Flip Your Metabolic Switch By Avoiding This Single Ingredient

December 31, 2014
Ann Louise Gittleman, PhD, CNS

Ann Louise Gittleman, PhD, CNS

Award-winning nutritionist and New York Times bestselling author.

Uncover The Sneaky Sugar Making You Fat!

Do you ever grab a snack while you’re on the go, just to find yourself even hungrier shortly after you’ve eaten it?

I have heard friends and family jokingly refer to this as “jump-starting” their appetite, but new research indicates that depending on the snack, you may actually be doing just that.

The focus of this brand new research by Kathleen Page and her team at the University of Southern California is on fructose.

Sounds sweet, doesn’t it?  You might rethink that after I tell you the facts.

Breaking It Down

Sugar as we most commonly know it is sucrose—a disaccharide made of glucose and fructose bonded together.

Separately, both of these molecules taste sweet, but they have dramatically different health implications.

Glucose is associated with a natural insulin response, giving us quick energy and a feeling of satisfaction after our meal.  However, glucose feeds bacteria, yeast and other pathogens and is high on the glycemic index.

All Sugars Are Not Created Equal…

In contrast, Page and her team have confirmed that fructose intake does not illicit a “normal” insulin response.

And what’s more it even disrupts our hormonal appetite cues, leaving us hungrier and hungrier with each bite or sip because our normal satiety response is blocked.

Since 1970, the use of fructose as a sweetener has skyrocketed due to its inexpensive production and positive feedback in taste tests.

Glycemic index research showed that fructose did not register high on that scale, which mistakenly opened the door to using fructose in a myriad of packaged food and drink.

Data collected in 2008 reported that as much as 72.8 grams of fructose per day was a standard intake for teens, which is nearly double the amount considered average 10 years ago.

This not-so-sweet ingredient has received more negative attention in the past few years under the name “high fructose corn syrup,” but there are plenty of other ways it is sneaking into your diet—think agave (at 90% fructose), fruit juice sweetened yogurt and muffins, and even apple juice which has more fructose than soda!   

Whole fruits are a natural source of fructose of course, but they also offer balancing fiber, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and flavonols that offset the negative effects of fructose alone.

You will certainly want to avoid any added sugars, though. Even marinara sauce and sun dried tomatoes pack a punch of unsuspected sugars.  Sticking to whole, natural foods is always your best bet!

Face the Fructose Facts

Fructose…

  • Increases ghrelin, an appetite-stimulating hormone
  • Activates enzymes that cause cells to accumulate fat
  • Contributes to cardiovascular disease by decreasing LDL particle size
  • Speeds up aging by forming high levels of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and by affecting wrinkle-preventing collagen in our skin
  • Feeds cancer cells
  • Increases uric acid levels—a major predictor of obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and fatty liver disease

Surprising Sources of Fructose

Per 200-Calorie serving

  • Unsweetened applesauce 28,007 mg
  • Agave 26,028 mg
  • Fat-Free Italian, French and thousand island salad dressings 23,790 mg
  • Jars of baby food 22,174 mg
  • Recovery sports beverages 20,124 mg
  • Bread and butter pickles 19,362 mg
  • Ketchup 19,152 mg
  • Barbeque sauce 18,714 mg
  • Tomato juice 18,118 mg
  • Balsamic vinegar 16,773 mg
  • Iceberg lettuce 14,289 mg
  • Miso 6,029 mg
  • Baked beans 3,319 mg

What You Can Do

  • Select fresh, whole foods that are in season and avoid pre-packaged snacks and meals.
  • Incorporate a powerful probiotic like Flora-Key to improve your body’s ability to metabolize natural sugars even when stress wipes out your immune system.
  • Make water your number one thirst-quenching beverage. Add fresh-squeezed lemon or pure unsweetened cranberry juice to jazz it up.
  • When recipes do call for a sweet flavor, try a natural option with other health benefits like raw local honey, grade B maple syrup, date sugar, stevia or monk fruit which contains fructose balanced with mogrosides, a powerful antioxidant that lowers cholesterol, triglycerides and blood sugar while improving liver function and reducing histamines.

One thing is for sure…Don’t fool with fructose. In 2015, let’s all get lean!

I’ve been truly blessed to have all of you in my life this year. From my heart to yours, Happy New Year and best wishes for a fulfilling and magical 2015…may all your dreams come true!

Related Articles and Podcasts

Ann Louise Gittleman, PhD, CNS, is an award-winning New York Times bestselling author of more than thirty books including The Fat Flush Plan series and her latest book, Radical Metabolism. She’s been rewriting the rules of nutrition for more than 40 years and is internationally recognized as a pioneer in the field of diet, detox and women’s health issues. 

For a FREE daily dose of tips and strategies for maintaining healthy weight, conquering insomnia, and much more…check out my Radical Health Tips.

I’d like to meet and greet you on my Facebook groups, so won’t you check us out at the Radical Metabolism RevolutionFat Flush Nation, or my Inner Circle!

