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>adding fruit Just a sidenote: fruits are carby, so you still have the same problem if you replace wheat/sugar with fruit. They are slightly better for you bec

>adding fruit Just a sidenote: fruits are carby, so you still have the same problem if you replace wheat/sugar with fruit. They are slightly better for you because of the balance of fiber, but if you just replace wheat and sugar for fruit you are likely to end up similar health issues.

crazygringo 14y ago
Even though an apple might have up to half the sugar of a 12-oz can of Coca-Cola, somehow it affects my body completely differently. From a Coke, you feel the stimulation and then the drop in energy afterwards. An apple just makes me feel good. There's no over-stimulation like sugar, and no drop in energy afterwards. It's well known that the body processes sugars in foods very differently (sodas, honey, fruits, etc.). Unfortunately, not much is known about why or how, from what I know. But something to keep in mind: humans have been eating fruits, presumably as long as we've existed. Drinks and desserts with concentrated cane sugar is a new thing. It wouldn't be surprising if evolution has adapted us well to the former (in moderation), but not that latter.
- JohnsonB 14y ago
  Yes, it is harder to overeat or get addicted on natural fresh fruits, and there's less of a negative effect. But if you do, you're still back to square one: significant insulin spikes, a tendency to turn those calories to fat just like pure sugar, and some of the detrimental health effects mentioned in the article. You mentioned honey, and I don't know which group you assigned it to, but many people make this mistake: honey is "natural", but it is every bit as pure and unhealthy a sugar as high fructose corn syrup, or similar.
- caf 14y ago
  You don't think that difference could have a lot to do with the caffiene content of the Coca-Cola?
  - crazygringo 14y ago
    Definitely not -- a Coke stimulates for maybe an hour, then leaves you with less energy for around an hour. Like everything else with lots of processed sugar. Whereas caffeine stimulates for several hours, and I never feel less energy afterwards with caffeine. The effect is definitely the sugar.
- recoiledsnake 14y ago
  It's the fiber in fruit that slows down the sugar release and provides energy longer.
dredmorbius 14y ago
The fiber present in fruit blunts the impact of the sugars they contain (addressing the "quality" issue I mentioned elsewhere). Fruits differ strongly in their glycemic indices (apples are low, grapes tend to be high), so they're not all the same. That said, whole fruit (as opposed to juice, in which much of the fiber is removed) is a reasonably good food choice. Especially for breakfast or post-workout.
- JohnsonB 14y ago
  >The fiber present in fruit blunts the impact of the sugars they contain (addressing the "quality" issue I mentioned elsewhere). Some, but not enough to discount the fact that it is essentially sugar you're eating. >That said, whole fruit (as opposed to juice, in which much of the fiber is removed) is a reasonably good food choice. Especially for breakfast or post-workout. I think that's problematic though. People use fruit as a food choice, a mainstay of their diet, thinking it's healthy because it's "natural" or a similar line of reasoning. But it's still sugar and needs to be eaten sparingly just like candy or cake. A lot of fruits have a GI of candy bars, and almost all are in the blood sugar disrupting range of starches, refined wheat, etc, that should be eaten in very limited quantifies. For breakfast, that depends, if you are eating it with a lot of protein and fat, and it's a small amount, sure. But just eating mostly fruit for breakfast is a bad idea.
  - walnut-tree 14y ago
    "Some, but not enough to discount the fact that it is essentially sugar you're eating." I have to respectfully disagree with you about fruits. Fruit is more than just sugar, it's a source of vitamins and minerals and it should not intentionally be limited from your diet. Of course you need to eat a variety of different fruits (and vegetables). "A lot of fruits have a GI of candy bars..." Can you give some examples? A piece of fruit and a candy bar are not nutritionally equivalent even if they share the same GI. In fact, most fruits are low in GI. See for yourself by going to the University of Sydney GI database. http://www.glycemicindex.com/foodSearch.php http://www.glycemicindex.com/foodSearch.php We all need to eat fruit and vegetables daily as part of a healthy diet. It's misleading to claim that fruit can cause health issues or should be limited in your diet without providing evidence to back it up. Even people with Type 2 diabetes are not discouraged from eating fruits. See the advice here for example from Diabetes UK (a charity). They are a credible and trustworthy source of advice for people with diabetes in the UK. http://www.diabetes.org.uk/MyLife-YoungAdults/Food-and-diet/Food-groups/Fruit-and-vegetables/ http://www.diabetes.org.uk/MyLife-YoungAdults/Food-and-diet/... One final link, a 2011 report from Cancer Research UK found that over 40% of cancers diagnosed in the UK were from avoidable lifestyle choices. For men, the number one culprit was tobacco. Number two culprit? Lack of fruit and vegetables in the diet. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-16031149 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-16031149

