This story starts and ends with a banana. A simple and unassuming fruit. Who knew it could cause such controversy? Yet a simple Google search titled “Is Fruit Bad?” garnered me 294,000,000 results. Hell, even the bible weighs in on the subject. Here’s a passage from Matthew 7:18: “A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.”
The issue hit me last week when I received a text from an old client:
Hey buddy. What’s your opinion on bananas? One of the trainers at my gym told me not to eat them before workouts or at all really for that matter.
I stared at my blackberry for 5 minutes, checked how many more people had read my popular Should All Personal Trainers Have 6 Pack Abs article, perused twitter, and chirped Sam Leahey for saying “Boom” in every sentence before responding.
Why is fruit considered evil?
I don’t know the trainer that gave him the advice but can only assume he had good intentions. Fruit being the root of all evil is in vogue right now. Almost every new diet book that’s come out this year advocates cutting fruit out of the diet since it’s processed in the liver and gets converted to fat when in excess. The elevated fat levels in the blood can lead to an increased insulin sensitivity in addition to the creation of more LDL (the bad cholesterol).
A popular advocate of low fructose diets is Charles Poliquin who has published 2 articles specfically on the subject (Avoid fructose to Lose Belly Fat and Improve Fat Burning and Limit Fructose and High-Glycemic Foods Prior to Strength Training to Burn More Fat). In these articles Coach Poliquin advocates a low fructose diet maxing at 20g/day for very active individuals. He also details the study that he based his recommendations off of which concluded that fructose consumption pre-workout led to carbohydrates being burnt as opposed to fats. Therefore limiting fat oxidation leading to a mid-workout crash and fat loss. There’s been two studies thus far concluding this. While promising, it’s not enough to make me completely change my dietary patterns yet. The other aspect to keep in mind when arguing that fruit is evil is that most fruits grown today are higher in sugar than their natural forms.
Our fruit evolution (and a totally epic timeline)
It’s not the first time that I’ve debated the subject. I agree with the fructose debate even though the science is in its infancy. (Although the fructose-shuttling mechanism has been well-established for years.) I also believe that, like all other touchy subjects in the fitness industry we’re at one stage of our evolution. In my article reviewing the Perform Better 2011 seminar Martin Rooney illustrated the evolution of group fitness. The great fruit debate has been raging on since the dawn of time:
The totally epic fruit timeline:
Dawn of time: Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit screwing over humans for eons that followed. Fruit was evil.
Paleolithic age (~2.6 million years ago) – Our early ancestors (australopithecines) became bipedel and started to band together in groups. They mainly ate plants. Fruit was good.
Lower Paleolithic (2.5 million years ago) – Appearence of homo erectus and transition to a carnivorus diet. Meat = good. Fruit was bad.
Neolithic (~9500BC) – People became skilled farmers. Fruit was good.
Bronze Age (~3300BC) – Advanced weaponly was built meaning man could hunt animals better. Who cares about fruit when you can tear newly hunted meat off the flesh. Fruit was bad.
Romantic era (~1800) - Grapes become considered an aphrodisiac. Fruit was good.
World war 1 (1914) - Food needed to keep for a long time. Fruit was bad.
1960s – Hippies started enjoying fruit because the colors tripped them out. Fruit was good.
1992 – United states started to become very obese and rewrote the food guide. Vegetables were recommended 3-5 servings/day and fruit was 2-4. Fruit was good.
2008 – People started to go crazy about anti-oxidants. Fruit was seen as a great source. Fruit was good.
2010 – As America becomes more and more obese debate turns to the sugar content in fruit. Fruit was bad.
2011 – Studies are completed showing that fructose specifically from some fruits causes less fat oxidation during exercise. Fruit is EVIL
My Response to the text message
After carefully considering all of the above points I responded with:
Nobody ever got fat eating fruit. My opinion is to not bug yourself with small details like that until your eating habits are 100% otherwise.
