fruit sugar vs white sugar...
Replies
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Sugar is sugar. Granulated sugar eaten from the spoon will have not have the added benefits of any micronutrients that your blueberries will.
But I agree, there isn't 'good' sugar or 'bad' sugar, just sugar. Some delivery methods just pack more nutritional punch than others.0 -
White sugar doesn't have the fibre, antioxidants, and vitamins you would get from the blueberry. It will affect your blood sugar/insulin levels differently than a blueberry because of the rate at which the sugar is digested/metabolized. White sugar has been stripped of the vitamins and minerals that the sugar cane actually had before it was processed... like iron. That's why blackstrap molasses is a good source of iron and other trace minerals, but white sugar is not, even though they both come from sugar cane.
If you refined the sugar from fruit, and stripped away all the fibre and vitamins and minerals and were left with just the fruit sugar... it would be just as 'bad' as white sugar.
but I am talking about sugar vs sugar...not nutrients + sugar vs other sugar...
what if you had a blueberry and dark chocolate...dark chocolate has antioxidants in it...so does that put it on par with the blueberry?
Sugar is sugar to your body. Sugar in fruit isn't healthier than sugar in candy or cakes or whatever.0 -
Well Fructose ("fruit sugar") and Glucose (aka Sucrose, "white sugar") are slightly different at a molecular level. But I don't think that's what most people are -really- talking about.
Glucose is added to a lot of packaged goods (along with sodium and fat) to make them "taste good" but compared to making the same thing from scratch, they're higher in sugar (and sodium, and fat), lower in nutrients, and don't really taste better anyway.
Naturally occurring Fructose in, say, a pear comes along with a host of other nutrients.
So eating a piece of fruit is nutritious, in spite of the Fructose it contains. Eating the same fruit from a can packed in syrup (Glucose solution of some sort) is less nutritious and has WAY more sugar. When you look at it that way, it's not much different to pour honey (Fructose) on your cereal than it is pouring table sugar (Glucose) on it. BOTH tend to be unhealthy when used that way. (Then again, most cereals have loads of added sugar already....)
In my case, it DOES make a difference. I haven't eaten sucrose in five years. I eat fruit every day, several times a day. I tried eating sucrose ONCE, about a year ago. I had such an immediate migraine and gut pain I KNEW that crap was bad for me. Never again.
Prob a psychosomatic reaction, as you've had sucrose as recently as friday, according to your diary. whoopsie0 -
this0
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no difference0
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Isn't the sugars from fruit equally balanced out with the rest of the contents you get from the fruit? Ergo, you don't spike your blood sugars like you would from eating a candy bar, something with processed sugars, etc.
I cut out white bread, soda and chocolate. I cut out near enough all fatty foods, and I don't eat much meat or dairy any more. I eat veg, fruit, fish, oats and nuts.
I eat fruit for breakfast, I eat fruit as snacks and I often have fruit before bed and I am usually over on my sugar allowance, and I've lost 55LBS. Sugar from fruit, in my opinion, is nowhere near as bad as processed sugars, or candy, etc.0 -
Why not buy a cheap meter and some strips to test your blood sugar and find out for sure how fructose and glucose affect you specifically?0
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I like both blueberries and dark chocolate. I eat both together sometimes in my gluten free pancakes.
Refined sugar is problematic for people with diabetes/PCOS/insulin sensitivity issues/candida overgrowth/yeast problems.
If you don't have those problems, i wouldn't stress about it too much, or stress about why other people avoid it. Not everyone is at the same level of health and some people have more fragile systems than others and need to be more careful with their choices.
Sugar is sugar, but it's what's attached to the sugar that determines the rate of digestion. Refined sugar digests the fastest. Sometimes this is a good thing... like if you're running a marathon and you need energy ASAP because you've depleted all your glycogen stores. My dad likes sugary energy shots for that very reason. My diabetic father-in-law however, should probably stick to the blueberries.
Any time you consume sugar with other foods (Like we all do) you change the glycemic index and rate of digestion. Science.0 -
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I have a bar of dark chocolate with bits of blueberry in it that I get to eat tonight. *drool* ...wait, what were we talking about?White sugar doesn't have the fibre, antioxidants, and vitamins you would get from the blueberry. It will affect your blood sugar/insulin levels differently than a blueberry because of the rate at which the sugar is digested/metabolized. White sugar has been stripped of the vitamins and minerals that the sugar cane actually had before it was processed... like iron. That's why blackstrap molasses is a good source of iron and other trace minerals, but white sugar is not, even though they both come from sugar cane.
