Surprising locations of sugar

tnebell

Hi all, I'm somewhat new to the group. Hubby and I are starting again to eat clean but more with the intention of watching our sugars ingested. Funny reason why we've decided to start tracking our sugar is because I keep coming up with cavaties (along with my son) so I figured clean eating would be the closest to what we're trying to do.
So, the amazing thing. I never knew that lettuce had sugar in it. I know it's not a bad sugar there but it still shocked me.
I expected to see sugar in jams or jellies or candies, or even cereals.
What does everyone think about the sugars in fruit? Like just an apple? Or blueberries?

SKINNYxMINXxINSIDExME

This is a debate I have often had with myself as I eat a lot of fruit per day and have done some research... like any other topic there are positive and negative sides to each argument.

There is a lot of evidence that large amounts of fructose can cause harm when consumed in excess. However, this depends on the dosage and context and does not apply to fruit.

Whole fruits contain a relatively small amount of fructose and they take a while to chew and digest. Humans can easily tolerate the small amounts of fructose found in fruit. (that said I do have a habit of smoothies as I am busy busy busy)

Fruits also contain large amounts of important nutrients, including fiber, vitamins, minerals and various antioxidants and phytonutrients.

Fruits like apples and oranges are among the most fulfilling foods you can eat. Eating more of them should lead to an automatic reduction in calorie intake.

As far as I can find the main reasons to avoid fruit include some sort of intolerance, or being on a very low-carb / ketogenic diet.

So for me its about weighing up the pros and cons... and I will continue to eat as much fruit as I do now.

It may be helpful for you to look up sugar content (fructose) in the fruits you eat most and try to replace them with lower sugar content if the amount of sugar is what worries you. For me the positives of eating fruit far outweigh the negatives.

mustangEvie

I think its personal choice to monitor sugars in fruits and veggies... naturally occuring sugar doesn't bother me. OR rather, it doesn't strike me as something to monitor at this time. I'm more concerned with staying away from refined white sugar . But I do still believe sugar, even that is fruit, should be taken in moderation. I love sweets and right now, in order to make this lifestyle change, if I need to get my sugar fix I'd rather eat several servings of fruit instead of a box of cookies or a giant candy bar! LOL