Ppl get very nitpicky when they read an article and think it’s the end all
Bodybuilders don’t eat fruit. You aren’t a bodybuilder. Bodybuilders also never drink, eat perfect and are in bed by 10pm
I also decided to pose this question to my Facebook friends (if you aren’t already friends with me on Facebook, please add me. My wall has become an incredible source for debate, networking, and the passion along of information.) Needless to say it struck a cord:
2 very interesting things came out of this debate:
The first was I realized that even personal trainers are often misinformed and it’s of utmost importance to have a resource group like our Facebook community to help them. Here’s an example:
And my response:
The second interesting point was how intricate the debate became. It ended with two trainers arguing over whether specific types of berries are good to give with clients within particular body fat ranges. This brings me to my main point:
KISS
Keep It Simple!!! I was angered when I received the text from my old client not because he had received bad information. In fact, after investigating I figured out who the trainer was and he helped me put together this article. The trainer is at the forefront of our industry and I have a tremendous respect for him. At the same time he admits that he may have been wrong to give the advice.
Personal training is unregulated but we’re increasingly interested in science. Which is a dangerous combination. It means that trainers can give unsolicited advice about anything. When we have a workshop with trainers at our club I see the trainers using the new exercise they just learnt in every single workout the following week before abandoning the movement never to use it again.
This debate over fruit and fructose is the same. It’s in vogue. Popular coaches are writing about it and popular magazines are labeling it as new and profound. I challenge anybody who doles out advice whether they’re a trainer or not to decide whether fruit is the issue before pummeling their clients with all of its evils. If you itemize it properly I’m sure you’ll find that fruit is far down the list in terms of importance for a clients physique.
What I think is more important than fruit
1. Sleep: 7-8 uninterrupted hrs a night. If this ain’t happening I don’t care about anything else. Get some rest.
2. Consistent workouts focusing on big movers: If you can’t squat, deadlift, push, pull, rotate, or anti-rotate focus on that. I don’t care whether you eat a banana before your workout or not. Use your brain power to lift better. Once that’s done then you can debate the great fruit debate.
3. Eat consistently: People are going to hate this one but I don’t buy into the intermittent fasting debate. To me it’s unreasonable for the everyday exerciser and has become a fun was for fitness pros to try something new. It may work and it may not. Until a client is able to eat 4-6 times consistently throughout the day I’m not going to tell them to stop bringing their banana to work and I’m definitely not going to tell them to starve themselves for a portion of the time. Most people are too busy to make too many changes at once.
If a client’s able to demonstrate the above 3 factors for a prolonged period of time then I might start delving into the details a bit more. Until then realize that the exercisers we help either as trainers or friends have so much other crap on their minds that you risk overwhelming them. Does a banana cause a crash midway through a workout? Maybe. But I can promise it doesn’t cause as much of a crash as chronic fatigue or malnutrition.
Only the ignorant speak in absolutes
If a professional ever speaks in an absolute run!
If you read a magazine article that speaks in absolutes, question it!
If your friend ever tells you that fruits are bad for you, run really really fast!
Nothing in this industry is an absolute. I believe so strong in that phrase I’m going to repeat it:
Nothing is ever an absolute
Don’t believe me? Here’s my argument whenever anybody says that fruits are bad:
1. Not all fruit is created equal: While bananas, apples, and pears are high on the fructose scale, berries nectarines and grapefruit are quite low.
2. Acidic fruits are powerful acid/base buffers: For those who eat a diet high in meat (especially red meat) and exercise often blood can become quite acidic. Fruits like pineapple and grapefruit act are strongly basic. Read The Kick Acid Diet
3. Most people are deficient in fruit and minerals. While it’s nice to say that fruit is evil because of the high sugar I would gladly exchange a little bit of sugar for much needed nutrients.
4. Fruit is a damn good portable snack. if the difference is eating vs. not eating throughout the day then I recommend buying a nifty banana travelling kit and bringing one to work.
You’re fit and people will ask you your advice about whatever fad is in vogue. It’s your responsibility to help them, not confuse them further. Think carefully before responding at what really matters. Is a banana a day going to make a bigger difference than sleeping an extra 2 hours a day? Or focusing their energy on working out better?
Focus on the important stuff and save the great banana debate for later.
