Fruits for Weight Loss - The 11 Healthiest Snack Alternatives

You want to lose weight in a healthy way, but you’re not quite sure whether fruit helps with this? In this article we explain which fruits are best for losing weight and provide you with some delicious recipes! We also answer frequently asked questions about fructose, fat burning, and nutritional values.

Fruit is a wonderful and refreshing snack, which, when eaten in moderation, is also good for losing weight. Make sure you avoid products with added sweeteners. Go for fresh fruit and avoid canned or packaged products with lots of added sugar.

Another benefit of fresh fruit is the amount of fibre and vitamins it contains, which are essential for your body. (Hint: You can easily determine your optimal nutritional requirements with our BMI Calculator).

A good way to determine a fruit’s vitamin content is by looking at its shell: the thicker the shell, the more sugar and fewer vitamins it usually contains. Berries, apples, and peaches have naturally lower sugar levels than bananas, pineapples, or melons – but these are no less healthy. Unfortunately, recent breeding of sweeter fruit varieties has led to this rule no longer applying for all types of fruit.

Beere, Apfel und Pfirsich sind also von Natur aus eine bessere Variante als Banane, Ananas und Melone – die jedoch nicht weniger gesund sind. Leider hat die Züchtung immer süßerer Fruchtsorten inzwischen dazu geführt, dass diese Regel nicht mehr für alle Obstsorten gilt.

Fruit contains sugar, or more precisely fructose. Just like “normal” sugar, fructose has 400 kilocalories per 100 grams. However, fructose is about 20 % “sweeter” than refined sugar. This means you can use less of it to achieve the same sweetness. For example, 100 grams of sugar in a recipe can be replaced by 80 grams of fructose. Hence you even save calories.

Nevertheless, large quantities of any type of sugar is unhealthy. The advantage of fruits is that they consist mostly of water. In addition, fruits contain many other important vitamins, fibre and minerals that support important bodily functions.

To lose weight, you need a calorie deficit, i.e. you need to burn more calories than you eat. Your fruit consumption will only prevent weight loss if you consume more calories than you burn in total. Therefore, it is important to keep track of your calorie intake.

Tip: Calculate your daily calorie requirement here with our free calorie calculator.

Fruits can be a beautiful addition to your diet, when you want to lose some weight! The fruit sugar makes them a delicious sweet treat without adding too many calories. But what are the best fruits for weight loss?

As a typical summer fruit with a growing season from May to September, strawberries are one of the best fruits for weight loss. 100g strawberries contain a mere 35 calories and 5.5g of carbohydrates as well as large amounts of vitamins and minerals – making them an ideal low-carb and healthy snack. Go for organic strawberries if your budget allows (the pesticide contamination can be very high in conventially-grown strawberries).

Ingredients:

• 500 g strawberries
• 3 lettuce hearts
• 2 handfuls rocket
• 200 g cherry tomatoes
• 50 g walnuts
• 1 avocado
• Salt & pepper
• 6 tbsp vegetable oil (e.g. sunflower seed oil)
• 6 tbsp water
• Balsamic vinegar (white)
• Some honey (or alternative sweetener)

Preparation:

1. Wash the lettuce hearts and rocket thoroughly. Cut the strawberries, tomatoes and avocado into cubes or slices. Place in a large salad bowl with the chopped lettuce hearts and rocket.
2. For the dressing, mix together the vegetable oil and water, then season with balsamic vinegar and honey. Add a little salt and pepper to season the dressing.
3. Finally, sprinkle the salad with walnuts.

At just 7.5 g of carbohydrates and 42kcal per 100g, blueberries are another low-carb, low-calorie fruit. They are packed with vitamins, minerals, and lots of fibre. Dark berries are particularly rich in antioxidants, and thus are super healthy without tasting bitter or earthy, like some other dark berries. Thanks to their low sugar content and high fibre content, blueberries have little effect on blood sugar levels. Tip: they are wonderful as a topping on natural yogurt or curd cheese.

Berries, and this includes raspberries, generally speaking have the lowest carbohydrate content and highest percentage of micronutrients per calorie of any fruit. Raspberries are widely available in this country, and impress with their sweet, fruity taste and low carbohydrate levels – only 5 g per 100 g. Make sure the rasperries you buy aren’t sweetened.

Top tip: during the winter months, you can stock up on frozen raspberries.

Ingredients:

• 200 g raspberries
• 100 g curd cheese (or soy yoghurt)
• A dash of lemon juice
• 200 ml-300 ml water
• Honey or agave syrup

Preparation:

1. Put the ingredients in the blender and puree adding more water, if desired.
2. Finally, flavour the smoothie with a little honey or agave syrup.

Apples – probably the most popular fruit in the UK and also one of the best fruits for weight loss. They are healthy, tasty and available in every supermarket. They contain important vitamins and minerals, are easy to transport (thanks to their handy size), and make a wonderful on-the-go snack. This means they are great for keeping the wolf from the door.

