Can Fruit Make You Fat?

Learn the truth about fruit...is it the diabolical diet-killer it's sometimes made out to be or is fruit actually pretty good for you? The simple answer to this question "can fruit make you fat" isn't as simple as black and white...the true answer is yes AND no.

Are you confused? really it's not that confusing! There are many studies on this subject, including fruit sugar (fructose) and how your body uses it. and how it's metabolized in the body and liver, I'm going to talk about fruit from a practical standpoint.

First, here is how Fruit WON'T make you fat...

Fruit is fat-free (with the exception, of avocados) and is low-calorie, and high-fiber food. It might be hard to eat ENOUGH fruit to result in an excess of calories, resulting in fat gain...hard, but not impossible.

You would have to look hard to find someone who ate too much fruit and gained fat. However, eating fruit roll-ups, fruit juice (with 10% real juice) and other surgery (fruit substances)..it won't be so hard to notice weight gain,

though I do have to say high fructose corn syrup is NOT a fruit just because it has the word "fructose" in it, so that doesn't count. I don't know about you, but in reality I have never heard of anyone sitting down in front of the T.V and eating an entire bag of apples or their doctor told them they need to stop eating so many bananas! Actually "real" fruit has a lot of water content, nutrients, fiber, etc...witch is healthy stuff...stuff your body NEEDS and you need to be eating.

That being said, there ARE metabolic issues with fruit and fat.

The body has certain limits while it processes fructose (witch is found in fruit). Fructose can only be stored as glycogen (glycogen witch is the carbohydrate storage in the body) in the liver, not in the muscles. Muscle cells lack the proper enzymes to convert fructose into storing it well.. 

So that leaves the liver for storage...When your liver glycogen level is full and your body can no longer store any more carbs in the liver, fructose IS easier for the body to convert into fat than other carbs because of its molecular structure.

When this happens the fat does NOT convert into body fat quickly, however. It becomes free fatty acids circulating in the bloodstream. If they're not burned, they will be stored as body fat. The OTHER good stuff you find in fruit, ( fiber) and vitamins and minerals, are outweighed by the "danger" of storing extra fat.

Here is the main point that a lot of us miss, when we hear that fruit has the potential to work against fat loss when on a diet... If you're dieting, you should be in a caloric deficit. This means that your liver glycogen levels should not be full. You're in a deficit after all!

Therefore...Witch Mean's

1. The fructose in your system should have little or no chance to convert into fat.

2. If it happens that some excess fructose in your system does convert to fat, your chance that it will be USED by the body soon after it converts to fat are good because you're in a caloric deficit. Just like ANY other carbohydrate, if you eat too much of it, it will be stored as fat. If you are a competitive bodybuilder peaking for a competition, you MAY have to watch your fruit intake to be sure you look the leanest.

However, the average person wanting to drop body fat, fruit is not something you should be too worried about (unless you're on a low-carb diet). You should be FAR more concerned about drinking too much of that diet soda garbage while dieting before I'd even be slightly concerned about them eating an apple. The bottom line, is this...don't feel guilty about eating to much fruit, even while dieting. Just treat it as you would any other food with calories in it and simply watch your intake.

To minimize the impact of fruit on your fat-loss diet, eat it in the morning when liver glycogen levels are naturally at their lowest point. This will help ensure fructose won't be converted into fat. Honestly, there are MUCH more important things to worry about when it comes to fat loss...your training and overall nutrition are much more important than worrying about eating too much fruit.  

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