Thurlow doesn’t demonize fruit. “If you are metabolically healthy, you can get away with a piece of fruit,” she notes. As a general rule, she recommends a ratio of one piece of fruit to three types of vegetables.
As for her favorite fruits, she’s a fan of brightly pigmented berries, which are associated with metabolic benefits2. But you might be surprised to find out that Thurlow also loves bananas.
Other metabolic health experts say bananas can spike blood sugar, and they totally can for some—again, everyone’s body is different, and Thurlow actually finds them to have little impact on her glucose levels.
“I’m weird. I like bananas when they go from being green to just barely a little bit yellow. It’s essentially a less-ripened banana,” she shares. “I’ve worn continuous glucose monitors for almost two years, and I don’t get a massive blood sugar response to the bananas.” We suspect it has something to do with their less-ripened stage, since bananas do get sweeter as they ripen.