I have a question about sugar

Kylea51
Kylea51 Posts: 31
in Health and Weight Loss
I have a friend that is diabetic, needs shots 2x a day. When we go shopping and look for foods he can eat, he passes up most the fruit, saying that it has too much sugar. I always understood that "most" fruit was like a "free" choice, the sugar in say an orange isnt the same as the sugar in candy, but he says sugar is sugar and it is all the same.
I like my fruit~ dont get too much cuz of the cost now-a-days, but if i can get it, i will. Is there a difference in the sugars in fruit than in candy? does it do the same thing?
I hope I am expalining ths right. I would really like to understand this.

thanks in advance.

Replies

  • Puffins1958
    Puffins1958 Posts: 614 Member
    Sugar in CANDY....is definately different than the sugar in fruit. It is a NATURAL sugar and opposed to something that has been processed. May I suggest that your friend get some sort of diabetic counseling from an MD. Maybe he can go to an Endrocronologist, they are specialist that could educate him on the process and what is going on in his body....

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  • mandydanyele
    mandydanyele Posts: 121
    First of all, natural sugar works in your body differently vs. processed sugar. Processed sugar is harder for your body to use and break down while fruit gives you energy. Fruit has a lot of vitamins, minerals, fiber and other great things. Also,you want to keep in mind that sugar is only one ingredient. Don't let it turn you off. Fruit has a lot of great things in it that you won't find in a candy bar or cupcake. Plus, you can usually eat a lot more fruit then candy and still end up with less calories. Also...a piece of fruit that is high in fiber is going to keep you full longer then sweets.
  • m_wilh
    m_wilh Posts: 362 Member
    I thought EXACTLY the same way you did until this past summer. I tried losing weight using the Weight Watchers method where they tell you fruits and veggies are free. I never could get the weight off no matter how hard I tried even though others around me were losing weight and I was eating the same way they were eating. In July, I found out I was hypoglycemic and was told by the doctor that fruits should be eaten VERY SPARINGLY by anyone with sugar problems. I was shocked. However, I know how much fruit I was eating and I couldn't drop the weight for anything. It was because my sugars were spiking and staying elevated by all the fruit. You wouldn't think so, but it's true. When I do eat fruit, I eat the ones that have a #55 or less on the low glycemic foods list. For me once I got off the fruit and started eating more veggies (the non-starchy ones), I finally started losing weight.
  • thelovelyLIZ
    thelovelyLIZ Posts: 1,227 Member
    Sugar in candy (sucrose, generally processed) and sugar in fruit (fructose) do differ. My understanding is sucrose breaks down much faster, making your blood sugar spike quicker than fructose. That doesn't mean fructose won't do that though, it's just milder (this is why I sweeten a lot of things with agave nectar as opposed to other sweeteners).

    Bear in mind though, sugar consumption for someone dieting and someone who is diabetic is kind of a case of apples and oranges. A diabetic person's pancreas doesn't work properly, where as a dieter is simply trying to keep off excess weight. They're two separate problems.
  • jrcox520
    jrcox520 Posts: 130 Member
    Your friend has it right. Your body doesn't care if its fructose or sucrose, once its in it converts it into the same thing. Most people around here believe fruit sugar is exempt simply because its fruit.

    http://drbenkim.com/articles-bloodsugar.html

    Edit to add link to informative article.
  • nsblue
    nsblue Posts: 331 Member
    I have diabetes. In September 2009 I was on 2 shots a day... 90u in the AM and 80u in the PM. I do not eat candy. I do eat fruit. Rule of thumb during weightloss for me is for every 100 cal the sugar content should be 9grams and under...but this rule does not apply to my fruit. I have 2 if not 3 fruit a day at times. Fruit gives me fiber as well. and i include them in my diet everyday. My sugars have been in the 4's and 5's and as of a few months ago... I no longer take any shots whatsoever!!.
    When i hear people comment about fruit and the sugar content being not good...it is total hogwash and they are misinformed.
  • Kylea51
    Kylea51 Posts: 31
    Ok I think I understand his way of thinking now-- thanks for the explaining. So if your a diabetic like he is, very "red-zone" , any sugar is harmful to you, even fruit. He does eat fruit, just has to be very careful of what and how much.

    Thanks, for some reason he couldnt explain it to me. Or maybe i wasnt listening?? (that may be the case~~ my bad)
  • ElizabethRoad
    ElizabethRoad Posts: 5,138 Member
    I always understood that "most" fruit was like a "free" choice, the sugar in say an orange isnt the same as the sugar in candy, but he says sugar is sugar and it is all the same.
    Do you understand that dieting is not the same as being diabetic? When people say fruit is "free", that has nothing to do with diabetes.
  • Kylea51
    Kylea51 Posts: 31
    Yes-- I do understand that dieting is different from diabitic-- I just didnt understand about the sugar difference in the 2, and now I do. That is why i asked, I didnt understand before and i wanted to know. For some reason, when my friend tryed to explain it, i was not understanding it.

    Thanks for explaining it to me.

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