Fruit sugar, or fructose, seems to be completely harmless, as it is a natural component of fruits and some vegetables. Therefore, many believe that fructose is more healthy than regular sugar. But how much they are wrong!
Fructose and sugar: the difference
Sucrose, which makes up ordinary sugar, is bad in itself, but fructose is no better. Only ten percent of fructose is converted into energy. The remaining ninety go straight to fat. Consequence: weight gain, increased triglycerides (fats) in the blood and fatty hepatosis (obesity) of the liver. Many eat a lot of sweet fruits, being sure that in this way they support themselves, but in fact harm their own body.
Harm of fructose
The industry loves fructose, because it is cheap to produce, but it is twice the usual sugar in sweetness. Therefore, it is contained in lemonade, jam, and most importantly – in the so-called “light”, “diet” products. They can even be written: Sugar free! It is clear: they did not add the usual sugar.
Fructose instead of sugar is not the right decision. Consumption of large amounts of fructose inhibits the production of the hormone leptin, which is responsible for transmitting saturation signals from the stomach to the brain. Thus, fructose can cause real hunger for sweetness.
Fructose in fruits and vegetables
Fruits, wonders of breeding in recent decades, were deliberately made even sweeter: apples, pears, plums, apricots, peaches, grapes, and all kinds of dry compote — natural fructose bombs. Little fructose contains lemons, oranges and lime. All natural yoghurts and dairy products also belong to the latter category, but only not those in which there are fruit supplements or honey.
Vegetables also vary in fructose content.
Little fructose contains:
In these vegetables, the fructose content is higher than in the first group:
Fructose instead of sugar: harm or benefit?
Fructose or sugar? Frankly, neither one nor the other. The best thing you can do is give up eating sweets. However, the food industry is doing everything possible to prevent this from happening, trying to attract as many customers as possible with a sweet taste. And it begins with early childhood – most of the products for babies are sweet. This opens the door to all unhealthy, artificially manufactured products.
The most important thing is to avoid drinks, if the composition contains fructose and sucrose, the so-called diet products, eat more fresh vegetables, including raw, rather than fruit. Vegetables contain not less vitamins and microelements, but at times less fructose. And the level of fat in the blood will go down, and the liver will finally “sigh” with relief.