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And Lustig, in this podcast, talks about how fiber and fructose tend to go together in nature, which is why whole foods are good as they usually have both. He
by kenjackson 16y ago
And Lustig, in this podcast, talks about how fiber and fructose tend to go together in nature, which is why whole foods are good as they usually have both. He gives two examples where they don't though... grapes and honey. But he says that honey is protected by bees. But no answer for why grapes make it easy to get fructose without fiber.
- deleted 16y ago[deleted]
- zach 16y agoGrapes have been domesticated for thousands of years, and at every step the goal has been to maximize fructose and minimize fiber, most notably in making the seedless varieties that comprise the vast majority of table grapes sold today. At this point, who knows what grapes were originally like? Of course, we know they had real seeds and I'm guessing they weren't so plump and thin-skinned. So maybe they had a much more commendable fiber-to-fructose ratio. Today, table grapes are just glucose and fructose water balloons.
- thaumaturgy 16y agoWild grapes tend to have large bunches of really small fruit with a few seeds, if I remember right. We had some in our backyard in Livermore years ago.
- GeneralMaximus 16y agoAre you guys talking about the huge, swollen, purple grapes that are incredibly sweet and juicy? In New Delhi, you only find those grapes at large supermarkets. Most grapes sold here are exactly what you described: large bunches of really small fruit. No seeds, though.
- dangrossman 16y agoYes, very large red/purple/green grapes without seeds are the common variety in stores in the US.
- SkyMarshal 16y agoPerhaps the evolutionary fitness of grapes was independent of that particular characteristic.