Love love love the way you present info. Other's would simply spout there findings as truth and fact. You on the other hand are clear about there being variables and how we just can't be sure about certain things. Much respect! Keep this up man!
I quit eating eggs for 20 years trying to lower my cholesterol. Nicks video on consuming 720 eggs in a month and his cholesterol going down started me eating 3 eggs every morning again! Thanks Nick for being the test subject and refuting MANY diet claims!
I'm 49 years old and heard that cholesterol BS when I was a kid. I never bought into any of it. It didn't make sense. I've kind of always looked at nutrition from a Hunter gatherer perspective. I had the mindset of "Go into the woods and find food" and to me the answers on what we should eat are obvious.
Fantastic review. Other points I'd throw in that would lead me to arguing for less fruit consumption: -human evolved away from fruit eating (to throw spears instead of climb trees) -high fruit diets can lead to tooth decay (sign of evolutionary discordance) -pesticide load (that makes fruit eating even possible for the most part)
Good points, Kevin. I’m thinking along these lines… With all the caveats around eating fruit (max dose, glycemic load, etc) it sure seems that we’re meant to live on meat. Fill up on muscle meat/fat, eggs, etc… and no need to concern ourselves with all those caveats.
Many tropical fruits have enzymes for protein, so we evolved to eat both. The problem is our sedentary lifestyles and, yes, pesticides. These are modern concerns. Along with genetic changes to fruit. So I agree that TODAY fruit is a problem, but it didn't used to be. Modern animal food isn't the same, either, but still closer to nature's intention. I'm low-carb, too, and got a headache from half a banana last time I tried. I can only tolerate berries anymore.
Tooth decay isn’t caused by fruit. Otherwise I wouldn’t have any teeth by now. Tooth decay is caused by unhealthy drinks like soda which has phosphoric acid. Agree on the pesticides point.
Regarding pesticide load, isn't it going to be higher in meat? I mean don't the cows eat plants? Those plants are sprayed with pesticides and herbicides and they accumulate in the animal when eaten. Any toxin that bioaccumulates is going to be higher in meat everything else being equal. It's well known and accepted that eating low on the food chain will lower the toxic load on the body. If you're worried about toxins in fruit you should really be worried about toxins in meat.
Growing up in California, with so much fresh local fruit available I always thought it was a healthy food! I never ate refined sugars after reading Sugar Blues in 1976, but in my 60s was becoming pre-diabetic. Keto took care of that and my cholesterol levels too. I do have a small of amount berries or citrus with my yogurt and walnuts for brunch now. Maybe a dried fig for a rare dessert. It’s a total dietary paradigm shift, and takes time. Love your work, keep it up!
There is literally no chance in hell you got prediabetes because of fruits. You got it for eating too many calories and saturated fats, added sugars combo.
Summary version 2: This video dives into the complex question of whether fruit is healthy and how much is too much, breaking it down into three main parts: ### 1. **Fructose vs. Fruit**: - **Fructose**, a sugar found in fruit, can be harmful in high doses, promoting metabolic syndrome, damaging mitochondria, and potentially aiding cancer growth. However, the fructose in whole fruits behaves differently than the fructose in processed foods like sodas or candies. - The intestines can transform fructose into glucose and other molecules before it reaches the liver, reducing its harmful effects. This process depends on the dose: small amounts of fructose (like those in whole fruits) are processed efficiently, but large doses (like in sugary drinks) can overwhelm the intestines, leading to fructose "spillover" into the liver, which is harmful. - Based on animal studies, the upper limit for fructose intake is around **1 gram per kilogram of body weight** (e.g., two mangoes for an average person). However, this threshold may be lower for humans, especially for those on low-carb diets, who may have a lower tolerance for fructose. ### 2. **Why the Scientific Literature on Fruit is Misleading**: - Studies on fruit consumption often suffer from **healthy user bias** (people who eat more fruit tend to have healthier lifestyles overall) and lump together metabolically different foods (e.g., raisins and blueberries). - Short-term studies may not reflect long-term health outcomes, and results from one population (e.g., athletes) may not apply to others (e.g., diabetics). - The comparison matters: if fruit replaces unhealthy foods like candy or donuts, it’s beneficial, but that doesn’t mean fruit is always the optimal choice compared to other whole foods like eggs or cheese. ### 3. **A Practical Guide to Ranking Fruits**: - Fruits can be ranked by **fructose content**, **glycemic index (GI)**, and **fiber content**: - **High-fructose fruits**: Mango, jackfruit, grapes, watermelon. - **Low-fructose fruits**: Berries (e.g., raspberries), kiwi, citrus fruits. - **High-GI fruits**: Watermelon, pineapple, mango, banana. - **Low-GI fruits**: Berries, grapefruit. - **High-fiber fruits**: Avocado, wild berries, pomegranates. - **Glycemic load** (GI multiplied by portion size) is also important-eating half a banana is different from eating three bananas. - Individual responses to fruits vary based on factors like gut microbiome, so personal experimentation is key. ### Key Takeaways: - **Fruit can be part of a healthy diet**, but it’s not necessary for everyone. The dose and context matter. - **Fructose in whole fruits** is less harmful than in processed foods due to intestinal processing, but excessive intake can still be problematic. - **No single parameter** (fructose, GI, fiber) fully captures the health impact of a fruit-consider the whole picture. - **Personal experimentation** (n=1 approach) is crucial: observe how different fruits affect your health and biomarkers. ### Fun Facts: - Strawberries aren’t technically berries, but watermelons are. - Bananas are clones, and apples in stores can be up to a year old due to preservation techniques. - Olive trees can live over 1,500 years. ### Conclusion: Fruit can be healthy in moderation, but its impact depends on individual factors like diet, health status, and portion size. Focus on what works best for your body and metabolic health. Whether you eat fruit or not, the goal is to prioritize overall metabolic health.
