Rethinking Fructose – Why Sweet Fruits Might Be One Reason for Your High Cholesterol
You might be surprised what leads to higher cholesterol levels in your body that you put in your mouth. Strangely, it’s not the cholesterol in things like chicken, fish, or duck eggs.
Consider eating a diet that contains more fiber. Start with more salad. Leafy greens are good and simple to add to your dinner table. And garbanzo bean salad, which is actually a fruit salad, is also a good place to start.
Another good one is non-sweet fruit. That is, fruits that are low in fructose. First, start by adding more of what are called veggie fruits to your diet. These consist of the following.
- Veggie Fruits: Peppers, pumpkins, cucumbers, peas, string beans, eggplant, okra, olives, avocados, corn, zucchini, and beans.
- Berries: strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries,
- Citrus fruits: lemons, limes, oranges, grapefruit
- Stone fruits: peaches, nectarines, apricots, plums
Melons: watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, kiwi fruit, pineapple, papaya, and mango (the last two contain some fructose, but in lower amounts compared to other fruits).
Fruits that are high in fructose include apples, pears, grapes, mangoes, cherries, pineapples, persimmons, and watermelons.
Fructose consumption has been linked to an increase in cholesterol levels in some studies. When fructose is consumed in excess amounts, it can lead to the production of lipids (fat) in the liver, including very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) cholesterol, which can increase the risk of developing high cholesterol levels.
The liver is responsible for converting excess fructose into glucose, which can then be stored in the liver as glycogen or released into the bloodstream to provide energy for the body. However, when the liver becomes overloaded with fructose, it can’t process it all at once, and some excess fructose is converted into fat in the liver. This process is called de novo lipogenesis (DNL).
When DNL occurs, the liver produces more VLDL particles, which contain triglycerides and cholesterol. These VLDL particles are then transported to other tissues in the body, where they can be broken down into low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol or “bad” cholesterol. High LDL cholesterol levels in the blood are associated with an increased risk of heart disease and stroke.
Therefore, it’s important to consume fructose in moderation and to focus on getting most of your carbohydrates from whole foods like non-sweet fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. A balanced diet and regular exercise can help maintain healthy cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease.
Finally, if it has a label, avoid it. Fill your plate with single ingredients that don’t need labels to tell you what is in them. If your eyes cannot identify every ingredient on your plate, avoid it. Keep it simple.
And when you eat meat, do it in moderation. Go on a Lent diet for a while to get started, and limit your egg intake to 3-4 per week. Maybe an egg every other day.
And for heaven’s sake, stay far away from high fructose corn syrup.
– Michael James Loomis – https://chewdigest.com