Too Much Fruit

[Stinkyfish97]

I am sure this was discussed in other threads but whats considered too much? After reading more about Steve Jobs and having a sister who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in her mid 20s (pretty rare) I wonder about what too much fruit consumption can do to your body and pancreas. My sister like Jobs ate primarily fruit for her diet, she was not a strict fruititarian but it was primarily what she ate. I cannot help but think this may have contributed to her developing type 1 diabetes so late. 

I too am concerened, not so much about diabetes as much as my weight loss right now. I usually take 1 medium apple, 1-2 small oranges to work and eat those for breakfast/lunch. I then eat another serving of fruit when I get home. According to the fitbit app I am consuming between 32-50g of sugar from fruit a day. I think I read you should consume really no more than 25 grams from fruit a day. I guess it is all kind of relative however. I do not drink anything with sugar in it, not even milk, I do not consume carbohydrates other than fruits and vegies. No rice, bread, pasta, sauces like ketchup, none of that stuff. I really try to be as close or under 37g of sugar a day. 

Still I am finding it difficult to have energy without eating between 3-6 servings of fruit a day. I wonder if I am eating to much fruit though.

I am thinking I need to space out my fruit more throughout the day and eat it with a long with other foods to slow down the digestion of the sugars. Many times I eat all my servings of fruit at the same time everyday. I get a spike in energy, my blood sugars spiking, but then do not have energy in the later parts of the day. I need to start thinking about fruits more as a candy I think. A more healthy candy but candy none the less. 

[lynnslaw]

I am not a nutritionist but I think that most websites state 4 to 5 servings of fruit per day is OK.  If you are worried about too much maybe split the apple and eat half with oatmeal and the other half for dessert at lunch.  Bottom line for me is that if I am fatigued then this isn't going to work for me.   So watch your energy levels.  Maybe balance fruit with nuts or protein drinks.  Keep going!  Looks like you have you finger on the pulse of what's important.

[OCDOC]

The obsessive carb crowd seem to be okay with SOME fruit. The natural fructose (although offset by fibre) can add up quickly. Raspberries, Strawberries, and Blackberries are favored; Grapes and Bananas are so sugar-packed they need moderation if counting sugar. It sounds like common sense is guiding you..all the best.

[emili]

I eat fruit for breakfast and lunch. the rest of the day is veggies. I love fruit. Breakfast is at least 100 calories in fruit- melons, berries, kiwi,1/2 banana- anything goes. Lunch no more than 70 calories of fruit- again whatever I have. The reason I use calories- the higher the calorie per fruit- the more sugar it has. I am not a fan of oranges and apples take up too many calories, same with pears and grapes. If it has more than 10 calories per oz and its not berries - where an ounce is more than a piece- I don't have it. Just not worth it to me when there is an alphabet's worth of fruit out there that fits my needs. But yes to fruit all the way!!

[dessertlover]

Hello Stinkyfish97. Got concerned after reading your post.

I have Type I diabetes. I always have to make sure how much of calories and sugar (ofcoursely) I consume everyday. Basically what you can do is whatever fruit you eat first have information about it like how much sugar content it have and how many you will be eating. Fruits are always good for health but for diabetic ondition you need to exclude some.

Even I have a sweet tooth and I can't ignore that. So if I want to have any dessert I most preferably order online some custom made desserts for parties through internet. These providers help me to choose the best products as per my condition requires and my guests. So you don't have stress out on this matter. Exercising and eating healthy (frequently sweets) and drinking lots of water (if possible lukewarm water)will help you to keep fit and will satisfy your hunger.

Spoiler

[Stinkyfish97]

@dessertlover I am very happy to see your post. I thought of this idea of too much fruit exactly because of Type 1 diabetes. I have a sister who was diagnosed at 25 with type 1. I watched as she went from 120lbs down to 87lbs. She withered away and became a husk. She was in pain constantly, was in the emergency room several times. It took her a little over a year to get back up to 120 lbs. I have another cousin with type 1, he is only 16 and he is on the verge of becoming a brittle diabetic. The doctor threatened to call CPS on my Aunt an Uncle because he assumed that they were not helping him manage his disease very well. Which is understandable. I mean 4-5 emergency room visits every year and a couple of times he almost went into a coma. 

I have a son who's family history is not so kind too him either. My wifes family has 5+ type 2 diabetics. Our son's last visit to the doctor they told us he was becoming close to pre-diabetic. 

I try to eat more like a diabetic for the sake of our family. Our family history on both sides has diabetes on it. It would be unfair if me and my wife eat whatever sweets we want and then tell our son, no this food over here is yours, you cannot have this. I think that is the reason my aunt and uncle struggle with their sons diabetes. It has to be a family effort. If you stock your home with a bunch of food that a diabetic should not eat (I realize diabetics can eat whatever they want, just might require more insulin if it is a bunch of sugar which is not exactly a good thing) then you will be setting them up for failure. Case in point my aunt and uncle who's son is on verge of becoming a brittle diabetic. 

I was also told when we joined LA Fitness I should stay away from fruit. I disagree with this. I realize fruit has a lot of sugar, not all fruit is the same. I feel the benefits fresh fruit gives you far outweigh the negatives, sugar. Fruit is packed with vitamins, nutrients anti-oxidants. If you are going to eat something with sugar fruit is probably the way to go. 

I simply asked if I was eating to much fruit to get other's opinions, maybe get others thinking about how much fruit is too much, I know how much is too much for myself. It will not be the same person to person. Some people have conditions where they cannot eat whatever fruit they want, or at least should not. I am fortunate. I try to stick to 3 servings of fruit a day. An Apple, an orange and maybe some grapes, no dried fruit as it is pretty much candy at that point. I usually eat 3-5 servings a day, but no more than that. It can be difficult to gage how much you are eating however. A servings size for fruit vary's so greatly. I can see where it could be difficult for someone with say diabetes to estimate how many units of insulin to give themselves. Plus not all fruit breaksdown the same. Some have more fructose, some have more glucose. And still yet some breakdown slower or faster depending on a variety of things. Such as what you eat with the fruit, the time of day, the amount of activity you have been doing, the physical makeup of the fruit itself, if it has more fiber/less fiber. I guess I should consider myself fortunate that I can eat 3-5 servings a day of fruit without negatives. Still though its about building a balanced diet. Eating too much of one thing means you are missing something somewhere else. I realize this and will continue to build a more balanced diet for myself.