You can still combine drinking juice, but you should not drink it continuously, or combine fruits with vegetables to create a glass of juice richer in nutrients and fiber.

Additionally, if you don't like eating whole fruits, you can make a smoothie - this is a delicious drink that still contains fiber.

6. Avoid eating fruit when hungry or before going to bed

Although there is still debate about when to eat fruit, eating fruit on an empty stomach can increase blood sugar levels. Furthermore, you should also avoid eating certain acidic fruits on an empty stomach, such as oranges and tangerines, as they can increase the risk of gastritis and stomach ulcers.

Similar to eating fruit on an empty stomach, eating fruit before going to bed will cause your blood sugar to increase. This can lead to weight gain and affect sleep. At this time, your body has to digest so your body temperature will increase, which will lead to difficulty sleeping and restlessness.