Too much sugar on raw?

[Pennypower]

I have multiple people in my life who are extremely physically fit, my sister for one, who has won figure competitions, who are always telling me I have way too much sugar in my diet from eating so much fruit and smoothies. I honestly am not eating THAT much fruit in my opinion, but of course to a body builder who drinks protein shakes, it seems astronomical I'm sure.
What I'm trying to figure out is how to combat this mentality, mainly for the sake of my own confidance in what I'm doing. I know that fruit sugar is way different than processed sugar, and I try to explain that, but beyond that I just don't know what to say. Sugar of any kind at all is like the devil to some people. I personally feel my body needs a lot of fruit sugar just to be sane. HELP :confused::confused:

[Green_Woman]

I wouldn't waste effort in trying to convince the self-convinced. :)

Btw, lovely photo. You look like my beautiful sister!

[Revvell]

I know that fruit sugar is way different than processed sugar, and I try to explain that, but beyond that I just don't know what to say.

Nothing.



Sugar of any kind at all is like the devil to some people. I personally feel my body needs a lot of fruit sugar just to be sane. HELP :confused::confused:What G_W said: I wouldn't waste effort in trying to convince the self-convinced.

Just as people don't distinguish between simple and complex carbohydrates, same with sugar... Is what it is. I don't waste my time. You're an adult right? That means you can eat what you want and when you want.

[Pennypower]

Thanks. Yes I am an adult. I think I'm too easily made to doubt myself when faced with strong oposition. Plus, it's been 3 years since I originally went raw, and I've lost my way big time. I really want to go back to raw but I have to admit, it's tempting to do the easier thing and go with the protein lowsugar thing. Let me take that back, just the thought of that makes me constipated :(

[Raw.N.It.Out]

Hi, I know it's already been figured out, I thought I'd chime in.

Speaking as one of these ppl whom are self-convinced, there's nothing you can do that wouldn't be a wasted breath ONLY when they've got it in their heads to argue. (even if they're not knowingly aware that this is what they're doing) We can all only do the very best we can. :)

A Quote of Mine:
It's a Waste Of Time Going Into Battle With Someone That Only Wants To Argue. ~Myself

Take Care

[Revvell]

let me take that back, just the thought of that makes me constipated :(

lmsssao!! :D

You know, it's always weird to me why adults think they have to defend themselves or justify to others why they do something. I have a friend who is now 86 and she was raw before any of us (probably before some of us were born) and she use to tell people "I don't care if you eat cut glass; it's none of my business and, it's none of your what I eat".

I like this "Leave others to their otherness and take care of yourself".

People don't bother me about what I eat. It's certainly none of their business ~ unless they're looking to become healthier... then, I tell them to get Alissa's book and dvd's. Show me; then we'll talk ~ or set up a session, bring cash and then we'll talk. One way or the other... show me a commitment. Otherwise, don't waste my time.

[EZ rider]

I like it that science has been left out of this thread. I think science is way behind when it comes to food and the body. I prefer listening to my body signals for my "science".

[JennaHoneyBear]

ya, people don't understand that white sugar is bad for a reason, and that fruit sugar is totally unrelated. They don't get the difference between sugars and think that sugar is sugar. The human body is built to eat a large amount of carbs from fruit sugars. People just dont know/understand. I've heard people say to avoid pineapple because it has too much sugar in it. Are you kidding?! lol

[xPIXIEx]

I've heard people say to avoid pineapple because it has too much sugar in it. Are you kidding?! lol

And avocado, because it's too fattening.

[Basenjimamma]

What a great thread..
I have had lots of people tell me that over and over..yet they eat white bread, sugar in their coffee or worse chemical sweetner ...
I am too drifting a little bit from my all raw state, but is currently working hard on coming back..I teeter totter between raw and clean eating which of course includes many raw aspects but also lots of protein, mine being home grown eggs and chicken, some greek yoghurt and the like..I love the way I feel on raw, but worry, like so many other that I don't get enough protein..
I am on raw as of today and every half day, but I am fighting hard to remain raw throughout my days..all day..

To PennyPower...eat what makes you feel your best...don't listen to the nonbelievers..your body is your proof...Good luck.

