For many people, consuming a fruit salad seems like a good idea because fruit is “all natural.”
Here is a basic recipe:
- 1/2 cup of watermelon balls
- 1/2 cup of cantaloupe balls
- 1/2 cup of honeydew balls
- 1/3 cup of strawberry halves
- 1/2 banana
Seems like a calorie bargain at only 161 calories for the entire recipe.
Fruit Salad: Is It Fat Burning or Fat Storing?
Fat Burning Machine students know that it’s not all about calories. Food affects hormones, including insulin. Insulin is nick-named “the fat storing hormone.” Insulin is released in response to food and the more carbohydrates, and in particular sugar, the higher the insulin response.
Guess how many teaspoons of sugar are in the fruit salad?
There is the equivalent of 7.25 teaspoons of sugar in the fruit salad. It is nearly 100% carbohydrates!
A better solution is to have some of the fruit salad as a side dish, along with protein (eggs, grilled fish, meat, poultry) and some fat. The fat can be part of the protein cooking process or something like avocado or vegetables with butter. The mixed meal doesn’t spike insulin as much as the fruit-only dish.