will an excessive intake of fruits lead to weight gain?

Question
i've been eating alot of fruits lately, almost as if i'm on a fruit binge.  i've realized that i reach for a fruit everytime i feel hungry or crave for something cold & sweet.  so i eat 2 red apples, 2 green apples, and 2 oranges daily.  considering that the rest of my diet is quite normal, will this enormous amount of fruit intake cause me to gain weight?

i've also heard about negative calories, where the body uses more energy to digest the food (e.g. celery) than the actual calories contained in the food itself.  are apples and oranges part of this 'negative calorie' food category?

Answer
Well, the USDA asks for 5 a day, but recommends 9 servings of fruits and veggies a day, so I wouldn't worry. I would maybe get a little more variety in, it will create more nutrient balance. You are currently eating about 500 calories of fruit daily.

If you switched up to eating one apple, a cup of frozen (unsweetened) strawberries, a banana, half a pink grapefruit, and one orange you would lower the calorie count to 400 and get a lot more nutrition packed in!

You can also try drinking a cold glass of water along with the fruit, your body might be a little dehydrated and that may be causing the cravings.

As far as negative calorie foods- yes I am willing to believe that eating celery burns one or two more calories than it has in it, but as far as celery as a weight loss product- I don't buy it. You would have to eat celery all day, everyday to see any effect, and who wants to do that? Negative calorie foods tend to be fibrous and not sweet (like celery) I have heard that cabbage is on this list (Hence the Cabbage soup diet).

In my opinion it is best to strive for balance than to look for magic foods.

Hope this helps
Lela Simon

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