The slightly acidic taste, combined with a high water content, makes them particularly refreshing, especially in summer. With apples, it pays to choose organic: due to numerous crop protection agents for pest control, “conventional” apples are heavily contaminated with toxins. However, washing them for several minutes will remove many of the pollutants from the shell.

Ingredients:

• 2 apples of your choice
• 1 tbsp. peanut butter (or cashew butter, almond butter etc.)
• Coconut flakes

Preparation:

1. Wash the apples thoroughly and cut into medium-thick slices.
2. Microwave the peanut butter at a low wattage until liquid and then spread evenly over the apple pieces.
3. Finally, sprinkle the apple slices with coconut flakes.

In addition to a high dose of vitamins C and B, grapefruits contain plenty of pectin. Pectin is a fibre that fuels the digestive system and gives a feeling of fullness. With just 7.5 g carbohydrates per 100 g, they have little effect on your blood sugar level. Only disadvantage is, aside from their bitter taste, many people find handling grapefruits is quite a sticky business. However, this can easily be avoided by peeling and cutting the grapefruit in advance.

Ingredients:

• 2 grapefruits
• Honey or agave syrup
• Stars anise & cloves

Preparation:

1. Cut the grapefruits in half and place them in a casserole dish.
2. Spread some honey on the halves.
3. Season with stars anise and cloves to taste.
4. Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C for about 15 minutes.

If you like melons, and the tricky slicing doesn’t bother you, then you should go for watermelon. The large fruit contains more than 90 % water, making it a superior refreshment on a hot summer’s day. Due to their high water content, 100g watermelon contains only 30 kcal and 8 g carbohydrates, not to mention a relatively large proportion of vitamins A and C. As a result, the watermelon is a wonderful, low-calorie fruit for weight loss.

However, be aware that watermelons are much heavier than other fruits. This means that a 100-gram portion of watermelon will seem much less than a 100-gram portion of apple. This is due to the high water content of the fruit. It is therefore quite easy to “overeat” with watermelon. The balance of nutrients and fibre compared to the sugar content is significantly worse than that of other types of fruit.

Ingredients:

• 500 g watermelons (diced and frozen)
• 5-8 strawberries
• 1 lime

Preparation:

1. Throw all ingredients into a blender (allow the frozen watermelon cubes to thaw if you don’t have a high-powered blender).
2. Blend until the ingredients have a slushy texture.

The avocado is a specialty among the fruits. The most common variety sold in supermarkets is the “Hass” avocado. At just 1 g carbohydrates per 100g, avocados are suitable for a low-carb diet. Their high fat content – over 20g fat per 100g – makes them a rather high-calorie fruit (220 kcal per 100g), but also a great supplier of almost all important vitamins and minerals. In contrast to other types of fruit, avocadoes are not a classic snack for in between meals, but are a super healthy addition to main meals, for example, as a substitute for dairy products such as butter, cheese, or curd cheese. Whether in salads or as guacamole, the avocado is, in nearly every form, simply delicious.

Ingredients:

• 4 slices of wholemeal bread
• 1 avocado
• 150g grainy cream cheese
• A handful of rocket
• Salt & pepper

Preparation:

1. Wash the rocket and peel the avocado. Slice the flesh of the avocado.
2. Spread two slices of bread with the cream cheese and place the avocado slices on top. Season the slices with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Arrange the rocket on top of the avocado slices.
4. Finally, place the two remaining slices of bread on top to make sandwiches.

At 13 g carbohydrates per 100 g, pineapples are not seen as one of the low-carb fruits. Nevertheless, with only 50 kcal per 100 g, the are still a low-calorie fruit with lots of fibre and vitamins. Thanks to the enzyme bromelain, they are said to have an anti-inflammatory and edema-inhibiting effect. Due to their relatively high fructose content, you should, however, enjoy this refreshing fruit in moderation.

Ingredients:

• 1 courgette
• 5 slices of pineapple (unsweetened)
• ½ cucumber
• 1 small handful of walnuts
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• Honey or agave syrup
• Garden herbs
• Salt & pepper

Preparation:

1. Wash and dry the courgette and cucumber thoroughly and peel into very thin slices with a vegetable peeler.
2. Cut the pineapple into small pieces. Put everything in a bowl.
3. For the dressing, mix the olive oil and lemon juice, then season with honey and salt, pepper and garden herbs.
4. Finally, mix everything together and sprinkle with the walnuts.

At just 35 kcal per 100 grams, papayas are one of the lowest calorie fruits and are therefore perfect fruits for weight loss. However, papayas are not one of the most widely available fruits in the UK, so you won’t find them in every supermarket. Tip: the seeds of the papaya are also very healthy because they contain enzymes that are antibacterial and promote digestion.

