Nutritionists Agree: The Unexpected Canned Food You Need To Stop Eating ASAP—It’s So High In Sodium

How Canned Fruit Affects Weight Loss

Canned foods can help provide an affordable way to add fruit and vegetables to your diet, but there are a few nutrients and ingredients to watch out for— including sugar, sodium, and syrups.

Richards notes that many manufacturers “will pack their canned fruit products with syrup” rather than the fruit's natural juice. This is a way to enhance the product's flavor and shelf life, she explains, but unfortunately, “this will increase the calories and added sugar content drastically.”

Kelly agrees, noting that canned fruits are “not as healthy” as many people consider them to be. “They can even increase inflammation and cause poor gut health apart from negatively affecting weight loss,” she says. She stresses, like Richards, that canned fruits are usually packaged in syrups loaded with sugar— “and hence have tons of calories.” Yikes! 

What To Choose Instead— Look for "100% Juice"

If you don’t have time to prepare a meal with fresh fruit or if you still want to eat canned fruit, Richards suggests looking out for specific kinds. “It is best to avoid canned fruit that has been canned in syrups,” she says.

Instead, she suggests to “opt for versions that state they have been canned in 100% juice.” Richards notes that this will ensure you are taking in only natural sugar (and not added sugar along with its host of negative health effects!)