I've read a lot about nutrition over the years and have tried a variety of diets, including Atkins and other low-carb varieties. I'm not going to asses any particular weight loss strategy, but what I want to do is highlight a popular misconception that low carb dieters have, one that is often also shared by the typical healthy eater: avoid fruit. They do this because of the sugar content. Unfortunately, health and consumer advocates have pounded home the anti-sugar message while failing to distinguish between good (natural) sugar and bad (added). The same thing has happened with the anti-fat message. Their are a variety of essential, healthy fats that our bodies need that the no-fat and low-fat food craze come up short on.
Back to sugar. Avoiding all sugar, particularly from fruit, is a poor health choice. There appears to be a distinct difference in how the body metabolizes the sugar in fruit versus added sugar in a processed food or drink, like a candy bar, cereal, or soda. Fruit does not spike blood sugar like added sugar does while it contains more vitamins per calorie than any other food. Most fruit also has a high water content, which is good for hydration, and is high in fiber, which is important for good digestive health and makes you feel fuller, so you eat less than you would with the same amount of sugar from processed foods.
I recommend eating at least five pieces of fruit per day, ranging in colors to benefit from the diverse vitamin and antioxidant content of different fruits.
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