What is Fructose.
By Joan McDaniel July 29, 2012
What is Fructose.
This is from an article by Dr. Mercola on Fruit. Fruit is good for you but, take another look for it may just be too much of a good thing.
What is One of the Top Weight Gain Culprits?
The central issue is that fructose is now used in virtually all processed foods (whether you’d suspect the food would contain a sweetener or not). Case in point: the number one source of calories in the United States is high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in the form of soda!
High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS)— comprises any of a group of corn syrups that has undergone enzymatic processing to convert some of its glucose into fructose to produce a desired sweetness. In the United States, consumer foods and products typically use high-fructose corn syrup as a sweetener. It has become very common in processed foods and beverages in the U.S., including breads, cereals, breakfast bars, lunch meats, yogurts, soups, and condiments.
If you’re able to keep your total fructose consumption below 25 grams per day then it’s not typically going to cause you or your family any major health issues. Unfortunately, while this is theoretically possible, precious few people are actually doing that. Cutting out a few desserts will not make a big difference if you’re still eating a “standard American diet” — I’ve previously written about how various foods and beverages contain far more sugar than a glazed doughnut.
Because of the prevalence of HFCS in foods and beverages, the average person now consumes one-third of a pound of sugar EVERY DAY, which is five ounces or 150 grams, half of which is fructose. That’s 300 percent more than the amount that will trigger biochemical havoc.
Remember that is the AVERAGE; many actually consume more than twice that amount.
Evidence is mounting that excess sugar, and fructose in particular, is the primary factor in the obesity epidemic,and insulin resistant Diabetis, so it’s definitely a food you want to avoid if you want to lose weight. Does this mean you need to avoid fruit too? As you can see in this table, some fruits are very high in fructose, so munching indiscriminately could set you back.
Don’t stop eating fruit just watch how much daily Fructose you are actually consuming.