Hi all! Coach Jeri here!
The Healthi Community Groups on Facebook are always filled with really good questions about fruit and the correct way to track it. With summer here, we are already seeing markets filled with melons, plums, peaches and watermelons. On a hot day what could be more refreshing than cold watermelon? Some of the Healthi weight loss plans score fruits as zero BITES, and some plans score certain fruits with a few BITES. Of course a huge determinant in this is the serving size of fruit that we indulge in. Furthermore, they won't necessarily remain at zero BITES when blended, especially if other things are mixed in. In an effort to clear up some confusion and offer some helpful suggestions, let's talk fruits!
The reality is that all fruits definitely have calories! Let's start at the beginning: there was a pretty intentional reason for deeming fruits as zero BITES. If a cookie had the same BITES or calories as a banana, most people ended up choosing the cookie. Of course there are many problems with choosing the cookie over the fruit. One being, a single cookie is never enough and before you know it you are craving or eating more than the one you thought was equal to the banana you passed up. Who wants two bananas? Usually no one! To help members make better choices, fruit on some plans became zero BITES. The critical role in choosing fruit plays into long term success and overall good health.
Making an attempt to eat healthy and change some habits leads to getting to the goal and staying there.
Something to note about fruit, is that even if it is deemed to be zero BITES, you should always still track it. If you are counting calories as a second metric, (read more on that HERE) you will have to track the fruit since it has calories. This is one reason members get confused that the calories don't match the BITES. The beauty of zeros is you don't always have to track them- but again I wouldn't encourage that habit for all fruits all the time.
Another common confusion with fruits is the tracking of blended, frozen, or generally altered fruits. Why track blended bananas differently than pure bananas? I like to give this analogy. Look at a glass of OJ. It probably took 7 oranges to make one glass. Would you eat 7 oranges? No! Nor would you track it as 7 oranges. If you click HERE you can read an entire blog post about altered fruits, and how to track them properly!
I have learned over the years that fruit mixed with a bit of protein keeps me satisfied much longer than, say, a bag of potato chips. It was hard to overcome the idea that a snack doesn't have to be chips and cookies. However, I really enjoy my banana and peanut butter, or apple and cheese. My son loves hummus as a dip. When you try new combinations and throw some "spice" into your routine you won't miss those "bad snacks" as much. When we overeat junk food we feel like we do when you have a hangover.If you begin to eat for health and not just to lose a few pounds the journey gets easier.
Every day you make better cleaner food choices you will start to feel like you have more energy. So many times people would say to me but I have a family. Kids love fruit! Leave out cut melon, grapes and pineapple. Getting them into the habit is the best thing you can do for them as well. This is not to say you won't have a piece of cake once in a while but you won't feel as guilty when you are making better choices overall. Today you have a simple plan. You will eat for health and weight-loss and maintenance and better choices will lead to long term success! I hope you found this helpful!
Happy Tracking!
Click HERE for the Better Balance Zero BITE food list
Click HERE for the Sugar Smart Zero BITE food list
Click HERE for the Conquer Cravings Zero BITE food list
Click HERE for the Carb Conscious Zero BITE food list