If you refined the sugar from fruit, and stripped away all the fibre and vitamins and minerals and were left with just the fruit sugar... it would be just as 'bad' as white sugar.
but I am talking about sugar vs sugar...not nutrients + sugar vs other sugar...
what if you had a blueberry and dark chocolate...dark chocolate has antioxidants in it...so does that put it on par with the blueberry?
Sugar is sugar is sugar. Your body can't tell the difference. The only real difference is that only glucose can be efficiently sorted as muscle glycogen. Sucrose and fructose are either stored in the small supply available in your liver or converted to triglycerides.0 -
I see what you did there :laugh:The ratios of fructose and glucose are pretty much the same in both fruit and table sugar. Most fruits are 40 to 55 percent fructose (there's some variation: 65 percent in apples and pears; 20 percent in cranberries), and table sugar (aka sucrose) is 50/50. Neither type of sugar is better or worse for you, but your body processes them differently. Fructose breaks down in your liver and doesn’t provoke an insulin response. Glucose starts to break down in the stomach and requires the release of insulin into the bloodstream to be metabolized completely.
Since most any compound that ends in an '-ose' is a sugar, it's wise to understand and follow the research associated with how all these sugars work and what names they are being commercialized under. There's an increasing amount of research concerning the harmful effects of corn syrup based fructose called HFCS for example.
Fructose may cause liver damage, one U.S. study found. Dr Kimber Stanhope, who led the study, explains: ‘Fructose overloads the liver. It then gets turned into liver fat, which then increases blood triglycerides, cholesterol and the risk of cardiovascular disease.’ High levels of fructose intake has been linked with the formation of beta-amyloid plaques in the brain, which are often seen in people with Alzheimer's. High levels of fructose intake has been linked with the formation of beta-amyloid plaques in the brain, which are often seen in people with Alzheimer's
She adds that fructose may also increase the risk of diabetes in this way. ‘The extra liver fat may cause the increased insulin resistance we see in people consuming fructose.’ Insulin resistance is linked to a higher risk of diabetes. Fructose may also make you more prone to obesity. For example, laboratory research by Princeton University this year concluded that ‘long-term consumption of high-fructose corn syrup resulted in abnormal increases in body fat, especially in the abdomen’. Such abdominal fat may raise your risk of heart disease and stroke.
Perhaps even more worrying, research by Cambridge University suggests fructose may be helping to fuel rising levels of dementia. Laboratory studies have linked high intakes of fructose with the formation of beta-amyloid plaques in the brains of animals. These plaques are frequently seen in people with Alzheimer’s.
In response, its makers, the Corn Refiners Association, are trying to rebrand high fructose corn syrup as ‘corn sugar’.
This attempt to camouflage the product has prompted a high-level legal case in the U.S. courts —launched by makers of traditional cane-sugar sucrose who don’t want to be sullied by high-fructose corn syrup’s worsening reputation.
For those of us practicing low carbohydrate programs, we're probably steering away from all sugars anyway, but ingesting products that contain added sugar, or ingesting products that separate the sugar from the fiber and other nutrients (like juicers) may find that this just increases their consumption of sugar (carbohydrates) with all the related issues.
In my own experience, my triglyceride count only went down when I threw the juicer out and realized that even carrot juice simply had more sugar than my liver could process.0 -
Allright folks, lets get ready to ruuuuuummmmmmbllllle! JK ...
I have seen this a lot in the threads lately, and thought I would throw it out there for a discussion..
I see a lot of people saying that it is OK to eat sugar from fruit because that is "good", but that you should not eat sugar from candy bars, white sugar, etc, because that that is "bad"...
This always sparks my immediate question, which is "how does your body distinguish between sugar from a blueberry and sugar from a candy bar? My basic understanding of chemistry (very basic lol) is that when you take sugar down to its chemical make up, fruit sugar and any other sugar all look the same...
So I will come back to my original question..when I eat a blueberry, does my body really say 'oh, this is a blueberry its good sugar,don't store as fat"; conversely, when I eat a candy bar my body says "uh oh, this is bad sugar store as fat"...
I dont really think it works that way, but I am not sure...
so what do you all think ....
