Fear of fruit: reasons not to be afraid

Content warning: discussion of diets.

Don’t worry, readers– you didn’t miss a new scary press release on how bananas have all become toxic and death-inducing. Of course food safety is an important issue; the recent romaine lettuce recall has ended, but worries about agricultural methods, water cleanliness and industrial food production are real and prudent.

The fear I’m talking about here is based on nutritional advice published in popular media about how eating fruit might hinder weight loss. In an Shape magazine article titled, “Is fruit still part of a healthy diet”, the author warns dieters not to eat much fruit. Why? It contains two scary components:

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What the author leaves until later in the article is the fact that fruit also contains this component:

Oops– wrong screenshot. I didn’t mean this kind of fiber:

Rather, this kind of fiber:

Okay, so is fruit’s threat to our existence saved by its fiber content? Is that why we shouldn’t fear fruit?

Fruit is saved from the trash can and compost heap by its following features:

• Its tastes– sweet, sour, perfumey, tart, etc.– it’s got it all.
• Its colors– every color of the rainbow (except blue, I think)
• Its textures– crunchy, soft, velvety, crisp— again, you can get anything
• Its nutrients– fruit contains all kinds of vitamins and such like, which are good for us
• Its glorious variety– you can find fruits in a dizzying variety of shapes and sizes and tastes and seasons and uses

I’ll end with my fruit suggestion of the day: Mangosteen. If you find yourself in a place where they are ripe and are sold, run (don’t walk) to get one. They have a purple leathery outer covering, and white soft inner sections. They taste a bit grapefruity, and bit perfumey. Astounding.

Hey readers– what’s your favorite fruit? Something exotic? Are you a classic fruit lover of apples? Share your picks with us.