15 Comments

  1. Martha Kimbel

    Ann Louise,
    Thank you for all you do to keep us healthy.
    Im so thankful for your products. I use
    them everyday. I hope you have a great 2015
    & that everything you touch will prosper & succeed. I wish you all the best!
    Blessings,
    Martha Kimbel
    Atlanta, GA

    Reply
  2. Ann Louise

    Martha:

    Thank you for your lovely acknowledgement! I send you all my best wishes and many blessings fof the new year!

    Ann Louise

    Reply
  3. Delia

    Dear Ann Louise:

    Thank you for always providing the most accurate and straightforward info regarding health and healing. I love these blogs and have been a devoted fan for nearly 20 years. Happy New Year and I look forward to more enlightening research in 2015.

    Reply
  4. Jen

    Dear Dr. G:

    Happy, happy New Year. Wanted to add my 2 cents and say “thank you” for all you do. Too often, posters on the Internet don’t realize all the work that goes into blogs and articles.
    I appreciate everything you do and the care you take in answering all of our questions and concerns on FaceBook.
    Best wishes,
    Jen

    Reply
  5. Monica

    I wonder if it might be a bit more complicated than avoiding sugar. I’m 52, in ketosis and not losing weight. Presumably it’s related to menopausal/adrenal issues which cascade into thyroid/testosterone etc problems. Heavy metal toxicity/food sensitivities/iodine deficiency are things I’ll be tested for this year.

    Reply
  6. Jeri T.

    Monica: Of course, ALG knows this as she has written for years – way before anyone else- about the weight connetion to sluggish adrenals, thyroid, and heavy metal toxicity. UNI KEY Health Systems – her only qualified fulfillment center – offers adrenal panel testing, HTMAs, and iodine deficiency tests.

    The blog is fascinating becauses it doesn’t just talk about “sugar” which everyone is aware of…It targets fructose, where it is hidden in healthy foods, and how it is the most deceptively “fattening” of all the sugars.

    Since this is a New Year’s blog, I am sure ALG wanted to keep the message rather simple and basic as we all get on track with a clean slate.

    Check out ALL her books on the topics you are concerned about, because she has written over 25 books on menopause, adrenals, thryoid, heavy metals, and other environmental assaults.

    Reply
  7. Karen

    Thank YOU Ann Louise for all the excellent information you give us all year long. While I am a LONG way from being lean and healthy, your tips are incorporated all the time to make me and my better half have longer healthier lives to enjoy.

    Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

    Reply
  8. Diana Fraser

    I appreciate all the valuable information you put out there, Dr. Ann Louise! I am needing a specific bit of advice. I have recently (2 weeks ago) broken my collarbone (shattered) in a bicycle accident. I am looking at all of my options regarding supplements that will help my bones heal well. What do you recommend? I am eating an anti-inflammatory diet and taking your women’s female multiple. Any further recommendations?

    Reply
  9. Amy

    You Rock! Thanks for all your knowledge of Heath! Also for answering question your fans have. That is awesome! Yes I pledge to have a leaner body this year! Say no to sugar! It’s the enemy !

    Reply
  10. Ann Louise

    So sorry to hear of your accident, Diana. In general, I would include several cups of bone broth into your diet (a good recipe can easily be accessed from the Internet) which will help provide the building blocks for your own collarbone to heal. In addition, I would add up to four tablespoons of Great Lakes beef gelatin spread throughout the day. For the most targeted healing, do consider a tissue mineral analysis (TMA) which will assess the status of all your bone building and toxic minerals and heavy metals. This is critical to know as calcium supplementation may not be recommended at all – but more magnesium and HCL!! Do call Sierra at 208-209-8253 who can send a kit out to you and further explain the benefits of this test for you at this time. Good luck and I am sending my most sincere and heartfelt healing thoughts to you!!

    Reply
    • Diana Fraser

      Thank you so very much! I will do as you suggest! I have done 3 Hair Strand Analysis tests through UniKey and was very pleased with the thorough recommendations. I am using all 3 tests from the past to help guide me. Thanks again for the other suggestions!

      Reply
      • Team ALG

        So happy that you are pleased with the HTMA reports. Thank you for your comment!

        Reply
  11. Ann Louise

    Hi Again Diana: OOPS. I gave you Liz Patton’s telephone number rather than Sierra’s but either ladies will help you with any concerns or questions.

    Reply
  12. Marissa Vasbinder

    It’s difficult to avoid fructose since it’s quite ubiquitous in many processed foods. I’m starting eating organic step by step so I haven’t avoided it completely. I’ve heard good things about stevia but I haven’t tried it yet – maybe I’ll do it soon. Thanks for the article!

    Reply
  13. Claudine

    I have seen a blog post, where they criticize Coca cola, Pepsi for using too much suger in their drinks, that can harm human health.

    After read your post here, I have to agree 100% and that make scene.

    Thank you for specifying suger factor in weight gaining.

    Reply

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  1. 7 Sexy Hormone Tune-Ups For Lasting Weight Loss | Ann Louise Gittleman - […] Avoid foods high in fructose, which stimulate the appetite. Obvious offenders are processed foods and drinks that contain high…

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