Thursday, September 8, 2011

Ten Fruits a Day? Not So Smart

I'll be honest, I don't know much about Weight Watchers. I've actually learned about it just by talking to my own clients who follow the program. I did read about the new points system when it was first announced earlier this year, but I didn't go much further than reading the handful of articles that were published. I have a hard time having faith in a program that does not hire dietitians to help each of their clients. Every client of mine will tell me that they have never talked to an actual dietitian at Weight Watchers, but instead they talk to people who are past Weight Watcher successes. Maybe this isn't always the case, I don't know.

Below is a list of reasons why "Weight Watchers Works", taken directly from their website.



I do believe that they have done thorough research to create their new guidelines, as is indicated above with the "Latest Science" bullet, but I'm afraid I have to disagree with the concept that anyone trying to lose weight, and maintain a healthy weight, should be able to "enjoy fruits and most vegetables until satisfied". This may sound like a swell idea, but when a client of mine told me she was eating ten fruits a day, and that her instructor told her to cut it down to eight, I about had a heart attack. EIGHT?! Try two to three.



Source: iStock Photo

I won't try to explain my reasons why this amount of fruit is bad, because I found a dietitian online who has already explained the reasons; here. While fruits are extremely good for you, and certainly a better source of sugar than let's say, a candy bar, it's still sugar! And, they are still calories. To allow someone to count fruit as a "free food" when they are trying to lose/maintain weight (and often times still struggling with some type of food and/or sugar addiction) is simply absurd.

After talking with my client for about an hour I put her on a plan that included more protein and less fruit (she agreed to go down to two or three servings). I also told her that when she does eat fruit it's best to pair it with some type of protein, such as nuts, nut butter, cheese or Greek yogurt. The protein will help prevent a large spike in blood sugar and will also help keep her full longer.


Instead of a cup of cooked apples.....


I suggested apples and peanut butter or Swiss cheese. She told me she wasn't doing that currently because nuts, nut butters, cheese and yogurts were not free. In my opinion a cup of plain Greek yogurt or a slice of Swiss cheese would be more beneficial than an unlimited amount of apples (or any fruit), in terms of weight loss. Am I crazy?


Bottom Line: I like that Weight Watchers now counts fruits and veggies as free foods, as I know this will cause people to increase their intake of fruits and veggies, however, there needs to be a limit on the fruit, just as their is on starchy vegetables.

But don't worry fruit, I still love you!


QUESTION: What are your thoughts on the unlimited amount of fruits now allowed on the Weight Watchers plan?

24 comments :

  1. I think this is a flaw, yep. Sadly, people used to think, "A banana is 2 points, or a handful of pretzels are 2 points" and they would choose the pretzels...always. I think this "free foods" idea was meant to encourage more of a plant-based diet and to encourage fruits and vegetables because of their water and fiber content (satiety) over other snack foods that do nothing to fight hunger. But of course, people have to go over the top, and think that if foods are "free", unlimited amounts are just fine. I have a co-worker who eats a whole cantaloupe at lunch. It's crazy. And she can't understand how she could eat so much and be hungry 3 hours later.

    Basically, they need health professionals (RD's), because any old WW leader doesn't know WHY it's not good to eat that much fruit. But as a company, WW does employ RD's at the corporate level...just not at the leader-client level (unless they just so happen to be an RD, but it's not required). There are some, though!

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  2. Agreed Gina. I wrote a post about the new WW and also about "overfruiting" so I'm totally with you. I do think there's a difference based on how much weight someone has to lose. I see women who have 10-20 pounds and for this population overfruiting can hold them back. If you have 100+ pounds I'm not worried about a couple extra mangoes if there are bigger fish to fry. I love fruit too.

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  3. I understand what weight watchers is doing but there are always people that will take it to the extreme (10 fruits, yikes!). But it's mostly because people don't really understand nutrition and the science behind it. Good thing she came to you! :)

    BTW I didn't comment on the last post but congrats on the dress! We finally have our venue, photographer and DJ but still have the rest to take care of!

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  4. I completely agree! I think it's detrimental to those who are not as educated about nutrition on WW to think that they can binge on fruit endlessly just to avoid not going over their points! And what are the constraints of these fruits? Do bananas count as fruit? I think WW should clarify a little more about the fruit. It kind of fosters an obsession with "points" as opposed to other stuff, in my opinion.

