Is Fruit Good For Weight Loss 2023? Detailed Answers & Suggestions
Reviewed by Dr. Drew Sutton, MD
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So, you want to lose weight. The first step is determining the best diet, personalized to you by a nutritionist, to help you get there. Some may ask: Is fruit good for weight loss? Is it a good choice to include in a weight loss diet? For many considering losing weight and the right diet to match, eating fruit – and wondering where fruit fits into the big picture – may seem a little confusing.
Fruit does contain sugar. And yet, it’s also recommended that you eat fruit every day! So, if you want to get skinny, what are fruits low in calories? What are healthy fruits help you lose weight? Read on for answers to this question, along with recommendations for the best fruits for weight loss (and studies to support them).
Does Fruit Help You Lose Weight?
Yes, fruit can be a great addition to your low-calorie diet if you are looking to lose weight. That said, it depends on what type of fruit you choose to eat, how you eat it, and how often you eat it.
Fruit helps promote weight loss if it’s a substantial part of a varied healthy diet that also includes proteins, natural sugar, healthy fats, and other foods that meet your daily nutritional needs along with lifestyle routines (like regular exercise) that also encourage health benefits.
What Are The Benefits Of Fruits For Weight Loss?
Fruits Are High In Fiber
Fiber is a macronutrient that helps curb inflammation in the body and regulate the digestive system. Both are integral for supporting natural, healthy weight or weight loss or are part of imbalances related that may be associated with being overweight or obese. Fruits are high in insoluble fiber which is critical for reducing inflammation in the gut and supporting better gut health. Studies show[1] that lowered inflammation and a healthier gut could encourage healthy weight loss and more natural weight.
Many Fruits Are Low On The Glycemic Index
Face it: We all crave sugar sometimes. Sugar cravings may indicate a need for the nutrients that fruit- nature’s primary sugar source source.
Compared to consuming processed sugary foods like candy, desserts, or baked goods, fruit intake is found to contain fewer calories, and natural sugars that are lower on the glycemic index (like fructose) paired with fiber to help reduce blood sugar spikes. Blood sugar spikes may lead to weight gain over time. Naturally, replacing processed sugar with low glycemic fruit servings and essential nutrients could support a healthier weight or weight loss especially if you are a sweet tooth.
Many Fruits Are Rich In Antioxidants
Fresh fruits are packed with antioxidant vitamins and plant phytochemicals that help reduce chronic inflammation in the body.
These can include both antioxidant vitamins and plant phytochemicals, like vitamin A or lycopene. These compounds may help reduce chronic inflammation in the body, which may lead to or be associated with gaining weight.
What Fruit Is Best For Losing Weight?
All fruits are generally supportive of weight loss and health benefits either. But, for different reasons, some fruits may be better for the job than others – and there is also no “one good fruit” for body weight control.
Many fruits contain ideal nutrients that enhance a weight loss-focused diet. Below are some of the best weight-loss fruits to eat with these ideal nutrients.
Apple
Apples may be one of the best fruit sources of fiber, making it a great choice for your weight loss journey. It’s also sweet and a delight to eat. A scientific review confirms[2] that apples are very supportive fruits for weight reduction.
Pineapple
Pineapples also contain high levels of fiber along with a natural plant digestive enzyme called bromelain. Together, these two compounds could support a healthier gut and thus, natural weight loss.
One animal study showed[3] that pineapple juice had anti-obesity effects, though this still needs to be tested on humans.
Grapefruit
A whole weight loss diet (the Grapefruit Diet) was named after this tropical fruit. But is it really effective for losing weight?
While the Grapefruit Diet has been debunked, studies do show[4] that the citrus fruit contains antioxidants (naringin and naringenin) that may support or prevent obesity conditions, which means it could support weight loss in a varied diet.
Kiwi
They’re sweet, tart, high in fiber, and low glycemic index – making kiwi (or kiwifruit). They are the perfect fruits for weight loss or your healthy diet.
One animal study[5] showed that food made with kiwi helped with many factors related to obesity, though studies on humans are needed.
Pomegranate
This fruit is famously full of antioxidants as well as fiber: One of the best fruits perfect combination for supporting natural weight loss or reducing gain weight.
One animal study showed that pomegranate extract helped restore metabolism in mice in a way that could help prevent obesity.
Citrus Fruits
Besides grapefruit, other citrus fruits – especially low-sugar ones, like lemon could be very supportive of weight loss. They are even more effective if the peel, or “zest” is used. A study of lemon peel[6] showed that it had anti-obesity effects on animals, though studies on humans are needed.
Does Dry Fruit Help You Lose Weight?
Is fruit good for weight loss even if it’s dried fruit? The answer is yes. Dried fruits still contain the fiber and antioxidants shown to be supportive of natural weight loss and maintaining a healthy weight.
