Weight loss guru Dr Michael Mosley who passed away in the summer left behind a legacy of healthy advice for people. This included those with health conditions such as diabetes as well as others who want to lose weight.
He had a range of diets to his name including The Fast 800, 5:2, The Way of Life and The Fast 800 Keto. But one thing is common to most slimmers – they want to see results quickly.
To answer this he has looked at one popular good group which most people would think was ideal for helping people shed pounds. He says while fruit is good for you some are best avoided if you are trying to lose weight.
And he came up with some swaps to make sure people are getting the nutrition they need from different options of both fruit and vegetables. Speaking to sbs.com, Dr Mosley advised: “Fruit is great if you’re healthy but if you have weight to lose, then switching to less sugary fruits like apples and berries might be wise.”
He pointed out mangoes, for example, are quite high in natural sugars: one average-sized mango contains 45 grams of sugar. When you compare that with other friuts, one cup of grapes has 23 grams of sugar, a cup of raspberries has five grams and a whole advocado contains 1.33 grams.
The expert added: “If you are young and slim so you can get away with [eating sugary fruits] you can’t particularly [consume lots of mangoes or bananas] if you are looking to lose weight.”
He said there were other things to avoid including “anything you can buy at a service station that is ultra-processed foods and convenience items we all know are bad for us but still eat in astonishing quantities.
“If it’s heavily marketed, in bright packaging and full of fat, sugar and salt, it will likely affect our health and mood – and not for the better.”
He recommended to avoid temptation don’t bring the unhealthy foods in – “biscuits, chips and anything made with cheap factory ingredients”. And he said if you already had them on your shelves then “throw them in the bin”.
He added: “Instead, fill the fridge with fresh, whole ingredients and stock the cupboard and freezer with tinned and frozen fish, vegetables and legumes. Meal replacement shakes also have their place in moderation if you’re particularly busy or travel frequently.”
The expert also advised if you want a snack switch your fruity option for vegetables. He added as another alternative swap try including unsalted nuts.
He added: “If you want to lose weight and keep it off, then it is going to require a certain amount of commitment. But you don’t have to suffer. Good food should be a pleasure, and it’s a matter of rediscovering those pleasures.”