Consider Adding Low Sugar Fruits To Your Everyday Meals

With sugar so abundant in almost every processed food on the market, it’s all too easy to ingest more than the daily recommended amount of sugar. What is the daily recommended amount of sugar? Most dietitians suggest calories from added sugar should be less than 5 percent a day. Unfortunately, most Americans clear the allotted amount with sugars making up 17 percent of the total calorie intake for adults.

Why is Too Much Sugar Bad?

Ingesting too much sugar, unsurprisingly, isn’t great for your health. It can lead to health issues such as:

• Obesity

• Type 2 diabetes

• Heart disease

• Cancer

• Gout

As well as a host of other smaller issues such as acne, accelerated skin aging and, of course, dental issues. Unfortunately, it can be hard to quit sugar. Recent research has found sugar can be as addictive as some illegal drugs as it releases a surge of dopamine when we consume it. Much like hard drugs, sugar lights up the reward centers in our brains when we eat it, which can often lead to compulsive behavior.

Although a lot of the negativity around sugar is directed at refined sugars, sugar-filled fruits can be just as bad for you. While fruits are certainly healthier for you as they contain healthy nutrients and fiber (which slows the absorption of the fructose), eating too much can still lead to negative side effects. Luckily, there are many different varieties of fruit and some are lower in sugar than others. So whether you just want to lead a healthier lifestyle or trying out a new diet, these list of low sugar fruits can help satisfy your sweet tooth without giving you that sugar spike.

Strawberries

As sweet as they can be, strawberries are actually fairly low in sugar. In fact, they only contain about seven to eight grams of sugar in one cup. Grapes, on the other hand, contain around 15 grams per cup! While both are delicious, if you want to lower your sugar intake, reach for the strawberries instead of the grapes.

Of course, strawberries come with a host of other benefits. It’s high in fiber, which helps reduce your overall cholesterol levels. It also contains more vitamin C than oranges when you eat the same serving size. Vitamin C is an important nutrient that plays an important role in many of the body’s processes. It’s also contains powerful antioxidants which can help prevent cancer. What’s not to love?

Raspberries

These delicate berries might taste sweet, but they actually contain less sugar than strawberries: One cup contains 5 grams of sugar. This, combined with the 8 grams of fiber, makes raspberries a great treat for people who are trying out a keto diet. Besides its high fiber content, raspberries are also contain some calcium and magnesium, both important for bone health.

You can pretty much add raspberry to almost anything to make it taste better. Tired of the same old salad? Add some raspberries for a delicately sweet bite. Or, if you want to really improve your salad game, mash up some raspberries and add it to your oil and vinegar salad dressing.

Peaches

There’s nothing quite like biting into a sweet, juicy peach. Don’t be deceived by the taste, though. Peaches actually have less sugar than apples - 13 grams vs.19 grams - making it relatively low in sugar for a fruit. More importantly, fresh peaches are a great source of antioxidants and vitamins, most notably Vitamin A.

While Vitamin A provides a lot of health benefits, the one it is most known for is protecting your eyes against night-blindness and other age-related. So in addition to eating your carrots, make sure to eat some peaches!

Blackberries

While not as low sugar as raspberries, blackberries only contain seven grams of sugar per cup, so it’s on par with strawberries. These dark purple berries are high in fiber so they’ll also keep you feeling full for longer. Since these are so low in sugar and carbs, like raspberries these can be included in a keto diet.

While it’s no surprise that blackberries contain Vitamin C, they have a nice tangy sweetness to them, they also are a good source of magnesium, which is important for building bones and teeth, and iron. While most people generally associate iron with the production of red blood cells, it also helps make collagen (essential for keeping a youthful appearance) and neurotransmitters.

Lemon and Lime

No lemons and limes are not the same fruit in different stages of maturation (unlike the different colored peppers). With that said, both are citrus fruits and provide many of the same health benefits. Both also contain very little sugar at around 2 grams per fruit.

Most people probably won’t just eat lemons or limes as a snack, but with so many health benefits, you should consider including it in your diet. This might mean adding a squeeze of lemon juice to your dressing or just adding a little bit of lime juice to your water. As you would expect, both fruits are very high in vitamin C and contain flavonoids and antioxidants. Both of which can help reduce certain health issues such as heart disease and cancer. Don’t overdo your citrus intake though. Too much can lead to an increase in cavities (citrus erodes enamel) and potentially stomach issues. As with anything, practice moderation.

Avocado

Yes, avocado is a fruit. Not all fruits are sweet and avocados prove it. The avocado has just over a gram of sugar making it the fruit with the lowest sugar content. With that said, it is also the fruit with the highest calories coming in at around 234 per cup.

In the past few years, avocados have become a very popular fruit and for good reason. Besides tasting great, it’s also chock full of healthy fats along with other important nutrients such as:

• Vitamin K - aids in blood clotting

• Riboflavin - helps with cellular function and growth

• Vitamin B6 - helps the immune system produce antibodies

It’s also a great source of monounsaturated fats, which can help reduce your ‘bad’ cholesterol. As a more savory fruit, avocado is an excellent addition to sandwiches and salads. You can also try your hand at making homemade guacamole. You can use it as a ‘dipping’ sauce for your crudities or as a salad dressing. It’s tasty and versatile!

