2023-08-01 06:00:45
There are many fructose-rich foods to avoid. Some examples are sugary drinks, sweets and jams…
There are many foods high in fructose. While in some cases this sugar is a natural constituent, in others it is added by the food industry. Specifically, knowing what effect it has and where it is is used to prevent different health problems. Especially if you have fructose intolerance.
What is Fructose?
fructose is a simple carbohydrate found in fruits and honey. It is thanks to him that they taste sweet. Moreover, fructose is also part of the sucrose molecule, the common sugar that we are all familiar with.
Many years ago, the food industry put into practice technologies that allowed it to develop at the chemical level. Thus, it occurs in high concentrations in high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). It comes from the hydrolysis of the starch of this grain, in which the resulting glucose is converted into this substance.
Foods rich in fructose
So, due to the low cost of HFCS, it is widely used in various industrialized products. Here are the most common examples on the market. These are foods you should limit.
1. Non-alcoholic beverages
HFCS is used as a sweetener in soft drinks, artificial juices, sweetened fruit juices and some alcoholic beverages. Several studies suggest that he is present in up to 90% of non-ethanol drinks and 10% of snacks.
Also read: Life Without Soft Drinks: The 8 Changes You’ll Experience
2. Desserts and dairy products
The use of HFCS unfortunately extends to dairy products and desserts, such as flan and milkshakes, due to its flavor enhancement. In addition, it accelerates the fermentability of yoghurt and improves the viscosity of ice cream and chocolate milk.
3. Bakeries and pastries
All of these industrially produced breads, cookies and pastry products contain fructose in their ingredient list. To a greater or lesser extent, packaged bakery products usually contain it among their components.
4. High Fructose Foods: Jams and Sweets
HFCS is also used in the manufacture of jams, jellies, frozen fruits, breakfast cereals and candies. In all cases, their consideration is due to the economic benefits for the market and manufacturing.
5. Fructose in salad dressings, preserves and sausages
Fructose is also used in salad dressings, meat products or pickles. Beyond the fact that the sweet taste is not evident in these foods, the industry uses it as a preservative and flavor enhancer.
You may not always see its presence on the ingredient list. It may be listed as “allowed carbs.”
This situation is causing concern among nutrition professionals. Indeed, a scientific publication from the School of Nutrition of the University of Buenos Aires highlights the legal vacuum that exists in food labeling so that the presence of added sugars is known and visible to the consumer.
Also discover: What are the differences between glucose and fructose?
Effects of high fructose foods on the body
You have to distinguish the situations. When eating fruit, it will provide us with fructose, fiber, water, vitamins and minerals. Therefore, the concentration of sugars is relatively low and should not impact the body.
On the contrary, the recommendation is to eat fruits daily. Preferably, they should be taken in their natural form.
However, scientific evidence shows that the abuse of HFCS products is contributing to a major obesity epidemic. Diets high in simple sugars, such as the aforementioned fructose, promote positive energy balances and hormonal mechanisms linked to the development of this global disease.
Specifically, high concentrations of fructose decrease insulin sensitivity, generate insulin resistance and thus increase blood sugar values.
In the long term, type 2 diabetes mellitus, high blood pressure and altered blood lipids may develop. All of these conditions are disorders that make up the metabolic syndrome. Abuse of this substance increases the risk of heart disease, strokes and other health problems.
What to do to take care of your health?
To avoid problems associated with excessive consumption of fructose in the diet, it is advisable to reduce the consumption of products containing HFCS. They should not constitute more than 10% of the total daily energy in calories. Ideally, they should not exceed 5% of an adult’s total calories.
The University of Florida’s extension secretary raises the predicament when planning an HFCS-free diet. It turns out that most products available in supermarkets contain it. So rather than eliminating it completely, the plan would be to go for a conscious purchase.
Since there are several complications associated with consuming products containing high fructose corn syrup, it is recommended that your diet incorporate fruits, grains, vegetables, and legumes. The fructose present in some of these samples will not have an aggressive impact on your metabolism.
At the same time, as soon as you can, avoid eating ultra-processed foods. In general, they are products with a high glycemic index and capable of modifying the biochemical parameters of the blood.
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