Why fruit isn't just 'a chocolate bar with better marketing'

By Kimberly Gillan|

Fruit contains sugar. Chocolate contains sugar. But that's where the similarities end, says a nutrition expert.

When Team Coach recently heard a claim that fruit is simply a chocolate bar with better marketing, we were determined to find out if that’s true. Here's what we discovered.

Sure, the World Health Organisation wants us to cut down on our sugar consumption — but nutritionists say the anti-sweet message has been muddled along the way so that fruit is now being vilified and treated as a "treat" food.

RELATED: What foods to avoid if you’re trying to limit sugar — and what to keep eating

But clinical nutritionist Gemma Clark says fruit is pretty much a requirement for good health.

"I've heard people compare a banana with a Mars Bar but we are talking about completely different foods and comparing them based on one nutrient," she tells Coach.

"We're comparing a piece of natural fruit with a piece of god-knows-what that has come out of a factory."

Yes, Clark says bananas have sugar (a medium one has about 14g, equivalent to 3.5 teaspoons), but they also deliver a bunch of other nutrients you won't find in a chocolate bar.

RELATED: Ranked: Sugar content in fruits from lowest to highest

"Bananas are full of minerals and vitamins and have a lot of fibre that slow down how quickly that sugar is converted to glucose and released into our system," she says.

"Whereas a Mars Bar, for instance, just goes in and instantly spikes insulin because there is no fibre in there to slow it down."

Clark says that it's the combination of saturated fat and sugar that relegate chocolate bars to the 'sometimes food' category.

"Our bodies just don't deal with that high-sugar, high-fat combination well," she says.

Fruit, on the other hand, comes with a swath of other nutrients.

"Fruit has got lots of fibre in it so it's not the same ratio of macronutrients that cause our bodies to instantly store fat," she explains.

RELATED: 13 ‘healthy’ foods with more sugar than a Tim-Tam

But that's not to say you'd be wise to subsist on fruit alone – Clark suggests sticking to the recommended two pieces per day.

"A couple of pieces a day is absolutely fine," she says.

"See if you can maximise the amount of fibre that you get with that fruit, so not peeling apples or kiwi fruit."

Combining fruit with protein will also increase its satiety factor.

"Have fruit on top of some muesli or porridge or have an apple with some almond butter or peanut butter or put some seeds on top of your banana," she suggests.

"That will help slow things down in the sugar department so the sugar isn't as significant as it would be if you were eating a chocolate bar."

Bananas, mangoes and grapes tend to be the fruits that are most vilified but Clark says they are perfectly healthy to have as part of your two-a-day.

"By using the word 'treat' around these fruits, we are instilling in ourselves to feel guilty when we eat them," she says.

"I don't think one should ever feel guilty for eating fresh natural fruit that is served the way nature intended. And it's not like we're eating mangoes every day for a whole year."

RELATED: Yes, there’s sugar in fruit. No, you don’t need to worry about it

