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 healthful.

Fruits contain some beneficial nutrients, but we shouldn’t eat a lot of them. 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 effective for post-workout nutrition.

Many people choose fruit after exercise because they like it, but it’s not what the body needs after a workout. It doesn’t effectively replace glycogen (the stored carbohydrate that we use during exercise). A better post-training 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, rice.

 

Fructose is not a good sugar substitute.

It is sugar, so it won’t make it easy for you to cut back on sugar. It can even make it tougher to cut back by triggering cravings for more fructose or for other sugars.

…

 

Fructose can cause cavities.

Yes.

 

Fructose can raise triglycerides.

Triglycerides are fats in the blood, and high levels of them 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, 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, including breast cancer.

 

Significantly, IR can lead to inflammation, currently recognized as the root cause of most disease, and all chronic disease.

…

 

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 aimed at truly improving health, just visit LastResortNutrition and grab your free Transform My Health consult. Find out how just a few tweaks can make it easy to start feeling great now. You got this!

 

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