The Evils of Fruit

Cassandra Forsythe, PhD(c), CSCS, CISSN, writing over at T-Nation, explains why we might want to ditch the fruit if we want to see our abs. I've been warning my clients away from fruit juice for years, and preferring them to eat berries and/or apples if they have to eat fruit at all. Personally, I don't think I want to give up blueberries, so I'd gladly give up all other sources of carbs.

The Evils of Fruit
by Cassandra Forsythe, PhD(c), CSCS, CISSN

Are you looking for that nutritional edge to get your body composition to the next level?

Have you been eating your "five-a-day" like a good boy should, but just can't shake that last bit of icing off your jelly belly?

Well, take close note: if you reduce the fructose in your diet, you will lose that stubborn body fat!

Fructose Metabolism 101, the simplified version

Fructose is a type of simple sugar (a carbohydrate in its simplest form) that is much different than its sister sugar, namely glucose. When you eat fructose, it's absorbed more slowly in the intestine, and its absorption is slightly limited.

Some people—like those with diabetes, see fructose as a superior simple sugar because it doesn't get used as quickly or as efficiently. What they don't realize, is that fructose is normally consumed at the same time as glucose, which speeds up the absorptive process.

Once fructose passes through the intestine, it's quickly taken to the liver for processing. Here, it has two fates: it's either turned into glucose and then stored as liver glycogen; or it's used for energy by liver cells.

Unlike glucose, fructose can only be metabolized in the liver, whereas glucose can be passed to other body tissues, like your muscles.

Why fructose is a problem for dieters:

If you have a lot of fructose in your diet, it only has one place to go: your liver. If your liver glycogen levels are full, which is the case all times of the day except before you eat breakfast, then that fructose is turned into fat!

Since your liver doesn't want to store this new fat, it ships it to other parts of your body; places you don't want it, like your abdomen or lower back.

Do you now see why too much fructose in your diet can be one of the biggest reasons you can't shrink those last few fat cells?

How do I avoid eating fructose?

When people hear the word fructose, they usually think fruit. Ready for a shocker? Fruit is actually not the major source of fructose in your diet!

Yes, it does have fructose, but only certain fruits are high in it, while others are relatively low. Not all fruits are bad for your body composition; vegetables are the same way.

The major contributors of fructose in your diet, in descending order, are as follows:

• High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)
• Table Sugar, which is a 50:50 combination of glucose and fructose
• Brown Sugar
• Maple Sugar
• Cane Sugar
• Molasses
• Honey
• Concentrated Fruit Juice
• Fruits
• Vegetables

Avoid the top eight in this list at all costs!

Read labels carefully, because HFCS is hiding in almost every food you eat nowadays. And, just because honey is natural, doesn't mean you should use it in abundance.

Read the rest of this article.

Tags: The Evils of Fruit, T-Nation, Cassandra Forsythe, fructose, nutrition, fitness, Health, high fructose corn syrup