[Clank007]

I've been hearing a lot lately about how drinking Fruit Smoothies blended from frozen or unfrozen fruit and veg is very good for you.

However looking online I was amazed to see how much sugar is actually contained in certain fruits which is released when blended.

For example Red Seedless Grapes
1 serving (126g - 4% waste)
Sugars, total: 20g

Navel Orange
1 large orange (270g)
Sugars, total: 23g

Apple
1 large apple (3.25"/223g - 10% waste)
Sugars, total: 23g

Banana
1 large (140g)
Sugars, total: 17g

Peach
1 large (184g - 4% waste)
Sugars, total: 15g

This seems like a heck of a lot of sugar to be mixing together and constituting a 'healthy' drink? Even just blending a banana and an orange together is equivalent to 40g of sugar

Am I missing something here as I thought these fruit drinks that you blend yourself are never considered unhealthy?

[maggie thecat]

Everything in moderation!

Homemade smoothies have three advantages - you can tailor them to your specific tastes/needs, they probably have more fibre in them, because home machines are less effective at removing pulp and peel than industrial ones, and time sensitive phyto-nutrients have less time to degrade than in a bottled drink that has to be flash pasteurised.

But having said that you still have to watch portion control because although a serving of fruit is good for you, eating the entire fruit bowl in one go is not.

[BlueEyedMrsP]

I tthink bananas, oranges, and grapes have the highest sugar content. Berries and kiwi are supposed to be better choices. Whole fruit is always the best choice because you get the full benefit of the fibre which apparently helps to absorb the sugar more slowly (not spike your blood sugar so much).

Many people would say that you shouldn't eat more fruit than veg, so if you're aiming for 5 a day, only 2 should be fruit.

I honestly wouldn't freak out too much regarding sugar in fruit, at least fruit has vitamins unlike soda. I'd hazard a guess that not many people eat "too much" fruit. If you're diabetic it might be a concern, but otherwise I'd say go ahead and enjoy your smoothie.

Umm, do people put grapes and apples in smoothies? Genuine question.

[walterwhite]

Some Innocent smoothies have more sugar and more calories per 100ml than Coke. Infact on some of them it's not even close.

[Welsh-lad]

Yes fruits are sugary. On low carb diets fruit is dicouraged apart from berries.

It all goes back to our primal diet. What was available to early man?
Veggies, berries, pulses, fish.
Sometimes meat after a hunt. Sometimes fruit (once a year in season). Very rarely honey, if you found a wild beehive.
Never refined sugar.

I'm not saying we should return to that, but it's pretty obvious the body is designed to deal with that kind of diet and not with the abundance of everything we get today.

[Welsh-lad]

As for grapes... well yeah you can actually taste the sugariness in those - they are sweet.

Apples contain as much sugar but the sweetness is more concealed by the acidity

[QT 3.14]

People need to read up on the different types of sugars.

[Welsh-lad]

Quote:

Originally Posted by QT 3.14

People need to read up on the different types of sugars.

It all ends up as simple sugars once our bodies have broken down the various types, and they cause a glycaemic response.
Obviously it takes a little more energy to break down fructose or lactose than a spoonful of refined cane sugar, but it is all sugar in the end.

[malpasc]

Oh god the amount of people I know doing "no sugar" diets. They get very funny with me when I mention their consumption of fruit, honey etc. What they mean by "no sugar" is basically not sticking a spoon into a bag of Tate & Lyle and not "no sugar" at all.

[walterwhite]

Quote:

Originally Posted by QT 3.14

People need to read up on the different types of sugars.

Enlighten me then.

[John_Elway]

There is a lot of confusion here and I don't blame anybody other than the lazy media.

I forget the name of the company that makes Amino Sweet (formerly known as Aspartame) but they started a "Sugar is sugar" campaign several years ago wanting to simply cause confusion, which with the help of journalists, has succeeded.

Sugar in fruit is not refined. If you read the early articles they were all referring to "added" sugar, and they were right to do so. The fruit confusion came later.

I find it almost laughable that with all the food-like products sold in supermarkets today, we have all been duped into blaming fruit! That's right, it isn't fast food crap that's causing diabetes, it's fruit, it isn't the inactivity of ouch potatoes as they sit watching tv or playing on their consoles, it's fruit, it isn't awful ready meals... it's fruit.

Sugar IS bad, but it's unnatural and added sugar, in all forms. DO NOT confuse this with fruit.. Also do not mistake things that are not sweet as being "OK". White bread will spike your blood sugar like nothing else. It's vile. If you're going to stop or reduce eating fruit, then you want to not even look at bread.

Of course, nobody can patent fruit or vegetables so it's easy for the media to bash. If they were truly serving us, they would be taking on and asking questions on the likes of McDonalds, Domino Pizza etc. etc. to task on what that is doing to people. But if they do that the lawyers would be onto them in a flash.

