Tanya's Tasty Tips: Fruits, Unwrapped

Eating fruit is one of the best ways to increase your fiber intake while still satisfying your sweet tooth. Fruits are a great source of antioxidants, fiber, and vitamins. They are highly beneficial when incorporated into your diet on a daily basis. They are low in caloric density, so they fill you up on few calories. While fruit might seem better to binge on then a box of cookies, it is hard to gauge how much you are eating without measuring an actual portion. To avoid overconsumption, measure out the amount you plan to eat and stick to that. According to a study conducted by the ADA, many people think eating after a meal leads to excess calories, which eventually leads to weight gain. Actually, it's not when in the day you eat that matters, it's what and how much you eat. At the end of the day, it is calories that control weight gain or weight loss. Even the healthiest foods, when eaten in greater amounts than needed for energy will be stored as fat.

Fiber is the indigestible part of plant foods. It cannot be broken down or digested, therefore it add no calories to your diet-allowing you to fill up without filling out. While all fruits contain some fiber, some pack a bigger punch than others. Fruits you eat with the skin on, like apples and pears, tend to have more fiber than fruits that you peel (oranges and bananas). Fruits with seeds are filled with fiber, which makes raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, figs, and blackberries all great choices. While dried fruit is a good source of fiber, be careful with the quantity since they pack a lot of calories and are sometimes sold in sugar-added varieties. Canned fruits have the least amount of fiber since they are stripped and processed, so stick with fresh fruit whenever possible.

Here is a list of fruits for you to enjoy!

Tanya Zuckerbrot, MS, RD is a nutritionist and the creator of The F-Factor DietaC/, an innovative nutritional program she has used for more than ten years to provide hundreds of her clients with all the tools they need to achieve easy weight loss and maintenance, improved health and well-being. For more information log onto

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