Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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I've seen quite a few posts here about fruit here, but none truly dedicated to the topic of which fruits have the best and worst nutritional profile. Taking everything into consideration such as vitamin, mineral, fiber content as well as glucose, sucrose and fructose ratios what fruits are the most and least beneficial?

Please don't make this about whether or not to consume fruits, there are plenty of threads on that. I just want a thorough list of what people think about all the fruits available to us and why.

Thanks

flag	asked Aug 22 2011 at 19:56 Householder 574●3●10

interesting question. +1 – Primordial Aug 22 2011 at 20:00

The Loon · Answer 1 · 2011-08-23 05:12:27Z UTC

7

Avocado wins hands down. Lots of taste, creamy texture, good nutrients. I always feel better after having eaten an avocado.

answered Aug 23 2011 at 5:12

The Loon
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air_hadoken · Answer 2 · 2011-08-22 20:21:29Z UTC

I can't speak for the worst, but I have heard plenty of consensus that berries (e.g. blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries) are the best. They have low sugar content, some of the highest fiber per unit volume of any fruits (7.6g/1cup fresh for black/rasp, though blueberries are average in fiber), and are a primary source of vitamins E and K. If I buy fruit just to eat, not to put in iced tea or holiday pies, it's always berries.

dubpluris · Answer 3 · 2011-08-22 20:53:52Z UTC

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Refer to Mark Sisson's article, "The Best Low-Carb Fruits (and the Worst)"

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/best-and-worst-fruits/

This article has some good information regarding different fruits' sugar content and nutritional value.

answered Aug 22 2011 at 20:53

dubpluris
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Mark's article spoke for me--I eat lots of berries and grapefruit. – Nance Aug 22 2011 at 20:56

Great article but Mark is wrong about melons (yikes can I utter those words?) If you look at GL they are fabulous. Melons are standard fare on most LC diets for those choosing to include fruit. – Shari Bambino Aug 22 2011 at 21:41

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He's also wrong about figs having the same amount of sugar as strawberries...they have about 8x as much. – Travis Culp♦ Aug 22 2011 at 21:47

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Everyone can be wrong, Shari. Even the "gurus." – dubpluris Aug 22 2011 at 22:45

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We could tell Mark of any inaccuracies that are in his post. We're all in it together. Not sure though if an email would get through to him/his staff. – Paul Aug 22 2011 at 22:55

show 6 more comments

none · Answer 4 · 2011-08-22 21:38:53Z UTC

Kiwis are said to be one of the most nutritious fruits:

"In the world of phytonutrient research, kiwifruit has fascinated researchers for its ability to protect DNA in the nucleus of human cells from oxygen-related damage. Researchers are not yet certain which compounds in kiwi give it this protective antioxidant capacity, but they are sure that this healing property is not limited to those nutrients most commonly associated with kiwifruit, including its vitamin C or beta-carotene content. Since kiwi contains a variety of flavonoids and carotenoids that have demonstrated antioxidant activity, these phytonutrients in kiwi may be responsible for this DNA protection."

For 46 calories and 8 grams of sugar you get 95% of RDA for vitamin C. Pretty good to me.

Arsy · Answer 5 · 2011-08-22 20:52:43Z UTC

I agree with the berry comment. I also eat a lot of bananas because they have more glucose than fructose. I know a lot of people are not into them because of the high carb content. However, I include a moderate amount of carbs in my diet.

Travis Culp · Answer 6 · 2011-08-22 21:28:07Z UTC

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I usually go for the best vitamin C: fructose ratio, which would be red bell peppers followed by strawberries.

answered Aug 22 2011 at 21:28

Travis Culp♦
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Well if you're going to say red bell pepper you may as well say avocado ... – Paul Aug 22 2011 at 22:57

McMeghann · Answer 7 · 2011-08-22 21:00:49Z UTC

I know that pineapples, mangos and bananas have more sugar than most fruits...unfortunately these are my favorites. And they are the cheapest, which for a paleo on a budget like me is important.
I eat these fruits at least once a day, but I'm also training for a half-ironman. So I guess that's how I justify it :)

PKN · Answer 8 · 2011-08-22 21:44:41Z UTC

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the Glycemic index gives you a good clue as far as insulin impact, watermelon and cantalope are about the worst. Aside from that, I would stick with the berries as Sisson outlines.

answered Aug 22 2011 at 21:44

PKN
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Alex · Answer 9 · 2011-08-22 22:22:00Z UTC

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Berries are amazing; seriously a paleo gift. I love being able to eat strawberries smothered in coconut cream and feel good about it.

Other than that, I'll have an odd apple once in a while. Though, I'll peel it, chop it up, sprinkle it with cinnamon and saute it in a slab of kerrygold butter to blunt the glycemic load. Delicious.

answered Aug 22 2011 at 22:22

Alex
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	That's interesting. What about that process blunts the glycemic load? I didn't even know that you could do that, and it sounds delicious! – dubpluris Aug 22 2011 at 22:46
	I think it is just the fact he is adding fact which as an extremely low glycemic load as opposed to actually changing the glycemic load of the apple (as cooking it without butter probably wouldn't help). – Householder Aug 22 2011 at 22:54

Eric · Answer 10 · 2011-08-23 02:47:32Z UTC

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Berries for sure.

answered Aug 23 2011 at 2:47

Eric
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Uggla · Answer 11 · 2011-08-22 20:51:41Z UTC

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Berries are best, then I would say pitted fruits like peaches.

answered Aug 22 2011 at 20:51

Uggla
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Fruit, which is best and worst?

11 Answers