Ingredients:

• 1 ripe papaya
• 1 mango
• 1 orange
• 1 banana
• 250ml water
• 2 tsp chia seeds
• 2 tsp coconut flakes

Preparation:

1. Peel the mango, orange and papaya and cut into cubes.
2. Place in a blender with the water and blend until it becomes a uniform liquid.
3. Pour the mixture into two bowls, then slice the banana and add to the smoothie bowls together with the chia seeds and coconut.

An integral part of Asian cuisine, mangoes are also becoming increasingly popular in the UK. Whether in salads, smoothies or simply enjoyed as a snack, mangoes are versatile. Ripe mangoes are soft, often with a bit fruit juice already oozing from the upper part of the fruit. Mangoes are usually very sweet, but some varieties can be tart.

Tip: Sprinkle the flesh of the mango with lemon or lime juice for a tasty snack in between meals.

Ingredients:

• 150g rocket
• 1 mango
• 1 avocado
• 1 banana
• 100g mozzarella
• 2 tbsp pine nuts
• 100ml orange juice
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
• Honey or agave syrup
• Salt & pepper

Preparation:

1. Wash the rocket thoroughly, peel the mango and avocado.
2. Cut the mango into fine strips and the avocado and the mozzarella into small cubes.
3. Place in a large salad bowl with the rocket.
4. Mix all the liquid ingredients for the dressing thoroughly, season with honey, salt and pepper if necessary and pour over the salad.
5. Scatter the pine nuts over the salad.

Pomegranates are really a wonder and one of the best fruits for weight loss! The edible seeds are not only incredibly tasty, but are also full of vitamins. Cutting open a pomegranate and getting at the seeds is not always easy, but it’s worth the effort. Pomegranate seeds are great as a topping in salads, oven dishes, porridges and smoothie bowls. Their taste is very versatile.

Our tip: Watch videos or instructions on the internet about the easiest way to extract the pomegranate seeds! It’s worth it, because with the right technique it goes much faster!

Ingredients:

• 400 g small potatoes
• 300 g Brussels sprouts
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Salt & pepper
• 1 pomegranate (approx. 700gr)

Preparation:

1. Wash the potatoes and brussels sprouts thoroughly and halve or quarter them.
2. Put the vegetables in a bowl with the olive oil and spices and mix well.
3. Put everything on a baking tray and roast at 200°C for about 25 minutes. Ideally turn once after 15 minutes.
4. Core the pomegranate and add the seeds over the vegetables before serving.

In their dried form, most fruits contain significantly more sugar and significantly fewer vitamins. This is due to the dehydration process during which the fruit loses almost all important nutrients, leaving behind sugar and fiber. Strictly speaking, they are still fruit, however, for example, 100 g of dried plums contain around five times as many carbohydrates as 100 g of ripe plums. So dried fruits are to be enjoyed in moderation, as they are not the best fruits for weight loss.

Bitter substances are mainly found in vegetables, but some types of fruit also contain them. These substances aid our digestion, or more precisely, they ensure that fats can be processed better. However, bitter substances in our fruit and vegetables are being “bred away” because consumers prefer sweet flavours. Certain farmers’ markets or organic farms often sell older fruit and vegetable varieties that have not had their bitterness bred away. Click here to find out exactly how bitter substances can help you lose weight.

Fruit and vegetables also contain secondary plant compounds. They are essential for a healthy and balanced diet.

Unfortunately, you cannot target weight loss in specific parts of your body even though many magazines and diets tempt you with exactly that claim. To lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you ingest. Your genes determine where your body loses or gains weight first – this cannot be controlled by eating certain foods. There are no reputable studies that prove that certain types of fruit will melt away any belly fat.

In general, no fruit is bad for losing weight, as long as you eat them in moderation. Some fruits have more calories than others, but that doesn’t automatically mean they’ll stop you losing weight.

For example, avocado is relatively high in calories, but it keeps you full for a long time. Bananas (89 kcal/100 g), grapes (67 kcal/100 g) and cherries (50 kcal/100 g) contain more calories than berries. However, this does not make them unhealthy.

Our tip: Go more for low-calorie fruits, but bananas etc. are also okay in moderation; you don’t need to cut out any fruits. The same applies to plums (46 kcal/100 g) and pears (57 kcal/100 g). It’s best to enjoy these in moderation, if you want to eat fruits for weight loss.

Are regionality and seasonality important to you? If so, we have compiled an overview to help you find the best fruits for weight loss depending on the season.

* Due to modern storage methods, some types of fruit are also available in other months.

For a healthy weight loss diet, you should be sure to include enough fruit. A personalised nutrition plan will help you on your way to achieving your dream weight. We can create a customised Nutrition Plan for you that suits you and your needs. Your lifestyle, allergies or intolerances, and of course, goals such as weight loss or muscle building are taken into account. You receive a variety of speedy recipes as well as a handy weekly shopping list that will help you reach your goals quickly. Get your Nutrition Plan for Weight Loss now and watch the pounds start rolling off.