Whats your take on fruit (sugar)?

iceycoldhot

I've always believed that anything from the earth is a good food to have. But I am always hearing that sugar is the enemy with weight loss and this INCLUDES fruit. Is this the truth? I just don't see how natural sugars from the earth could really be that bad for you. I am confused on this matter.

ndj1979

for weight loss eating more calories than you consume is the enemy ..

you can eat sugar, maintain a calorie deficit, and lose weight.

Unless you have a medical condition that makes one sensitive to sugar there is no reason to avoid it.

source of sugar does not matter, because at the end of the day they are all the same at the molecular level.

iceycoldhot

Thank you!

elphie754

I eat fruit everyday. Apples are a major staple in my diet since they are easy to cut up and bring to work. There is also quite a bit a sugar on my Greek yogurts and some of the vegetables I eat. This has not hindered my weight loss at all. I have still lost 20 lbs in the past two months.

Honestly- unless you have a medical condition that makes you have to what sugar intake- there is nothing wrong with sugar (be it fruit or otherwise).

SonicDeathMonkey80

iceycoldhot

^LOL!!!!!!!

Kalikel

What is right for you is something only you and your doctor can determine.

For me, there is no such thing as too much fruit. If I could be healthy doing it, I'd exist almost solely on fruit.

It's great for my weight loss. Yummy, low-cal, nutritious.

I don't care about the sugar.

...I'm sitting here having cherries right now. Yum!

Liftng4Lis

ndj1979 wrote: »

for weight loss eating more calories than you consume is the enemy ..

you can eat sugar, maintain a calorie deficit, and lose weight.

Unless you have a medical condition that makes one sensitive to sugar there is no reason to avoid it.

source of sugar does not matter, because at the end of the day they are all the same at the molecular level.

+1

lemurcat12

Now I wish I had some cherries. Jealous.

Kalikel

lemurcat12 wrote: »

Now I wish I had some cherries. Jealous.

Barbados cherries are in season and showing up in the stores here. Do people up north get them?

lemurcat12

I haven't seen any, but I usually just get whatever my CSA has, which last week was cranberries and apples. I may have to go look at WF just in case, but I suspect not, sigh.

dnamouse

It's Summer here, we have cherries everywhere and plums, and nectarines, and peaches and pineapples.... you get the picture lol

Kalikel

Winter sucks for fruit lovers, lol. Honeybells, though!

gothchiq

Nah. My doctor tells me that fruit is nutritious and healthy and that I should eat it. you just have to count the fruit calories along with all the other calories.

blearyspecs

Even the most ardent anti-sugar activists are only recommending limits on ADDED sugar. That doesn't include fruit. The only way eating fruit can be bad for you is if you're eating nothing but fruit and missing nutrients from other sources. Or if you eat too many and go over on calories.

47Jacqueline

I love fruit.

elphie754

blearyspecs wrote: »

Even the most ardent anti-sugar activists are only recommending limits on ADDED sugar. That doesn't include fruit. The only way eating fruit can be bad for you is if you're eating nothing but fruit and missing nutrients from other sources. Or if you eat too many and go over on calories.

And how is added sugar different from other sugar? How is the molecular make up any different?

HeySwoleSister

Id suspect that the difference lies in the fact that foods with added sugar do not contain the natural nutrients and fiber that foods with natural sugars carry. Basically, natural sugars have a natural "offset" in their nutrient profile, but added sugars are not naturally balanced in this way.

I'm not a Nutrition expert, but it seems logical to me that the sugars in a sweet fruit or vegetable are in no way equivalent to those in an added-sugar food.

Kimmiebatchy

I read a book called, The sweet poison quit plan. It was totally against sugar, this included fructose. There definitely was some valid points in the book but what turned me off was that it was telling you to substitute sugar with artificial sweeteners and to me it sounded kind of stupid to substitute natural with artificial.
Moderation is the key and burning more than you consume.
Fruit is natural, don't cut it out of your diet.

toscarthearmada

EWJLang wrote: »

Id suspect that the difference lies in the fact that foods with added sugar do not contain the natural nutrients and fiber that foods with natural sugars carry. Basically, natural sugars have a natural "offset" in their nutrient profile, but added sugars are not naturally balanced in this way.

I'm not a Nutrition expert, but it seems logical to me that the sugars in a sweet fruit or vegetable are in no way equivalent to those in an added-sugar food.

I agree with this statement. As a diabetic I can tell a huge difference between getting my sugar intake from a natural source compared to a processed source. For me, eating natural sugars gives me an equal sugar burn throughout the day. When I'm eating stuff that is processed, I can tell that my sugar spikes and crashes.

eruntalon84

iceycoldhot wrote: »

I've always believed that anything from the earth is a good food to have.

