How to Be a Conscious Eater

11

SUGARS:

IN DEFENSE OF FRUIT

M

ilk and yogurt contain sugar. It’s called lactose. Fruit

contains sugar. It’s called fructose. These are not to be

treated with the same evil eye as added sugar. Why?

The company they keep. When you eat these foods, you’re con-

suming the naturally present sugars in a package with other

beneficial components. And how you consume them—in what

form, in what quantity, over what period of time—makes a big

difference in how healthy they are.

Under the heading of “good intention, wrong abstention,”

you’ll find people who avoid healthy foods that naturally con-

tain sugar out of fear that these foods will do damage like

added sugar does.

Sugar in fruit doesn’t cause insulin to spike in the same

way sugar in other forms does. It’s all about keeping the cell

walls intact. That’s how you get the most out of fiber. The sug-

ars effectively get sequestered in the fruit’s cells, and it takes a

long time for the digestive tract to break down those cells. The

sugars therefore enter the bloodstream slowly, giving the liver

more time to metabolize them. Four apples may contain the

same amount of sugar as 24 ounces of soda, but the slow rate

of absorption minimizes any surge in blood sugar. Repeated

surges make the pancreas work harder and can contribute to

insulin resistance, increasing the risk for type 2 diabetes.

Sugar eaten in fruit has not been tied to negative health

outcomes. Instead, higher fruit intake has been linked to lower

body weight and reduced risk of obesity-related illnesses.

42 how to be a Conscious Eater