If your summer plans include cutting back on the sugar in your healthy diet, FitClub has great news! You don’t have to pass up the natural, delicious and fresh fruit available locally this summer!

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Sugar is blamed for a variety of problems including obesity, diabetes, inflammation and weight gain.  A diet low in processed or added sugar should be a goal we all share.  Fruit, though, is still part of a healthy, well balanced diet, even though it contains sugar.

How can that be?

The sugar in fruit is known as “fructose.” Fructose is a simple sugar, metabolized quickly by the body and unlike processed or added sugar, does not pose a health risk for active, healthy people.  Unless you have been diagnosed with diabetes or prediabetes, natural, whole fruit is healthy and the fructose in the fruit won’t sidetrack your healthy lifestyle.

Fruit is rich in the vitamins and minerals our bodies need to stay healthy and active.  The small amount of fructose in fruit is certainly worth the risk in order to maximize your nutrients and vitamins.  While excessive fructose is not recommended, fruit is far more filling than processed foods, making consuming excess fructose from fruit alone very difficult. For example, one apple contains 23 grams of sugar, 13 of which are classified as fructose.  By contrast, a sixteen ounce soft drink has 52 grams of sugar, 30 of which are fructose.  The apple will fill you up and provide healthy doses of vitamins, nutrients and fiber.  The soft drink won’t do any of those things.

You’re also unlikely to experience blood sugar spikes from eating fruit instead of junk foods or processed sugars.  Unlike processed or added sugars, your body digests fructose more slowly, causing it to enter your liver more slowly and at a more stable pace.

The best way to consume fruit.

Fresh, whole fruit is best and to eat the most fiber, you need to eat the skin of the fruit, as well.  Fruit juice and dried fruits, while still providing some nutrients, are not nearly as healthy as the real thing.  Fruit juice contains added sugar and refined sugar in addition to the fructose and dried fruit is also high in sugar and easy to over-consume.

If you’re partial to fruit smoothies, make sure you don’t add a fruit juice base, and instead use water, milk, low-sugar yogurt, or almond milk and always use the entire fruit so you get the most fiber possible.

Whether you’re craving something sweet this summer or just want your family to fill up on local, fresh, naturally sweet fruit, don’t forgo this sweet treat just because of the fructose content.  Fruit makes a great addition to any meal as a guilt-free dessert, especially in the summer.