This Is How Much Fruit You Should Be Eating Each Day
Updated: Aug. 24, 2017
Turns out, there is such a thing as too much fruit.
Certain foods, like fish, carry inherent risks to overconsumption due to the presence of potentially harmful chemicals, like mercury. But when it comes to fruit consumption, aren’t we all safe? As long as we avoid fruits that are recalled due to salmonella contamination, there’s no way we can go wrong with an aggressively fruit-based diet, right? According to USDA, there is a correct amount of fruit consumption, and it varies depending on who you are.
For men and boys, from age 14 to age 120+, you should be consuming two cups of fruit each day. For women, that number starts at two cups from ages 19-30, then drops to a cup and a half until the end of your days. But how much fruit is too much fruit? It all depends on sugar content, naturally.
According to the American Heart Association, Men should only consume 36 grams of added sugar each day, and women should only consume 25. But, unless you’re dumping cane sugar on your strawberries, the fructose from fruits doesn’t fall into the “added” category. It’s a bit less cut and dry when it comes to exact gram recommendations from USDA, but activity plays a role in exceeding their cup baselines.
“These amounts are appropriate for individuals who get less than 30 minutes per day of moderate physical activity, beyond normal daily activities. Those who are more physically active may be able to consume more while staying within calorie needs.”
So, stick to their numbers, especially if you aren’t particularly active. As is the case with calories or carbs, overloading with no planned activities for use can just lead to those extra sugars being left untouched then turning to fat.
If you just can’t curb your fruit consumption and have an extra 13 minutes, try out this exercise to burn off 346 calories—that’s 4.325 Granny Smith apples right there!
[Source: Women’s Health]
