Like with so many other foods, the health benefits of fruit are highly overrated. At the same time, the adverse effects of fruit are not mentioned.
I’ve noticed that CNN has jumped on the “health wagon” and air food and drink tips for a healthier you multiple times a day. As it’s CNN, it must be credible and accurate information because CNN said so, right? Almost all of what CNN is airing in this regard is missing key facts.
As a Health Coach and Nutritionist, I understand what’s right and wrong on the topic. I follow and fully believe in the Keto Diet. I’ve been practicing it myself for 6 years – I’m in the best shape of my life.
I prefer not to use the trend word Keto — I call it “Healthy Living by Following Natural Principles.” All Keto really means is to eat natural, real, unprocessed foods and beverages.
Most folks follow the Standard American or Western Diet (SAD), which contains a ton of carbohydrates, sugar, and fruit.
CNN is promoting fruit, fruit juices, and smoothies as your superfood. At the same time, they’re running a segment on whole-grain bread being wonderfully healthy. Oh my.
Reality check: none of this is accurate.
Let’s squeeze the juice.
Sugar is sugar, no matter what it’s derived from. Most fruits are high in fructose, a natural sugar. Fructose is first converted to glucose then burned for energy. Your liver is forced to convert a high dose of it into fat, leading to weight gain and a decline in overall health.
However, there is no doubt that fructose is bad for you when consumed in large amounts, which may cause negative effects on the body, leading to metabolic disorders and weight gain. Medicinenet.com
The biggest culprit is HFCS (High Fructose Corn Syrup), processed from fructose-rich corn. HFCS is also the food & beverage industry’s favorite sweetener, used in bread, sodas, cereal, pasta, oatmeal, cookies, and more.
That’s why I stay away from all such foods.
If you don’t believe me, take a stroll through your local market’s packaged food sections and check the ingredients on the back of the box! You’ll find HFCS or Corn Syrup in 95% of the foods and beverages on sale!
Vitamins & Fiber.
Yes, fruit contains plenty of vitamins and other healthy nutrients; however, the high levels of fructose in 95% of all fruits out weigh the benefits of fruit.
If you’re a fruit, juice, and smoothie nut, you’re probably consuming way too much fructose per day, which your system converts to fat — this can lead to obesity.
Soft drinks sweetened with this sort of sugar are rich in calories, and studies have suggested that fructose is linked to obesity. Medicinenet.com
While you’re thinking you’re doing yourself a favor eating all those fruit and smoothie bowls for breakfast, you may be harming your health. All because you’ve been purposely misinformed about what is and isn’t healthy.
Vegetables contain all the vitamins, fibers, and minerals you need — in abundance!
The bottom line.
If your diet is high-calorie, carbohydrate, and contains a lot of fructose, you’re pushing your liver over the limit, leading to excess fructose and glucose becoming fat.
Science proves that excessive fructose consumption can lead to many diseases, such as obesity, type II diabetes, heart disease, and even cancer.
Fruit is rich in carbohydrates and sugar; overdoing it can lead to weight gain, high blood sugar levels. Medibank.com.au
The potential adverse effects of excessive fructose consumption:
- Fructose can raise your LDL cholesterol levels (bad cholesterol), adding fat around your organs.
- Increased blood levels of uric acid, leading to gout and high blood pressure.
- Cause insulin resistance, which can lead to obesity and type II diabetes
- Excess fructose consumption may cause leptin resistance, disturb body fat regulation, and contribute to obesity.
Disclaimer: Admittedly, you must consume a lot of fruit, juice, fruit yogurt, and smoothies for these adverse effects to occur in your body.
Fruit contains large amounts of simple sugars (glucose, fructose, sucrose, etc.), which are well known to induce obesity. US National Library of Medicine.
Some call fruit “nature’s fast food.” I call fruit “nature’s candy.”
Please spend some time adding up your daily fruit, juice, and smoothie intake — you may be surprised to learn that you are overloading your body with nature’s candy — fruit’s fructose.
On the Keto or Natural Diet, we pretty much stay away from all fruit except berries from time to time. Berries contain the lowest amount of fructose (hence they can be bitter) and high levels of antioxidants, which are vital to clean your bloodstream from free radicals.
Free radicals are our biggest enemy, as they can cause cancer.
In Summary.
If you enjoy fruit and smoothies, it’s OK to enjoy them in moderation, but don’t live off them. Stay away from packaged fruit juices as these always contain added sugars and are terrible for you.
Eat more veggies! OK, veggies may not be as appealing for some because they aren’t sweet, but they are your superfood! Trust me!
If you’re a little creative, you can fry up all kinds of yummy vegetables with garlic, onions, hot chilies (antioxidant-rich) in healthy coconut oil or butter. You’ll provide your body with all the vital nutrients it needs (besides meat that contains protein, fat, minerals).
You’ll soon lose the sweet tooth and desire for too much fruit!
Instead, focus on consuming antioxidant-rich foods to fight any free radicals that may be swimming through your bloodstream!
Thanks for reading,
Rob
