Fruits are needed

freerange

Is fruit too high in sugar?
The body needs natural sugar as a source of energy. When starchy foods such as potatoes and bread are eaten, the digestive enzymes break down complex sugar (starch) into simpler sugars. When fruit is eaten, the body uses the simple sugars (fructose or others) directly, without needing to break them down any further. However, this is not like eating refined sugar. In the case of refined sugar, the food is devoid of nutrients and fiber. Thus, the sugar enters the blood quickly and is not slowed down by the process of digesting fiber. Plus, the calories found in sugar are “empty” because they do not provide any vitamins or minerals. Fruit, on the other hand, is a nutrient-dense food. Which means that for every calorie it provides, it also gives many micro-nutrients - vitamins and minerals.

If you cut out most sweet fruit (sugar) and most or all complex carbohydrates (starch), then you will need to get your calories from other sources - protein or fat. It is difficult to get a lot of calories from protein, and high-protein diets are generally recognized to be harmful for health. So what will happen inevitably is that you’ll end up eating large amounts of fats. The consequences of eating a high-fat diet are well-researched. (See Klaper, McDougall, Fuhrman, Barnard, etc.)

Most leading vegetarian and vegan experts recommend a diet with about 10-15% of the calories coming from fat. Certainly, no credible health expert would recommend a diet with more than 20-25% of the calories coming from fat.

But many raw-food enthusiasts are not aware of this. They live on a very high-fat diet. They eat raw nut butters, nut pates, refined oils, flax crackers, etc. They’ll make a salad with 2-3 avocados thrown in there (sometimes more!), and the bag of macadamia nuts becomes their comfort food. On average, they get more than 50% of their calories from fat, often up to 70%. Without a doubt, such a large amount of fat in the diet is extremely unhealthy and is the main reason why most people fail on those diets.

An unfortunate side-effect of that unhealthy diet is that they can no longer handle sweet fruit. It has been proven that high-fat diets decrease insulin sensitivity (the effectiveness of insulin in carrying sugar to the cells), and thus raise blood sugar levels. 1 So those living on high-fat diets, that is, most raw-foodists, will inevitably experience more blood sugar swings when they eat fruit. So the problem is not the fruit per se, but the high amounts of fat consumed. Once you substantially reduce the amount of fat that you eat, by eliminating all oils and reducing the quantities of avocados, nuts, and other fatty foods, your body will be able to process and utilize fruit sugar much more efficiently.

With the knowledge that the primary source of fuel for the human body is natural sugar, the concept of fruit having “too much” sugar becomes illogical. The only way you can consume too much sugar in the form of fruit would be to overeat, which is difficult to achieve when eating high-water content fruit.

WOW, such misinformation I don't know where to start, so I will just let it go, and wish you a good day.

shreddingit

sugar is sugar
Fruits are good but you gotta eat them in moderation if ur trying to lose weight
U can get the same benefits from vitamins and other foods.
u need to know wen to eat them aswell

Lakerlady5747

Honestly, I think fruit is a much better choice for a snack than other options. I really enjoy the taste of fruit (it satisfies my sweet tooth) and I'm not going to "give up" fruit just because of the sugar level. Yes, I am trying to lose weight, but I'm trying to do it by making a LIFESTYLE change. I KNOW that if I would deprive myself of some of my favorite foods (fruit included), I would most definitely FAIL. I will continue to eat fruit with my lunch and as a snack. And you know what? I KNOW I will succeed in losing weight and keeping it off.

jdavis193

Honestly, I think fruit is a much better choice for a snack than other options. I really enjoy the taste of fruit (it satisfies my sweet tooth) and I'm not going to "give up" fruit just because of the sugar level. Yes, I am trying to lose weight, but I'm trying to do it by making a LIFESTYLE change. I KNOW that if I would deprive myself of some of my favorite foods (fruit included), I would most definitely FAIL. I will continue to eat fruit with my lunch and as a snack. And you know what? I KNOW I will succeed in losing weight and keeping it off.