Grapefruit

Grapefruit is not a naturally occurring fruit. It appeared in the 18th century and is a cross between the pomelo and an orange. Today there are several varieties with most people opting for the red or pink versions due to their perceived sweetness. A whole grapefruit has around 18 grams of sugar which makes it the fruit with the highest sugar content on this list. With that said, it’s still below the sugar content found in one apple. As you would expect of a citrus fruit, grapefruits contain a lot of vitamin C. The pink and red version also contains beta-carotene and lycopene - two phytonutrients with antioxidant properties. It’s also great for people on a diet due to its high fiber content, which helps promote fullness.

Benefits

If you grew up in the 80s and 90s, you’ll remember the old food pyramid that used to list carbs as the largest food group. Times have changed and now fruits and vegetables are considered the base of the food pyramid with most dietician’s suggesting 5-7 servings a day. Sadly, only 33 percent of adults actually eat the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables a day.

Overall Fruits Are Good For Your Health

It should come as no surprise that increasing your fruit intake will help you on your health journey. Most fruits are high in a variety of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. While you might not see overnight results, sticking to a diet low in sugar will lead to long-term benefits such as:

• Improved skin and hair health - Riboflavin, Vitamin A and Vitamin C can all help keep your hair and skin healthy.

• Maintaining a healthy weight. As these fruits are low in sugar it’s easy to squeeze them into a healthy diet plan. More importantly, they hit the right notes for your sweet tooth. While the sugar from fruit and table sugar are similar, your body doesn’t react the same when you get sugar from fruit as you’re also getting fiber and nutrients along with it.

• Reduced blood pressure and cholesterol - the more vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients you get, the better your body functions. There are studies that show an increase in fruit intake can lower your LDL levels and blood pressure.

• Improved brain function - many of the fruits we listed contain anthocyanins, a flavonoid that antioxidant effects. Found normally in red, purple, blue or black fruits this compound can help reduce inflammation and oxidative stress, both of which reduce your brain function and memory.

• Managing your Type 2 diabetes - fruit low in sugar is great for people who have to worry about managing their blood sugar levels. Not only does it provide valuable nutrients, it also keeps

You should get around 2-3 servings of fruit every day - roughly 2-3 cups - to reap the benefit of fruits This might seem like a lot, but you can easily reach this number by including some fruit in every meal.

Breakfast

Add in some fresh berries to your yogurt or oatmeal. If you eat cereal, avoid ones that have any added sugar and instead add some of the fruit listed above. Try to incorporate around ¼ to ½ a cup for breakfast.

Lunch

Add some fruit to a salad or experiment with fruit on sandwiches. You’d be surprised how well sweet and savory go together. You can even replace a store-bought dressing with a homemade one. Some lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper make a great vinaigrette. If you add some macerated strawberries or raspberries, you mellow out the citrus tones with a little sweetness. If that’s not your thing, just pack some whole fruits with your lunch. You can either eat them at the same time or space your fruit out throughout the day as snacks.

Dinner

Cooked fruit tend to go very well with almost any kind of meat: strawberries pair well with chicken while peaches go great with pork. Cooked fruit tends to taste even sweeter because you’re essentially removing excess water, but as long as you don’t add more sugar, you won't have to feel guilty about eating it.

Dessert

For many, dessert is the best course, but most of the available options contain an obscene amount of added sugar. Luckily, you can still enjoy a good dessert without the extra sugar if you plan ahead. Love ice cream? Take a cup of frozen strawberries, add some milk and add it to a blender or food processor. After a few minutes you’ll have strawberry ice cream.

Add Low Sugar Fruits To Your Natural Diet For A Healthy Lifestyle

You don’t have to forego fruits if you’re on a diet. In fact, it’s probably in your best interest to have more fruit, especially low sugar fruits in your house. That way when you feel that familiar pull towards something sweet, you’ll be able to satisfy the urge without feeling guilty. The best part for most of these fruits is that they require minimal processing. For most of the options you just need to wash them and you’re ready to eat them. The avocado, grapefruit, lemons and limes require a bit more effort, but you usually just need to make a quick cut and you’re good to go.

While fruits are generally good for everyone, you should definitely speak to your doctor before adding a bunch into your diet, especially if you’re diabetic. Most of the fruits on this list have low sugar content that you won’t have to worry about sugar spikes, but a professional can further tailor this list based on your needs. If you haven’t done so already, you should also take an allergy test before trying any new food. Although this list highlights fruits low in sugar, that doesn’t mean you have to avoid all the fruits out there. Eating a variety of fruits means you’re also getting a variety of vitamins and minerals in your diet. So if you want that orange, then eat it! At the end of the day, any fruit is better for your body than cookies or cake.

Jessica Lauren is Founder, contributing Author and Owner of Citrus Sleep. Citrus Sleep is an online publication that highlights brands, sleep products, women’s fashion, subscription services and ideas creating positive social change and promoting a healthy lifestyle. After spending nearly a decade working in PR and marketing for several brands and startups, Jessica knows what truly drives conversions, sold-out launches and guest posts.

Follow Jessica at @jessicalaurencs | Jessica Lauren

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