Is Sugar From Fruit The Same As Sugar From Candy?
If vegetables are the monarchs of nutritious eating, fruits have always been part of the royal court — not quite as important, but still worthy of respect. But now that nutrition guidelines are cracking down on sugar, some people are questioning fruits’ estimable role in a healthy diet.
One need only go to Twitter to see the confusion. “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.
Sugar in fruit and added sugar are not the same thing, says Lauri Wright, a nutritionist, public health specialist and spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
“There’s so much confusion,” Wright says. “I think this comes from the idea we’ve had for some time now that all carbs are bad, and that’s not the case. Carbs are required for energy.”