It doesn't actually distinguish between between sugar from fruit or in a candy bar but you should try to get your sugar from fruit because it contains nutrients, antioxidants and other things that are good for you. Blueberries are good for you because they contain antioxidants that fight off free radicals. Processed sugar in candy bars and other sweets is unnatural and lacks nutrients so it's not a good source for that and you're just eating wasted sugar calories unless you eat Dark Chocolate which is loaded with antioxidants, there have been numerous studies done that link eating Dark Chocolate of %60 cacao or more and lowering your blood pressure, I eat 1-2 pieces of Lindor %90 dark chocolate per day, the higher the percentage of cacao the less sugar it usually contains, this chocolate only had 3 grams per serving. Sugar also does not directly cause diabetes, diabetes is caused by being overweight or obese which can be caused by eating to many empty calories that come from sugar, the body turns excess sugar into fat. It is also not good to eat a lot of sugar whether it be processed or from fruit because it causes spikes in your blood sugar level. I believe that eating some over the suggested daily limit of sugar is ok if it's from fruit or natural sources that contain nutrients but not a good idea to over do it.0 -
100 g blueberries
57 cals
Estimated glycemic load 4
Inflammation factor -19 (mildly inflammatory)
Fullness factor 3.1
source: http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/1851/2
100g snickers bar
475 cals
Estimated glycemic load 37
Inflammation factor -298 (strongly inflammatory)
Fullness factor 1.5
source: http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/sweets/5461/2
15g fun size snickers bar is still more cals (71 cals) and STILL more inflammatory (-45) than 100g of blueberries (-19) and still has a higher glycemic load (5 vs. 4). You would have to eat less than 15g of a snickers bar for it to be less calories and less inflammatory than 100g of blueberries.
And those fun size snickers are realllllly small. 100g of blueberries is a decent amount of food.0 -
And just for even more fun...
100g Dark Chocolate (70-85%)
599 cals
Estimated glycemic load 15
Inflammation factor -223 (moderately inflammatory)
Fullness factor 1.6
So the dark chocolate has more cals per gram than a snickers but is less inflammatory and has a lower glycemic load.0 -
One question that always comes to mind when I see threads about sugar: what if I eat white sugar with, say, a glass of soluble fiber and take a vitamin pill, thus getting the same fiber and nutrients as I would in an apple. Would the body have slower access to the sugar because of the fiber, or is there something else at work with fruit?0
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What's the inflammation amount about??0
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One question that always comes to mind when I see threads about sugar: what if I eat white sugar with, say, a glass of soluble fiber and take a vitamin pill, thus getting the same fiber and nutrients as I would in an apple. Would the body have slower access to the sugar because of the fiber, or is there something else at work with fruit?
Does the vitamin pill have active enzymes? If so, in theory, it might be similar. The fibre would slow down the digestion without a doubt. Diabetics are told to eat fibre and protein with their carbs to slow down the sugar digestion. Although slowed digestion can lead to other unpleasant side effects (bloating, gas, and discomfort from fermentation in the bowels). Someone should do a study and test this. It's a valid question. 0 -
Okay, but what do you people think about brown sugar? What if I substitute white sugar for brown sugar? Would that be more healthy and okay to eat?0
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What's the inflammation amount about??
Chronic inflammation leads to aging and cell damage. People who want to be healthy or stay healthy longer try to reduce inflammation if possible.
Pain = inflammation.
Inflammation from food means your food is hurting you.
Which is why i said blueberries have boxing gloves. They are cushioned. They don't hurt AS much as refined sugar. Their glycemic load is lower. They don't cause the same level of inflammation.0 -
Okay, but what do you people think about brown sugar? What if I substitute white sugar for brown sugar? Would that be more healthy and okay to eat?
Brown sugar is white sugar, with molasses added back in (the stuff they originally stripped out). Brown sugar has more iron because of this. But the sugar content is the same.0 -
Okay, but what do you people think about brown sugar? What if I substitute white sugar for brown sugar? Would that be more healthy and okay to eat?
Seems legit0 -
One question that always comes to mind when I see threads about sugar: what if I eat white sugar with, say, a glass of soluble fiber and take a vitamin pill, thus getting the same fiber and nutrients as I would in an apple. Would the body have slower access to the sugar because of the fiber, or is there something else at work with fruit?
Does the vitamin pill have active enzymes? If so, in theory, it might be similar. The fibre would slow down the digestion without a doubt. Diabetics are told to eat fibre and protein with their carbs to slow down the sugar digestion. Although slowed digestion can lead to other unpleasant side effects (bloating, gas, and discomfort from fermentation in the bowels). Someone should do a study and test this. It's a valid question.
