I’ve been asked countless times by clients if fruit is bad for them, some even have stopped eating it or cut out certain types because of what they’ve heard.
So… is fruit a dietary do or a dietary don’t?
It’s a big DO! It should absolutely be included in your daily eating as part of a balanced diet… but I understand the confusion, and here’s why...
Firstly, fructose in its true form, naturally occurs in fruit and some vegetables but we’re seeing it more and more in the ingredient list of packaged foods… but is it the same thing? NO!
Natural fructose has the sweetest taste but the least impact on your blood sugar levels.
It’s classified as a monosaccharide, which is the simplest form of saccharide and doesn’t need to be broken down before your body can utilise it.
Naturally derived fructose from fruit sources does not cause negative health concerns such as metabolic disorders like insulin resistance and diabetes or longer term health issues from eating a highly processed diet, of which there are a lot.
The health benefits of eating fruit outweigh any potential negative effects of its natural fructose as fruit is high in fibre, vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and antioxidants.
However, synthetic fructose is the kind you see in the ingredients list on the label of a processed or packet food and IS NOT the same as naturally occuring fructose, and is derived from another source, most commonly cornstarch as high fructose corn syrup but there are other sources too.
Your body converts fructose to glucose in the liver to use it for energy. Excess fructose from processed foods (not whole foods) burden your liver and can increase your risk of developing metabolic problems and long term health issues.
Synthetic fructose has been shown to increase the hunger hormone ghrelin and leads you to feel unsatisfied after eating, more hungry more quickly after a meal and increases sugar cravings.
So the take away is that there is no need to limit fruits and vegetables out of concern for fructose but when you see any form of it in the ingredients list on a packet, put it back.
🍓 Happy eating x