See this 4 minute video here on how good fruit is and just eat your fruit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHEJE6I-Yl4

[molliepops]

When I was diagnosed type 2 diabetic the nurse said no more than 4 grapes a day that for me said it all.

No matter what type of sugar as a diabetic I have the same reaction to it so I am curious what the earlier poster meant when they said we need to read up on types of sugar.

[Shrike]

For diabetics soft fruits should be avoided. Bananas aren't too bad whilst apples and pears are best. Basically the more fibre in the fruit the more your body has to work to digest it - this prevents glucose spikes. I'd think mechanically mushing up fruit can only reduce the work the body has to do to break down the fibre and so increase glucose spiking.
Refined carbs like white bread, white rice etc will be very bad for glucose spiking too. You can 'level out the spike' though by combining with fats and oils - so a pizza maynot be as bad as, say, garlic bread.

[koantemplation]

I saw a programme yesterday that said fruit smoothies were bad in terms of sugar as they release it quickly rather than slowly if you eat fruit whole.

[Welsh-lad]

Quote:

Originally Posted by John_Elway

There is a lot of confusion here and I don't blame anybody other than the lazy media.

I forget the name of the company that makes Amino Sweet (formerly known as Aspartame) but they started a "Sugar is sugar" campaign several years ago wanting to simply cause confusion, which with the help of journalists, has succeeded.

Sugar in fruit is not refined. If you read the early articles they were all referring to "added" sugar, and they were right to do so. The fruit confusion came later.

I find it almost laughable that with all the food-like products sold in supermarkets today, we have all been duped into blaming fruit! That's right, it isn't fast food crap that's causing diabetes, it's fruit, it isn't the inactivity of ouch potatoes as they sit watching tv or playing on their consoles, it's fruit, it isn't awful ready meals... it's fruit.

Sugar IS bad, but it's unnatural and added sugar, in all forms. DO NOT confuse this with fruit.. Also do not mistake things that are not sweet as being "OK". White bread will spike your blood sugar like nothing else. It's vile. If you're going to stop or reduce eating fruit, then you want to not even look at bread.

Of course, nobody can patent fruit or vegetables so it's easy for the media to bash. If they were truly serving us, they would be taking on and asking questions on the likes of McDonalds, Domino Pizza etc. etc. to task on what that is doing to people. But if they do that the lawyers would be onto them in a flash.

Reductio ad absurdum. No-one (here anyway) is saying that fruit is as bad as heavily sugared junk food etc.
But many people do think that fruit is very healthy, and when they diet they graze on fruit and eat large quantities of grapes, bananas, orange juice, apple juice etc.
All of these contain a lot of fruit sugar, which is calorific, and stimulates an insulin response just like other sugars do.

Quote:

Originally Posted by molliepops

When I was diagnosed type 2 diabetic the nurse said no more than 4 grapes a day that for me said it all.

No matter what type of sugar as a diabetic I have the same reaction to it so I am curious what the earlier poster meant when they said we need to read up on types of sugar.

Exactly. This says it all.

[bobcar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Welsh-lad

All of these contain a lot of fruit sugar, which is calorific, and stimulates an insulin response just like other sugars do.

It's worth pointing out that it's not just sugars that promote an insulin response, for example beef and fish produces a much higher insulin response than say porridge or pasta and while apples for instance have a slightly higher insulin response per calorie than beef you usually consume less calories eating an apple than a slab of beef.

I would also add that while diabetics should obviously watch their sugar intake sugar is not the direct cause of T2 diabetes, fat is the cause of diabetes though of course sugar can cause it indirectly if too much is consumed and obesity results.

[Welsh-lad]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobcar

It's worth pointing out that it's not just sugars that promote an insulin response, for example beef and fish produces a much higher insulin response than say porridge or pasta and while apples for instance have a slightly higher insulin response per calorie than beef you usually consume less calories eating an apple than a slab of beef.

Well yes, a 'slab of beef' probably does. But who eats those all the time?
I have beef about once a month, and then it's a few slices at a roast dinner.

There's probably about 50cals in one slice of beef. So 100cals all together, and that's a main component of a main meal.

There's probably about 50cals in an apple - a 'snack' food of the order we've been encouraged to eat daily.

Quote:

I would also add that while diabetics should obviously watch their sugar intake sugar is not the direct cause of T2 diabetes, fat is the cause of diabetes though of course sugar can cause it indirectly if too much is consumed and obesity results.

People get fat from consuming too much sugar, which is then converted to fat.

The average person consumes less fat now than they did in the late 1950s.
High-carb diets have been adopted.
Diabetes has soared.

