There's no denying the incredible health benefits that can be derived from eating fruits and vegetables. Their vitamins and minerals work to keep our bodies functioning properly, so eating them regularly is pretty crucial. We mustn't forget, though, that getting in too much of a good thing can be bad, and all-ntaural, healthy foods are no exception.
Excessive fruit and veggie consumption can have harmful effects, these being induced by factors such as overloading on a certain compound (from what I've read, this requires highly excessive intake) or from consuming too much fructose, the form of sugar found naturally in fruits and vegetables. (Though it's more prevalent in fruit, it's worth noting that veggies contain it, as well.)
Diets high in sugar have been associated with unwarranted weight gain, diabetes, and heart disease, so it's not a bad idea to familiarize yourself with the sugar content of the produce you eat. This way, you can get an idea of which you may want to eat in lesser quantities or which you may want to alternate among to balance your sugar intake. I'm not recommending that you ditch those higher in sugar (I wouldn't dream of giving up apples; they're a great source of fiber and diease-fighting phytonutrients!), but instead to cut back if you're taking in too much of the sweet stuff. It's best to get in a good variety of fruits and veggies, anyways!
Check out the breakdown below of various fruits and vegetables with their respective amounts of sugar: (Measurements provided by the USDA—decimal measurements have been rounded)
*Please take note of the varying amounts
Vegetables' sugar content
- Spinach, raw, 1 cup (0 grams)
- Asparagus, cooked, 6 spears (1 gram)
- White mushrooms, raw, 1 cup of slices (1 gram)
- Brussels sprouts, cooked, 1/2 cup (1 gram)
- Cauliflower, cooked, 1/2 cup (1 gram)
- Broccoli, cooked, 1/2 cup of chopped pieces (1 gram)
- Kale, raw, 1 cup of chopped pieces (2 grams)
- Celery, raw, 1 cup of chopped pieces (2 grams)
- Red cabbage, raw, 1 cup of shredded pieces (3 grams)
- Onion, raw, 1/2 cup of chopped pieces (3 grams)
- White potato, baked, 1 medium (3 grams)
- Sweet yellow corn, cooked, 1 medium ear (5 grams)
- Green peas, cooked, 1/2 cup (5 grams)
- Carrots, raw, 1 cup of chopped pieces (6 grams)
- Sweet potato, baked, 1 medium (7 grams)
- Beets, cooked, 1/2 cup of slices (7 grams)
Fruits' sugar content (all raw)
- Avocado, 1/4 cup pureed (0 grams)
- Cucumber, 1/2 cup of slices (1 gram)
- Tomato, 1 medium (3 grams)
- Raspberries, 1 cup (5 grams)
- Kiwifruit, 1 2" fruit (6 grams)
- Blackberries, 1 cup (7 grams)
- Blueberries, 1/2 cup (7 grams)
- Strawberries, 1 cup of halves (7 grams)
- Watermelon, 1 cup of diced pieces (9 grams)
- Nectarine, 1 medium (11 grams)
- Grapefruit, 1/2 large (12 grams)
- Cantaloupe, 1 cup of diced pieces (12 grams)
- Peach, 1 medium (13 grams)
- Banana, 1 medium (14 grams)
- Pineapple, 1 cup of chunks (16 grams)
- Pear, 1 medium (17 grams)
- Apple, 1 medium (19 grams)
- Grapes, 1 cup (23 grams)
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