Which is better for you, fruits or vegetables?
Well, both?
They both have varying sets of nutrients and fiber. Many of the things we call vegetables are biologically defined as fruit; ie squash, tomatoes, avocados. However, for most, fruit is sweet and vegetables are typically on the savory side of the taste spectrum.
Typically fruit has more carbohydrates per gram of weight, but it also tends to have a higher fiber content in contrast to vegetables. Vegetables usually have higher water content and will be lower on all the macros per gram of weight.
To illustrate this:
100 grams of a banana has 200 kCals, 0.74g fat, 51.39g carbs, 5.8g fiber and 2.45g of protein
100 grams of a cucumber has 15 kCals, 0.11g fat, 3.63g carbs, 0.5g fiber and 0.65g of protein
This is just to show that you can eat 1400 grams of cucumber to match what 100 grams of banana is worth, macro-wise. This is useful to understand when someone is trying to eat in a caloric deficit, because with vegetables you can eat a significantly larger volume of food while hitting your macro/caloric goals. And, more volume of food is also useful in helping us feel full. Starchy vegetables like potatoes and sweet potatoes also tend to be more calorically dense, so it’s important to look things up to check its macro makeup.
However, BOTH fruits and vegetables are essential to a healthy diet. They are loaded with essential minerals and vitamins that help our body function. Many times people enjoy fruit, because it’s sweet, but have some difficulty with getting in vegetables. It’s important to find some vegetables that you like first, then start experimenting with ways to prepare them that you enjoy. I encourage you, as much as you can, to try and not and get your fruit and vegetables in juice or powdered form. Many nutrients and fiber are lost when we juice fruits and vegetables. Additionally we can also eat a very large volume of juice in contrast to the physical whole vegetable. For example, an 8 ounce glass of carrot juice is about 1.25 pounds of carrots. When was the last time you sat down and could eat 1.25lbs of carrots in one sitting?!
Because juicing creates this concentrated liquid, it’s high in carbohydrates and low in fiber, as the fiber was extracted with the pulp of the fruit or vegetable. When you introduce juice to your body, it spikes your blood glucose quickly, because there is no fiber with it to help slow absorption and digestion. This is not to say you should never drink juice, but it’s important to do so selectively, not make it your main source of your fruit and vegetable intake.
And remember, fruit and veggies are for every meal of the day! A good goal to start with, if you struggle to work them in on a daily basis is: 200 grams/7oz of fruit and 300 grams/11 ounce of vegetables a day.
Coach Sarah, FNP-BC, MSN