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  5. I've heard a LOT of criticisms about the new WW plan-- it just doesn't seem all that sensible!

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  6. i'm with ya! fruit should not be unlimited. i agree that people should be encouraged to eat more fruits and vegetables, but like you said....there should be a limit on fruit.

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  7. Unlimited fruits does sound like a problem. I like the idea of encouraging fruits and veggies a lot, but I'm not sure "unlimited" or "free" is a great term to use when it comes to food in general. I think it can people lead to eating something just because it's "free."

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  8. I think that the issue behind the woman *wanting* to eat 10 fruits a day is noteworthy. I've tried the "just eat an apple to stave off the hunger" approach way too often, and the truth is that when your body wants fat, protein, or whatever it's missing, it won't feel satisfied even after 5 or 6 or 7 or however many oranges or 2 entire canteloupes. You'll just have to pee a lot and will still feel hungry despite having a bloated stomach.

    And yes, I agree with the main point of this post: when I first saw news about the new WW guidelines, I immediately saw the Free Fruit caveat as a loophole that some people would probably misunderstand and/or misuse.

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  9. I have mixed opinions. I'm going to play the devil's advocate and say this isn't such a bad thing. If they're eating fruit in place of processed food, I'm all for that. Also if they're only eating the fruit when they're hungry and not in excess to other foods. There are people who do really well on "fruitarian" diets of nothing but bananas, mangoes and dates. Unconventional but possibly effective.

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  10. Agreed, Gina! I have a coworker on Weight Watchers and she eats as much fruit (raw) as she wants. That's definitely a loophole that needs fixing. Cooked fruit is not "free" however. I'm assuming because nutrients are lost and fiber content decreases. And maybe they think most people would cook their fruit in the form of a pie, encouraging added fat and sugar..

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  11. I completely agree with you, especially since like you said they limit starchy vegetables so it makes sense to limit fruits. On the other hand, I really think Weight Watchers is one of the best "diet" programs out there. I love that it doesn't include specific "diet foods" because I think that actually encourages people to continue to eat well for a lifetime. It's probably a lot healthier too since the whole diet food thing freaks me out a bit. But I'm no expert :)

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  12. I don't get it either. Sure, fruits are good for you...but EVERYTHING in moderation. Eating 10 bananas is going to add a lot of calories to your day, while adding PB to your banana may give you the fuel you need and the satisfaction so you stop eating bananas!

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  13. I'm not really a WW fan...based on the sheer number of clients I have (wellness coaching) who say they've done WW....lost weight and then promptly gained it back. They can eat 'whatever they want' as long as they don't eat too much. I've had people waste all their points on junk and then just starve...it sets them up for failure. I do like that WW is trying to emphasize quality/nutrients now, but I happen to know a WW leader----who lost her own 80 pounds and kept it off, which is great. But she has no business giving people any actual nutrition advice, and she knows it.
    I suppose people do what they are ready for at any given time---and for some people WW seems manageable. Maybe they're not ready to hear that they should limit fruit? I don't personally think that's ok---why practice something you're going to need to change later!?
    Thanks for spotlighting this...

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  14. I totally agree with what your saying. I have a limited diet (no gluten, dairy, refined sugar, or meat) so I find myself eating more fruit than I probably should. It's just so easy! Especially since finding and preparing foods I can eat tskes up so much time/energy. Fruit is quick, easy, tasty! I'm nowhere near 10 a day...Thanks for the info!

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  15. I agree with you that fruit shouldn't be a free food, but I disagree that everyone should eat 2 or 3 fruits each day. Some people will do very well off of eating more fruits in a day than others. As for including more protein in the diet - well, some people might need extra protein, but in general Americans get more than enough protein (just not the healthiest kinds of protein).

    That's my take on it, anyway :)

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  16. I think there are a few ways to look at it, and regardless of what guidelines you put in place, if someone really wants to look for a "loophole" or way to enjoy certain foods at the expense of perhaps more nutrient dense options, they are going to do it regardless. And chances are that means they just aren't ready for change. I can see putting a limit on fruits and still keeping them point free, but like a previous commentor said, at least it's replacing processed foods. And I think if you put points back on them, you'll see people save those points for something else like chips or candy. I don't know if there is a simple solution.

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  17. Weight Watchers helped me lose 40 pounds 15 years ago, and recently two coworkers lost about the same amount of weight using the plan. However, the new plan had them a bit stumped too. Another coworker lost 50 pounds using an online free journal counting calories.

