|
Fruit Sugar Smart
Q. How do fruits fit into the idea of a low glycemic diet? I have been told that fruits raise blood sugar and are fattening.
A. There are many misconceptions and half-truths surrounding the role of fruits in weight control. This is because the reality is not straightforward. Not all fruits are equal in many important respects.
The fruits to which our ancestors were adapted in the African savannah were very different to the cultivated ones we eat today. They were more fibrous, less sweet and not Technicolor in appearance1.
This is an important point: the sugar profile was different. The fructose content was high and the sugar content was low. Today most fruits have this ratio inverted. Today’s fruits tend to be high in glycemic sugar – but not all!
That is why, to survive in today’s supermarket jungle, it is important to have a knowledge of the glycemic indexes of all the commonly available fruits. For example, apples get their sweetness mostly from fructose and are fine. On the other hand, melons have a high sugar content and should be consumed warily. Information is given in the Natural Eating book and in much more detail in the Manual.
Our ancient ancestors had a high consumption of low glycemic fruits – which is just as important for today’s humans! Use the know-how of the Natural Eating method to choose the fruits you eat wisely.
1Nutrition; vol 15; No 6, 1999
|
