A fruit salad for dinner supports weight loss, as it regulates hunger with only a few calories. A cup has only 100 calories! Fiber, vitamins, and other phytonutrients in fruits burn belly fat and improve body mass index.
A fruit salad supports weight loss, as it’s low in calories!
Above all, a fruit salad a day is good for weight loss because it has only a few calories. A cup has approximately 100 calories!
In fact, most fruits have 60 calories or fewer per 100g.
Following a healthy hypocaloric diet for weight loss is crucial for weight loss. Thus, consuming lots of high-volume, low-calorie foods, such as fruits and vegetables, is beneficial for any long-term diet.
| calories | fiber (grams) | sugar (grams) | magnesium (mg) | potassium (mg) | vitamin C (mg) | |
| orange | 46 | 2.4 | 9 | 10 | 169 | 45 |
| banana | 89 | 2.6 | 12.2 | 27 | 358 | 9 |
| avocado | 167 | 6.8 | 0.3 | 29 | 507 | 9 |
| apple | 57 | 2.4 | 10 | 5 | 100 | 4 |
| kiwi | 64 | 3 | 9 | 16 | 198 | 75 |
| watermelon | 30 | 0.4 | 2.5 | 10 | 112 | 8 |
| pear | 59 | 3.1 | 9.7 | 7 | 104 | 4 |
| mango | 60 | 1.6 | 13.7 | 10 | 168 | 36 |
| grapes | 80 | 0.9 | 16.1 | 7 | 218 | 3 |
| pineapple | 60 | 0.9 | 11.4 | 13 | 137 | 59 |
| cherries | 63 | 2.1 | 12.8 | 11 | 222 | 7 |
| cranberries | 46 | 3.6 | 4.3 | 6 | 80 | 14 |
A fruit salad hydrates the body
Moreover, a fruit salad before bed supports weight loss because it hydrates the body.
Proper hydration is essential for maintaining a normal body weight. Water reduces total energy intake, as it regulates appetite.
Also, a well-hydrated body has better metabolism, improved insulin sensitivity, and increased lipolysis! It burns more belly fat.[2]
Most fruits are at least 80% water. Watermelon, grapefruit, and melon are more than 90% water!
Actually, a fruit salad hydrates the body better than tap water. Firstly, fruits are natural water filters. They contain high-quality, purified water!
Furthermore, fruits contain electrolytes! Replenishment of electrolytes, such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, and phosphorus, is important for proper hydration.
In most cases, tap water is a poor dietary source of electrolytes. It may only be a good source of magnesium.
Fruit salad controls appetite & late-night cravings
Most noteworthy, eating a fruit salad at dinner supports weight loss because it regulates appetite. A fruit salad is particularly high in fiber. It has about 3.8 grams of fiber. This dose is 14% of the Daily Value!
Fiber takes a lot of space in the stomach, delays digestion, and stimulates the release of hormones that signal fullness. A diet high in fiber has been associated with reduced risk of obesity!
If you want to skyrocket your daily fiber intake, add a serving of avocado to your favorite salad or snack. Avocado is the richest fruit in fiber!
Consuming dinner high in fiber prevents late-night cravings for fattening food. Avoiding poor diet choices, especially before bed, is important for weight loss.
May improve digestion
Furthermore, fiber contributes to healthy gut microbiota, which is crucial for health. Healthy gut microbiota protects the body from chronic low-grade inflammations, improves metabolic processes, and helps maintain a normal body weight.
If you have a sensitive stomach, you could add kiwi to your favorite fruit salad. Kiwi assists in the digestion. It contains the proteolytic enzyme actinidin. This enzyme helps break down food proteins.[3]
Other fruits, such as pineapple and papaya, have potent enzymatic properties as well.[4]
Vitamin C burns belly fat
Additionally, consuming a serving of fruit salad before bed is good for weight loss because it can skyrocket vitamin C intake. Most fruits are particularly high in vitamin C.
Especially, orange, grapefruit, pineapple, kiwi, and mango contain 40-60% of the Daily Value per serving.
Among other benefits for weight loss, high intakes of vitamin C improve body mass index, decrease waist circumference, and burn belly fat!
Eat fruits with vitamin E
It’s a good idea to add a serving of avocado, mango, or cranberries to your favorite fruit salad. They’re the richest fruits in vitamin E. A serving provides up to 11% of the recommended daily intake!
In fact, vitamin E deficiency is pretty common, as they aren’t many foods containing vitamin E.
Vitamin E promotes weight loss because it plays a key role in glucose metabolism. It improves insulin sensitivity and fights inflammations.
