Not all fruit is created equally

FructoseFructose is a simple sugar that occurs naturally in fruits, vegetables and their juices, as well as in honey…., the main sugar in fruit, is particularly bad news because it tastes sweet but can be turned straight into fatThere are many different types of fats; polyunsaturated, monounsaturated, hydrogenated, saturated and trans fat. The body requires good fats (polyunsaturated and monounsaturated) in order to…. You don’t get the instant feedback that you get from pure glucose (blood sugar – our body’s fuel) that you’ve had enough so you keep drinking more. That’s why most drinks are sweetened with ‘high fructose corn syrup’. In fact, fructose is in everything. Whether you know it or not you have been fructed. Nature only ever provides fructose with fibreFibre is an important part of a balanced diet. There are two type of fibre; soluble and insoluble. Insoluble fibre helps your bowel to pass… – so chew your fruit, don’t drink it. The only fruit juice I have is Cherry Active or Blueberry Active because the main sugar is xylose, not fructose, which is very slow-releasing.

Sugars stimulate the dopamineDopamine is a neurotransmitter (chemical messenger) found within the brain. It has a variety of influences on brain function including playing a role in regulating… pathways in the brain that make you feel good and also give serotoninSerotonin is a hormone found naturally in the brain and digestive tract. It is often referred to as the ‘happy hormone’ as it influences mood…. a boost if you are feeling low – which is a trigger for eating something sweet for many people. Eating a low-GL diet is the best way to keep your blood sugar level even. If your blood sugar goes too high, the excess is stored as fat, and if it goes too low that’s what triggers hunger. The low-GL diet is based on three rules:

(1) eating a little less carbohydrates (and only those that release their sugar slowly);
(2) always eating proteinProteins are large molecules consisting of chains of amino acids. Proteins are essential nutrients for the human body – they are a building block of… with carbs, which further slows down their sugar release; and
(3) eating little and often by having three main meals and two snacks daily.

Fruit will help when you crave something sweet and they contain useful antioxidants as well. If you want to eat fruit as a snack, especially if you are following my Low-GL or Alternate-Day Low-GL Diets, ideally you need to limit to 5GLs at a time (that’s a snack portion on my low GL diet) and consume with some protein such as a few almonds or pumpkin seeds which slow down the release of the sugars in fruit. Be especially wary of fruit juices, as they often contain much more sugar per serving than whole fruit, so get used to diluting them with water, about half and half to start with. I’d avoid anything with grape juice, or grape juice concentrate, which is the sweetest of all.

What are the best fruits to choose, and the ones to eat sparingly? In the tables below I have listed some popular fruits by portion size and provided the GL score for each. You will see that the berries, cherries and plums are best and that some fruits such as bananas, grapes and dates will send your sugar levels soaring. For a main meal you can have 10 GLs. So, if you have yoghurt and fruit, with chia seeds, you can have 10GLs of the fruit.

Lower Glycemic Load Fruits

High Glycemic Load Fruits

So the secret is to chose fruits wisely, be aware of its GL score and portion control, for more information on the GL and portion size of fruit, and other foods, check out my online GL Counter and my books The Low-GL Diet Bible and new book Burn Fat Fast.