Which Fruits Contain the Most Calories?
Eating fruit and vegetables is important for a healthy lifestyle because the micronutrients they contain help to regulate inflammation and slow the aging process. However, not all fruits are the same and some contain more calories than others.
If you want to stick to a healthy diet, it’s important to pay close attention to how many calories you’re consuming, regardless of whether you want to gain, maintain, or lose weight.
Fruits that contain the most calories
As a general rule, most fruits are low in calories because they’re mostly made up of water. However, there are some exceptions, as you’ll see below.
Bananas
The banana is one of the most sugar-rich fruits you can find and, as a result, contains a lot of calories. Every 100 grams of banana contains 122 calories, which is quite a lot.
However, bananas are also very rich in potassium, which is essential for reducing blood pressure, as shown in research published in the journal Nutrients. Furthermore, potassium also helps to control blood sugar levels and prevent cramps during physical exercise.
Dates
Dates are probably the sweetest fruit there is and they contain a lot of carbohydrates.
They’re often used in pastries as a substitute for sugar, and every 100 grams contains 282 calories, which is a lot for a fruit.
As a result, it’s best to consume dates in moderation. Otherwise, you could easily exceed your daily recommended sugar allowance, which could damage your pancreas and lead to weight gain.
Avocados
Dates and bananas contain a lot of calories because they’re rich in carbohydrates, but avocados contain a lot of calories because they’re rich in fats. Avocados are very oily fruits and are made up mainly of fatty acids, particularly omega-3.
However, these unsaturated lipids have been shown to be capable of reducing the risk of certain cardiovascular diseases. So, it’s still a good idea to eat them regularly to help regulate inflammation.
So, eating avocados can be good for you, but it’s a good idea to make sure that you include other sources of healthy fats, such as olive oil, oily fish, and seeds.
Nuts
Most people don’t see nuts as a fruit, but they do contain a lot of calories. On the other hand, they mainly consist of proteins and healthy fats which are good for you.
But, it’s important to eat them in moderation, otherwise, you could consume too many calories and gain weight. Aim to eat a handful of nuts per day, and try alternating between the different varieties.
Fruits can contain a lot of calories
As we said, most fruits are mainly water, so they don’t contain many calories. But there are some fruits that contain a lot of sugars and fats, which increases their calorie content.
Regardless of what your health goals are, it’s always important to know how many calories are in your meals, and that includes fruit. Otherwise, you could consume far too many and increase your body fat or damage your health in other ways.
But it’s important to stress that, although some fruits contain a lot of calories, this doesn’t mean that you should cut them out of your diet; you just need to eat them in moderation. These fruits still contain antioxidant phytonutrients that are crucial for preventing complex diseases, so eating them regularly is still good for your health.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Stone MS., Martyn L., Weaver CM., Potassium intake, bioavailability, hypertension and glucose control. Nutrients, 2016.
- Abdelhamid AS., Brown TJ., Brainard JS., Biswas P., et al., Omega 3 fatty acids for the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease. Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2018.