But, the digestive tract requires fat to absorb vitamin E. Hence, you should eat healthy sources of fat. You could add almonds, sunflower seeds, or hazelnuts to your favorite fruit salad. Actually, these are the richest common foods in vitamin E. Also, they’re high in healthy fats.
Potassium in fruit salad fights obesity
Furthermore, fruits are among the best dietary sources of potassium. A cup of fruit salad provides 8-24% of the Daily Value!
It’s important to eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day, in order to get the recommended daily intake.
Most people consume less potassium than they actually need. The standard Western diet is low in this important mineral.
A diet rich in potassium has been linked to decreased risk of obesity and elevated Body Mass Index.
Add fruits with Magnesium
In addition, it’s a good idea to add to your favorite fruit salad, banana, avocado, or kiwi. These are the richest fruits in magnesium.
Magnesium has many benefits for weight loss. It prevents water retention, improves insulin sensitivity, promotes muscle growth, and many more.
Anthocyanins & resveratrol in berries support weight loss!
Moreover, you should prepare fruit salads with berries. Berries, such as strawberries, blackberries, cranberries, blueberries etc. are high in powerful antioxidant compounds, such as anthocyanins and resveratrol.
Resveratrol is a polyphenol that may improve weight loss outcomes. Especially in obese individuals.[5]
Anthocyanins might aid weight maintenance in healthy people as well.
Eat fruits with carotenoids!
Also, it’s important to prepare your favorite fruit salad with melon, watermelon, or mango. These are the richest fruits in carotenoids.
Melon is the richest fruit in beta-carotene.
Watermelon is particularly high in lycopene. Only tomato has more lycopene per serving!
Moreover, you should add avocado to your fruit salad because it’s the richest common fruit in lutein and zeaxanthin! Also, avocado is the only fruit that contains high amounts of omega-3s and protein!
A fruit salad for dinner may help you sleep better at night
Additionally, a fruit salad for dinner is beneficial for weight loss because it supports a good night’s sleep.
Fruit salad is a great snack for a light dinner. Consuming easily digested foods at dinner improves sleep onset latency, duration, and quality.
You should include fruits high in melatonin in your fruit salad. In fact, strawberries and cranberries are two of the richest foods in melatonin.
Melatonin is the most important hormone for a good night’s sleep. Eating foods with melatonin before bed could improve sleep quality.
Melatonin is also beneficial for weight loss. It helps the body burn belly fat and increases metabolism!
A good night’s sleep is necessary for maintaining a healthy body weight.
Poor sleep is associated with difficulty in controlling appetite, resulting in obesity, which may further increase the risk of developing sleep disorders like obstructive sleep apnea.[6]
Eating dried fruits at dinner can make you fat
As a rule of thumb, eating whole fruits won’t make you gain weight. Although they naturally contain sugar, they’re great for a well-balanced, hypocaloric diet for weight loss.
Fructose in whole fruits doesn’t spike blood sugar levels. It has to be metabolized by the liver.
Moreover, fiber, water, and health-promoting phytochemicals in fruits regulate postprandial glucose responses.
On the other hand, too much added sugar at dinner can make you fat. It can cause overeating. Also, too much sugar before bed may affect sleep quality.
Keep in mind that the sugar which is naturally found in dried fruits and fruit juices is considered added sugar.
The best time of the day to eat sugar is in the morning or after strenuous exercise.
How long before bed should I eat a fruit salad?
If you want to lose weight, you should avoid eating dinner right before bedtime. The dinner has to be at least a couple of hours before bed.
Otherwise, it may have detrimental effects on sleep quality. You have 5 times increased risk of gaining weight when you have dinner right before going to bed.
What’s the best time to eat a fruit salad for weight loss?
Actually, dinner isn’t the best time of the day to eat a fruit salad for weight loss. The best time of the day to enjoy your favorite fruit salad is at breakfast or before a calorie-dense meal.
A cup of fruit salad as a healthy snack can significantly reduce the total consumed calories of the day. Water, fiber, and phytonutrients in fruits regulate hunger.
Also, athletes could benefit by eating a fruit bowl after exercise. Many compounds in fruits speed up muscle recovery.
How to eat a fruit salad at dinner for weight loss?
Above all, you could benefit by drinking 1–2 glasses of water before dinner. Drinking water 30–60 minutes before dinner reduces total energy intake. This is particularly beneficial for obese adults who want to lose weight.[7]
Additionally, you could eat a protein shake or any other protein source with your fruit salad. Protein, when combined with water and fiber, has a huge satiating effect.
Avocado is the only common fruit high in protein.
Another great late-night snack for weight loss is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. It keeps you full for hours, as it’s packed with protein, fiber, and antioxidants. Especially if you prepare it with high-quality berry jam. Berries, and peanut butter are the richest foods in resveratrol.
