Sugar in Fruits
Facts about natural sugar vs added sugar
21 Jun 2016
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#diet
#health
Sugar in fruits - Are they healthy?
Yesterday, during my lunch time at the company, a colleague of mine said “Sugar is also in fruits” as if sugar in fruits are bad. So I went on and dug up the articles on what kind of effect it has on us.
Some facts about Sugar in Fruits
- "fruit is all sugar"
- I am not sure how this started in the first place. It is true that fruits contain sugar however they are nowhere close to comparing with table sugars, or sugars in soda, junk foods etc. Scroll below to see the comparison of sugars in fruits vs junk foods.
- Yes, fruits contain the 3 elements of sugar: fructose, glucose, and sucrose. However, they are the natural source of sugar instead of added ones (empty calorie). Also, fruits consist of “complex” carbohydrates where added sugars are simple carbs.
- Fruits also contain many other - including water, vitamins, minerals, fiber, and phytonutrients etc. Not only them, it’s important to note fruits are very low in calories. I mean why would you eat anything else to replace fruits!?
- Are fruits really healthy snack choice?
- I would say yes, vegetables still would be a better choice if you do not need a good taste factor. However, it is a definitely a better choice than those human-made bars or those GMO foods.
Dried fruits, are they healthy or unhealthy?
There is no doubt everyone is trying to find healthy alternatives to junk foods, processed foods etc. Often times, people assume that dried fruits are healthy since fruits, in general, are good for humans. This statement is true if you know the process of making these dried fruits. Dried fruits, those that sell from the stores, are normally added a bunch with preservatives and sweeteners - how do you think they stay outside on the stand for so long? ☺ Also, they are naturally packed with sugar as they have removed water content out of them. Normally sugar is not much of a concern since they are naturally occurred sugar. But the ones from the store, who knows where the sweetness of dried fruits came from! Anyway regardless of where they are from. The serving size for dried fruits normally is small considering how much sugar is in those dried fruits. Pay close attention when choosing a right kind of dried fruits. Also, it is a bad idea to eat dried fruits in large quantity like we do with normal fruits.
Sugar comparison between junk foods vs fruits:
