Episode 021: Fruit & Fructose – What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You

Mar 3, 2015

In this episode we’re talking about how fruit today is VASTLY different from fruit even just 50 years ago. We’re talking about the changes in agriculture & how they impact our food. Then we dive into fructose, the sugar naturally found in fruit, and how it is the single most LIPOGENIC carbohydrate. What does that mean? It is most easily converted to fat when compared to ALL other carbohydrates. We discuss how fructose accelerates the aging process and what you can do about it.

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The problem: Today I want to talk about fruit. It might seem like an odd choice because this certainly isn’t one of those nutritional big rocks that are either making people fat or preventing people from losing weight. However, I believe that the particular form of sugar within fruit, fructose, IS. So we’re going to talk about fruit and the sugar it contains, known as fructose. People have always viewed fruit as a healthy snack, but our fruit has changed. It hardly resembles the fruit our grandparents enjoyed – in flavor, size & nutrient composition – so IT has changed, but we haven’t changed our perspective. Not only that, but we have taken fructose, the powerful sweetener naturally found in fruit, and essentially used it for evil. Evil that is making us very sick and very unhealthy.

Our fruit has changed. It hardly resembles fruit from 50 years ago, nevermind 100 or 1,000 years ago!! In this episode we talk about the changes that have reduced the nutrient composition of our fruits including premature harvest, transportation, soil depletion, genetic modification and cross breeding. The end result is this: our fruit just doesn’t deliver as many nutrients as it used to. Now, it has much more water and much more sugar.

Fructose, the naturally occuring sugar found in fruit is now being used in almost all processed foods as high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). HFCS is the #1 source of calories in the standard American diet! Ahhh! That’s horrifying!!! You can find it in soda, cookies, soup, yogurt, salad dressings, bread, cereals, protein shakes & bars, ketchup, bacon, peanut butter, mustard, beer….the list goes on and on. If you’re eating processed foods, you can’t escape HFCS.

The solution & the facts: 

  • Fructose is THE MOST lipogenic carbohydrate. In plain English: when compared to allllll other carbohydrates, fructose is the most easily and readily converted to fat.
  • Fructose encourages muscle and fat cells to become insulin resistant. Remember that insulin dictates fat storage/fat release.
  • Fructose is 20-30x more glycating than glucose. What does this mean? We explain it in detail in the episode, but essentially, it accelerates the aging progress, leads to fine lines and wrinkles & impairs blood flow.
  • Fructose does not trigger satiety signals.

You’ve got to be very, very aware of all the places you’re introducing HFCS into your diet and start to eliminate it. You don’t need to eliminate fruit, but also don’t view it as this holy grail of health & fitness. It’s not.

Practical Implementation:

  • Choose locally grown, seasonal, organic fruits
  • Treat fruit as it is – a carbohydrate. For maximum fat loss, limit your consumption of fruit to your dinner time meal or post workout
  • Read labels. Look for HFCS in unexpected places like processed meats, condiments & protein bars
  • Limit or eliminate processed foods. THIS IS CRITICAL for health & fat loss.

Resources:
For detailed information on carbohydrate strategies for fat loss including more on fruit, wheat, oats, gluten plus strategies for improving your carbohydrate tolerance, check out the comprehensive carbs & fat loss ecourse! Follow the link below and use the coupon code Primal10 to get lifetime access for only $69 (including troubleshooting help from me on demand!)
https://www.udemy.com/carb-strategies/?couponCode=Primal10

More on insulin: Hormones Trump Calories
How Carb timing can help you lose more fat: Timing Matters

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