FRUCTOSE… YES OR NO?

Fruit has been the subject of many debates. During the 80’s, fruit was shunned from athletes’ diets, which was one of the greatest blunders of that decade (Along with the haircuts and MC Hammer).

In general, fruit is great. It delivers a plethora of vitamins, fiber, and micronutrients that enable the body to perform better, detoxify itself, and maintain general happiness. The big question is the fructose that comes with the fruit: Will it make me fat? How much should I eat? When should I be eating it?

Fact: it is very hard to overeat on fructose unless you consume dried fruit or smoothies. However, fructose can be a bit tricky:

1. It can cause upset stomachs if you consume more than 80 grams in one sitting (Which equals about 5 bananas so you would have to work rather hard to get there.),
2. Fructose does not curb hunger since it does not spike Leptin levels in the brain. Leptin is a hormone signaling satiety, which is released when insulin levels rise. Fructose does not raise your insulin levels, so therefore no feeling of satiety. This probably goes back to prehistoric times when fruit and vitamins were rare and nature wanted you to overeat (The 80oz Big Gulp was not invented then). So moderation is key.
3. This is where it gets interesting for fitness athletes — fructose gets stored in the liver, not the muscle. So, it is not a great pre-workout snack but it makes for a good post-workout meal with your whey shake since it stops catabolism by replenishing hepatogenic glycogen.

Cliff notes:
1. Fruit will not kill you nor make you fat.
2. Eat it with breakfast or after a workout.
3. Eat whole fruit only. Nothing dried or blended.

Hope this helps!

Best,
Maik Wiedenbach

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