Week 1 - Thursday - Fruits are just sugar, right?

Wrong.

 Refined sugar that’s found in sweets is referred to as glucose and the sugar found in fruits is called fructose. The sugar found in fruits comes along with fiber, water and a ton of vitamins and minerals naturally occurring in the fruit, which help to slow down the absorption, so it doesn’t get fast access to the liver like it does when it’s refined. Because sugar was so scarce when were monkeys, when it gets quick access to the liver, it quickly gets stored as fat (see study 1).


But there is more, refined sugar is not only a bad Idea when you’re trying to lose weight. The second study 
I’ve posed below, explains how excessive consumption of sugar has been linked to adverse health conditions, metabolic abnormalities, as well as shortfalls of essential nutrients. And if you happen to be thinking to yourself right now ‘yeah well, excessive consumption of everything is bad’, just keep in mind that the World Health Organisation recommends that the most refined sugar you should be consuming in a day is 25 grams.


And now fruits. The third study posted below, has followed participants over a four year period monitoring their long-term weight. The results showed that the people who gained and sustained the most weight consumed potato crisps, sugar-sweetened drinks, unprocessed red meats and processed meats. And the reverse was true for people who consumed more vegetables, whole grains, fruits, nuts and yogurt. Study also touched upon some other interesting factors associated with weight change such as sleep, smoking and alcohol.

I highly recommend reading the studies, and reconsidering you’re diet.  Remember, a banana does not 
equal a snickers bar.

Study 1) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3210834/
Study 2) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19704096/
Study 3) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21696306/

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