All calories are NOT the same

SHBoss1673

Just few little fun facts from Banks to make your life a tiny bit more complicated

I see quite a bit on here the phrase "calories in vs calories out" and "a calorie is a calorie" or some such variation.

While I agree that the amount of calories you consume is vitally important to weight loss, I feel it's JUST as important to have the right kind of calories.

Few fun facts.

- A single serving of simple carbohydrates (lets take white, bleached flour) takes about 15 to 30 minutes to digest where as, whole grains(depending on the type) takes between 45 minutes and 3 hours.

- A calorie of protein from meat takes anywhere from 3 hours to 12 hours to completely digest and another couple of hours to move through your body (and sometimes longer depending on about a million factors). That isn't to say you don't receive any protein until 3 hours later, the process begins immediately, but you don't recieve the full amount until the end, think of it like a time released cold pill, it breaks down slowly in the stomach, and as it does, some nutrients are leeched out, and more are leeched out as it passes through the colon and intestines.

-Fiber is not only indigestible to humans, in many cases as it travels through the intestines it will feed the "friendly flora" there and it can also absorb toxins and carry them with it out of the body. So not only does it help fill you up and give you a sense of "fullness" it can keep you healthy as well.

-Fats are not an enemy to the human body, in fact besides being a secondary fuel source, some vitamins and minerals require dietary fats as a vehicle for delivery in the blood. The brain needs certain types of vitamins that the fats can provide, as does hair, skin, and nails and cell membranes for various (fat soluble vitamins being one) reasons to stay healthy. Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids are the preferred types of fat for humans though, where hydrogenated oils and saturated fats are less helpful and can affect cholesterol numbers aversely (and are a factor in CAD and plaque).

-Fructose and lactose (fruit sugar and milk sugar) use an entirely different process from sucrose to enter the blood stream, it takes longer and as such usually doesn't spike the blood sugar and cause insulin release like sugary or white flour products do.

-While almost all fruit and some veggies contain fructose, many also can contain high quantities of sucrose, so be aware that some fruits can have similar detrimental blood sugar effects as white sugar or white flour.

-In order for protein to be broken down into energy to use as fuel, the liver needs to process the protein and turn it into (this is a VERY simplified definition but...) glucose for short term energy that the muscles can use for ATP (the actual fuel muscles normally use), this takes far longer than the process needed for breaking down carbohydrates.

-If the body requires more energy than is currently available (like during moderate exercise or intense exercise), it will attempt to use ALL available energy sources, I.E. food intake, protein from either intake or muscle, AND stored fat, which ever is the most abundant and readily available is the one that will be used the most, which is why it's easier to shed fat when you have a lot, than when you don't.


What does all this mean? I'll let you judge, but generally it means, there's a lot more to a healthy body than just calories in vs calories out!

chrissyh

Great info!

I'd be curious to know which fruits fall into the sucrose category???

jojogirl

Thank You for your simply put definitions on information that may otherwise be misunderstood. It is helping so many and it is appreciated tremendously!!
:flowerforyou:

1Sweets

Thank you for the informative reading. As always...:flowerforyou: I'll Bank of Banks.

abatres7

I loved this info, thanks for sharing. The one part that caught my attention was the fruit that could fall into the sucrose category. So if you find out...let us know.

amicklin

Very well put, thank you for the information! :drinker:

AmandaJ

Thanks, I would also like to know which fruit falls into which catergory because I do love my fresh fruit and it is in season. YUM!!

SHBoss1673

here's a good table

http://www.thepaleodiet.com/nutritional_tools/fruits_table.html

fyi, glucose is the real scary one, it needs no processing and goes RIGHT into the bloodstream.

Shanta1983

Great Information as usuall:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :happy:

jb_sweet_99

Thanks Banks, great info as always! :flowerforyou:

jljohnson

Great info!

I'd be curious to know which fruits fall into the sucrose category???

I was thinking the same thing! Here's a link I found to a table that lists fruits and the kinds/amts of sugar they containg: http://www.thepaleodiet.com/nutritional_tools/fruits_table.html

Looks like most fruits contain a balance of different kinds of sugars, but fruits like peaches, apricots, grapefruit, and cantaloupe contain significantly more sucrose than fructose.

Banks - thanks for the awesome info. I always love reading about the science behind health and nutrition (especially your simplified versions).

mlmanney

:flowerforyou: bump!

chrissyh

looked at the list you posted - I had no clue!!!

SHBoss1673

grapes are the scary one to me.

astridfeline

thanks Banks! :flowerforyou:

kat05317

Great information, Thank you!

msarro

You can have my bananas when you take them from my cold sugary fingers

sjmay

Thanks for more great info Banks!

SHBoss1673

You can have my bananas when you take them from my cold sugary fingers

LOL! Bananas kind of balance considering that they have more good stuff than most other fruit, and in higher quantities.

Moderation Marky! Just don't eat 3 at once! :bigsmile:

Ripgirl

grapes are the scary one to me.

GRAPES are a scary one?? Crap!!! I've been eating them with low fat cottage cheese or a cheese string as a snack.

JoyousMaximus

Thanks for the info. Especially about the fiber.

I just started pairing my fruit with nuts to help reduce the blood sugar spike because I'm not going to give up my bananas, mangos, OR grapes.

annaliza

Wow, Banks...as usual you are full of good information! Thanks so much for taking the time to help us little people out!

