Dried fruit - good or bad for weight loss?

traveller80

Im trying to wean myself of the doughnuts and cookies that I tend to snack on in work (there's a cafe in work with all sorts of goodies ). Unfortunately, i have a real sweet tooth and im just not strong enough to go cold turkey on this.

So, ive been bringing in 2/3 squares of dark choc (75%). I also bought some dried papaya and mango, thinking fruit is better than cookies.
The dried fruit was very sweet though, so im just wondering is it not a good thing to eat daily? I know its natural sugar and is definitly better than cookies, but sugar is still sugar right?

Are there any other snacks which can satisfy my sweet tooth while being relatively healthy?

BengaLover

AFAIK, dried fruit is higher in sugar than fresh fruit, try making up some sugar free jelly, but dont overdo intake as sweeteners arent great for you at all..
I do find tho that sometimes when your mind is telling you that you need sugar or something sweet if you give it a small amount of protein like some cold meat/cheese etc, you get equal satisfaction and it lasts longer, its just a matter of re adjusting the brain!

Also, BEFORE you get to the mid morning/mid afternoon sugar slump when you are just going crazy for some chocolate or biscuits, nibbble on some carrot sticks, bring them pre prepared to work, and even if you DONT have the sugar urge keep eating one every now and then and it will probably be enought just to keep your blood sugars high enough not to hit that slump.

shanebarry92

Dried fruit has a high amount of natural sugars which shouldn't be over done!
But dried fruit is very hard to over eat and very filling, good for digestion and loads of things!
i don't think you should worry about it too much as long as you aren't over doing it! a small handful every once in awhile isn't gonna make you gain weight!
if you have few nuts for protein as well with them it will slow the digestion of the sugars making you feel fuller for longer!
also dried apple is excellent if your on a diet! one of the lowest calorie dried fruit i have found!
also studies show people who regularly eat nuts and dried fruit have less body fat then those who don't according to wikipedia!

rocky

shanebarry92 wrote: »

Dried fruit has a high amount of natural sugars which shouldn't be over done!

OK!

But dried fruit is very hard to over eat and very filling, good for digestion and loads of things!

I've been known to eat half a kilo of dates in one go! and only because I only got the one bag, I would have eaten more!

i don't think you should worry about it too much as long as you aren't over doing it! a small handful every once in awhile isn't gonna make you gain weight!

what about all the carbs ? I mean !

if you have few nuts for protein as well with them it will slow the digestion of the sugars making you feel fuller for longer!

I thought it's the fat that slows down digestion, if you eat nuts, better be prepared for the fat! Who eats nuts for protein!

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/nut-and-seed-products/3095/2

Cashew nuts, by calories
66% fat !
24% carbs !
13% protein !

also dried apple is excellent if your on a diet! one of the lowest calorie dried fruit i have found!

best of a bad bunch? not my idea, I like sugar!

also studies show people who regularly eat nuts and dried fruit have less body fat then those who don't according to wikipedia!

studies also show people that do not eat breakfast are more likely to be overweight! Lots of baloney!

shanebarry92

half a kilo of dates... you must be running too loo a lot?!
why don't ya try sugar free 100% fruit jam on rice cakes?
i wouldn't eat that much dried fruit thats way too much even tho it is healthy! all healthy things can be over done in my opinion!
maybe buy smaller bags so you don't eat too much?
carbs are ok as long as they aren't over done!
nuts have loads of the good fats! just don't over do them tho or else it will make you fat! omega 3 is good aid for weight loss and general health anyways!
well alot of protein foods are sources of fats! fat it slow to digest alright, but protein is best for keeping you full hence why atkins can help to lose weight despite not being very healthy!
maybe try chromium supplement? very good for sugar cravings! there also very cheap to get

Amantine

BengaLover wrote: »

AFAIK, dried fruit is higher in sugar than fresh fruit, try making up some sugar free jelly, but dont overdo intake as sweeteners arent great for you at all..
I do find tho that sometimes when your mind is telling you that you need sugar or something sweet if you give it a small amount of protein like some cold meat/cheese etc, you get equal satisfaction and it lasts longer, its just a matter of re adjusting the brain!

Also, BEFORE you get to the mid morning/mid afternoon sugar slump when you are just going crazy for some chocolate or biscuits, nibbble on some carrot sticks, bring them pre prepared to work, and even if you DONT have the sugar urge keep eating one every now and then and it will probably be enought just to keep your blood sugars high enough not to hit that slump.

I agree, a least eat some protein with your sweets foods, cottage cheese would work quite nicely with fruit. It contains tryptophan which will boots you serotonin without tonnes of sugar.

danlen

shanebarry92 wrote: »

why don't ya try sugar free 100% fruit jam on rice cakes?

Because that is a close to useless meal, nutrition wise.

shanebarry92 wrote: »

maybe try chromium supplement? very good for sugar cravings! there also very cheap to get

Studies on chromium seem to generally point to them having no effect on sugar/carb metabolism. Just avoiding the sugary foods would be a much better approach.

On a side note: what's the deal with all the exclamation marks?

iguana

Be careful with which dried fruit you buy. For some crazy ass reason a lot of companies selling dried fruit add a sugar coating to it. Make sure you are getting fruit with nothing added.