Whats your take on fruit (sugar)?

I eat fruit everyday. Apples are a major staple in my diet since they are easy to cut up and bring to work. There is also quite a bit a sugar on my Greek yogurts and some of the vegetables I eat. This has not hindered my weight loss at all. I have still lost 20 lbs in the past two months.

Honestly- unless you have a medical condition that makes you have to what sugar intake- there is nothing wrong with sugar (be it fruit or otherwise).

ndj1979 wrote: »

for weight loss eating more calories than you consume is the enemy ..

you can eat sugar, maintain a calorie deficit, and lose weight.

Unless you have a medical condition that makes one sensitive to sugar there is no reason to avoid it.

source of sugar does not matter, because at the end of the day they are all the same at the molecular level.

+1

lemurcat12 wrote: »

Now I wish I had some cherries. Jealous.

Barbados cherries are in season and showing up in the stores here. Do people up north get them?

It's Summer here, we have cherries everywhere and plums, and nectarines, and peaches and pineapples.... you get the picture lol

Nah. My doctor tells me that fruit is nutritious and healthy and that I should eat it. you just have to count the fruit calories along with all the other calories.

I love fruit.

Id suspect that the difference lies in the fact that foods with added sugar do not contain the natural nutrients and fiber that foods with natural sugars carry. Basically, natural sugars have a natural "offset" in their nutrient profile, but added sugars are not naturally balanced in this way.

I'm not a Nutrition expert, but it seems logical to me that the sugars in a sweet fruit or vegetable are in no way equivalent to those in an added-sugar food.

EWJLang wrote: »

Id suspect that the difference lies in the fact that foods with added sugar do not contain the natural nutrients and fiber that foods with natural sugars carry. Basically, natural sugars have a natural "offset" in their nutrient profile, but added sugars are not naturally balanced in this way.

I'm not a Nutrition expert, but it seems logical to me that the sugars in a sweet fruit or vegetable are in no way equivalent to those in an added-sugar food.

I agree with this statement. As a diabetic I can tell a huge difference between getting my sugar intake from a natural source compared to a processed source. For me, eating natural sugars gives me an equal sugar burn throughout the day. When I'm eating stuff that is processed, I can tell that my sugar spikes and crashes.

Re fruit in winter vs. summer, I really noticed due to logging that I eat FAR more fruit in the summer (I was never over my sugar in February through April, and over constantly in June through September). I'm eating less again--I just love local summer fruit so much.

I'm definitely going to go look for cherries and at least pick up some pears.

I really hope people who can have fruit won't give it up because it has sugar in it. You NEED sugar! You can't live without it. Your brain runs on it. If you really and truly didn't take in any, your body would make it's own. Sugar is THAT important. You cannot get sugar out of your body even if you try. So, don't try.

lemurcat12 wrote: »

Re fruit in winter vs. summer, I really noticed due to logging that I eat FAR more fruit in the summer (I was never over my sugar in February through April, and over constantly in June through September). I'm eating less again--I just love local summer fruit so much.

I'm definitely going to go look for cherries and at least pick up some pears.

I eat more fresh in the summer. Winter means frozen berries, which are still good, but very tart. I have to add blueberries and blackberries or I can't even eat the others. They also ooze as they thaw. I crumble my Nature Valley Crunchy Granola Apple Crisp bars (I swear I don't work for them) into the mix and it just looks like slop. But they granola soaks up the juicy ooze and OMG, it's all so good!!!

I just had a Honeycrisp Apple.

Fructose in fruit is good for you (within your calorie goal if you are losing weight). Fructose in the form of corn syrup that is added to foods is not good for you.
Why is fructose bad for you?

At first I used fruit as a replacement for sugary snacks and desserts. Now, I eat fruit because I love the taste and the health benefits. I am also a type 2 diabetic and in total control of my blood sugar levels.
I love having blueberries or strawberries with some lite whipped cream as a dessert or between meal snack. Also enjoy it with my oatmeal for breakfast!

elphie754 wrote: »

And how is added sugar different from other sugar? How is the molecular make up any different?

I was at a talk several years ago about the manufacture of drugs. A university professor was giving a talk about how he's teaching his freshmen students to manufacture drugs at their bench blah blah blah something important about research and development or something. I don't know.

Anyhow, at one point, he talked about how atoms attach themselves to other atoms, and how even though you might have the exact same atoms -- three hydrogens and two oxygens, say -- they might not attach in the same way.

One the one hand you might get OHOHH but on the other hand you might get HOHOH.

That's my example, by the way, and it might not be a real thing, so please don't let my example be the sticking point -- the point here is that the atoms don't always attach in the same way even though the molecular ingredients are the same.

He said the problem with this is the side effects from the drug. The brand drug works just fine, but the generic drug has one molecule attaching at a different point along the chain, and bam, you are giving birth to babies with no spine.

Every time I hear someone ask "how is added sugar different from other sugar?" I think of that lecture.

(Here's a bit of marketing literature from Roche Labs that also explains the process, but in terms of sugar chains as part of their cancer drug development -- the section "Feverish search for robust processes.")