Did you know you’re hardwired to seek out sweet, sugary foods? Just something to keep in your back pocket whenever you need an excuse for your chocolate cravings.
Of course, that hardwiring is not exactly ideal, considering sugar can actually be pretty bad for you.
That’s where fruit may be the answer.
Fruit tends to get a bad rap for its sugar content. However, that doesn’t mean you should avoid it, especially since its sugar is a bit different and avoiding them also means missing out on all the benefits of eating fruit, including curbing that sweet tooth.
First things first, it’s true that most fruits have naturally-occurring fructose, glucose, and table sugar. So, why is knocking back a bag of Skittles so much worse than eating a juicy piece of fruit?
Well, Skittles and any other junk food with added sugars have an extremely high content of sugar and empty calories. Basically, these foods have no benefit unless you’re looking to add to your waistline.
Meanwhile, fruit has a much less concentrated amount of sugar when compared with candy, with usually less than 20 grams per serving. It also comes with a healthy dose of vitamins and minerals, fiber, and water, which keeps you feeling full and hydrated.
Honestly, the fiber alone is worth it, as the fiber found in fruit can be broken down into two categories: soluble and insoluble.
Soluble fiber can be dissolved in water and can regulate blood cholesterol and glucose levels.
Insoluble fiber doesn’t dissolve and instead passes through your digestive system as is, which promotes regularity and prevents constipation.
Fruit also has a high concentration of vitamins and minerals, including potassium, vitamin C, and folate.
Potassium is an essential mineral that the body uses for cell and nerve function. It is responsible for maintaining normal fluid levels within our cells, which is necessary for our cells and tissue to function normally. Potassium also regulates our blood pressure.
Meanwhile, sugary junk food basically undoes all the progress made by eating potassium-filled fruit. Added sugar intake can raise your blood pressure and cause inflammation, fatty liver disease, and weight gain.
Starting to see the difference in sugars?
And we haven’t even touched on Vitamin C, which helps your body heal inside and out, and folate, which is needed to produce healthy red blood cells. It also helps break down homocysteine, an amino acid that can be harmful when found in high concentrations.
Needless to say, you should never seek out a sugar rush, but if your biology craves it and you pull out the excuse from earlier, now you at least know how to go about it in the best possible way.
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