Fruits are needed

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jdavis193
jdavis193 Posts: 972 Member
I have been seeing a lot of people saying they don't eat fruit because of the sugars. I just want to tell you that You should be eating fruit. The sugars are good for you. The processed are the ones you don't want. Just wanted to clear that up.
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  • Mindful_Trent
    Mindful_Trent Posts: 3,954 Member
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    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.
  • freerange
    freerange Posts: 1,722 Member
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    Well that clears that up,,,,,, not.
  • Beebs33
    Beebs33 Posts: 262
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    All I know is that I eat 1 apple, 2 cups of grapes, 2 clementine cuties or 2 apples, 2 clementine cuties and 1 cup of strawberries or any combination and I feel great. I keep track of it in my food diary and it always says I'm over my sugar intake but I have lost some weight and feel great. I really think each person is different and learning how much of something you can eat is really trial and error. But I'm no nutritionist...I just am getting to know my own body:)
  • wolfchild59
    wolfchild59 Posts: 2,608 Member
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    If I adjust nothing else in my general eating habits other than eating more fruit than normal in a week, I'm more likely to see a gain at my weekly weigh-in, or at least continued stalls. So while I do eat fruit because I love it, I try to never go overboard. I try to eat more veggies than fruit since those don't cause me any gains or stalls.

    Edit - This should be more past tense since I've actually been stalled overall for awhile now. But I did eat 1/2-1cup of strawberries every single day the week before last and saw a small gain, when nothing else had changed.
  • jdavis193
    jdavis193 Posts: 972 Member
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    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.
  • jdavis193
    jdavis193 Posts: 972 Member
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    If I adjust nothing else in my general eating habits other than eating more fruit than normal in a week, I'm more likely to see a gain at my weekly weigh-in, or at least continued stalls. So while I do eat fruit because I love it, I try to never go overboard. I try to eat more veggies than fruit since those don't cause me any gains or stalls.


    Do you measure out your fruit? If you eat from mellon or berries. Usually people who don't measure that does happen. The portions are not exact.
  • doutri2
    doutri2 Posts: 186 Member
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    If you are doing the first two weeks of South Beach Diet, fruit is on the Don't Eat list. Many fruits rank high in the glycemic index, thus raising your blood sugar and increasing cravings for more sugar.

    I am writing this from memory of reading the book a few years back, so don't quote me. But that is the general idea. This does not mean that I am no longer eating fruit. I try to eat veggies more than fruit.
  • Mindful_Trent
    Mindful_Trent Posts: 3,954 Member
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    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.

    It's not very accurate to say everyone should eat 2-4 a day - it really depends on your calorie level. Someone who is on 1200 calories/day doesn't need that much. Someone eating 2000 calories a day - it makes more sense to eat 2-3 a day. Fruits shouldn't make up a huge % of your daily calories - if you're on 1200 cal/day and eat 4 servings of fruit, that could easily be 30-40% of your calories. The USDA recommends only 1 cup of fruit per day for someone on a 1200 calorie diet.
    http://www.mypyramid.gov/professionals/food_tracking_wksht.html

    (The reason I'm focusing so much on the 1200 calories is becasue MANY people on this site set that as their calorie goal. My point is that the fewer calories you eat a day, the less fruit you need (and less meat, and less grains) - it should all reduce proportionately. As you increase to maintenance level, then it makes sense to eat more fruit.)
  • jdavis193
    jdavis193 Posts: 972 Member
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    Ya when I was majoring in personal training we had classes about nutrtion I don't like the south beach diet or atkins thats just my personal opinion. I just don't understand why if people want to get "healthy" why they would chose processed sugars over fruit!!
  • jdavis193
    jdavis193 Posts: 972 Member
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    That's why I said 2-4 servings. One serving of fruit can be a half cup depending on the fruit. I learned all of this in my nutrition class.
  • freerange
    freerange Posts: 1,722 Member
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    http://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-definitive-guide-to-sugar/

    Nothing is ever "cleared up" There is always two sides, and presenting your side as the only one is,,,,,,,,,, well short sighted.

