Have Your Fruit and Eat it Too!

Talking about nutrition is like talking about religion or politics.  Talking about sugar can be equally controversial.  To level the playing field, I suggest that we can all agree on two things no matter where we are in our nutrition beliefs:  

1. Most of us could eat less sugar and processed foods.
   
2. Most of us could eat more fruits and vegetables.

Why diet books are denouncing fruit:

• Uhhhh….because they are selling books and “food products”?
• They are using the premise fructose (fruit sugar) acts the same way in your body as any other sugar (pancreas secretes insulin, insulin promotes fat storage).
• Because consuming less sugar (simple carbs) is a good way to lose weight.
• Keep perspective:  Most of us only need a couple of fruit servings a day (1-2 cups…all depending on activity level, age and sex). 

Ask yourself:

• Why are blueberries on every single superfoods list I read?  

Answers:

• Blueberries rank high on the antioxidant scale so it is a matter of nutrient density and health benefits per calorie.   They have a powerful nutrient rich punch.
• Eating fruit, in the right amounts (portions, servings, balance, and enjoying your favorites so you are satisfied) really means that you are also getting phytochemicals, antioxidants, fiber, vitamins and minerals. 
• Evidence suggests that these nutritive and non-nutritive plant properties protect you from certain cancers and cardiovascular disease, help you maintain a healthy weight, maintain a healthy blood pressure, and fuel your body, cells and organs with proper nutrients that keep you healthy and feeling great. 

The real question to ask yourself:  

• How much processed, and refined foods and added sugars am I consuming? 

Sugar statistics:

• 2010 Dietary Guidelines says Americans are consuming 35% of their daily calories (800 calories!) from added sugars and solid fats. 
• The recommendation is that number should be more in line with 5%-15% from these types of calories.
• The CDC (2005-2008) reports that our male children between the ages of 2-19 are consuming 442 calories per day in added sugars and females are consuming 314 calories in added sugars.   
• These added sugars are from processed foods and sweetened beverages. 
• That same report shows that most of those sugar calories were consumed at home.  
• The American Heart Association (AHA) suggests a limit of 5% of energy (calories).
• Current intake of added sugar in the US and UK is about 15% of total energy (calories).
• The 2003 World Health Organization (WHO) aim at limiting intake to 10% of calories.

Recent meta analysis findings:

Dr. Lisa Te Morenga (University of Otago, Nuned in New Zealand) and colleagues, included the results of their meta analysis that included 30 randomized controlled trials and 38 cohort studies of dietary sugar intake and adiposity.  They published their paper online in the BMJ, January 15, 2013.

They found that cutting consumption of sugar produces a small but significant reduction in weight for adults and not as much for children.  Why?  Because children were not as compliant.    

They defined “free sugars” as sugars that are added to foods by the manufacturer, cook, or consumer, plus those naturally present in honey, syrups, and fruit juices.

The review is accompanied by an editorial by Dr. Walter C. Willett (Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA) and Dr. David S. Ludwig (New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, MA). 

I like what Drs. Willett and Ludwig said in their editorial of this meta analysis:

• Evidence is continuing to accumulate that sugar is indeed deleterious to health.
• It's clear that sugar does have adverse effects, particularly in liquid form as sugar-sweetened drinks.
• This study addresses a piece of the picture, the effect on weight gain. There is also a strong body of evidence showing that sugar-sweetened beverages are related to type 2 diabetes.
• Sugar is not the only issue; there is the bigger problem of carbohydrate quality. Large amounts of refined carbohydrates are also a problem.
• Refined carbohydrates just as detrimental.  This is analogous to what we see for fats in that the type of fat you consume is really important. A similar picture is emerging for carbohydrates; quality turns out to be really important.
• Eating a whole fruit is much preferable to drinking fruit juice. The sugar in fruits is balanced out by the fiber and other nutrients, and it takes time to be released. When we eat a whole apple or orange, we limit our intake. If you are drinking fruit juice, you might have three or four servings, but you would almost never eat three apples or oranges in a row.
• This meta-analysis and other evidence in the broader literature suggest that sugar intake should be limited.

More practical comments:

• An increase in empty and high calorie food consumption displaces healthier foods that contain fiber, vitamins and minerals.
• Eating more junk makes you crave more junk.  Empty calorie foods have no nutrient density, less fiber and less anything good.  These foods do not satiate and only make you want more.  
• Too many calories, from the wrong foods and/or beverages and not enough physical activity are the reasons 67% of American adults are overweight or obese.
• Calories are calories.  Eating too many will lead to weight gain.
• If we all ate intuitively and by that I mean, only when we are truly hungry and in the right portions, from real food that was grown in the ground or has a mama,  and only until comfortably satisfied…there would not be a weight problem in America.

Actions you can take:

• Read every food label and ingredient panel that you are considering before you buy.
  
• Know that 4.2 g = 1 tsp of sugar.
• Limit your sugar intake no matter what.  Start with the AHA recommendations of 100 calories or 24 g (6 tsp) for  women and 36 g (9 tsp) or 150 calories for men. 
• Avoid processed foods, or at the very least, limit those that you choose (just begin).
• Start and aim for less than you consume today by tracking it.
• Avoid artificial sugars (Think of these as chemicals. Do not replace processed sugar with stuff made in a lab. Instead, squeeze a lemon or lime in your water, or add a splash of juice for flavor).
• Avoid anything with high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).
• Choose real food (whole fruit, whole vegetables, brown rice (whole grain brown rice that needs to cook for 45 minutes (make it ahead of time) and that you can season yourself), beans, nuts, fish, grilled chicken….).

Diet matters.  If one person eats a granola bar containing added sugars, flavorings and color, and another eats an orange and a handful of almonds, which will perform better?  Eating healthy makes us feel better.  Eating junk displaces healthy foods that provide needed nourishment, and ESPECIALLY for our children’s proper growth and development. 

The brain works best with about 25 grams of glucose circulating in the blood stream which is about the amount found in a banana (not to be confused with "added sugars").  It is suggested that eating smaller meals works well for the brain.  For perspective however, a small diabetes study proved that those eating two larger meals per day vs. those eating smaller meals throughout the day, lost an average of 8 lbs. more over the study period.  Studies focus on what they are trying to prove or disprove. 

The practicality of a healthy diet is to find what works for you based on your preferences and healthy choices.  Feeling satisfied has a lot to do with our cravings or lack thereof.  Real food, prepared healthily, will help you feel satisified.  Processed food will not.  Choose wisely, know what you are eating and how much, enjoy your favorites sometimes and in the right portions; and remember, fruit is not the enemy.  

Health Inspires.

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