Sugar in fruit

I've started drinking a lot of smoothies in an effort to lose weight but i've also been trying to cut down on sugar, and the two don't seem to go hand in hand! my usual smoothie packs a sugar punch at 16g a serving, is the sugar that comes from fruit as bad as sugar that comes from say, a donut? Does anybody have any less sugar dense fruits or veg that they use in smoothies that doesn't destroy the taste?

Some thoughts.....

Sugar in fruits and refined sugars are both going to have calories.  And both kinds of sugar have a lot of similarities.  But eating fruits is very healthy for most of us.

Here is a good read comparing/contrasting refined sugars to fruit sugars.

Sugars

Since you are using the entire fruit in your smoothies, you are getting all the vitamins, minerals, fiber, etc. from the fruit.

I personally, if it were I, would continue to make fruit smoothies and cut out the sugars from other things you eat.

I talked to my dietitian about sugars in fruit.  She said that sugar is sugar regardless of where it comes from and your body processes all sugar the same way.  But as the previous poster stated, fruit also includes nutrients, fiber, etc. that are very good for you.

This is what I do:  I try to reduce the amount of refined sugars that I eat to a bare minimum.  Refined sugars don't have any nutrients or other good stuff in them so they're empty calories.

At the same time, I eat about 4 servings of fruit each day and I don't worry about the sugar content.  By the way, one banana, apple or navel orange is about 2 servings of fruit.  If you want to know how many servings your fruit is, go to eatracker.ca.

Enjoy your smoothies as long as it's in moderation!

Original Post by ebethr:

I talked to my dietitian about sugars in fruit.  She said that sugar is sugar regardless of where it comes from and your body processes all sugar the same way. 

Not even close.

Sugar is not just sugar. Different sugars are processed very differently by the body. Fructose, for example, is processed by the liver before it enters the bloodstream, whereas glucose enters the bloodstream w/o passing through the liver.

Original Post by armandounc:

Original Post by ebethr:

I talked to my dietitian about sugars in fruit.  She said that sugar is sugar regardless of where it comes from and your body processes all sugar the same way. 

 

Not even close.

 

Sugar is not just sugar. Different sugars are processed very differently by the body. Fructose, for example, is processed by the liver before it enters the bloodstream, whereas glucose enters the bloodstream w/o passing through the liver.

Actually, fructose (sugar from fruit) is digested and turned to glucose, which the body can then use.

Sucrose (table sugar) is made up of glucose and fructose.  The glucose doesn't need to be changed to be used by the body but the fructose is again digested to become glucose.  So in the end, it all ends up as glucose.  That's what I meant when I said 'sugar is sugar.'

The difference is in the Glycemic Index.  Because refined or table sugar is already partially glucose, it enters your bloodstream faster causing a spike in blood sugar levels. Sugar from fruit enters your bloodstream slower because it needs to be first changed to glucose.  In that way, yes, your body does process different types of sugar differently.

I would suggest you try it with the turnips. I know it seems awful but turnips are good for those losing weight. You may also try it with papaya. I've tried it and it's refreshing.