Fructose: What It’s Not, What It Is by Joan Kent, PhD

 

You probably know that fructose is the sugar found in fruit. Here are a few facts about it.

 

Fructose is not necessarily healthful.

Fruit contains some beneficial nutrients, but we shouldn’t eat a lot of it. Just because fructose is found in fruit doesn’t make it good for us. In fact, it’s arguably one of the worst sugars available. More on this below.

 

Fructose is not good for post-workout nutrition.

Many people choose fruit after exercise because they like it, but it’s definitely not what the body needs after a workout. It doesn’t replace glycogen (the stored carbohydrate that we use during exercise) very well. A better choice would be a combination of protein and starch. Starch is what many people call “carbs” – a misleading name, but I digress. Examples of good starch are winter squash, sweet potatoes, turnips, quinoa, lentils, beans, brown rice.

 

Fructose is not a good sugar substitute.

It actually is sugar, so it won’t make it easy for you to cut back on sugar. It can even make it tougher.

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Fructose can cause cavities.

 

Fructose can raise triglycerides.

Triglycerides are fats in the blood, and high levels are an independent risk factor for heart disease.

 

Fructose can cause insulin resistance.

This is a big deal. Insulin resistance (IR) is a root cause of:  diabetes, inflammation, high blood pressure, high bad cholesterol (LDL), and LDL that’s small, dense, and likely to form plaque in the arteries. IR can also lead to PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) and certain forms of cancer.

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Bottom Line:  Fruit Is Okay in Moderation

My recommendation is 2 servings of fruit per day. A serving would be 1 medium-size fruit or half a cup of berries. Go crazy with vegetables instead.

 

Don’t make the mistake of thinking vegetables and fruits are equal. Veggies have always been way above and beyond in the health category.

 

If you’d like help in putting together a food plan that’s truly aimed at improving health, just visit LastResortNutrition.com and grab your free Transform My Health Consult. Find out how just a few tweaks can make it easy to start feeling great now.

 

Brought to you by Dr. Joan Kent, best-selling author of Stronger Than Sugar.