    Don't get me wrong, I like fruit, fruit has many advantages, I had a half of a grapefruit this morning in fact, but need isn't one of their advantages.
  • mandykasase
    mandykasase Posts: 110
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    Here in the UK, it's been simplified for us. It is recomended that you should eat five portions of fruit and veg. 5 differerent things so you can't have 5 apples. It has to be 5 portions you can make a smothies with 3 of your fruit portions and have 2 veg portions with your dinner and you are covered. "Feel Alive and Eat 5 a day" Simples!!
  • xraychick77
    xraychick77 Posts: 1,775 Member
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    i eat fruits. i weigh 119 lbs
  • cnash81
    cnash81 Posts: 30
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    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.

    It's not very accurate to say everyone should eat 2-4 a day - it really depends on your calorie level. Someone who is on 1200 calories/day doesn't need that much. Someone eating 2000 calories a day - it makes more sense to eat 2-3 a day. Fruits shouldn't make up a huge % of your daily calories - if you're on 1200 cal/day and eat 4 servings of fruit, that could easily be 30-40% of your calories. The USDA recommends only 1 cup of fruit per day for someone on a 1200 calorie diet.
    http://www.mypyramid.gov/professionals/food_tracking_wksht.html

    (The reason I'm focusing so much on the 1200 calories is becasue MANY people on this site set that as their calorie goal. My point is that the fewer calories you eat a day, the less fruit you need (and less meat, and less grains) - it should all reduce proportionately. As you increase to maintenance level, then it makes sense to eat more fruit.)



    Wow....I never thought of it this way, but it makes perfect sense to me that everything should be reduced proportionately in relation to your calorie intake. :happy:
  • jdavis193
    jdavis193 Posts: 972 Member
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    Yes it does You can always follow the food pyramid. Most diabetics are not supposed to have the higher sugar fruit but its better than the processed. I have successfully when from 130 to 112 less than 10 mo while eating fruit. I think it depends on the extras you eat.
  • robertf57
    robertf57 Posts: 560 Member
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    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
  • jdavis193
    jdavis193 Posts: 972 Member
    Options
    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
    jdavis193 Posts: 972 Member
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    Fruit eating offers many benefits:

    * Fruit is the best source of the natural sugar needed for energy.
    * Fruit is packed with vitamins, and still represents the best source of vitamins in any food.
    * Fruit is packed with anti-oxidants.
    * Fruit is easier to digest than grains. Fruit is basically pre-digested. Digesting ripe fruit hardly requires any digestive enzymes, and is thus less taxing to the body.
    * Fruit is alkaline forming (whereas meat, fish, grains and legumes are acid-forming).
    * Fruit contains an abundance of pure water.
    * Fruit is easy to eat. It doesn’t require much preparation.
    * Fruit is beautiful. All of our senses are nourished by fruit, not just our taste buds.
    * People who eat lots of fruit live longer. A study published in the British Medical Journal (September 2001), showed that fresh fruit offers the best bet for a long life. The results of a study showed that frequent fruit eaters had a 32 percent lower risk of dying from cerebrovascular disease such as stroke, and a 24 percent lower risk of dying from ischemic heart disease, than those who ate fruit less than once a day.
    * Fruit contains lots of fiber, which is necessary for optimum digestion.

    Eating fruit before meals and other food combining
  • jdavis193
    jdavis193 Posts: 972 Member
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    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.
  • wolfchild59
    wolfchild59 Posts: 2,608 Member
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    If I adjust nothing else in my general eating habits other than eating more fruit than normal in a week, I'm more likely to see a gain at my weekly weigh-in, or at least continued stalls. So while I do eat fruit because I love it, I try to never go overboard. I try to eat more veggies than fruit since those don't cause me any gains or stalls.


    Do you measure out your fruit? If you eat from mellon or berries. Usually people who don't measure that does happen. The portions are not exact.

    I measure everything I eat. As much as possible, if I can't measure it first, I don't eat it. I strive on accuracy in reporting of all things.