I'm Bursting With Fruit Flavor

Whenever I tell my clients to eat less fruit, they look at me as if I just took away their favorite toy. But, as Jim Stoppani explains, eating too much fruit is not good for your health or your waistline.

"Fruit provides unique antioxidants and other phytochemicals that offer a plethora of health benefits. Most fruit is low glycemic, which means that it does not spike blood glucose (blood sugar) levels or insulin levels. When you have fruit before workouts, this low-glycemic carb provides you long-lasting energy that does not interfere with fat burning. Fruit also provides pure glucose, which is fast-digesting. This means that fruit can give you a small, but quick energy spike, but also longer-lasting energy that won’t cause you to “bonk” half way trough your workout.

 

Fructose is the main reason why fruit is low glycemic or what we call slow digesting…in addition to the fiber content, of course. Yes, that is a good thing because it does not spike blood glucose or insulin, as I mentioned. But the reason that fructose is low glycemic is actually why you want to limit how much fructose you eat. Fructose is not a sugar that the body can use in its original form. It needs to be converted into glucose for the body to use it properly. Most of that conversion happens in the liver. So when you eat fruit, fructose does not go straight to the blood stream, like dextrose or glucose does, it has to go to the liver to be converted to glucose. This is a timely process. That is good for keeping blood sugar levels and insulin low. But it’s bad for your body fat.

Fructose is readily converted into fat. But since your liver glycogen levels are low in the morning, fruit for breakfast will not be converted into fat. But if you have it later in the day, especially if you eat a higher carb intake, there is a good chance that the fructose from fruit will be converted into fat. 

Not all fructose goes to the liver. Some does get into your blood stream and makes it into other cells, such as muscle cells. This interferes with the cells’ ability to function properly and this can cause numerous health problems.  It can reduce insulin sensitivity. That can lead to diabetes and it can also interfere with muscle growth. Other research shows that a diet rich in fructose can raise blood pressure."

Do you need to give up fruit completely? No, but be sure to eat it first thing in the morning or pre-workout, and only in moderation.

Troy Dyer: I'm bursting with fruit flavor.

He's the reason Cliff's Notes were invented.

I was told there'd be no math on this exam.

(Reality Bites, 1994)