Is the sugar in fruit good or bad for you?

Capital Public Radio’s Lesley McClurg talks the benefits and detriments of fruit with psychiatrist and nutrition expert Elizabeth Bower alongside dietitian Kelly Deegan.

Here are some key points from the article and the podcast.

“Fibre (from whole fruit) slows down the sugar in your blood stream. It takes time for the digestive tract to break down the fruit’s cells allowing the liver more time to absorb the carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals.

“You get more than 40% of your water from your fruits and vegetables, your carbohydrates,” she says. “A lot of people abbreviate carbohydrates as carbs and I say, ‘Hey you’re leaving off the more important part! The ‘hydrate.'”

“A peach … about the size of your fist or size of a baseball … has about half a cup of water in it,” she says. “So, when you eat this not only do you get the fructose but it’s [also] got a ton of fibre.”

“A low carb diet can help stabilise blood sugar and the body’s insulin response. If you’ve been eating sweets for many years, your body struggles to process and regulate sugar.” 

• Reduced fruit consumption can benefit some people.
• People who are severely obese or hypertensive should cut raw fruit.

Listen to the podcast or read the transcript here.

The current Australian guidelines recommend 2 servings of fruit a day. Most Australians are currently eating only 1 serve. If you aren’t having much sugar in your diet in other areas, you may be able to have more than 2 serves a day. This is not recommended if you are insulin sensitive or your BMI sits within the obese range as the article discusses.

To understand more about whole fruit, juicing and smoothies, you might also be interested in taking a look at our post on Added Sugar Vs Natural Sugar