Choosing the right foods when trying to lose weight can be confusing. What about apricot, is it good for weight loss or fattening?
The apricot is a yellow stone fruit you can eat raw on its own, dried, or as an ingredient in other dishes. Apricot is not the most popular fruit there is but eating it can offer some health benefits.
Like most fruits, many people will benefit in terms of weight loss by eating more whole apricots. Find out just how good apricot is and how to eat them when trying to lose weight.
Micronutrients in apricot
The first thing to look at is the amount of micronutrients in apricot.
Micronutrients are a group of nutrients your body absolutely needs to survive and thrive. Micronutrients include vitamins and minerals. These are involved in basically every aspect of your health, including weight loss.
100 grams of raw apricot provides you with approximately (1):
- Vitamin A: 39% of the DV (Daily Value)
- Vitamin C: 17% of the DV
- Potassium: 7% of the DV
And a few other vitamins and minerals in less significant amounts. Besides vitamin C, these are low amounts of vitamins and minerals compared to many other whole foods. You will definitely need other nutritious foods besides apricot to reach your daily goals.
Apricot does contain certain kinds of antioxidants, substances that help your body deal with oxidative damage. It is not entirely clear if and to what extent antioxidants help weight loss.
Fiber in apricot for weight loss
Another very important factor for weight loss is the amount of fiber in your food.
Apricot contains around 2 grams of fiber per 100 grams.
That’s a good amount of fiber per 100 grams compared to many whole foods.
Fiber has multiple benefits for weight loss. First of all, it feeds your microbiome, the microbes that live in your intestines. The health of your microbiome influences your body’s health and weight. Feeding it well is usually not a bad idea.
Fiber also helps you feel less hungry without adding a lot of calories to your diet. Hunger and cravings can be a big pitfall for people trying to lose weight, so avoiding this is a big plus.
With the amount of fiber in apricot you can reduce the time you spend craving for food a bit.
Does apricot help you lose weight?
Before knowing whether or not apricot deserves a spot in your weight loss diet you still need a final piece of the puzzle. The number of calories in apricot.
Apricot contains 48 calories per 100 grams. 40 of these calories come from the carbohydrates (11.2 g per 100 grams of which 2 g fiber). 1 fresh apricot (35 grams) contains about 17 calories.
Apricot is not the greatest for low-carb diets like the keto diet but you should be able to fit some in if you want. It still makes the list of low-carb fruits.
The amount of calories in apricot is not that high in general. There are both lower-calorie fruits and higher calorie fruits. Compared to many vegetables apricot is slightly higher in calories.
That being said, apricot is still generally a very low-calorie food that can help you feel fuller with its large fiber content. This can help you avoid higher-calorie foods. For most people that, and thus eating more apricot, is enough to help them lose weight.
If you don’t like apricot you don’t have to go out of your way to force it into your daily eating habits, apricot is not a unique weight loss food. Other foods can be better for weight loss.
If you are gaining weight while eating apricot, the first place to look at is the rest of your diet and other lifestyle habits. Apricot is generally not fattening.
How many apricots should you eat a day?
Nutrition is always a bit of a puzzle in terms of what the perfect diet looks like. It’s a pretty individual thing.
Consuming enough vitamins and minerals is important for both your short and long-term health and weight loss. Apricot will provide you with a small amount of vitamins and minerals but you will need other nutritious foods as well.
If you are close to your daily vitamin and mineral goals you can see how many apricots still fit within your daily calories. The amount will be different from individual to individual from day to day, it can be 0 too.
How to eat apricot for weight loss
Apricot makes for a great snack, raw on its own, but this fruit also combines great with other healthy foods. Here are some healthy dishes you can combine with apricot:
If you are looking to lose weight you want to avoid apricot juice and recipes with apricot like muffins, crumble, jam, cake, and most other dessert recipes.
Are dried apricots good for weight loss?
Another popular way to eat apricots is dried. Drying fruit basically involves removing its water content and keeping all the other nutrients.
This does increase the amount of vitamins, minerals, and fiber per 100 grams but also the number of calories. Dried apricot can contain up to 241 calories per 100 grams (2). On top of that many brands add additional sugar and sweeteners.
Water is also very helpful for losing weight. It helps you feel fuller and increases the number of calories you burn.
You can most likely get away with some dried apricots but in general, it’s better to stay away from dried fruit if you are trying to lose weight.