Yes that is where I am getting at. People are so uninformed about nutrition! Its amazing that if you are trying to eat healthy you need more healthy foods besides the processed crap

shreddingit

and its funny how some ppl are mis informed about sugar and fruit...there is a lot to know and a lot of scientific research behind both
plus if ppl are trying to lose weight why do they stick to the more sugary carb loaded fruits?, there are so many more options
you need to read why our ancestors use to eat fruit, its a mind opener..

hollyknouse

Not that what I have to say matters a whole lot but I eat a lot of fruit each day and am almost down 100 pounds. That being said I am a little obsessed with doing everything exactly right all of the time and it drives me crazy when it says that I am over my sugar by a lot each day. I really think it goes back to do what works for you and your body.

elizamc

While I agree fruits are good for us, I think it's not as simple as saying fruit sugar is good, processed sugar is bad. You shouldn't be eating unlimited amounts of fruit a day. Sugar is sugar. Added sugar should be kept to a minimum (and it should be natural (honey, maple syrup) rather than processed when possible), but even non-added sugar (milk sugars, fruit sugars) should be eaten in moderation.

I try to keep my total sugar between 10 and 15% of my total calories (1g sugar = 4 calories). Yes, fruits are good for you - they have loads of fiber, vitamins, etc. - they should be a part of any balanced diet. That said, people need to remember that if they're on a reduced calorie diet to lose weight, then they should reduce the amount of fruit they eat in a day (Everything should be reduced proportionately). So while I may eat 2-3 servings of fruit a day on my maintenance calorie level, I'm only eating 1-2 a day on my weight-loss calorie level.

I agree with cutting back on fruit. I too am restricting mynfruit intake whilst I'm working on losing weight. When I did my first day of recording I was shocked to see how much the fruit added up. I've cut back - amongst other things - and am now seeing results.

robertf57

Get your tuition refunded. I am not quoting expert opinion, this is basic biochemistry

Well that clears that up,,,,,, not.

The Fruit sugar in Fructose is broken down by the slowly and is covered into sucrose and glycogen. The process is sucrose and it effects the blood sugar differently. There are a lot of articles that explains in detail about it. We are supposed to eat 2 to 4 a day.

Absolutely wrong. Fructose is a 5 carbon monosaccharide ( one sugar molecule) that is one of the components of sucrose( table sugar- a disaccharide -- 2 sugar molecule). Fructose is almost entirely metabolized in the liver and can not be used by most other body tissues. It is not converted into sucrose. Post something you know about

It is actually in the material I had gotten from class. I do know what I am talking about.

jdavis193

Well again it's my opinion and thats why I posted it and there are several that will agree that we need fruits and people who say they are bad for you which I have been told which is hysterical!!! I know what I have learned and what I believe. I have been studying for several years now. I believe that fruit sugar is better for you than processed sugar. I have seen so many people who drink there cals when it's not good for you as in just eating a simple fruit. example someone who drinks a pepsi for there snack instead of fruit and then say they are eating "healthy" I don't think so. I used to not eat as much fruit and I am glad I do now I always eat a carb with a protein.

ladybg81

I eat a lot more fruit than veggies because I am really not a big veggie fan. I figure fruit is better than the other things I could be eating. It sucks that they are a lot higher in calories than veggies. But, again, moderation is key.

robertf57

Well again it's my opinion and thats why I posted it and there are several that will agree that we need fruits and people who say they are bad for you which I have been told which is hysterical!!! I know what I have learned and what I believe. I have been studying for several years now. I believe that fruit sugar is better for you than processed sugar. I have seen so many people who drink there cals when it's not good for you as in just eating a simple fruit. example someone who drinks a pepsi for there snack instead of fruit and then say they are eating "healthy" I don't think so. I used to not eat as much fruit and I am glad I do now I always eat a carb with a protein.

Just to be clear, I didn't say anything about your opinion that fruits are good to eat. There are many positive aspects to fruit and I don't intend to get into a discussion that in fitness circles is almost religious. I only commented on your nonsensical statement that fructose is converted into sucrose in the human body, etc. I'll leave it to each reader to judge the value of your other opinions.