[Pennypower]

Thank you so much everybody. I feel better :)

[JennaHoneyBear]

And avocado, because it's too fattening.

oh jeez ya! I was reading in a magazine to skip avocado and sub cucumber on salads because it's sooooo fattening! ridiculous!! :rolleyes:

[DeniseM]

Having known a number of folks in the fitness industry -- there's a very anti-sugar attitude among bodybuilders and fitness competitors, most of it based on the idea that excess sugar is stored immediately as fat (whereas complex carbs provide a slower release of energy). What most of them don't realize is that fruit, even high-sugar fruit like bananas, is typically low to moderate on a glycemic scale and doesn't cause nearly the blood sugar spike that refined sugar does. There is so much emphasis on macronutrients in bodybuilding diets that fruit (unfortunately) get lumped in with other sources of simple sugar, and gets a bad rap for that reason.

Eating fruit as part of a raw food diet also has a MUCH different effect than eating fruit along with cooked starches and grains. If your body is already getting most of its energy from cooked complex carbs, then fruit is more likely to cause fat storage -- which might be something your friends and sister have experienced and why they are not so keen on fruit.

What's ironic is that post-workout shakes are typically loaded with sugars (especially dextrose or maltodextrin) to induce an insulin spike... yet natural fruit sugar is supposedly bad? :confused:

Anyway, it's unlikely you can say much to change their minds -- which is fine, as you're walking your own path and they're walking theirs. :)

[Katie P]

Is there a difference in the glycemic load w/ fruit vs. complex carbs such as whole grains?

[bikediva]

I think this is one of the huge sticking points about raw. People think that fruit, and especially fresh fruit juice, is full of sugar that will cause hyperglycemia in diabetics, and fat storage. This seems so intuitively ridiculous to me. How can a FRUIT which is natural from a TREE be unhealthy? How many animals eat mainly fruit and are lean and full of energy? I can see really dense stuff like agave or dried dates as potentially probematic, but fruit?! I mean, that was the first thing God gave Adam and Eve to eat...in their perfect world.

:mad:It makes me so mad!!!:mad:

Revvell...I would jump at the chance to hire you if you could teach me HOW TO DEAL with people who criticize raw! :p

[Raw.N.It.Out]

You know, it's always weird to me why adults think they have to defend themselves or justify to others why they do something.



~Insecurity~

[Revvell]

Revvell...I would jump at the chance to hire you if you could teach me HOW TO DEAL with people who criticize raw! :p

I can do that. lol I can teach people how to deal with car salesmen too. :D

[Pennypower]

Thanks so much everyone for your encouragement. I realized over the past few days exactly why I need so much fruit sugar, specifically in the morning. I didn't have my morning smoothie for 3 days straight, for various reasons, and by the end of the day I was binging on any sugar that I could find. If I don't have substantial amounts of fruit early in the morning, I start craving it like a mad woman. Then I can't control myself.
When it comes to my body, I'm not positive if my need for sugar is related to a craving caused by something unbalanced (like candida) or if it's just that my body needs and wants sugar for all the right reasons. Either way, ultimately, raw is what I need. Now if only I can get back on it........

[Tenuho]

too much sugar even from fruit, is bad for you though, it depends some people are better with fruit than others, just the way white sugar confuses the body fruit can aswell, then it just dumps acid on it to break it down the body gets overly acidic and all kinda crap happens......but eating alot of fruit is a good way to start or get back to raw....

[SevenKindsOfCookie]

too much sugar even from fruit, is bad for you though, it depends some people are better with fruit than others

I agree. Especially if you're not the athletic type then too much fruit will be bad for you. If you are going to eat all that sugar then you better make use out of it. Eating ten bananas for lunch and then go back to your desk job isn't such a good idea.

[belleadonna]

I think this is one of the huge sticking points about raw. People think that fruit, and especially fresh fruit juice, is full of sugar that will cause hyperglycemia in diabetics, and fat storage. This seems so intuitively ridiculous to me. How can a FRUIT which is natural from a TREE be unhealthy? How many animals eat mainly fruit and are lean and full of energy? I can see really dense stuff like agave or dried dates as potentially probematic, but fruit?! I mean, that was the first thing God gave Adam and Eve to eat...in their perfect world.

