Myths About Fruit Consumption You Should Stop Believing
How is it possible that there are so many myths questioning whether fruits are a healthy food? It’s time to uncover and leave the myths behind and consume fruit daily.
It is likely that you have heard the following myths about fruit on more than one occasion. Hearing a phrase doesn’t make it true and you should always check information thoroughly. This will ensure that you feed yourself properly and ignore myths and theories without any foundation.
Discard the myths about fruit once and for all
Be aware of nutritional advice from “experts” who make claims that cannot be supported by facts. As we are going to see, fruits are a natural and healthy food, with a lot of variety. So enjoy the ones you like the most or want to eat any time, without worrying.
1. Eating fruits or drinking natural juices are the same thing!
Many people believe that eating fruits or drinking natural juices are exactly the same, but this isn’t true at all. When we drink juice we’re ingesting the pulp and the juice of the fruit and not the whole piece. Keep in mind that the skin and part of the flesh also contain nutrients.
Although vitamins are preserved in the juice, a fundamental nutrient is lost: fiber. In addition, juices are ingested much faster and in greater quantity so the body doesn’t digest them in such an effective way.
With this, we don’t mean that natural juices are not beneficial; quite the opposite. A freshly squeezed, natural juice is one of the healthiest drinks we can drink. What is wrong, however, is to compare it with a piece of whole fruit.
2. If you eat fruit at night you’ll get fat!
In general, fruits are food that contains a low number of calories, so it’s not associated with weight gain. You have to remember that fruits contain the same amount of calories at any time of the day.
It’s true that some foods do contribute to weight gain if eaten at night time, especially those that contain a lot of fat or carbohydrates. By contrast, fruits don’t contain these nutrients, so it’s impossible to accumulate fat from fruits during the night.
3. Avocados and bananas make you fat!
The two fruits with the worst reputation are the banana or the avocado. They’re very satiating, but does this mean that they are fruits that can make you fat?
The answer is definitely no! It’s true that avocados or bananas contain more calories than most fruits but you also have to consider that they have a greater amount of nutrients.
Bananas are a great source of potassium, fiber, vitamin B6, protein or folic acid. For its part, the avocado contains healthy fats, magnesium, potassium or iron. It’s clear that a greater number of calories doesn’t imply that it’s less healthy food.
4. It’s not recommended to eat fruit between meals
The last myth that we’re going to dismantle could take the prize as the most absurd of all. It also lacks any scientific basis. Despite this, I’m sure you’ve heard it several times as it’s inexplicably one of the most widespread.
Firstly, it’s important to be clear that eating between meals is not unhealthy at all. The only point to consider is the type of foods that are consumed as a snack. This simple fact will be the one that determines whether the food that has been eaten between meals is healthy or not.
In the case of fruits, it’s clear that this is a totally healthy food choice, so it’s highly recommended to eat fruits between meals. In addition, fruits contain fiber so they will keep you sated until the next meal and will make the uncomfortable feeling of hunger disappear.
After dismantling all of these myths it’s now clear that fruit is one of the healthiest foods we can consume. In addition, there are so many varieties that it’s impossible to become bored and as we have explained, fruits can be eaten at any time of the day.