Excess Fruit Intake Proves Unfruitful

We’ve all heard the age-old advice: “Eat your fruits and vegetables well.” In the wellness world, fruits are celebrated as nature’s sweet candy, brimming with vitamins, antioxidants, and fibre. But what if you took that apple and turned it into six apples per day? Or added a mango, a bunch of bananas and a half-litre of freshly squeezed orange juice to the mix? Suddenly, this ‘fruity punch’ will blow the daylights out of life with an unhealthy sugar rush!

Sugar-Coated Secret

“While fruits are an excellent source of vitamins, fibre and antioxidants, too much of it can be harmful,” says Ankita Gupta, Dietician & Founder, Nutrition Matters, Delhi. She explains that excessive fruit consumption can lead to a sudden spike in blood sugar levels, especially in individuals with insulin resistance, diabetes or PCOS.

But well, here’s the juicy truth: Fruits contain natural sugars (fructose), and while they’re far better than the added sugars lurking in processed foods, a spike in fructose can throw your body off its usual equilibrium.

People usually assume that if the sugar in fruits is natural, it can’t do much harm. However, excessive fructose, even from fruits, can lead to repercussions such as fatty liver or an increased level of triglycerides in the body!

Ankita explains that there are other factors that come into being too. She says, “Timing and pairing matter a lot.” Further, emphasising that eating large quantities of fruits post a meal or having them consumed with carb-heavy meals could increase the total calorie load on the body. Sometimes, it even leads to bloating or digestive discomfort.

Bitter-Sour Truth

When it comes to fruits, some things can be misleading. For instance, unlike glucose, which is used by every cell of your body, fructose is metabolised solely in the liver. Eat a piece or two, and your body handles it fine. But if you binge on fruit salad endlessly, you could be overloading your liver, contributing to fatty liver issues. What’s worse is that fructose doesn’t trigger insulin or stimulate leptin (the hormone that tells your brain that you’re full).

That means you keep eating (sweet) fruits and do not sense the “STOP” signal. This leads to overconsumption. Dietician Sasikala Thota, Head of Department of Clinical Nutrition and Diabetes, Renova Century Hospitals from Hyderabad says, “The ideal amount of fruit consumption depends on age, activity levels and overall diet.”

However, she opines that ideally, adults could safely engage in 2-3 servings of fruits per day, with children restricting themselves to 1-2 servings per day. Thota also shares how these trends of “complete fruit diets” can backfire. She warns of these being unsafe for long-term use.

Thota cautions, “These complete fruit diets may promote weight loss temporarily due to low-calorie intake, but with time they can lead to protein and fat deficiencies, muscle loss, fatigue and mood swings as well as blood-sugar fluctuations.”

While fruits come with positives and negatives, labelling them as “villains” wouldn’t help much. Thota says, “You should combine your fruits with protein or healthy fats like yoghurt, nuts or seeds.”

Other tweaks could lie in distributing your consumption across the day. One may consider consuming these in smaller portions rather than bowlful chunks. It’s also important to remind yourself that consuming fruits immediately post-meals should be avoided. She adds, “Ideally, take a one to two hour gap between meals and fruit consumption.”

Ankita shares that engaging with whole fruits rather than juices is advisable. She says, “Learn to prioritise seasonal and local produce as your body digests them better.” One may also consider staying away from habits such as consuming high-sugar fruits late at night. Ankita’s pro tip: “Mix fruit colours- more colour, more micronutrients.”

A Balanced Life

At the end of it all, fruits aren’t the villain. Maybe moderation is the key. There’s also the psychological pitfall. That is, many use fruits as the safe-sweet fix, consuming them not out of hunger but out of cravings. Ankita says, “Fruits are not here to replace your meals, they’re meant to enhance them.” Perhaps the key isn’t in only fruit diets or no fruit diets. A good mix would be a mindful blend of fruits, veggies, proteins, and a lot more!

Healthy Fruity Tips

• Eat fruits 2 hours post-meals

• Choose whole fruits over juices

• Pair fruits with nuts (apples + almonds, papaya + seeds)

• Prioritise seasonal and local produce

• Mix fruit colours- more colours = more micronutrients