I was at the gym last week and caught the tail end of a conversation between two people talking about their nutrition. Now, I know it is rude to eavesdrop BUT they were both nodding along about how they really need to cut back on fruit because it has far too much sugar and that isn't good for you.
I rolled my eyes. Only in my head, but I rolled them nonetheless and it it took every ounce of willpower not to say something (unsolicited advice is the worst kind).
Thankfully I can say it here. Fruit is NOT the reason anyone is stuck. The sugar in an apple is NOT what stands between you and your goals. Fear is. We have been taught to treat ordinary food as suspicious, an apple, a banana, a heap of veg on the side, and that fear around food confuses people more than almost anything else in nutrition.
Where does that fear come from I hear you ask? Most of it is manufactured. Manufactured by influencers with a big following and no qualifications, manufactured by whatever the internet has decided to obsess about this month and convince us to go along with it for fear of being left behind. And manufactured by someone who did one bodybuilding show once upon a time and now writes meal plans and dispenses health and nutrition advice as though they studied for a decade. Getting very lean for a stage is not the same as understanding nutrition.
So, let me be very clear, yes, you can eat fruit, in fact I encourage you to. It is full of fibre and micronutrients and it tastes great. And if you want nutrition to feel less like a chore, you could also try these instead of another random trend:
- Eat enough protein. Aim for 30g per meal (about a palm size amount) and it will keep you full and protect your muscle.
- Eat your vegetables. Vegetables are full of fibre, volume and micronutrients. I know many of you don't find them exciting but you aren't a toddler, use seasoning and try to incorporate them into your meals and you will feel better for it.
- Prioritise sleep. A good night's sleep is probably one of the most underrated ‘health hacks’ out there. Under-slept and over-hungry is a terrible place to make good decisions from, stop scrolling and go to sleep.
- Walk. Try and get outside (or on a treadmill / walking pad if that is your thing) every day. Not as punishment but for movement, because it counts and your body will thank you for it.
- Aim for consistency, not perfection. Trying to be perfect all the time is exhausting and breaks hard when life gets in the way. Staying consistent over time is what really changes things.
None of that is a secret. It is the unglamorous stuff that works when you give it time and it doesn't cost a fortune in another supplement subscription, which is probably why nobody is trying to sell it to you.
