During the holidays apple pie starts replacing actual apples
in many of our diets. In order to hold off on gaining a few extra holiday
pounds it's a good idea to replace a snack of left over Halloween candy with a
piece of fruit. But can too much fruit actually be a problem?
Fruit is loaded with fiber, vitamins, antioxidants, and (if
you believe hard enough) they can satisfy your sweet tooth. But if you don't watch your intake, you could
be overloading on sugar without even realizing it. Image Credit: cooking.lovetoknow.com
According to Brigitte
Zeitlin, a dietitian at B-Nutritious, even though the sugar, known as
fructose, is coming from a healthy source, it still needs to be moderated. Fructose,
the only type of sugar found in fruits, is metabolized in the liver, as opposed
to in the blood stream. Most people have felt the effect of a sugar high. And
too much glucose, a sugar commonly found in refined carbohydrates such as
white-flour baked goods, is a known precursor to type 2 diabetes.
 Fruit juices are also problematic. Since juice is liquid it
doesn't have to go through as much processing before it hits your bloodstream,
where it can spike your sugar levels. If you must drink juice, try one
watered-down glass a day.
Zeitlin notes that fructose can also play a role in diabetes.
"Your liver turns any excess sugar intake into triglycerides that get stored in
fat cells throughout the body," says Zeitlin. "The more sugar you eat, the more
fat you store." Too much fructose can lead to a buildup of visceral belly fat
that has been linked to type 2 diabetes. Image Credit: diet-blog.com
Please be aware that no one is recommending you stop eating
fruit! Not only is it delicious, but it also provides nutrients and vitamins
that our bodies need - it is also always a better option than candy, baked
goods, or highly processed packaged snacks. This article is recommending that
people try to keep their fruit consumption to two servings of fruit per day
(maybe three) and go easy on juices.
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