To be fair, arsenic/hemlock/cyanide/etc comes from the earth and I strongly advise against eating it. It's important to understand why something is good or bad for you rather than using a broad brush like "from the earth = good"

lemurcat12

Re fruit in winter vs. summer, I really noticed due to logging that I eat FAR more fruit in the summer (I was never over my sugar in February through April, and over constantly in June through September). I'm eating less again--I just love local summer fruit so much.

I'm definitely going to go look for cherries and at least pick up some pears.

tigersword

blearyspecs wrote: »

Even the most ardent anti-sugar activists are only recommending limits on ADDED sugar. That doesn't include fruit. The only way eating fruit can be bad for you is if you're eating nothing but fruit and missing nutrients from other sources. Or if you eat too many and go over on calories.

Sadly enough, there are plenty of "sugar-phobes" that actually do insist people need to restrict or eliminate fruit.

Kalikel

I really hope people who can have fruit won't give it up because it has sugar in it. You NEED sugar! You can't live without it. Your brain runs on it. If you really and truly didn't take in any, your body would make it's own. Sugar is THAT important. You cannot get sugar out of your body even if you try. So, don't try.

lemurcat12 wrote: »

Re fruit in winter vs. summer, I really noticed due to logging that I eat FAR more fruit in the summer (I was never over my sugar in February through April, and over constantly in June through September). I'm eating less again--I just love local summer fruit so much.

I'm definitely going to go look for cherries and at least pick up some pears.

I eat more fresh in the summer. Winter means frozen berries, which are still good, but very tart. I have to add blueberries and blackberries or I can't even eat the others. They also ooze as they thaw. I crumble my Nature Valley Crunchy Granola Apple Crisp bars (I swear I don't work for them) into the mix and it just looks like slop. But they granola soaks up the juicy ooze and OMG, it's all so good!!!

I just had a Honeycrisp Apple.

tigersword

EWJLang wrote: »

Id suspect that the difference lies in the fact that foods with added sugar do not contain the natural nutrients and fiber that foods with natural sugars carry. Basically, natural sugars have a natural "offset" in their nutrient profile, but added sugars are not naturally balanced in this way.

I'm not a Nutrition expert, but it seems logical to me that the sugars in a sweet fruit or vegetable are in no way equivalent to those in an added-sugar food.

Except it's not really true. The sugar is identical. Most processed foods that contain less fiber contain more fat. Fat has a similar effect on sugar digestion like fiber. The only way your assertion would make sense would be comparing a specific fruit to it's equivalent fruit juice.

socalkay

Fructose in fruit is good for you (within your calorie goal if you are losing weight). Fructose in the form of corn syrup that is added to foods is not good for you.
Why is fructose bad for you?

wonderfullymadebyhim

Because I am insulin resistant, struggle with central obesity, crave sugars unnaturally, deal with mild PCOS, so I choose to limit my intake of sugar to berries, tomatoes, and avocados. Rest assured, I get plenty of nutrients out of my low starch vege intake. It has helped me tremendously with weight loss and I think it does for many other people in this type of situation, but there are many others that deal just fine with high sugar fruits. You have to make that determination for yourself.

ballardf

At first I used fruit as a replacement for sugary snacks and desserts. Now, I eat fruit because I love the taste and the health benefits. I am also a type 2 diabetic and in total control of my blood sugar levels.
I love having blueberries or strawberries with some lite whipped cream as a dessert or between meal snack. Also enjoy it with my oatmeal for breakfast!

johnnylakis

Fruit is low in calories and is safe for diabetics if they stop eating processed sugars.

DeWoSa

elphie754 wrote: »

And how is added sugar different from other sugar? How is the molecular make up any different?

I was at a talk several years ago about the manufacture of drugs. A university professor was giving a talk about how he's teaching his freshmen students to manufacture drugs at their bench blah blah blah something important about research and development or something. I don't know.

Anyhow, at one point, he talked about how atoms attach themselves to other atoms, and how even though you might have the exact same atoms -- three hydrogens and two oxygens, say -- they might not attach in the same way.

One the one hand you might get OHOHH but on the other hand you might get HOHOH.

That's my example, by the way, and it might not be a real thing, so please don't let my example be the sticking point -- the point here is that the atoms don't always attach in the same way even though the molecular ingredients are the same.

He said the problem with this is the side effects from the drug. The brand drug works just fine, but the generic drug has one molecule attaching at a different point along the chain, and bam, you are giving birth to babies with no spine.

Every time I hear someone ask "how is added sugar different from other sugar?" I think of that lecture.

(Here's a bit of marketing literature from Roche Labs that also explains the process, but in terms of sugar chains as part of their cancer drug development -- the section "Feverish search for robust processes.")

GeeWillickers

The only weightloss enemy to a healthy individual with no medical conditions is making excuses and not taking responsibility for your choices plus decisions.