Is sugar from fruit healthier?

Sugar in fruit and added sugar are not the same thing, says Lauri Wright, spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. But even for people without diabetes, sugar in fruit is a healthier option than sugar from other sources, according to nutritionist Wright.

Does sugar from fruit matter?

Fruit contains natural sugars, which are a mix of sucrose, fructose and glucose. Many people have heard that sugar is bad, and think that this must also therefore apply to fruits. But fructose is only harmful in excess amounts, and not when it comes from fruit.

Do apples have a lot of sugar?

According to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) , there are about 25 grams (g) of carbs in total in a medium-sized apple, and around 19 g of that is sugar. Most of the sugar in an apple is in the form of naturally occurring fructose, however, and this may have a different effect on the body than other sugars.

Is sugar in fruit healthier than sugar from other sources?

But even for people without diabetes, sugar in fruit is a healthier option than sugar from other sources, according to nutritionist Wright. A can of soda, for example, has about 40 grams of sugar. “And what else are you getting with that?”

What is the difference between an apple and a banana?

Where the really big differences appear though is in the amount of carbohydrates found in the fruits. All forms of fruit contain complex carbohydrates, which derive mainly from the naturally occurring sugars. A banana contains 34.8g of carbohydrates, compared to less than half of that amount in an apple (15.7g).

Is fruit healthier than candy bar sugar?

But the sugars in fruit are packed less densely than in a candy bar, according to Elvira Isganaitis, a pediatric endocrinologist at Joslin Diabetes Center and a Harvard Medical School instructor. This difference is important for people with diabetes, a disorder which interferes with regulating sugar in the blood.

Does fruit have more sugar than a Snickers bar?

“Pilates instructor started talkin about how fruit has so much sugar and a banana has the same as a Snickers bar,” reads one tweet. Other users come to fruit’s rescue: “Fruit sugar and sugar in processed foods is not the same thing,” one user explains.