Thanks for the reply. I agree that a study on this would be interesting... not that I want to eat a teaspoon of sugar with a side of fiber or anything.0 -
Sugar is sugar no matter what its from. It's what comes with it that makes the difference. Brown sugar is white sugar + molasses. No added sugar is healthy to eat.0
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I have a bar of dark chocolate with bits of blueberry in it that I get to eat tonight. *drool* ...wait, what were we talking about?White sugar doesn't have the fibre, antioxidants, and vitamins you would get from the blueberry. It will affect your blood sugar/insulin levels differently than a blueberry because of the rate at which the sugar is digested/metabolized. White sugar has been stripped of the vitamins and minerals that the sugar cane actually had before it was processed... like iron. That's why blackstrap molasses is a good source of iron and other trace minerals, but white sugar is not, even though they both come from sugar cane.
If you refined the sugar from fruit, and stripped away all the fibre and vitamins and minerals and were left with just the fruit sugar... it would be just as 'bad' as white sugar.
but I am talking about sugar vs sugar...not nutrients + sugar vs other sugar...
what if you had a blueberry and dark chocolate...dark chocolate has antioxidants in it...so does that put it on par with the blueberry?
Sugar is sugar is sugar. Your body can't tell the difference. The only real difference is that only glucose can be efficiently sorted as muscle glycogen. Sucrose and fructose are either stored in the small supply available in your liver or converted to triglycerides.
I tend to agree with this...0 -
Also, I was really just trying to drill it down to sugar from fruit vs sugar from candy...
However, the argument seems to be that fruit sugar is better because fruit has additional "nutrients"...
If take vitamin C, fish oil, etc and have sugar with my morning coffee does that then put it on par with fruit sugar because I am taking additional nutrients? But then somehow if we eat dark chocolate that is good sugar because there are additional antioxidants in dark chocolate, as opposed to eating a Hershey bar, which would be "bad"... Seems like a strange argument to me...
Sugar is either sugar, or for some reason it is not...0 -
If you really want to know why it matters so much, read these articles.
Fructose, Heart Disease and Erectile Dysfunction
http://www.peaktestosterone.com/Fructose_Erectile_Dysfunction.aspx
Fructose and Weight Loss
http://www.peaktestosterone.com/Fructose_Weight_Loss.aspx
Inflammation and Health
http://www.peaktestosterone.com/Inflammation_Health.aspx
But sugar is just sugar, right? If only it were that simple.0 -
My body doesn't seem to distinguish between sugar from fruit or processed (this has been confirmed up by some "alternative medicine" tests). That's why I limit my fruit to 2 servings per day and limit the processed sugars. It makes a difference to how I feel and my belly bloating. That's just me and having sugar sensitivity though.0
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Maybe this will clear things out.. whole fruit has a lot of fiber, which actually slows down your body's digestion of glucose, so you don't get the crazy insulin spike (and subsequent crash) that candy causes. That also means your body has more time to use up glucose as fuel before storing it -- as fat. Even dried fruit, a notoriously sugary treat, has all the fiber and nutrients of its plump forbear.
More on the subject here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/29/fruit-sugar-versus-white-sugar_n_3497795.html
Hope this helps0 -
Opinion without context and dosage is alarmist bullsh!t.................If you really want to know why it matters so much, read these articles.
Fructose, Heart Disease and Erectile Dysfunction
http://www.peaktestosterone.com/Fructose_Erectile_Dysfunction.aspx
Fructose and Weight Loss
http://www.peaktestosterone.com/Fructose_Weight_Loss.aspx
Inflammation and Health
http://www.peaktestosterone.com/Inflammation_Health.aspx
But sugar is just sugar, right? If only it were that simple.0 -
Allright folks, lets get ready to ruuuuuummmmmmbllllle! JK ...
I have seen this a lot in the threads lately, and thought I would throw it out there for a discussion..
I see a lot of people saying that it is OK to eat sugar from fruit because that is "good", but that you should not eat sugar from candy bars, white sugar, etc, because that that is "bad"...
This always sparks my immediate question, which is "how does your body distinguish between sugar from a blueberry and sugar from a candy bar? My basic understanding of chemistry (very basic lol) is that when you take sugar down to its chemical make up, fruit sugar and any other sugar all look the same...
So I will come back to my original question..when I eat a blueberry, does my body really say 'oh, this is a blueberry its good sugar,don't store as fat"; conversely, when I eat a candy bar my body says "uh oh, this is bad sugar store as fat"...
I dont really think it works that way, but I am not sure...
so what do you all think ....
:huh: almost 5k posts and *this* is the question you post? :sick:0
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