Help me settle a diet debate with my wife?

get yer sen a pushbike and go for walks. Leave the telly and computer alone and acquaint yourself with your local park

Bananas ARE a healthy snack, your wife is right. BUT...eating too many calories in a day, no matter which foods those calories come from, is BAD if you're trying to lose weight, because the extra cals will hinder weight loss and just 1 banana has a lot of sugar.

So you are also right...In a way you are both correct. Just use portion control and calorie counting and having a banana should be fine. Good luck! :) Happy holidays

Nay. I would opt for an apple or something. Don't remember where bananas fall on the scale, but mangoes are very sugary. And the only thing that's hurting a diet is the amount of fructose in the fruit, citrusy fruits being the highest in fructose.

you are right.

While it is true that fruit is good, it also is a source of sugar and lots of it which is why fruit is limited on a diabetic diet.

Next time you see her going for the fruit, suggest a sweet interlude in bed...it feels great and burns calories and can be MUCH more fun than eating a mango or banana...really.

Why not make your meals smaller? Have the fruit as a between meal snack and remove something from the next meal.

Weight gain is caused by spikes in one's blood glucose.

The fact that fruits provide a lot of phytochemicals, vitamins, and nutrients does NOT in any way change that they are sugary, and therefore are not the best go-to snack for someone who has a weight problem.

"Also she's getting vitamins and nutrients."

..which can be obtained elsewhere without the glucose spike- in regular meals, for instance.

"You should be eating snacks between meals"

Not if the result is excessive caloric intake, no.

"and fruit is better than potato chips."

One needn't eat either.

"So if the meals aren't large"

They're both overweight, so by definition her caloric intake IS large, too large for her metabolism.

"She could also add veggies in her snacks which most are negative calories."

...this is a fictional concept. All foods have calories, even if some are much lower than others.

"Nursing student"

This actually frightens me. O_o

Yes! It's a snack! Also she's getting vitamins and nutrients. You should be eating snacks between meals and fruit is better than potato chips. (Smaller multiple meals boosts your metabolism... So if the meals aren't large and she's eating fruit in between, she's doing it right). She could also add veggies in her snacks which most are negative calories.

Enjoy some fruit with your wife and maybe start walking together. Walk around the block a few times and get healthy! Plus it's something you can do together.

You aren't going to win the debate - let her eat the fruit, she obviously doesn't care about your opinion on the matter.

Start movin'.

So, cocao has a lot of antioxidant benefits, and studies link it to improved cardiovascular health.

Is that a case for nomming Hershey bars five times a day?

Your wife is being irrational.

Excess calories are excess calories. Period.

Well it's calories, but they're low calories and they burn twice as fast as anything prepared. She's not getting fat from fruit, it's the meals and everything else. Cut those down.