What I found interesting about the table was the dried fruits.....Raisins in particular. Wow....I might as well put corn syrup in my oatmeal instead of the raisins as far as glucose is concerned. Good thing there are other factors, such as vitamins and nutrients, that make eating them good for you regardless of the glucose level (You cannot convince me that grapes are not good for you lol - much better than my used-to-be normal breakfast of biscuits and gravy).

And I'm with Mike.....I cherish my bananas (lol, in fact, I'm eating one right now).

Thanks again for the info! I sure appreciate your posts!

SHBoss1673

I wouldn't go so far as to say that grapes, or almost any fruit, are bad. But I would say that they should be something to be eaten in moderation. Berries are probably one of the best, with the combination of relatively low sugar levels and high in antioxidants, they are my pick for best fruits.

Oh, and by the way, fruit juice is right up there with dried fruits.

JoyousMaximus

I wouldn't go so far as to say that grapes, or almost any fruit, are bad. But I would say that they should be something to be eaten in moderation. Berries are probably one of the best, with the combination of relatively low sugar levels and high in antioxidants, they are my pick for best fruits.

Oh, and by the way, fruit juice is right up there with dried fruits.

Wouldn't juice be worse since it doesn't even have the fiber?

annaliza

Yep, I agree with that. I don't drink fruit juice though I do give my kids sugar free juice once a day.

But you know, fruit (in all forms) are like anything else: good in moderation.

Same with cheese, yogurt, salads, meat, everything....

Which is why a BALANCED diet is so important.

Which is what you have been trying to teach all along, Banks :flowerforyou: :drinker:

SHBoss1673

I wouldn't go so far as to say that grapes, or almost any fruit, are bad. But I would say that they should be something to be eaten in moderation. Berries are probably one of the best, with the combination of relatively low sugar levels and high in antioxidants, they are my pick for best fruits.

Oh, and by the way, fruit juice is right up there with dried fruits.

Wouldn't juice be worse since it doesn't even have the fiber?

generally yes.

21alpine

-Fructose and lactose (fruit sugar and milk sugar) use an entirely different process from sucrose to enter the blood stream, it takes longer and as such usually doesn't spike the blood sugar and cause insulin release like sugary or white flour products do.

To much Fructose can be a bad thing, especially if you are diabetic, like myself. I found this article below.

What is fructose?
Fructose is a monosaccharide (simple sugar), which the body can use for energy. Because it does not cause blood sugar rise tremendously (has a low glycemic index), it was once thought that fructose was a good substitute for sucrose (table sugar). However, the American Diabetes Association and nutritional experts have changed their minds about this.
Is fructose bad for me?
A small amount of fructose, such as the amount found in most vegetables and fruits, is not a bad thing. In fact, there is evidence that a little bit may help your body process glucose properly. However, consuming too much fructose at once seems to overwhelm the body's capacity to process it. The diets of our ancestors contained only very small amounts of fructose. These days, estimates are that about 10% of the modern diet comes from fructose.
What happens if I consume too much fructose?
Most of the carbohydrates we eat are made up of chains of glucose. When glucose enters the bloodstream, the body releases insulin to help regulate it. Fructose, on the other hand, is processed in the liver. To greatly simplify the situation: When too much fructose enters the liver, the liver can't process it all fast enough for the body to use as sugar. Instead, it starts making fats from the fructose and sending them off into the bloodstream as triglycerides.
Why is this bad?
This is potentially bad for at least three reasons:
High blood triglycerides are a risk factor for heart disease.
Fructose ends up circumventing the normal appetite signaling system, so appetite-regulating hormones aren't triggered--and you're left feeling unsatisfied. This is probably at least part of the reason why excess fructose consumption is associated with weight gain.
There is growing evidence that excess fructose consumption may facilitate insulin resistance, and eventually type 2 diabetes. However, some of this effect may be from chemicals in soda which reacts with the high fructose corn syrup.
What are the major sources of fructose?
Fruits and vegetables have relatively small, "normal" amounts of fructose that most bodies can handle quite well. The problem comes with added sugars in the modern diet, the volume of which has grown rapidly in recent decades. The blame has often been pinned to high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), which is made up of 55% fructose and 45% glucose. However, sucrose is half fructose and half glucose. So, HFCS actually doesn't have a whole lot more fructose than "regular" sugar, gram for gram.
High fructose corn syrup has become incredibly inexpensive and abundant, partially due to corn subsidies in the United States. So, really, the problem is more that it has become so cheap that it has crept its way into a great number of the foods we eat every day.

Is corn syrup fructose different than fructose found in other foods?
No, all fructose works the same in the body, whether it comes from corn syrup, cane sugar, beet sugar, strawberries, onions, or tomatoes. Only the amounts are different. For example, a cup of chopped tomatoes has 2.5 grams of fructose, a can of regular (non-diet) soda supplies 23 grams, and a super-size soda has about 62 grams.


Which foods have high fructose corn syrup and other sugars?
Today, almost all packaged foods have sugar added in some form, which almost always includes a lot of fructose. Honey has about the same fructose/glucose ratio as high fructose corn syrup. Fruit juice concentrates, sometimes used as "healthy sweeteners," usually have quite a lot of fructose (never mind that the processing of these concentrates strips away most of their nutritional value). Look at the ingredients on packaged food labels and you will probably see sources of fructose. See my article, Sugar's Many Disguises, to learn what to look for.

Hope this is useful!

Janet