crazygringo 14y ago

Even though an apple might have up to half the sugar of a 12-oz can of Coca-Cola, somehow it affects my body completely differently. From a Coke, you feel the stimulation and then the drop in energy afterwards. An apple just makes me feel good. There's no over-stimulation like sugar, and no drop in energy afterwards. It's well known that the body processes sugars in foods very differently (sodas, honey, fruits, etc.). Unfortunately, not much is known about why or how, from what I know. But something to keep in mind: humans have been eating fruits, presumably as long as we've existed. Drinks and desserts with concentrated cane sugar is a new thing. It wouldn't be surprising if evolution has adapted us well to the former (in moderation), but not that latter.

JohnsonB 14y ago
Yes, it is harder to overeat or get addicted on natural fresh fruits, and there's less of a negative effect. But if you do, you're still back to square one: significant insulin spikes, a tendency to turn those calories to fat just like pure sugar, and some of the detrimental health effects mentioned in the article. You mentioned honey, and I don't know which group you assigned it to, but many people make this mistake: honey is "natural", but it is every bit as pure and unhealthy a sugar as high fructose corn syrup, or similar.
caf 14y ago
You don't think that difference could have a lot to do with the caffiene content of the Coca-Cola?
- crazygringo 14y ago
  Definitely not -- a Coke stimulates for maybe an hour, then leaves you with less energy for around an hour. Like everything else with lots of processed sugar. Whereas caffeine stimulates for several hours, and I never feel less energy afterwards with caffeine. The effect is definitely the sugar.
recoiledsnake 14y ago
It's the fiber in fruit that slows down the sugar release and provides energy longer.

dredmorbius 14y ago

The fiber present in fruit blunts the impact of the sugars they contain (addressing the "quality" issue I mentioned elsewhere). Fruits differ strongly in their glycemic indices (apples are low, grapes tend to be high), so they're not all the same. That said, whole fruit (as opposed to juice, in which much of the fiber is removed) is a reasonably good food choice. Especially for breakfast or post-workout.

JohnsonB 14y ago
>The fiber present in fruit blunts the impact of the sugars they contain (addressing the "quality" issue I mentioned elsewhere). Some, but not enough to discount the fact that it is essentially sugar you're eating. >That said, whole fruit (as opposed to juice, in which much of the fiber is removed) is a reasonably good food choice. Especially for breakfast or post-workout. I think that's problematic though. People use fruit as a food choice, a mainstay of their diet, thinking it's healthy because it's "natural" or a similar line of reasoning. But it's still sugar and needs to be eaten sparingly just like candy or cake. A lot of fruits have a GI of candy bars, and almost all are in the blood sugar disrupting range of starches, refined wheat, etc, that should be eaten in very limited quantifies. For breakfast, that depends, if you are eating it with a lot of protein and fat, and it's a small amount, sure. But just eating mostly fruit for breakfast is a bad idea.
- walnut-tree 14y ago
  "Some, but not enough to discount the fact that it is essentially sugar you're eating." I have to respectfully disagree with you about fruits. Fruit is more than just sugar, it's a source of vitamins and minerals and it should not intentionally be limited from your diet. Of course you need to eat a variety of different fruits (and vegetables). "A lot of fruits have a GI of candy bars..." Can you give some examples? A piece of fruit and a candy bar are not nutritionally equivalent even if they share the same GI. In fact, most fruits are low in GI. See for yourself by going to the University of Sydney GI database. http://www.glycemicindex.com/foodSearch.php http://www.glycemicindex.com/foodSearch.php We all need to eat fruit and vegetables daily as part of a healthy diet. It's misleading to claim that fruit can cause health issues or should be limited in your diet without providing evidence to back it up. Even people with Type 2 diabetes are not discouraged from eating fruits. See the advice here for example from Diabetes UK (a charity). They are a credible and trustworthy source of advice for people with diabetes in the UK. http://www.diabetes.org.uk/MyLife-YoungAdults/Food-and-diet/Food-groups/Fruit-and-vegetables/ http://www.diabetes.org.uk/MyLife-YoungAdults/Food-and-diet/... One final link, a 2011 report from Cancer Research UK found that over 40% of cancers diagnosed in the UK were from avoidable lifestyle choices. For men, the number one culprit was tobacco. Number two culprit? Lack of fruit and vegetables in the diet. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-16031149 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-16031149