    My belief is that journaling what you eat is the key to Weight Watchers success, and the fact that they have an active community. Journaling online was also the key to my other coworkers success. SparkPeople is an online journal that I go back to now and then when I need to drop a few pounds.

    Anyway, I think you have to use common sense with any diet plan and 10 fruits a day is far too much sugar for anyone.

    Great topic!

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  18. Love fruit too, but, yes, 10 a day is too much if you're trying to lose weight and displacing other foods. I'm on bard with you about eating fruit with nuts or another protein/fat source to minimize blood sugar spikes. Plus the combo will help fill you up much longer than the straight fruit diet!

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  19. Yeah, I agree, although I'd say the typical person probably isn't eating that many fruits a day, and you're right, that instead this encourages people to eat more fruits and veggies as snacks. They definitely beat processed foods like so called "healthy" "all-natural" granola bars. But I'm not one for diets in general...people on Weight Watchers can rarely stick to the diet because of all the rules and regulations.

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  20. I have some of the same concerns as you, and like you I do not know much about the program other than what people tell me because that is not what I teach to my clients. I don't use any gimmicks or fads, and I think the best part of WW is the support, but the rest of the information out there is free. I'm not too into buying special foods either, except that I do like some of their frozen entrees. I would rather a client learn the whats and hows of regular foods that don't come prepackaged and learn to cook more and rely less on "special" or "diet" foods. My other major concern is that this is designed for pretty much healthy people. Many people who are overweight have other medical conditions, so this does not account for heart healthy (fats and sodium) or a diabetic meal plan. There are other things out there those types of clients need to be counting, not just these points. The major concern with eating as much fruit as possible, other than the calories do add up, is that for a diabetic eating lots and lots of fruit can have a serious impact on blood sugars. I am not sure WW has an CDE's working for them. I once confronted an employee about diabetics and she admitted the program is really not equipped to handle those kinds of clients and they are encouraged to follow other guidelines in addition to WW if they have been instructed to do so by a doctor (at which point I wanted to add in RDs too but I think I probably just smiled and nodded).

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  21. great post!! I can't wait to form the lecture for my obesity and weight management class on the "popular diets" and programs.

    I hate to say that I actually like that they made fruits and vegetables "free" - because as a nation- fruit and veg intake is not meeting recommendations. And honestly, if someone eats 10 servings of a fruit and 10 servings of veg --- how hungry will they be for anything else after that ?!? I mean, it could happen but it will probably play a huge part in at least getting healthier nutrients absorbed. It makes sense with the rise in "hunger obesity" tons of the wrong foods with low nutrient density.

    However, it does give that addictive/all you can have kinda mentality. That is working with the behaviors that already exist as opposed to behavior management or modification so that is a negative of the program too.

    I agree- eating too much of anything is not ideal for weight loss or management- but I's rather they eat too many fruits than eat 10 apples and pair each with a slice of cheese- which ends up being tons more calories overall. I could see someone doing after being told they should pair with protein etc. but also get more fruits and vegetables. People like to hear what gets them what they want.

    I think they do employ RD's, maybe in the development/corporate side.

    Great post , good topic for discussion!

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  22. I totally agree!! I do think certain, non-starchy veg should be "free" to encourage more veg intake, but definitely not all fruits! Goodness! People could wind up with a massive caloric/sugar intake that way while trying to lose weight!

    Thank you so much for the butternut squash muffins shout-out! :-) You're too sweet, as always! :-) Your cookies look soooo delish... :-) I can't wait to fix the recipe! :-)

    CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR DRESS!! :-) SO excited for you!! :-)

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  23. interesting topic gina. i think fruit is way better for us than say an energy bar or handful of crackers or chips. but i could see how too much fruit would be counterproductive too. i think we all need to find what works for us. i have found that eating fruits for snacks has been better for my weightloss than eating a lara bar. makes sense since a calorie is a calorie and the fruit i am eating has less calories than the bar.

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  24. I was initially happy to see that WW was embracing that not all food is created equal by making fruits and veggies on a different level than processed foods. I am, however, definitely with you that this does open up a loophole for some people. As Lauren said, it also depends on the amount of weight an individual needs to lose. Just proves once again that weight loss and lifestyle changes should be tailored and individualized and what works for one person may not work for others.

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