Fruit are at the bottom of the food pyramid for a reason.  These nutrient-rich foods are truly good for you in every way and they nourishing the body in a very natural way. Fruits not only protect the body from developing chronic disease, but fight inflammation, and combat feeling of decreased energy. Despite being knocked for their high sugar content, fruit add necessary dietary nutrients that can help you maintain a healthy weight and reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke and even some cancers. In fact, some studies have found that increased fruit consumption is tied to lower body weight and a lower risk of obesity-associated diseases.

How does fruit do this? Well, whole fruits are chock full of antioxidants and healthful nutrients.  Not only that, but fruit’s cellular scaffolding, made of fiber, makes us feel full and provides other metabolic benefits.  Take an apple for example. The fruit’s fiber helps to slow the body’s absorption of fructose, the main sugar in most fruits.  Sugars in fruit metabolize slowly because they are contained in fibrous walls.  What this means is that the digestive tract takes more time to break the whole fruit down and the sugars within the fruit enter the bloodstream more slowly.  This gives the liver more time to metabolize them, giving us a slow and steady source of energy, unlike the sugar spike we get from soda and processed foods.

The added benefit of third fiber, which many fruits are high in, is that it changes our intestinal flora, or microbiome, and helps keep the gut healthy.  Fiber helps different species of healthy bacteria thrive in your gut and maximize the benefits of the food you put into your body.  Eating a variety of fruit can help you maximize the benefits, as all fruits have different antioxidants and nutrients to benefit the body.

Fruit can also help keep us from overeating by making us feel fuller.  When your stomach senses it is physically full, it will trigger your brain to stop eating. This is why the simple act of drinking a glass of water before each meal has been used as proven weight loss strategy over the years.  Fruit can work in much the same way by filling your stomach with water, leaving less room for everything else. The more water you consume in your foods, the more quickly you'll feel full and stop eating.  In this way you can get a jumpstart on weight loss goals you may have for a healthier you. This quick jumpstart can give you the encouragement and confidence you need to continue making healthy choices.

Here are some of the best low calorie fruit to help you reduce your waistline:

1.     Grapefruit

2.     Apples

3.     Blueberries

4.     Cranberries

5.     Cantaloupe

6.     Honeydew

7.     Lemons/Limes

8.     Mangos

9.     Papayas

10.  Oranges

11.  Watermelon

12.  Strawberries

13.  Raspberries

14.  Peaches

15.  Pineapple

16.  Tomato (don’t forget, it’s a fruit!)