5 Facts About Sugar: Granulated Sugar vs. Fruit Sugar

Do our bodies see the difference between granulated (white sugar) and fruit sugar? Do we need to stop eating fruit? Here are five facts you need to know about sugar.

1. Sugar Is Sucrose

According to chemistry.elmhurst.edu, " Sucrose or table sugar is obtained from sugar cane or sugar beets. The glucose and fructose units are joined by an acetal oxygen bridge in the alpha-1 on the glucose and beta-2 on the fructose orientation." Simply saying sucrose is made of 50 % glucose and 50 % fructose.

2. Sucrose, Glucose, Fructose Are Different

According to healthline All three are types of sugar and contain the same number of calories per gram. However, they differ in chemical structures and how your body digests them.

Glucose and Fructose are simple sugars and can't be broken down any further. Fructose is found in fruit, honey, agave and majority of root vegetables. Glucose is found in carbohydrates like fruit, milk, potatoes, bread, rice and others.

As we discussed before glucose is more complex sugar and consists of glucose and fructose.

3. Avoiding Fruit is a Misconception

Even though fruits contain some simple sugars, they also contain longer chain carbohydrates. These types of carbohydrates take longer to digest and absorb. They also carry 5 nutrients that our body desperately need to stay healthy:

• vitamins

• minerals

• fiber

• water

• antioxidants

So someone ever asks you if fruits contain sugar, you can confidently say they contain some, however, they also include longer-chain carbohydrates. It makes fruit healthy.

4. Fruit Sugar Doesn't Count Into A Daily Intake

According to the American Heart Association (AHA) the amount of added sugars, or sucrose, per day for men is no more than 37.5 grams or 150 calories and for women is 25 grams or 100 calories.

Kris Gunnars in his article on healthline says, "Evidence suggests that fructose can cause harm when consumed in excess. However, there is not enough fructose in fruit to cause concern." The fruit is good for your body and brings more benefits than harm.

The only reasons to avoid fruits are an intolerance or a special low-carb diet. Even though sugar doesn't count into your sugar daily intake, it still counts to your carbohydrates intake. Be careful and remember that fruits are not just water and do contain calories.

5. Fructose Doesn't Require Insuline For Digestion

Your body doesn't need to produce insulin to digest fructose (fruit sugar) because it is broken down in your liver. On the other hand, glucose begins to break down in your stomach and insulin needs to be released into your bloodstream for complete digestion. (huffpost)

Granulated sugar is not a substitute for any fruits. Yes, they are technically both sugars but their chemical composition is different. Half a cup of strawberry ice cream contains 15 grams of sugar when half a cup of strawberries contains 3.5 grams of sugar.

Armed with this knowledge, the decision depends on you now.

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