Sugar in fruit, harm or not to health?

Sugar is known to have a bad reputation. Even though sugar itself is needed by the body as the main energy for carrying out activities. However, most sugar intake also makes blood sugar rise and triggers the development of diabetes. This means that sugar intake must be limited so that the body can benefit from sugar. Then what about the sugar content in fruit, is it good or should you be careful too?

Is the sugar in fruit also not good for health?

Fruits do contain natural sugars in the form of fructose. Fructose is a type of carbohydrate. In contrast to other types of carbohydrates such as sucrose and glucose, fructose has a sweeter taste. Not surprisingly, fructose in the form of high-fructose corn syrup is widely used as a sweetener in food and beverages.

However, the fructose in the fruit is certainly different from the high-fructose corn syrup sweetener. Reporting from the Mayo Clinic, the average fruit contains about 15 grams of fructose, so it only contributes a few calories to your body. Apart from that, fruit is also enriched with fiber and nutrients.

Meanwhile, drinks or foods that contain high-fructose corn syrup sweeteners contain very high calories. A bottle of soda can contain about 225 calories and does not contain the nutrients your body needs.

Additionally, according to research published by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows that fructose does not cause sudden spikes in blood sugar. This is because the body digests it more slowly than sucrose (commonly found in table sugar). Therefore, consuming sugar in fruit will not be as bad as if you consume lots of sugar found in cakes, breads, biscuits, syrups, packaged drinks, and other sweet foods.

For diabetics, can you eat sweet fruit?

Many people think that diabetics (people with diabetes) should not eat sweet things, including sweet fruit. This of course limits the fruit intake of diabetics. In fact, most fruits have a low to moderate glycemic index (how food affects blood sugar levels). This means that the fruit will not cause sudden spikes in blood sugar levels.

This is because besides fruit containing sugar, fruit also contains a lot of fiber (if eaten whole, not in juice). Fiber helps release sugar more slowly, so blood sugar does not increase immediately after eating fruit. Compared to the sugar in other foods, it seems that the sugar in fruit can be a healthy source of sugar.

However, for those of you who have diabetes, you must still pay attention to how much fruit you can eat. You can consume all the fruit, but still pay attention to the portions. It is feared that consuming too many fruits that contain high sugar can trigger blood sugar to rise.

Some fruits that are high in sugar (more than 10 grams per serving) are apples, bananas, cherries, grapes, pineapples, mangoes, kiwi, and pears. Meanwhile, fruits that contain low sugar (less than 7 grams per serving) are strawberries, papaya, guava, and grapefruit.