[bobcar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Welsh-lad

Well yes, a 'slab of beef' probably does. But who eats those all the time?

Slab was just a word, people eat beef all the time and it would be misleading to think that was "okay" in respect of insulin response. there are people out there who think because it's low carb that means low insulin response (it's very common on low carb websites) and this mistake should be pointed out.

Quote:

People get fat from consuming too much sugar, which is then converted to fat.

Yes, that's what I said, it can cause it indirectly by "helping" with putting on fat. It does not cause it directly though whereas fat does.

Quote:

The average person consumes less fat now than they did in the late 1950s.
High-carb diets have been adopted.
Diabetes has soared.

Junk food has increased greatly and yes that includes far to much sugar but also too much fat, together a terrible combination. It's worth pointing out that people on a wholefood vegan diet have far less diabetes than those on either a western diet or a low carb diet. If you don't want to get diabetes then a wholefood plant based diet along with enough exercise the way to go rather than a dangerous low carb diet. If you must go low carb then low carb plant based doesn't seem to cause the same health problems as animal based low carb.

[Welsh-lad]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobcar

Slab was just a word, people eat beef all the time and it would be misleading to think that was "okay" in respect of insulin response. there are people out there who think because it's low carb that means low insulin response (it's very common on low carb websites) and this mistake should be pointed out..

People snack on 'slabs of beef??' I'd say most people eat beef as part of a meal, which would cause an insulin response anyway (as it'd presumably involve carbs like pasta or potatoes as well).
Apples (or dried apple slices etc) are far more likely to be eaten as a snack (as many low-fat diets advise fruits as snacks) and would cause an insulin response.

Quote:

Junk food has increased greatly and yes that includes far to much sugar but also too much fat, together a terrible combination. It's worth pointing out that people on a wholefood vegan diet have far less diabetes than those on either a western diet or a low carb diet. If you don't want to get diabetes then a wholefood plant based diet along with enough exercise the way to go rather than a dangerous low carb diet. If you must go low carb then low carb plant based doesn't seem to cause the same health problems as animal based low carb.

I would agree that eating leafy veggies , pulses, legumes etc is a very healthy option, and low-carb diets promote abundant consumption of these things.

It's bound to be a subjective thing but fat is great to satiate an appetite and is flavoursome. It doesn't need to be eaten in large quantities to do this.
The average low-fat high-carb diet gives people huge sugar peaks and then plummeting troughs where one feels famished until the next 'fix' comes along.

In general I would advocate 'a little bit of what you fancy' eating lifestyle, limiting processed foods, junk food, sweets, biscuits and cakes and opting for a broadly vegetable-based diet with fish, a little meat, some dairy etc. I would only have fruits sparingly and not as a substitute for sweets and snacks.

[Clank007]

Here is a question if I may.

A colleague at work has brought in a smoothie today consisting of a large banana, 5 blueberries, 3 strawberries, soya milk and green tea.
Would the sugar content in this be quite high do you think?

[bobcar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clank007

Here is a question if I may.

A colleague at work has brought in a smoothie today consisting of a large banana, 5 blueberries, 3 strawberries, soya milk and green tea.
Would the sugar content in this be quite high do you think?

Not really, very little different to eating just the banana. 5 blueberries and and 3 strawberries are a very small amount but still healthy none the less as are the soya and green tea.

[Welsh-lad]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clank007

Here is a question if I may.

A colleague at work has brought in a smoothie today consisting of a large banana, 5 blueberries, 3 strawberries, soya milk and green tea.
Would the sugar content in this be quite high do you think?

The banana would have 12-15g of sugar -the equivalent of about three teaspoons.

[jcafcw]

You do realise that there is an insulin response when you eat any food, not just sugars. The job of insulin is basically to look for sugar in the food you eat and the body's response to eating anything is to release insulin - this is why eating frequently can cause insulin resistance. How long the insulin remains is due to how much sugar content there is in the food you have eaten.

The health benefits from fruit more than out-weigh the sugar content. Obviously if you have a condition like diabetes then you will have to factor your diet to the condition.

[Welsh-lad]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jcafcw

You do realise that there is an insulin response when you eat any food, not just sugars. The job of insulin is basically to look for sugar in the food you eat and the body's response to eating anything is to release insulin - this is why eating frequently can cause insulin resistance. How long the insulin remains is due to how much sugar content there is in the food you have eaten.

This is precisely why low-fat high-carb diets which allow 'limitless' fruit, and encourage snacking/grazing on bananas and grapes etc, are a bad thing.

[John_Elway]

A responsible article not written by a lazy journo:

http://www.health.com/health/gallery...809521,00.html

"(One note: we're talking about added sugar, not the naturally occurring sugars found in dairy and fruit.)"