Fruit has sugar. Candy and soda have sugar. Why is eating a whole mango healthier than eating a candy bar?
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“Over 90% of the calories in mango come from sugar, which is why it may contribute to increased blood sugar in people with diabetes. Yet, this fruit also contains fiber and various antioxidants, both of which play a role in minimizing its overall blood sugar impact”
165g of mango – roughly one whole mango – has 23g of sugar. A 2 oz Snickers bar (57g) contains 29g of sugar. So a whole mango actually contains less sugar than a candy bar does, even though the mango is much larger.
The mango also has fiber and nutrients that the candy bar does not, and its sugars are released in a way that is less disruptive to your body chemistry.
That being said: fruits *aren’t* particularly healthy. They’re just less unhealthy than candy is.
The average soda has the same amount of calories as 1.5 apples. The average chocolate bar has the same amount of calories as 3 apples. Ask yourself what is easier to eat – a single chocolate bar or 3 apples?
The main health benefit that people derive from eating fruit is that fruit is mostly water and undigestible fiber. On a per calorie basis, eating fruit is just as bad for you as eating candy. But it takes much longer and is much more filling to eat 1 calorie of fruit than 1 calorie of candy.
That obviously doesn’t help you if you are eating large amounts of fruit. Say, for example, that instead of eating a chocolate bar you stick 3 apples and some ice into a blender and then drink the resulting smoothie. If you’re drinking that smoothie as a snack, rather than as a replacement for a meal, then what you’re doing is basically the same as eating the chocolate bar.
The type of sugar matters. Fructose actually has less of an effect on blood sugar than glucose.
Because fruit have more than just sugar in them.
Apart from fiber and various other nutrients (vitamins, elements like magnesium, iron, potassium etc), fruit also contain plenty of water, which is nice.
Obviously if you eat nothing but bananas and grapes, it won’t be super healthy either, balance is important everywhere.
But in terms of nutrition, weight by weight, I’d say fruit is always a better solution than a candy bar.
Remember moderation, and you can enjoy both.
57 grams worth of Snickers bar has 280 calories, which comes almost entirely from 29 grams of sugar and then a bunch of fat. It has essentially 0 nutrients.
57 grams worth of mango has around 35 calories, which mostly comes from 7 grams of sugar. It also has 5-20% of your daily amount of a dozen different nutrients.
The candy bar doesn’t just “have sugar”; it’s basically just a bar-shaped pile of pure sugar held in place by the cheapest fats they can find.
The fruit “has sugar”…and a lot less of it, and a lot of nutrients too.
There is also a psychology and eating habits part to it. A mango or other fruits need to be stored, washed, prepared etc. As an impulsive snack real fruit takes more planning and effort. Candy with its ease of storage, cheapness, and availability makes it far more likely to be abused. So it makes sense to encourage the overweight and out of shape to consume more fruit and less candy.
Another consideration is the concentration of sugar.
Yes they both have sugar. But candies and granulated sugar are literally the most concentrated form of sugar you can get in a food item.
[A snickers bar has sugar ranging from 22 – 54g per 100g of candy.](http://www.dietandfitnesstoday.com/sugar-in-a-snickers-bar.php)
[A mango has about 13.6g per 100g of fruit.](http://www.dietandfitnesstoday.com/sugar-in-a-mango.php)
So you’re getting way more sugar in candy than is possible in natural fruit.
Fruit has two crucial components that a candy bar doesn’t have much of, water and fibre. That means there is only so much of it you can get in you before you’re full, so even if the sugar content is high, there’s a limit how much of the stuff you can consume and it will last you a while. With candy bars, you have the sugar, as well as fat and you can eat several without feeling full at all. It’s one of the reasons you should have the whole fruit instead of juices or smoothies, that increases the quantity of fruit you can consume in one go exponentially and will spike your blood sugar.
You’re wrong about food, but you’re right about juice. This is why your doctor will tell you to stop letting your kids drink as much juice as they want for a parent they think is trying to make the right moves.
Your kid will eat an orange and be happy, but they’ll drink 20 oranges a day without a second thought. They’ll also eat 5 candy bars too.
That’s why fruit works. It is natures candy, but most people won’t overdo it because it takes time to eat an apple, peal an orange etc, and you get a lot more out of it than a concentrated version of that.
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