This is such a widespread cited nutrition myth.
Lots of healthy foods which people are advised to eat contain ‘sugar’. Carbohydrates contain sugar. There are sugars in fruits, vegetables, beans, legumes and even nuts. Even dairy has a type of sugar in – commonly referred to as ‘lactose’.
Fruit contains ‘non-free sugars’- sugars that are encapsulates within the cell wall, meaning the sugar is natural and was always there. Fruit contains valuable nutrients such as fibre, vitamins and minerals which are all essential to a healthy, balanced diet. Fruit contains fibre, meaning the sugars within the fruit, when they are digested, are released slowly into the bloodstream preventing a ‘sugar spike’.
Your body must work quite hard to release the sugars which are stored within the cell wall meaning a steady, slower release of energy.
Eating whole fruits is recommended in the public health and governmental guidelines. This is because fruit is a valuable integral part of a healthy diet. Try not to fear whole fruit- fruit makes a good snack option and can satisfy a stubborn sweet tooth or a pesky Haribo craving.
What about fruit juice?
Drinking fruit juice is not as beneficial as consuming the whole fruit. This is because fruit juice counts as a source of ‘free sugars’- because the juicing process essentially frees the sugars within the fruit from the cell wall and releases them.
Fruit juice therefore contains negligible fibre, which ordinarily when present in whole fruits, slows down the sugar release and absorption. This means it’s easy to consume large amount of sugar in a short time, ultimately resulting in considerable blood sugar spike.
The recommended intake of fruit juice is limited to 150ml a day. Most bottles of fruit juice are way over 150ml – so be sugar savvy and practice portion control.
TOP TIP: Pour out 150ml and top with some water to dilute it slightly, making your juice last far longer and providing you with extra hydration from the water.