:mad:It makes me so mad!!!:mad:

Revvell...I would jump at the chance to hire you if you could teach me HOW TO DEAL with people who criticize raw! :p

Amen. I don't know why fruit always gets a bad rap. It's a perfectly wonderful food. Even dried fruits are great if they are sun dried. Dates are not really dried. If they sit in the store a long time it appears that they are dried.
I love fruit and even the non sweet fruits like cukes, peppers, tomatoes, squash, etc... (salivating!!)

Don't make your food a topic of discussion to non-believers. It will only discourage and dissuade you. Go with what your body says. I found this out the hard way. Too many nay-sayers and so called experts. Who knows better than you how you feel?! ;)

[cara4art]

I know - I hear this all the time over on a fitness/wellness board where I hang out. Granted, there are a lot of young people over there who don't know about the benefits of fruit. All they hear is that it has sugar in it and they think it's bad. They hear about Britney Spears who went on a strict diet that excluded fruit "because it has too much sugar" and they believe that...To hear some of them talk, you'd think that eating a piece of fruit was as bad as eating a candy bar - I don't THINK so! Or if anything has any calories in it it must be bad - yikes! One young one was moaning about chia seeds having "so many calories"(what about all those junk food fests???). I mean, if one eats, one is ingesting calories, it's a matter of what kind - yikes! I've even mentioned over on that board that they should check out lean raw foodists who load up on fruit. Granted, one can handle more fruit the more active one is. Even Alissa in her book explains how fruit is NOT the devil, even for people with blood sugar problems and also tells how to ease in and balance the fruit with other foods.
Another thing that gets my goat is the constant admonitions for post-menopausal women to follow a low-carbohydrate diet, even limiting fruit. If said women(and I'm a post-menopausal by 12 years myself)would just ditch the starch and junk, they'd be a whole lot better off, but we need our non-starchy carbs, which the raw food diet supplies in abundance. They work differently in the body than refined foods as most people who are here know. Exactly what balance of fruits vs. vegetables along with how much fat is an individual thing. Some people do well on high-fruit, others do better with lower-fruit(but not NO-fruit)and higher fat and veggie intake. "Your mileage may vary" definitely applies here.
Last but not least, green smoothies with chia seeds added can ease one's worries about fruit sugar if one is still worried after the above.

[Pennypower]

Cara4art,
Sorry it took so long for me to get this:o
I agree with you totally. People have different ways of eating raw that are more right for them, more or less sugar, fat, and so on.
I know I should definately be drinking green smoothies every morning, but I tend to put almonds in them instead, because I like that so much, but I'd probably feel better on more green smoothies ;)

[Green_Woman]

Yeah, cuz whatever Britney Spears does is obviously a great personal choice for our Bodies.


*snork*

[Katie P]

yeah, cuz whatever britney spears does is obviously a great personal choice for our bodies.


*snork*

lmao!!!!!!!!

[MangoMyst]

Well, Just have your sister read about Alissa and how long she has been raw and how much fruit she eats every day...Alissa works out every day and and GLOWS!! No amount of protein shake, meat and low sugar chemical supplements will ever take the place of fruit or fruit sugar! so get your fruit on and be happy...Just let your sister know that experience is the BEST teacher...and hope that one day she can experience how great and radiant you feel being raw!:)

[freelee]

They hear about Britney Spears who went on a strict diet that excluded fruit "because it has too much sugar" and they believe that...

- oh dear its sad :-( Fruit was put there by our mother nature for us to feast on! I have never felt better since being on a high fruit sugar diet, it's wonderful and I have never seen anyone who hasn't improved their health on the same eating plan.

No amount of protein shake, meat and low sugar chemical supplements will ever take the place of fruit or fruit sugar! so get your fruit on and be happy.

Nice mangomyst!

[PinguimPraiero]

I can just picture Miss Spears talking about fruit, as she sips on a Cuba Libre . . .

Sorry, I couldn't resist. :o

[drolemil]

I don't want to be a wet blanket, but for certain people even fruit sugars can be damaging. Not everyone, but mostly people with diseases like candida or cancer. The diseases feast on the sugars. Most people who overcome cancer on raw stick to vegetables until it is completely gone, and then go back to enjoying fruit. Some people have to avoid fruits their whole life, though. The main point is that while processed sugars and fruit sugars are different, they are both basically a sugar.

I happen to enjoy my bananas. ;)

[EZ rider]

I think that moderate eating and waiting for a slight hunger signal before eating can help reduce sugar levels.