There is plenty of evidence out there that consuming foods high in sugar is bad for your health. But what about eating fruit?
In most places across the country, we’re in the middle of fruit season, when U-pick farms and markets are full of fresh fruits in every color of the rainbow. Is all of that fresh food really bad for us?
It’s true that fruit is full of sugar. (This handy web site helps you visualize the amount of sugar in the food you eat.) But the research – summarized in a recent a story in the New York Times – shows that eating fruit is not associated with the same health risks as eating other sugary foods.
A recent summary of the evidence in the Journal of the American Medical Association explains why. The sugar in fruit is encapsulated in cellular walls made of fiber, which make us feel full and slow the rate the sugar reaches our blood stream. This eliminates the surge in our blood sugar levels, which can lead to increased risk for Type 2 diabetes.
In addition, fruits have other nutrients and antioxidants that boost our health.
“You can’t just take an 8-ounce glass of cola and add a serving of Metamucil and create a health food,” Dr. David Ludwig, the lead author of the JAMA article, told the New York Times. “Even though the fructose-to-fiber ratio might be the same as an apple, the biological effects would be much different.”
The take-home message: Yes, fruit is sweet, but it’s still very healthy to eat. So the next time your sweet-tooth comes calling, have a piece of fruit instead of grabbing cookies or ice cream.
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