Fructose and you: your questions answered, part 1

Ready for some life changing knowledge?  Check out my super awesome graphic below for some details on why fructose is not your friend.

If you still need convincing, stick with me.  The more we get to know each other, the more you’ll like me ;-).  And soon enough I will have converted you to adapt my every belief!  Or you know, at least learn something that will help you make decisions of your own.  Either way, it’s my not-at-all-evil plan to change the world!

Read more for the answers to the questions in the graphic…

But fructose is naturally in fruit and veg, I thought it was the healthy stuff?!
I used to think fructose was the good stuff too, it’s in fruit!  Well, yea…and that’s where it should stay!  I’m certainly not saying you shouldn’t be eating fruit!  The good news is our lovely Mother Nature (mom shout out) packaged this stuff with everything we need to help our bodies process it – most importantly, fiber and water.  The fiber and water in a whole fruit or veg helps slow down the digestion of the food and lessens the load on our liver.  It also helps signal to the brain that we’re full.

So here’s what I am saying:  eat whole fruits and veg.  Not juiced, not dried.  Yes, fruit and veg juices are loaded with nutrients, and without the fiber it means all that good stuff is going directly to our bloodstream as fast as possible.  Buuut, this also means that all that sugar is going straight to our liver in one fell swoop.  It’s certainly better to get your nutrients without the sugar hit to your liver*.  Opt for a green smoothie over a green juice any day of the week.

I also recommend limiting the amount of fruit you eat to about 2-3 servings a day.  Try to limit the high fructose fruits like banana, apple, grapes, mango, and pineapple.  Low fructose fruits include berries, kiwis, and honeydew melon.

And even though some veg are relatively high in sugar (ie. root veggies), there’s no need to limit them because they still have much less than their sweet & fruity counterparts – eat as many veg as you can!  Make it a game to see how many veg you can eat in a day!  Let me know how you do in the comments or on Facebook!

Did you learn something from this post?  What changes are you going to make after reading it?  Share in the comments or on Facebook!