Sugar in fruits

[joy]

Hi, I'm new to the board. I've searched the board looking for an answer but haven't found one so here I go.

Are all the sugar in fruits bad? I read that if you have too much sugar, the liver can not handle it and it turns to fat.

Edit: I really love this board. There's so much information. Thank you :)

[8 winks]

at first i was going to write something sarcastic like: oh my god i ate an orange am i fat?
but actually this seems like a really good question - about harming your liver. i'd like to know this as well

[cedarblue]

welcome joy ;)

[Mystic]

God - I hope not :confused: . I eat sooooooooooooooooo much fruit (and sugar). I am not fat at all though, but I hope my liver is handling it okay

[feline01]

I've never heard/seen of a fat fruitarian!

[eve]

Actually not all fruits are as beneficial as each other. As to the sugar in fruits, well if someone has diabetes, as I do, then the Diabetes Association recommends low glycaemic fruits rather than high. I used to eat heaps of watermelon, as the weather is very warm, and they are full of sweet juice. Mmmmmm. However, the sugar there gives such a burst of sweetness for diabetics that it certainly can cause the liver to work harder. I no longer buy watermelon, and I can live with that. Same applies to fruit juices, orange juice is not as beneficial to a diabetic as low glycaemic apple juice. I find apples pretty boring to eat, but quite like a small glass of apple juice.

Welcome to this forum, Joy, and I wish you much joy! :D

[PinkFluffyCloud]

I agree that the sugar content of fruits should be given consideration.
I have been told off by my dentist in the past for eating/drinking too many Oranges, and I have also found that Watermelon causes a rise in blood-sugar levels, even though it is lovely! :)
I wouldn't claim to know too much about the effects on the Liver, and I know fruit is good for us, but I am interested to know more, also.
Hi, Joy, what a nice name! :)

[eve]

Well where I live we are being invaded at nights by fruit bats, who squabble and shriek over the mangoes on the tree. In the mornings, the half-eaten mangoes are lying on the ground! Now I have to buy them - today a garage which recently went out of business is selling local fruits. I bought a large bucketful of huge Bowen mangoes for $5, and a kilo of lychees for $5. There was also some fruit that I thought were apples - nice yellow skins with red 'cheeks'. I asked what sort of apple they were, and was told that they are peaches! So at $2 a kilo, I bought those too. Now I have plenty of breakfasts in my cupboard, and probably I'll eat one of the huge Bowen mangoes for lunch too. Yummie. :)

[cedarblue]

wow, thats a real coup for you eve!
as well as mangoes being my fave fruit (im not surprised the bats are fighting over them) bats are my fave non-human being. im going to join my local bat society soon, they're brillliiaaaaaant!

[Atlanta Newbie]

I would say that if you don't have blood sugar issues, you should indulge in fruits to your heart's content. Fruit is one of the most basic, good foods available to vegans -- unrefined, whole, delicious, healthy, and ethically uncomplicated. There are no ingredient lists to check and no fear of hidden by-products (okay, I'm ignoring the organic issue but work with me here).

Fruits are a gift to us from nature and even come nicely gift-wrapped. Every day brings a host of new questions to my life, but fruit is something that is consistent, reliable, and (again) delicious.

Love me some fruit. Can you tell? :)

[eve]

Atlanta Newbie, my heart agrees with you, but still, moderation in all things. I have known of some rawfoodists, whose teeth went bad from all the fruit sugars!

[Atlanta Newbie]

Wow -- I wonder how well they took care of their teeth on a daily basis? Interesting though, I never would have thought such a natural diet could cause that type of issue. I do understand what you mean about moderation.

You know, I am starting to wonder about the added cane juice (a.k.a. sugar) in the soymilk that I use on my cereals every single day. Thinking maybe I should go with the Silk sugar free stuff. Anyone else use sugar free soymilk? If so, have you been able to adjust to the taste?

[LyricSarah]

I use unsweetend soymilk a lot...its really not bad at all...the cereal you use..plus perhaps some blueberries and/or bananas (frozen bananas in cereal are soooo yummy :) ) add flavor...you could add cinnamon...or a sweetener of your choice (like agave nectar or something)...so that you control the amount

[Artichoke47]

I was wondering how often those people brush their teeth, too. Ideally, you're supposed to brush after every meal.

I'm a big fan of fruit and eat it when I feel like it, probably 3-5 servings a day.

[feline01]

I love the unsweetened Silk, the regular is just too sweet. Plus, it's so versatile since it can be used for sweet or savoury.

[joy]

I have no idea what serving sizes are for some foods. I saw in jr high 1 serving of an apple which was a slice (or 1/4th) a medium sized apple. That would be like having 8 servings of fruit if I ate 2 medium apples. Please tell me this is wrong.

[eve]

A serving of anything is roughly a cupful.

[mattd]

I have been told off by my dentist in the past for eating/drinking too many Oranges

wouldn't that have more to do with the citric acid in oranges? i know that if you eat to much citrus fruit it eats away that the enamel (sp?).

i've not looked in to the liver thing, but i don't doubt that too much fruit could damage it. but i think if you eat slightly more veggies and slightly less fruit you'll probably be in good shape. on a side note, for lunch the other day i packed a peanut butter and jelly sammich, a bannana, an orange, and a tiny piece pecan pie and was getting conjested within half an hour. granted not all that sugar came from fruit, but if i would have replaced some of the fruit with a salad i probably would have felt fine. so it just goes to show that even if sugary fruit doesn't affect you in the long term (which i be it does) it can make you groggy if you don't watch out.

[Kiva Dancer]

I think it was more the pie that did it to you instead of the fruit.

pie = refined sugars
fruit = naturally occuring sugars

If you had replaced the pie with fruit and/or some deep leafy greens (like a salad), then you would have probably been just fine.

[Kiva Dancer]

Here's (http://www.crescentlife.com/dietnutrition/carbohydrates.htm) some interesting information about the different types of sugars.

[Marie]

Hi Joy and welcome to you. A very interesting question by the way. According to dr. Joel Fuhrman, M.D. and (also others) fruit is high-fiber food and therefor slow the absorption of nutrients and glucose and therefore do not cause an excessive insulin response. He says fruit has its sugars bound in the fiber, which causes the sugar to be absorbed into the bloodstream more slowly. I guess therefore fruit sugars would not be hard on the liver as other types of sugars.

[Mystic]

I never restrict fruit - I love it

[eve]

Marie, I think it depends on the fruit, for example, water melon does cause an excessive burst of blood glucose, whereas other fruits such as apples, do not have that effect. IT depends on the glyacaemic levels. :)

[Marie]

Hi eve, your avatar is so cute. And yes I've heard that water melon and also oranges gives you a quicker raise in bloodsugars. In his book dr. Joel Fuhrman doesn't distinguish between the different kind of fruit. He seem to speak in general. Maybe you should give him a call?:)