food

1 Carbohydrates: Fruits Eating more fruit is an easy strategy for increasing your antioxidant intake and decreasing oxidative stress, which could reduce your risk of cancer. Although fruits are packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber, and water, their reputation has suffered lately because most fruits contain a fair proportion of carbohydrate—and that carbohydrate is mostly sugar. Not long ago at a health fair at the Beverly Hills farmer’s market, I overheard the promoters of a popular “cookie diet” cautioning customers not to eat any fruit! Here’s a diet where you lose weight by eating cookies for breakfast and lunch, along with a healthful dinner, and the warning is “Make sure you do not eat any fruit. It has too much sugar.”

Things have really gotten out of hand when fruit is a forbidden food! Fruit is one of the two main dietary sources (along with vegetables) of antioxidants that boost your immune system and help prevent disease. It’s also a significant source of fiber, which is key to losing fat, helps us feel fuller longer, and slows the rate at which sugar is absorbed. The sugar and other carbohydrates in fruit make it a great fuel source, keeping us energized throughout the day.

All fruits are healthy for us, but the best ones are those with the most fiber.

A good rule of thumb is to stick with the “S or S” fruits, the ones with edible skins or seeds, such as apples, peaches, pears, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, and grapes. Eating the skin and seeds amps up your fiber intake, and the skin and the seeds contain most of the antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. That’s why it’s much better to eat whole fruit, rather than relying on juices.

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