Help! I'm eating too much Fruit...

On Friday I took full advantage of the wonderful weather and my morning off to pop over to my local fruit and veggie vendor in Watertown to buy the week's worth of produce.

It was really hard to limit my spending because there was such a wonderful selection of fruits... from the largest, melons; green, yellow, orange and variegated skin colors to beautiful and delicate fruits, berries; golden raspberries, blueberries and strawberries and all the mid sized selections of stone summer fruits.  There was even still some USA grown apples, pears and oranges... In other words - there was really nothing that I could have wanted that wasn't available... 

I felt like it was doubly important that I didn't overbuy because I didn't want to have too much on hand which would likely spoil in the warmer weather and, coupled with that, we're expecting our first CSA delivery at "La Casa Nina" this Tuesday - and that's exciting!

All these thoughts racing around my head made me contemplate the frequent cry I hear from members, "Help, I think I'm gaining weight because I am eating too much fruit".

Weight Watchers zero'd out the PointsPlus Values of Fruits, in their words, "to encourage us to eat more fruits".  But with FREE comes some responsibility, as some members have realized.  What's that old adage "there's no such thing as a free lunch, right?

I recently read an article on the Weight Watchers Website by Elly Trickett McNerney "Your Questions About Fruit, Answered"  in which she states:

"If you’re concerned that you’re eating “too much fruit," ask yourself if you’re enjoying what you’re eating, or if you’re honestly stuffing yourself with bananas because they’re “free." Or maybe you’re blending pounds of berries and bananas with ice into big-gulp smoothies.

If you’re using fruit and veggies as a way to stuff yourself in lieu of stuffing yourself with less healthy foods, then it’s possible that you may be reaching the point of “too much." If you’re eating more than you used to, but you’re using them for healthy snacks, to bulk up your meals or as a tide-me-over when you’re down to the last few PointsPlus values for the day or week, then you’re probably OK.

The bottom line? Let your hunger, and your weight loss, be your guide."

Here are three benchmarks, offered by fellow members, that you might like to follow:
1.  Don't replace a regular meal with a "fruit only" meal - that would account for a lot of sugar and practically no protein and the carbs are not accounted for on the tracker,
2.  Do use fruit as a snack to "stave off hunger" in between meals or to bulk up a meal that would otherwise leave you feeling hungry,
3.  It seems obvious, but if you're following the good health guidelines (Weight Watchers recommended guidelines for Healthy Lifestyle), which suggests a minimum of 5 servings of fruit and veggies a day you may want to consider that 2 fruit and 3 veggie is likely to be more helpful for weight management.  The FDA guidelines are similar ... take a look at the "My Plate" above, see the ratio of vegetables to fruit in their recommended daily intake.

What about the question of 0 PointsPlus Value of fruit?
Yes, fresh, frozen and canned (in its own juice, no sugar added) fruit REALLY is 0 PPV.  You are not required to count PointsPlus Values, but if you track your eating, it's probably a good idea to write down all the zero foods you eat -- such as the fruit -- as well, including the quantity consumed.

One question that comes up every time we have the "fruit conversation" is this one "Why does the recipe builder count PPV?"  I'm going to quote from Elly Trickett McNerney's article again, since she explains it well...

"Just as we've always done with 0 PointsPlus value vegetables, 0 PointsPlus value fresh fruits contribute toward the total PointsPlus values of a recipe, whether it's a Weight Watchers recipe or one you build yourself in the Recipe Builder.

The technical explanation is that because recipes are calculated based on the total grams of fat, fiber, protein and carbs for all their ingredients. As one poster on the Message Boards, DANI_THE_GECKO, sagely points out: “The recipe builder only knows that you input nutritional information. It does not know if it's fruit, green beans or heavy cream."

But why do we do it this way? There are a couple of very good reasons why we count fruits and veggies in our recipes:

• Our recipes often appear in articles and magazines nationally, so we need to provide the calories and nutrient content, as many recipes published elsewhere do.
• Once vegetables and fruit are elements in a prepared recipe, the experience of eating them changes. Few people overeat carrots — but they might overeat carrot cake.

If your “recipe" is truly just a few pieces of fruit, then you might want to record it in your Tracker as separate items or as a “meal" — the latter looks at each item separately and then adds up all the PointsPlus values. Because all the items have 0 PointsPlus values, the total will also be zero."

If you are concerned about your fruit intake and whether it's impacting your weigh management - come to your meeting and ask some fellow members what they do and how they manage.  On the other hand, if you have this aspect of your lifestyle under control and you have some advice and help to offer others who are struggling, please share when you get the opportunity in the meeting room.

In your Weight Watchers Future:

This week in the meeting room:
Lets take a look at and the best PointsPlus Value meals in eateries in your neighborhood.  Bring a menu with you or some ideas from local establishments for which you have identified some "safe plates".

This should be fun - I'll be looking for you....

This week in the meeting:

• Pop Chips, Salsa Multigrain Crisps, Cheddar Twists and Pepper Pretzels are all $3.95 (down fro $4.95)
• Berrylicious Cashew, Aloha Almond and Oh! So Nuts Bars are also $3.95 (normal price $4.95)
• All the fitness equipment including pedometers, kits, DVDs, hand weights and exercise mats are $5 OFF their normal prices 
• SPECIAL THIS WEEK ONLY:  25% OFF Both the Complete Food Companion and the Dining Out Companion ... usually $9.95 this week $7.45.

Say "Hi" to a new Ice Cream from WW
Snack Size Cherry Cheesecake Ice Cream Sandwiches
Close your eyes and take a heavenly bite of this delicious low-fat cheesecake ice cream snack-size sandwich. It has a cherry swirl nestled between honey graham wafers—for only 90 calories, 1 gram of fat, and 0 grams of trans fat. Offered in a package of eight.  2 PointsPlus Value per Sandwich.


Have you begun to:

?

www.weightwatchers.com/livelifeactive.  
                   Keep up the great work!