Where do you stand on the great banana debate? Comment below and, as always, please share
Great post! I agree that trainers get too caught up on certain studies without fully understanding the background of the study., i.e. who did the study or sponsored it, who were the subjects of the studies or the other variables that goes into a study. We have to remember that nutrition and exercise science is essentially a soft science, so there is never an absolute. If it comes down to my client eating a power bar or fruit I will always opt for a piece a fruit. We should guide our clients to eat more whole foods and less to no processed foods. Now you stated that you spoke to this certain trainer so I don’t know the back story and it’s not my place to judge. Blue berries, apples, pineapples, coconuts the diet of the general population sucks so let them eat the damn fruit!
Thanks Jeff. As I said, I spoke to this trainer at length and have a tremendous respect for him not only as a professional but all around great dude. He got caught up in the debate and wasn’t as careful as he could have been. He also didn’t know the background of the client (another mistake).
He didn’t give him any bad advice. My worry is that it’s this type of talk that gets people confused from over-saturation of information. The response is always to avoid the activity all together which isn’t good for anybody
This is a key point. Too often we as trainers don’t remember to do basic due diligence. I’ve got a friend who was walking me through the nutrition program her new trainer provided. This friend has a history of disordered eating, and the trainer had her on a very tight plan which includes weighing foods and obsessing over every nutritional detail. That is never a good combination with a former bulimic. When I asked her if she’d mention her history to the new trainer, she said, “No, she didn’t ask.”
Never assume anything about your client’s background. Always ask. Go simple until they show you that they get the basics. Then consider adding more information if it helps.
Great points. I’d put more emphasis on the fact that there is more nutritionally to consider than just effect on weight, eg immune system, longevity, and cancer prevention.
Very true Steven. Maybe the next article. Or if you want to write one I’ll link it to this post.
As you and the commemorators have indicated, there are far more important things to worry about. My nutrition advice is limited to “Don’t eat junk food.”
If you are arguing over fruit I hope your clients are all physique competitors. I’ve helped countless people reach their fat loss goals…guess what? They all ate fruit. Even bananas.
So thumbs up for banana’s in the #GreatBananaDebate ?
Eat the damn banana. I heard they help with cramps, which you probably get a lot of if your overly worried about eating one or not.
you’re*
I have yet to see an obese monkey.
If I could, I’d hug you right now! The three points that are more important than fruit just put my mind at ease. I love reading and trying to learn, to correct my past mistakes and to improve the quality of my life. Also, because I am a bit of a crazy person who would love to do everything perfectly, I find it frustrating and puzzling reading so many absolutes, as you called them. I find myself lost between what IS good and what IS indeed bad. Until a while ago, I was very obsessed about counting calories and eating completely clean and felt guilty when I had something that wasn’t that clean. Not to mention one of my ex-bosses who’d make me feel like crap if I ate something bad and reminded me that I could go back to being 274 lbs heavy. It only depressed me and pointed me in the chocolate’s direction. So I said to myself: Livia, you need to relax and focus on what’s important, namely the exact three points you made in your article. So thank you for writing this. PS-I noticed that “stay within your scope of practice” comment back then and I was like “wha’???”. If trainers are not educated to give nutritional advice, it’s bad! After all, as they say: a six-pack starts in the kitchen.
Glad you agree with the points. I think it’s important to take a close look at what matters and deal with the details later. But then again that’s just my side of TheGreatBananaDebate.
Congratulations at staying strong!
Fruit is bad in excess… so is everything else. Even broccoli, the hailed king of all vegetables, is bad if it’s the only vegetable you eat. (OKAY, broccoli isn’t bad there, your habits are. But you get the point)
I think the title of this post says it all and I think your reasoning behind what makes fruit good or bad are spot on. Why one earth would anyone eat a banana when they can slay an elk with a sword or bow & arrow, eh?
Actually I prefer bison to elk but yeah, you got the point.
This post reminded me that I need to eat my bananas before they go bad! *done*
My first dive into fitness was through the bodybuilding and figure competition arena a few years back. Though I didn’t know a ton about diet and exercise, I still was always baffled as to why fruit was the anti-food in that community. Competitors would cut it out their diets for months at a time.
For those who did 3-4 shows a year, they could spend an entire 12 months without eating fruit… on purpose!
I guess I just don’t understand the war on foods vs. war on excessive calories. Humans have a built-in mechanism that associates calories with sweet foods. So, isn’t it better to eat dense foods with low calories (ie. fruits) that satisfy that desire for sweetness?
