This article has been Fact-Checked by Kendall Kennedy MS, RD, RYT
Putting together your weight loss diet can be confusing with all the options. What about peaches, are they good for weight loss or fattening?
Peaches are the fruit with the yellow or white flesh and the tiny hairs on the skin. Most people eat peaches in their whole form but they also make a great addition to certain recipes.
Like most fruits, many people will benefit in terms of weight loss by eating more whole peaches. Find out just how good they are and some weight loss friendly ways to eat them.
Micronutrients in peaches
The first thing to look at is the amount of micronutrients in peaches.
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 peaches provides you with approximately (1):
- Vitamin C: 11% of the DV (Daily Value)
- Vitamin A: 7% of the DV
- Potassium: 5% of the DV
And some other vitamins and minerals in less significant amounts. The amount of vitamins and minerals is rather lacking compared to many other whole foods.
For most vitamins and minerals peaches are not the greatest fruit.
Peaches do contain antioxidants, substances that can help your body deal with oxidative damage.
Fiber in peaches for weight loss
Another very important factor for weight loss is the amount of fiber in your food.
Peaches contain around 1.5 grams of fiber per 100 grams.
That’s a decent 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 peaches you can reduce the time you spend craving for food a decent amount.
Do peaches help you lose weight?
You still need a final piece of the puzzle. The amount of calories in peaches.
Peaches contain 39 calories per 100 grams. 33.9 of these calories come from the carbohydrates (9.9 g per 100 grams of which 1.5 g fiber).
Peaches are not the greatest for low-carb diets like the keto diet but you should be able to fit some in if you want. They still make the list of low-carb fruits.
The amount of calories in peaches is not that high in general. There are both lower-calorie fruits and higher calorie fruits. Compared to many vegetables peaches are a little higher in calories.
That being said, peaches are still generally a very low-calorie food that can help you feel fuller with its fiber content. This can help you avoid higher-calorie foods. For most people that, and thus eating more peaches, is enough to help them lose weight.
If you don’t like peaches you don’t have to go out of your way to force it into your daily eating habits, peaches are not a unique weight loss food. Other foods can be better for weight loss.
If you are gaining weight while eating peaches, the first place to look at is the rest of your diet and other lifestyle habits. Peaches are generally not fattening.
How many peaches a day should you eat to lose weight?
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 micronutrients is important for both your short and long-term health and weight loss. Peaches don’t help you reach your daily micronutrient goals that much so you will need other foods as well.
That’s why something like the fruit diet, mostly eating fruits, is just plain bad for you.
If you have consumed enough micronutrients you can see how many peaches still fit within your daily calories. The amount will be different from individual to individual from day to day, it can be 0 too.
Are peaches good for losing belly fat?
Targetting fat loss in a specific area like your belly is generally not possible. Not by eating more of a specific food or by doing a specific exercise. To lose belly fat you have to lose weight overall.
Since peaches can help you lose weight in general this fruit can also help you lose belly fat once your body wants to lose fat in your abdominal area.
Are canned peaches also good for weight loss?
A popular packaging method for peaches is canning them, does this change anything when it comes to weight loss?
How good canned peaches are for weight loss depends on the way they are canned.
Some peaches are canned in peach juice or even worse for weight loss, in syrup. You want to avoid these canned peaches.
On the other hand, you also have peaches that are canned in regular water. Fresh peaches are still the best but this way of canning is also acceptable when it comes to weight loss.
Healthiest ways to eat peaches
Peaches make for a great snack on their own but they also combine great with other healthy foods. Here are some healthy dishes you can combine with peaches:
If you are looking to lose weight you want to avoid recipes with peaches like crumble, muffins, and most other dessert recipes.
