Tag Archives: Fruit

Fructose – What is it? Is it good for me?

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 As we are promoting the good and bad ingredients in food, we thought it was a necessity to share with you the impact of fructose in food.  We want every one of you to know what fructose is and why it is important to understand how it can affect your health.

Fructose essentially is a type of sugar, that if not consumed in the right dosage or in its natural form, can lead to significant health diseases and fat intake.

There are two types of fructose; the natural unrefined fructose found in the fruits and honey, and then the highly refined fructose normally named high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). The majority of processed forms of fructose can be found as an added sweetener to food mostly found in baked goods, jams, confectionery, sauces, soft drinks etc.

It is important to understand that natural intakes of fructose from recommended servings of fruit can be beneficial to your health. However it’s the intake of highly processed sugars such as fructose added to foods that are of serious concern.

Through doing some more research into the role of fructose in our everyday life, I have found some do’s and don’ts to help us recognise and guide us through our intake of fructose.

Teresa Boyce, a registered nutrition, wrote an article for Body + Soul which indicated some beneficial tips to look out for when consuming fructose.

She suggests;

  • When reading food labels, other ingredients to look for are corn syrup, fruit sugar, levulose, D-fructofuranose, D-arabino-hexulose – all indications the product contains fructose.
  • Avoid the intake of cane sugar, which is a cheaper and more readily available sugar used in products in Australia.
  • Fructose should be taken in moderation with fibre. Sugar is primarily absorbed in the intestines, delivered into the blood stream and sent to the liver. When you consume sugar with fibre, it’s slowly released into the body, and into the blood stream, leaving you feeling satisfied for longer – and less likely to overindulge.

*You will find majority of processed foods that are high in fructose, will be low in fibre to ensure shelf life of the product. This means that when you consume these foods, they are not going to keep your hunger cravings satisfied for long, making you consume more food to ease that hunger.

So in short, please be aware of what you are consuming into your body. Although the word fructose screams FAT! don’t limit yourself from the naturally produced forms of fructose found in fruits.

DO – be mindful of what ingredients are in products your consuming.

DO – be aware of the different names that fructose can be labelled as.

DON’T – don’t limit yourself to naturally produced forms of fructose, as they can be good for your energy levels.

DON’T – don’t overindulge in fructose, whether natural or refined sources of fructose. It’s important you don’t overindulge your body with fructose as it can put strain onto your liver to breakdown fructose, causing any unbroken down fructose to turn into fat.

Remember we love feedback and any stories you would like to share with us. This is a community for everyone to express their opinions, information and knowledge about the different sugars and fats in food.

– The Nudie Foodie Team

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