How Much Fruit Is Too Much for Fructose Intolerance?
Is there such a thing as eating too much fruit? Nutrition from fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants come from fruits that also satisfy your sweet tooth. However, fruit is high in a sugar called fructose, which should be consumed in moderation and can lead to Fructose Intolerance.
How Too Much Fruit can Impact Your Health.
Glucose, fructose, and sucrose are all different forms of sugar. Carbohydrates break down into glucose that fuels our bodies with energy. Fructose is the only type of sugar found in fruits and is metabolized in our liver, not the blood stream. Having too much sugar in the blood stream can lead to blood sugar spikes and possible type 2 diabetes. Fructose is metabolized in the liver but can also be involved in diabetes. Our livers turn excess sugar into triglycerides that are stored as fat cells too much fructose can lean to belly fat buildup and is related to type 2 diabetes.
Limiting your fruit consumption between two and three servings a day will lower your fructose intake. Keeping a three-hour period between each serving of fruit during the day will help your body metabolize the fructose more efficiently. Juice does not deliver the essential nutrients and fibers found in the skin of the fruit and easily get processed into your blood stream faster, which causes high blood sugar spikes. By eating fruit with the skin or smoothies blended with whole fruits is your best way of getting all of the key nutrients in your daily servings.
Fruits You Should be Eating.
Some fruits contain more fructose than others. Fruits such as dates, grapes, pomegranates, mangoes, and cherries contain high levels of fructose. Low fructose fruits include avocados, cranberries, raspberries, strawberries, grapefruit, and cantaloupe. Avoid eating dried fruits, which usually contain more sugar and calories.
What is Hereditary Fructose Intolerance?
When an individual lacks the enzyme to break down fructose, that person could be fructose intolerant. This means the body has a hard time turning stored sugar in the glucose used to fuel the body. You blood sugar can drop too low and the fructose sugar can build up in the liver that can lead to liver disease. This issue is hereditary and should be tested if both parents have HFI.