Only eating fruit for dinner can make you fatter

Only eating fruit for dinner can make you fatter

Dr. Esther Telleria tells us the possible consequences of this common practice of only eating fruit:

Fruits give us water, fiber, vitamins (vitamin C, folic acid, beta-carotene or provitamin A) and minerals such as potassium and magnesium. In addition, the pigments that give fruit its color are high in antioxidants, helping us prevent all kinds of diseases.

Eating fruit makes us feel lighter, due to its strong diuretic effect, it helps us to prevent constipation and in general it is easily digested.

But to lose weight and stay at a healthy weight you have to eat a little of everything in moderation.

In the case of fruit, eating three a day is enough, as indicated by the food pyramid.

Eating more fruit unbalances the diet for two essential reasons, which justify why only eating fruit for dinner does not make you lose weight, for example:

  1. On the one hand, the concentration of three servings of fruit or more for dinner means other foods are left off the menu which, due to their essential nutritional value, must be considered in a balanced diet: vegetables, legumes, cereals, eggs, fish, meat, milk and dairy products.

    Dinner should be the meal that completes and balances the total daily intake to ensure we are healthy and well nourished. 

    It should be a balanced, low-calorie meal and should consist of foods that have been lacking during the rest of the day (in general vegetables and fish).

     
  2. On the other hand, a dinner with a lot of fruit leads to an excess of calories and sugars. A dinner consisting of 4 pieces of fruit provides an average of 320 kcal. 

    If we eat a mixed salad, a piece of fruit and a low-fat dairy product, we will be providing the same calories, but more nutrients.

    For this reason excess consumption of fruit can be a causal factor of obesity.