Here's Why You Should Eat Fruit Even Though It Contains Sugar

Sugar can often feel like a bad ex-boyfriend you can't seem to stay away from no matter how hard you try. You know you need to eat less of it—maybe even giving it up completely for a short while in an attempt to stop the craving—but even just a small indulgence can quickly send you back into a full-on sugar obsession.

But there's one kind of sugar that doesn't deserve to get kicked to the curb: fruit.

"It's one of my biggest dietitian pet peeves that people think fruit is unhealthy because it has sugar. I hear it all the time about bananas especially, but everything from blueberries to oranges have gotten a bad reputation," says Lisa Valente, M.S., RD.

How Is the Sugar in Fruit Different?

Fruit often gets a bad rap for its sugar content, but you can't compare bananas to donuts. The sugar naturally found in fruit is different from the dozens of various sweeteners on grocery store shelves. Naturally occurring sugars are also found in dairy and vegetables.

"If you need to watch your sugar or carb intake, you may want to be more careful about portioning out your fruit but it doesn't mean you shouldn't eat it. Try pairing fruit with a healthy fat or protein, like apple and almond butter, banana and peanut butter or pear and cheese," says Valente.

While your body processes the natural sugar in fruit, vegetables and dairy the same way it processes the added sugar in your favorite soda or candy, when you eat whole foods, you're getting more than just sugar. You're also getting a plethora of other nutrients.

For example, fruits and vegetables provide you with vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants. Dairy gives you a dose of protein, vitamins and minerals, including calcium and (if fortified) vitamin D—both nutrients that many people tend to be low in.

And some dairy—like yogurt, kefir and cheese—also provide your gut with healthy bacteria called probiotics. Fruits and vegetables provide prebiotics—the food the healthy gut bacteria love to nosh on, which helps them stay healthy.

Despite the accolades of fruit, a 2020 review in Nutrients suggests that only 12% of adults in the U.S. eat the recommended amount of fruit, which is about 1.5-2 cups per day, according to the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Here are a few more reasons to make fruit a part of your healthy diet.

Pictured Recipe: Purple Fruit Salad

Health Benefits of Fruit

Heart

A 2020 review article in the Journal of the American Heart Association suggests that eating fruits (and vegetables) provides heart-healthy benefits. The fruits that showed the greatest benefits include citrus fruits, 100% fruit juice and pommes—which includes apples and pears. And while these fruits may have shown the greatest benefits to the heart, the review also states that none of the fruits had any negative influence on heart health.

Related to cardiovascular disease, fruit intake may also help reduce the risk of stroke and hypertension, per a 2022 review in Springer Link. Perhaps that's why the American Heart Association suggests two servings of fruit each day.

Cancer

Eating fruit may also help protect against certain types of cancer. For example, a 2021 review in the British Journal of Cancer suggests that high fruit intake is associated with a significantly reduced risk of breast cancer.

Interestingly, this review also found that high consumption of fruit juice was associated with a higher risk of breast cancer. The study authors note that the lack of fiber in the juice may have something to do with it, as fiber binds to estrogen and takes it out of the body. Since excess exposure to estrogen has been linked to certain types of breast cancer, per the National Cancer Institute, you want to eat plenty of fiber to help remove excess estrogen.

In addition to breast cancer, an April 2022 report by the National Cancer Institute states that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables has been linked to a decreased risk of several types of cancer, including cancer of the mouth, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, stomach, lung, colon, pancreas and prostate. The report also states that the recommended amount of fruit per day is 1 to 2.5 cups for cancer-protection benefits.

Healthy Weight

Some diets, like keto, eliminate certain "high sugar" fruits, like bananas, pears, dates and mango. The reasoning is that these fruits (among other foods on the keto do-not-eat list) are too high in carbs and will make you gain weight—or prevent you from losing it.

But research suggests the opposite. For example, a 2019 review in Frontiers in Nutrition suggests that eating fruit does not contribute to weight gain and instead, may help reduce weight.

And according to the previously mentioned 2020 review in Nutrients, higher overall fruit intake was associated with long-term weight stability or weight loss in women.

We definitely can't say the same for donuts—or any other products with added sugars for that matter.

Gut Health

Most fruits are typically a good source of fiber—an essential nutrient many of us don't get enough of. Not only is fiber great for our digestive and gut health, but it also helps slow our body's roll when breaking down fruit sugar, so we don't experience the same sugar high we would if we had eaten candy or cookies. Most products with added sugars don't contain fiber, which creates insulin spikes and leaves you hungry again an hour later.

And if you're wondering if you can eat fruit if you have diabetes, Valente says yes. "Eating fruit has not been linked with higher blood sugar, even for people with diabetes."

Sugar in Prepackaged Fruit

Hopefully, you see that fruit is not the villain some have made it out to be. Some forms of fruit do contain added sugar, though, so if you're buying any kind of packaged fruit, read the label.

"Dried fruit, canned fruit and frozen fruit might have added sugar, so check the labels," says Valente. "If you buy plain versions with just fruit as an ingredient it can be a really affordable way to add more fruit to your diet. I especially like frozen fruit for smoothies and dried fruit for snacking."

The Bottom Line

Fruit can and should be a part of a healthy diet that includes a variety of foods. "The benefits to eating fruit definitely outweigh any downsides," says Valente. "Fruit has so many great nutritional qualities and it just happens to taste good. That's a win-win in my book."