july 8 2013151 intro sugar has been making headlines as of late with celebrities and trainers alike singling it out as one of the key culprits in americas obesity crisis trouble is fruit because it contains natural sugar sometimes gets lumped in with foods like baked goods candy and sugary drinks and as a result unnecessarily shunned but in my private practice i still recommend eating fruit even for clients trying to lose weight here are five important reasons to continue to enjoy cherries berries melon and other juicy gems as part of a healthy weightloss strategyquicklist 1category 5 reasons fruit isnt making you fattitle fruit eaters tend to weigh lessurl text even i a nutritionist was surprised by the research which has found that people who eat more servings of fruit have lower bmis even more so than veggie eaters scientists arent sure why but it may be because fruits tend to replace higher calorie goodies and treats whereas veggies tend to be addons in other words youre much more likely to choose an apple rather than broccoli instead of a cookie and that swapout strategy can result in significant calorie savings over time even just once a week reaching for one cup of fresh blueberries rather than a blueberry muffin would save 19552 calories in a years time enough to shed at least five pounds of body fat in addition emerging research indicates that consuming more produce is tied to smaller waist measurements and lower body fat percentages even without taking in fewer calories meaning that the quality of your calories is key 9 decadent fruit desserts quicklist 2category 5 reasons fruit isnt making you fattitle fruit is packed with water and fiberurl text apart from impressive nutrients fresh fruit is high in water and fiber so its naturally occurring sugar is less concentrated than other sweet foods for example one cup of whole strawberries naturally contains about 7 grams of sugar compared to about 13 grams in one tablespoon of maple syrup 17 in a tablespoon of honey 21 grams in 17 gummy bears or 30 in a 12ounce can of cola and even in fruits that pack more sweetness per bite the sugar is bundled with valuable protective substances mango for example has been shown to prevent or stop the growth of breast and colon cancer cells 12 delicious fruit salads and salsa recipes quicklist 3category 5 reasons fruit isnt making you fattitle fruit has awesome antioxidants url text while youll find some of the same vitamins and minerals in both veggies and fruits eliminating the latter altogether would cut out a broad spectrum of antioxidants that are unique to specific fruits or fruit families in other words the antioxidants found in stone fruits cherries peaches plums differ from those found in pomes apples pears citrus oranges grapefruits tangerines melon honeydew cantaloupe berries raspberries blueberries strawberries blackberries and tropical fruits banana mango papaya thats key because different types of antioxidants do different