Page 53 - How to Be a Conscious Eater - Making Food Choices That Are Good for You

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SUGARS:

IN DEFENSE OF FRUIT

ilk and yogurt contain sugar. It’s called lactose. Fruit
contains sugar. It’s called fructose. These are not to be
Mtreated with the same evil eye as added sugar. Why?
The company they keep. When you eat these foods, you’re con-
suming the naturally present sugars in a package with other
beneficial components. And how you consume them—in what
form, in what quantity, over what period of time—makes a big
difference in how healthy they are.
Under the heading of “good intention, wrong abstention,”
you’ll find people who avoid healthy foods that naturally con-
tain sugar out of fear that these foods will do damage like
added sugar does.
Sugar in fruit doesn’t cause insulin to spike in the same
way sugar in other forms does. It’s all about keeping the cell
walls intact. That’s how you get the most out of fiber. The sug-
ars effectively get sequestered in the fruit’s cells, and it takes a
long time for the digestive tract to break down those cells. The
sugars therefore enter the bloodstream slowly, giving the liver
more time to metabolize them. Four apples may contain the
same amount of sugar as 24 ounces of soda, but the slow rate
of absorption minimizes any surge in blood sugar. Repeated
surges make the pancreas work harder and can contribute to
insulin resistance, increasing the risk for type 2 diabetes.
Sugar eaten in fruit has not been tied to negative health
outcomes. Instead, higher fruit intake has been linked to lower
body weight and reduced risk of obesity-related illnesses.

42 how to be a Conscious Eater