If you're trying to lose a lot of fat or simply looking to lose those last few pounds then keep reading.



Let's start from the beginning:

We all know our body needs food to provide us with energy, but how does it do this? It uses mainly carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are sugars that your body stores as glycogen for to use as energy.

There are two types of carbohydrates: Simple and Complex. All carbohydrates are made of sugar. Complex carbohydrates are made up of hundreds of sugars molecules, these are your startches and fibrous foods that provide you with sustained energy as they take longer to digest.

We're going to look more closely at simple carbohydrates. These consist of one to two sugars thus their name; simple. Simple sugars include refined sugars such as cakes, biscuits, fizzy drinks and sweets, as well as natural sources found in fruits. Simple carbohydrates are digested quickly and give you energy quickly.

Does this mean that eating fruit is the same as eating cake? Definitely not.

Fruit is full of vitamins, minerals and fibre that is important for a healthy balanced diet however, what is important is when you choose to eat fruit.

The sugar in fruit is a simple sugar called fructose. Remember simple sugars are used immediately by your body for energy so if your glycogen levels are low then your body will use them, if not then your body will store them as fat.

Note: If you follow a low GI diet and are confused as many fruits are low GI it's because the liver releases fructose as fat. Fat does not raise insulin levels and therefore doesn't increase your sugar levels rapidly.

So should you eat fruit or not?

YES but it's all about timing. The best time to eat fruit is first thing in the morning for breakfast or right after a work out. The reason being at these times your glycogen levels are low. Eating fruit at this time will help in your recovery. During the day your liver gylcogen levels are more likely to be full and therefore eating simple carbs could lead to the storage of fat.

So go ahead, enjoy your fruit at the right times!

Try: apples, grapefruit, lemon, cataloupe, organces, blueblerries, cherries, blackberries, oranges or strawberries.

For breakfast or as a snack try a fruit smoothie. Blend yoghurt, mixed frozen berries, a bit of agave nectar and a bit of water.

Enjoy!