Fruits’ effect on weight loss has little to do with their water content – though staying hydrated doesn’t hurt! Interestingly, one study shows[7] that dried fruit consumption may be associated with a better diet and that people who eat dried fruit tend to have a lower body weight.
How Much Fruit Each Day Should You Eat For Weight Loss?
There isn’t a set amount of fruit you should eat every day to lose weight. This is because set amounts of fruit consumption haven’t been tested or studied in the context of weight loss, and different fruits are likely to have their own unique effects on the body – and on top of that, each fruit may affect every individual differently.
That said, it’s wise to start by following basic nutritional guidelines for daily fruit consumption: Adults should eat 5 servings of fruits (or a mixture of fruits and vegetables) every day, which roughly amounts to about 2 cups.
Conclusion
The bottom line: Fruit is good for you. Everyone should eat some delicious fruits every day or at the very least similar foods (like vegetables) that have great nutritional value like fiber and antioxidants. You can make fruit salad, healthy desserts, fruit juices, or whole fruits.
Fruit can also prevent weight gain, and obesity, and support natural weight loss and gut health. Studies show that regular consumption of fruits – especially certain fruits associated with weight loss – supports restoring the body to a healthier state and metabolism that may encourage weight loss.
Eating fruits can be fantastic to include in a weight loss diet. Even better: Keeping up on daily, regular, healthy amounts of fruits per dietary recommendations could prevent or reduce the risk of unwanted weight gain, studies show.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not quite. If the fruit is a substantial part of a varied diet that supports weight loss, and you work to include more fruits that support weight loss into your diet (especially if you hadn’t before), then in that sense, yes.
However, there is no research that supports that weight loss is directly correlated with eating ever-increasing amounts of fruit. It is not shown that eating more fruit increases your chances of weight loss.
For some people, eating only fruit may work to encourage weight loss…for a time. For others, this might not work, however.
Either way, eating only fruit is not a sustainable way to reach weight loss goals. After a time your body will have cravings for other important macronutrients that fruits do not provide: Such as protein, healthy fats, and salts.
This could mean you may have cravings, give in to them, and then gain that weight right back. Or, once you start incorporating those foods back into your diet, you regain that weight.
A varied diet, with ample and consistent amounts of fruit, is best for losing weight sustainably over the long term while avoiding unhealthy foods and other habits that may trigger weight gain.
+ 7 sources
MIDSS adheres to strict procurement guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutes, and medical associations. We work mainly with peer-reviewed studies to ensure the accuracy of the information. We avoid the use of tertiary references. You can read about how we ensure the accuracy and timeliness of our content in our editorial process.
- Aoun, A., Darwish, F. and Hamod, N. (2020). The Influence of the Gut Microbiome on Obesity in Adults and the Role of Probiotics, Prebiotics, and Synbiotics for Weight Loss. Preventive Nutrition and Food Science, [online] 25(2), pp.113–123. doi:https://doi.org/10.3746/pnf.2020.25.2.113.
- Journal of the American College of Nutrition. (2018). Weight Loss Associated With Consumption of Apples: A Review. [online] Available at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07315724.2018.1447411.
- El-Shazly, S.A., Ahmed, M.M., AL-Harbi, M.S., Alkafafy, M.E., El-Sawy, H.B. and Amer, S.A.M. (2018). Physiological and molecular study on the anti-obesity effects of pineapple (Ananas comosus) juice in male Wistar rat. Food Science and Biotechnology, [online] 27(5), pp.1429–1438. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s10068-018-0378-1.
- Razavi, B.M. and Hosseinzadeh, H. (2019). A Review of the Effects of Citrus paradisi (Grapefruit) and Its Flavonoids, Naringin, and Naringenin in Metabolic Syndrome. Bioactive Food as Dietary Interventions for Diabetes, [online] pp.515–543. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-813822-9.00034-5.
- Peng, M., Gao, Z., Liao, Y., Guo, J. and Shan, Y. (2022). Development of Functional Kiwifruit Jelly with chenpi (FKJ) by 3D Food Printing Technology and Its Anti-Obesity and Antioxidant Potentials. Foods, [online] 11(13), p.1894. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11131894.
- Pan, Y., Tan, J., Long, X., Yi, R., Zhao, X. and Park, K. (2022). Anti‐obesity effect of fermented lemon peel on high‐fat diet‐induced obese mice by modulating the inflammatory response. Journal of Food Biochemistry, [online] 46(8). doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/jfbc.14200.
- Keast, D.R., O’Neil, C.E. and Jones, J.M. (2011). Dried fruit consumption is associated with improved diet quality and reduced obesity in US adults: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999-2004. Nutrition Research, [online] 31(6), pp.460–467. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nutres.2011.05.009.
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