I got a box of Sunmaid raisins thinking they would be a good snack for when I have the munchies. The box claims its made of only grapes and sunshine but...........if its only grapes why is it so high in calores (130) and carbs (31g) and sugar (29), grapes dont have that much!!!
if you ate as many grapes as were in a box of raisins, you would get that many calories as well. A box of raisins contains a lot of dried grapes. Dried fruits is one of the evils of "healthy" snacks
Oh yeah, raisins are litte sugar bombs in disguise. They're dried fruit, so they're much more condensed and concentrated then they are in their original state. The actual grape is a MUCH better choice. They're larger, filled with more water and therefore waaaay more filling.
It's all fine and dandy that they come in their own preportioned box and all and are easy to travel with, but they do not satisfy me, they're high in calories, they get my sugar levels all up in arms and are therefore on my list of things to avoid.
I know when I eat regular grapes the calorie count didnt seem that high. I thought I could eat a cup for like 40 calories and I didnt think it had that much sugar but I guess since grapes are larger than raisins, it takes more raisins to make a cup than grapes.
Something interesting, although I think it depends on what type of grape, I went to calorieking.com and looked up 50 raisins. According to them, that is nearly 80 calories. When I looked up 50 grapes, that was nearly 170 calories. Maybe grapes lose some of the sugar in the process? Or maybe they are using a different type of grape than raisins use.
There are two fruits that I must avoid, grapes and pineapple. These fruits really stop my weight loss.....I think it must be due to the sugar content. On the glycemic index (how a food is likely to cause your insulin levels to spike) grapes are at level 62 as compared to an apple which is at 34 or an orange which is at 47. Of course, a banana is at 89, pineapple is at 94 and watermelon is at 103. Thats why I never eat pineapple or watermelon and rarely eat bananas. Of course, I'm insulin resistant and fruits can really stop my weight loss. You might be blessed and be able to eat these fruits everyday.
I agree with Rhonda. When I first started my journey, I completely avoided the fruits that she mentioned. They were almost as bad as eating cookies for me. I not only avoided those ones, but most in fact, except for a very, very rare apple.
As I was further down the road, I did add a bit more fruit into my diet, but it really has to be in small amounts and not so frequently. Fruit is something I will always have to watch.
This may be my problem this week! OMG!
I got myself a box of Raisin Bran (need fiber!), which I never have, and have been fluctuating higher and higher all week. Wow....
I'll have to look for an alternative at the store today.
I'm mad now, lol.
You are blessed, Wyllen. I love fresh pineapple and watermelon...and it is very nutritious. I also have to watch my consumption of whole grain products. I can only eat 2 portions a day. More than that and I seem to plateau.
Oh yeah. Raisin bran is high in calories and loaded with sugar. And there are many more cereals with way more fiber, way less sugar, carbs and calories.
Kashi Go Lean is an excellent choice, as is Fiber One cereal.
Trader Joe's has a Fiber one type cereal, slightly higher calories because it does add some cane juice as a sweetener so it is good for those that don't want artificial sweeteners and/or don't want to eat foods with processed sugar.
Oh and I'd add too that I don't eat much fruit. Grapes are one thing I can't eat because I can't control myself with them or any other small edible fruit.
I love fruit and have no problems at all with any type of fresh fruit (I typically ate 2-3 servings per day when I was losing). Dried fruit is another story entirely - it is so calorie-dense. I always measure dried fruit and eat it rarely. I used to buy big bags of Trader Joe's dried granny smith apple rings, but I had difficulties with portion control, so I had to quit buying it
I consider dried fruit to be an "emergency snack." I have some dried mango in my desk drawer at work and I keep a couple of organic fruit leathers in my purse. Good if I really need it, but not an everyday thing.
Raisins
