Quick Tip: Eat the Right Fruit for the Best Body Comp

There is a lot of contradictory advice amongst nutrition experts in regards to carb intake for fat loss, especially those coming from fruits.  Some nutritionists will tell you to aim for three or more servings daily of fruit, while other hardcore low-carb coaches will tell you that all fruits should be completely eliminated if the goal is to lose fat.  The truth, as usual, sits somewhere in the middle.

When it comes to fruit selection, as a general rule of thumb, you should be choosing thin-skin fruits, ones that allow you to eat the skin, over thick-skinned fruits that need to be peeled prior to consumption.  The simplest explanation is as follows: the thinner the skin on the fruit, the higher the fruit’s antioxidant content, as the thin skin means greater exposure to the sun’s rays.  Thinner-skinned fruits also tend to have a higher fiber content and less sugar than their thickly-wrapped counterparts, as most of the fiber is found in the skin itself.

So what fruits should you choose?  Go for things such as various types of berries, apples, peaches, pears, or plums, and limit intake of bananas, oranges, clementines, and tropical fruits such as watermelon.  A six-ounce container of blackberries has less than 100 calories, 10 grams of fiber, and very little sugar.

How many times a day should you eat fruit?  We’ve had the best success keeping it at no more than two servings daily, with the a serving being roughly the size of your fist, and with the best timing being first thing in the morning with breakfast, and after a strength training session, perhaps blended in with your post-workout protein shake.