Is it true that the sweeter the fruit, the higher the calories?

Myth: "The sweeter the fruit, the higher the calories"

There is a rumor that the sweeter the fruit, the higher the calories. Therefore, eating non-sweet fruit can avoid excessive calories.

Rumor analysis: Actually, this is not the case.

There is no direct relationship between the sweetness of fruit and its calories. The most likely component of fruit that causes it to be high in calories is actually carbohydrates. Sweet fruits do not necessarily contain a lot of sugar, and some fruits that do not taste sweet may be hidden sugar and calorie bombs. When many people eat fruit, they tend to choose some fruits that do not taste sweet. Because there are rumors that the sweeter the fruit, the higher the calories. Is this true? Can eating fruits that are not sweet really avoid excessive calories?

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The sweetness of fruit has no direct relationship with its calories

In fact, the sweetness of fruit has no direct relationship with its calories. The most likely reason for its high sweetness is the type of carbohydrates in the composition of the fruit. The main reason for the high calories in fruit is its carbohydrate content.

The carbohydrates in fruits are mainly divided into starch, dietary fiber, and sugars such as glucose, maltose, fructose, and sucrose. Professionally, the sweetness of sucrose is set at 1. Fructose is equal to 1.2 times sucrose, glucose is equal to 0.7 times sucrose, and maltose is equal to 0.6 times sucrose. Therefore, in terms of sweetness ranking, fructose>sucrose>glucose.

In other words, when the sugar content is the same, the higher the proportion of fructose in the overall sugar, the sweeter the fruit will taste.

For example, watermelon actually does not have a high sugar content, with only 6g of sugar in 100g of flesh. But because a large part of the sugar in watermelon is fructose, watermelon tastes particularly sweet. Similar fruits include strawberries, papayas, mangoes, cantaloupes, plums, apricots, bayberries, cherry tomatoes, etc. The sugar content in each 100g of flesh is actually around 5~8g, which is not very high among fruits.

Another typical example of fruits that are sweet because of the high fructose content is the Sunshine Rose grape. The reason why it tastes so sweet is that, on the one hand, its sugar content is indeed higher than other fruits, and on the other hand, the fructose content in the sugar it contains is also higher. Therefore, it is no wonder that the Sunshine Rose grape is so sweet among all fruits.

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Sweet fruits do not necessarily have a lot of sugar, and some fruits that do not taste sweet may be hidden sugar & calorie bombs. There are three main reasons why fruits do not taste sweet but are high in calories:

① Contains a lot of sugar, but more acid. For example, passion fruit, although it tastes sour and it is difficult to feel the presence of sugar, in fact, there are nearly 11g of sugar in 100g of flesh, which is almost twice that of watermelon.

② They mainly contain carbohydrates that are not so sweet, especially starch. For example, durian, jackfruit, etc., although they taste sweet, their sweetness will not make people feel alert and think that they are high in calories. But in fact, their starch content is very high, so the calories are also high. For example, the calories of eating 10 jackfruits are equivalent to a bowl of rice, and eating only two small pieces of durian can reach the calories of a bowl of rice. In other words, the bowl of rice that we work hard to eat may be accidentally replenished by eating fruit after the meal.

③ The fat content is relatively high. For example, the coconut meat in coconuts. The fat content of coconut meat is very high, about 33.5 grams per 100 grams. The coconut meat of a coconut is about 400 grams. If you eat it all, the fat intake is as high as nearly 130 grams, which is equivalent to nearly 150 grams of pork fat.

Of course, there are some fruits that are both sweet and high in calories. For example, bananas are not only sweet, but also have a high starch content. The calories in one banana are equivalent to half a bowl of rice. The same is true for winter dates, which are in season. You only need to eat eight or nine of them now, and the calories are almost the same as a bowl of rice. The sugar content of pomegranates is also not low, with 13.7g of sugar in 100g.

The correct way to eat fruit

But then again, even if fruits are high in calories, it doesn’t mean we can’t eat them.

According to the "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents", we should consume 200-350g of fruit every day to ensure the intake of beneficial nutrients such as vitamins and dietary fiber. For those who want to lose weight, choose low-calorie, low-fructose fruits and control the intake, and you can still eat fruits with confidence.

For those who need to control blood sugar, they need to further reduce the overall fruit intake on this basis. Usually, it is healthier not to exceed 100g per meal and no more than 200g per day. When choosing fruits, you need to consider calories, GI value and GL value, that is, glycemic index and glycemic load. Give priority to fruits with three lows (low calories, low GI, low GL), such as apples, peaches, apricots, plums, strawberries, cherries, citrus fruits, etc.

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It is also important to note that if the fruit is made into juice, it will also have a greater impact on blood sugar. This is because the mixing and grinding process of the juice will cause the sugar in the pulp cells to become free sugar, which is easier to be absorbed by the body, thus causing blood sugar fluctuations. In addition, juice often filters out beneficial substances such as dietary fiber, so it is not easy to feel full when drinking it, and it is easy to drink more than the standard. If you want to eat fruit, it is better to eat it directly.

Looking in the mirror of rumors

Although this rumor sounds like it fits some people's intuitive understanding of healthy eating, it is actually a misleading statement and does not provide scientific evidence to support the viewpoint. It is based on a subjective, unproven assumption. In the face of such rumors, we need to maintain rational thinking, use scientific knowledge to evaluate, and seek verification from multiple sources. At the same time, we should also pay attention to personal experience and the opinions of professionals.

Author: Hydra popular science author

Review丨Zhong Kai, Director of Kexin Food and Health Information Exchange Center