After all a 100 calories worth of banana is far more filling than 100 calories worth of chocolate.
Here’s a tip Kellie: Don’t stress when banana’s go bad. Take the brown ones, cut them up and freeze them. It makes for amazing shakes and banana bread later on. I let some banana’s go bad on purpose.
I agree. Banana’s a great way of dealing with a sweet tooth
The most important take away, besides that funny comment to stay within your scope of practice blanket statement designed to be used when the person doesn’t have a legitimate rebuttle to one’s otherwise sound statement, is regarding people’s “concern” with fructose in fruit, and how it’s metabolized. First off, it’s fruit, it’s not metabolized anything like processed foods, because there is no where near as much of a burn on ALL your system/organs (including your skin, yes it is an organ). Those people really need to educate themselves, a calorie is not a calorie, because the vehicles in which they are used to be transported into your bodies, are much different, with nature having the much more complicated, complex and beautiful vehicle, opposed to sugar candy. All that required to explain my important takeaway:
“Until fruit is the most processed sugar you are putting in your body, you have no right to tell someone to avoid them.” We Maybe that’s when you should stay within your “scope of practice” (TOUCHE). are the only culture that will tell you to avoid fruit. Try not being so uneducated, ethnocentric, look at all the other cultures around the world. We have the most prehaps super specific view on food of any nation, and because of our such “in detail” view, we blatantly are missing the bigger pictures, all the time. Including with “uncurable” diseases like cancer. Cancer is not uncurable, it is however, a lifestyle change, which most people cannot commit to, even on their death beds.
Let me add that the number 1 or 2 used fitness model in the USA eats fruit like it’s his job, and he is, obviously very shredded, and he is also very healthy which most are not.
I tend to agree that fruit is demonized in the nutrition world. For some reason, many people think the sugars in fruit are all fructose and that since high fructose corn syrup is “bad” and that the sugars in HFCS are also just fructose (again not true), that it’s a good ideas to eliminate fruit. What an interesting leap of “logic.”
That being said, you should consider editing your blog post to remove the stuff about speaking in absolutes. The title of your blog post is an absolute, but it’s a headline that got me here, so cool. But, the first four points after you warn about speaking in absolutes are absolutes.
People often eat too much fruit when dieting because fruit has the image of being healthy. While it’s rare for someone to get fat from fruit, what does that really mean? If you are at maintenance at 2000 calories, but then add two bananas and an apple, you will gain fat. Was it the fruit that you added? No, it was the extra calories. But you can’t look at the fruit or any one other thing (other than the calories) and say they are what caused the fat gain.
It’s similar with losing fat. If you eat at maintenance, then remove two bananas and an apple, did ditching the fruit help you to drop fat? Yes, but so would any other food. The fruit might just have had soft benefits to preferentially drop them – fruit tends to be less satiating than meat, for instance. Also, when cutting calories, cutting carb calories more sharply than protein and fat seems to have the biggest bang for the calorie buck.
Many overweight people should choose fruit as one of the first things to go, as it is high in sugars, can stimulate appetite, and is rarely filling for long and/or for them. Obese people often have a messed up metabolism, and dropping or reducing foods like fruits for a long time can help to bring things back into control, and they also have time without the appetite stimulation of the sugar and sweetness of the fruit.
There’s also the perception that fruit “is fine,” so they choose the bigger apple or extra banana, closing their deficit and stalling progress. They KNOW soda and cake are bad, but some people think fruit is or should be free eating, like veggies. People who don’t count calories are the worst with this, but even calorie counters often blow their day with an extra couple of pieces.
Good post and great discussions here!
Roland
Amen…I’m constantly stunned by how people will grab onto some little detail to avoid the bigger picture, like a consistent and rationally designed workout plan and a decent overall diet. I like the 80/20 rule myself…stick to the plan 80% of the time and don’t sweat the 20% float when it happens. Yes, I will have that cheesecake at my parents’ anniversary party because I eat a clean diet most of the time. And yes, I will have a banana after my second ballet class of the day because it helps me avoid muscle cramps.
My 2nd favorite bang-my-head-on-the-desk issue is the new convert to lifting who is convinced that he has to avoid walking across the parking lot because “the cardio will burn off all my muscle”.