The Athlete’s Kitchen
Copyright: Nancy Clark, MS, RD May 2006
Fruit: Questions and Concerns
“I know I should
eat more fruit. I just don't do it...”
“I've stopped
drinking orange juice; too much sugar.” ...
“Should I buy
organically grown fruit...?”
Some athletes
wisely devour lots of fruit, believing it to be among the healthiest of
food choices. But other athletes mistakenly avoid fruit, seeing it as an
evil source of sugar and carbs. If you are confused about the role of
fruit in your sports diet, keep reading!
Should I eat less
fruit to reduce my carb intake?
No! Athletes need
carbs to fuel their muscles. Despite popular belief, carbs are not
fattening. (Excess calories are fattening.) Nor do carbs cause diabetes.
(Lack of exercise and excess body weight are two main contributors to
diabetes.) Carbs should actually be the foundation of each sports meal
and snack.
The carbs in fruit
are of two types: sugar and starch. The starch in fruit converts to
sugar with ripening. For example:
– a green banana
with some yellow is 80% starch and 7% sugar.
– a mostly yellow
banana is 25% starch and 65% sugar.
– a spotted and
specked banana is 5% starch and 90% sugar.
The sugar in
fruit is neither unhealthful nor evil. Unlike refined white sugar, fruit
sugar is accompanied by a plethora of health-protective nutrients:
vitamin C, folate, potassium, fiber, and phytochemicals that improve
healing, aid in recovery after exercise, and reduce the risk of high
blood pressure, cancer and constipation. You should eat more fruit, not
try to stay away from it!
Is fruit a smart
choice for dieters?
Yes, fruit is a
smart choice for everyone. Yet, dieters who believe fruit to be
“calorie-free” fool only themselves. The average piece of fruit from a
grocery store is about 100 calories. Eating four or five pieces of fruit
a day can easily add 400 to 500 calories to your intake….healthful
calories, but never the less, calories you need to count if weight is an
issue.
Are some fruits
better than others?
All fruits are good
for your health, and some are more nutrient-dense than others. Some of
the best fruits include oranges/citrus fruits, bananas, melons, berries,
kiwi and mango. When choosing fruit, look for different colors of the
rainbow: red berries, orange mango, white banana, yellow pineapple,
green kiwi … each color contains different health-protective nutrients.
I've heard today's
fruits have less nutritional value..?
While some studies
have shown a small decline in a few of the nutrients in today's produce,
the overall picture shows we have a huge abundance of many varieties of
fruits from which to choose. By simply eating an additional piece of
fruit, we can more than make up for any possible decline in nutritional
value.
How much fruit
should I eat?
According to the new
Food Pyramid (www.myfoodpyramid.gov),
you should target at least two cups of fruits per day. (The old Food
Pyramid stated “four servings” but, due to confusion about serving size,
the new guide now better defines the appropriate intake: two cups.) You
can easily hit this target at breakfast: simply enjoy cereal with banana
(1 cup) + 8 ounces (1 cup) of orange juice. Voila ... baseline
fruit-duty done for the day!
Should I buy
organically grown fruit?
Organically grown
fruits tend to have lower levels of pesticide residues than their
conventionally grown counterparts. Be aware some fruits have more
pesticides than others (and wash all fruits very well). The safest
fruits include banana, mango, papaya, kiwi and pineapple. The fruits
highest in pesticides include apples, cherries, imported grapes,
nectarines, peaches, pears, raspberries and strawberries. If you can
afford to do so, buy organic versions of these high-pesticide fruits.
You'll have to pay more—perhaps double for strawberries.
Your best bet is
to buy organic fruits in season at the local farmers' markets. By doing
so, you will support your local farmers and also pay a reasonable price.
Plus, it's nice to meet the people who grow your food.
How can fruit fit
into my food budget?
Fresh fruit can be
expensive for athletes on a budget. That is, if you need 3,000 calories
a day, a 300-calorie snack of apples (3 medium-large apples) might cost
you about $2, while 300 calories of carbs from pretzels might cost only
$0.60. Yet, fruit bargains do exist—
• dried fruit.
300 calories (~1/2 cup) of raisins costs about $0.65. Dried fruits are
rich in carbs, fiber and potassium.
• canned fruit.
300 calories of canned peaches (a 16-oz. can) might cost $1.30. Rest
assured, canned fruits retain most of their nutritional value and are
known to be low in pesticides.
• frozen berries
and other fruits. Frozen strawberries are about half the price of
fresh ones—and perfect for smoothies.
• bananas. A
veritable bargain: 300 calories for about $0.80. If you hesitate to buy
bananas because they tend to “go bad on you” before you get around to
eating them, take note. You can store bananas in the refrigerator: the
peel will turn black but the banana will stay fresh and fine. Better
yet, peel ripe bananas, cut them into chunks, freeze the individual
chunks on a flat tray, and then store them in a zip-lock bag in the
freezer. Perfect for bite-size, ice-cream-like snacks or smoothies.
How can I get myself
to eat more fruit?
For many athletes,
breakfast is an appealing time to enjoy fruit; cereal topped with banana
or berries is an obvious choice.
• With snacks, some
athletes fail to choose fruit because it's “not enough.” That is, when
you are hungry, 100 calories of an apple doesn’t satisfy the appetite.
The solution is to enjoy protein-fruit combinations: apple + (lowfat)
cheese, banana + peanut butter, raisins + nuts.
• Think smoothies:
Blenderize 1/2 cup of milk or juice, a banana (frozen chunks for a thick
and frosty texture), (frozen) strawberries or whatever fruit is around,
plus peanut butter, dry milk (for protein), graham crackers, cinnamon,
vanilla ... be creative!
• If you like to
stock up on snacks that don’t spoil, check out the new Tropicana
FruitWise bars made from 99% fruit. Handy!
• For a
post-exercise refresher, cut up a juicy, potassium-rich orange—far
healthier than an orange-flavored sports drink.
• Serve orange
sections at your child’s soccer game. Today’s kids—as well as
adults—need to be brought back to fruit.
SIDEBAR
Vitamin C in
Commonly Eaten Fruits
The recommended
intake (DRI) for vitamin C for women is 75 milligrams (mg) per day, and
for men, 90 mg.
Apple, 1
medium 8 mg
Banana, 1
medium 10
Blueberries, 1
cup 20
Cantaloupe, 1
cup 75
Honeydew, 1
cup 45
Kiwi, 1 medium 75
Orange, 1
medium 70
Peach, 1
medium 5
Pear, 1 medium 7
Pineapple, 1
cup 20
Raisins, ¼
cup 1
Strawberries, 1
cup 80
Sports dietitian
Nancy Clark MS, RD counsels casual and competitive athletes. Her private
practice is at Healthworks. the premier fitness center in Chestnut Hill
(617-383-6100). Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guidebook ($23),
Food Guide for Marathoners ($20) and Cyclists’s Food Guide
($20) offer more information about healthful eating and are available
via www.nancyclarkrd.com
or by sending a check to Sports Nutrition Services, PO Box 650124,
Newton MA 02465. Also see
www.sportsnutritionworkshop.com
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