Great vid, Nick thanks for bringing the nuance in. Super interesting about the distinction between dietary fructose and the fructose that makes it to the liver. I will definitely check out that paper. As a matter of practicality, I find that taking out the high-sugar fruits really helps people who want to lose weight or reverse their T2D. It's probably less of a concern for people who are not worried about those things. This is why I feel like people in the Saladino (pro-fruit) camp and say the Westman (anti-fruit or anti-high-sugar fruit) are often talking past each other. They're each providing good advice, but for different kinds of people.
You should definitely hit up Paul Saladino to discuss the data on fruit. I respect the hell out of both you guys, and I think it would make for a, dare I say, fruitful endeavour.
Saladino convinced me to try carnivore. I applaud him for experimenting, but he is not an exceptional source of valid information. Will be interesting to follow him and see if he continues to seem extremely healthy, there are already questions in my mind, but that is just me.
@@Radoslav-gk7wu Yeah, not convinced of that at all, there are plenty of 'ultra' active people that drop dead. Had a family member much like Paul who is no longer with us...
This is my new favorite channel. Been doing the carnivore diet for two years now - really appreciate your nuanced explanations of the current literature. Cheers!
This is sooo timely for me. I’ve been on a low carb/ carnivorish diet for a long time but do crave fruit every now and then. I allow myself to have one fruit per day, like a pear lately. Today I had 2 oranges and was wondering if I should feel bad. Thank you for the video!
Fun Fact: Nowhere from any medical establishment or professional have I gotten this information. No one is making these connections and presenting the data like Nick. Thank you, Nick, for being you and doing what you're doing.
Veterinarians for large animals (herbivores and omnivores) usually think about it. You go the the vet and unless there is a would, first question is - what does the animal eat. They also know about protein balancing...
Veterinarians for large animals (herbivores and omnivores) usually think about it. You go the the vet and unless there is a would, first question is - what does the animal eat. They also know about protein balancing...
Super interesting! I've been doing a lot of at-home experiments with fruit, in an attempt to fix a sleep issue I developed after eating super low carb for so long (3 AM wakeups). This seems to be a common issue for people eating low carb long-term. I've found it to be helpful to consume some fruit with my last meal - with fats to buffer it. For me, peaches with coconut butter/milk work great. I've found that oftentimes fruit and even a bit of honey has almost no impact on my state of ketosis if I eat only a small portion and it also depends on the type of fruit - and if the food I ate before was higher in protein and fats. I never eat fruit alone as it can really spike your glucose levels. In testing out different fruits, I noticed that cherries have the worst/highest impact on my glucose levels, even when eating a high protein/high fat meal before.
You and I have talked about sleep issues before - a few months ago. I have to tell you that I have finally found the root problem: I was not eating enough protein. I was afraid that protein was going to spike my BG, and I was eating a high fat, lowish protein diet. In December I tripled my protein intake to at least 200 net grams, and halved my fat intake to no more than 100 net grams per day. I replaced beef, butter and eggs with chicken, turkey, fish and lean cuts of pork, plus some cottage cheese. My sleep problems immediately disappeared!!! (After 3 and a half years!!!) And amazingly, my BG went DOWN!!! My fasting BG went from 105 to 86!!! Look into Dr. Ted Naiman, Craig & Maria Emmerich, and Marty Kendall. They explain how fat can can raise insulin and BG - but we don't see it immediately because it happens after several hours. They call it energy toxicity - and this is exactly what was happening to me!! Maria Emmerich and Kelly Hogan also eat 200+ grams of net protein per day - and Maria E. mentions that this way she sleeps better. Fruits are NOT the answer!! I had NAFLD for 10 years, I know what I'm talking about...
What time do you go to bed? When I eat carnivore I find that 7.5 hours is my absolute max for sleep or I feel awful. I tend to go to bed at the same time as my toddler, so I'll wake up at 3:30-4 am ready fir the day.
@@aurapopescu1875 this is really interesting. I’m currently experimenting with increasing my protein intake too. I’m still eating fatty cuts of meat, but I’m not adding extra fat to my meals. I’m chasing sleep issues myself.
Be very very careful because what you're doing is similar to eating a chocolate bar which also has sugars and fats and will also help you to sleep... but not for the right reasons... just be very careful and realistic
I have heard much fruit eaters who state they eat in an ancestral type fashion. We all know most fruit is not available year round but most people eat fruit year round. Also if eating a year old apple doesn’t put into perspective what is needed to make apples available year round, nothing else will give people pause on how eating fruit can be detrimental.
Even in the months when fruits grow naturally, finding them in a jungle is extremely difficult, and most people don't realize how dangerous it is to climb trees; we are not monkeys
@@Amandahugginkizz this was proven all over again to be a ketard lie. I've experienced many native wild fruits which are big and very sweet, instead of being lifeless fibrous foods. Next time you're gonna say that honey has been made more attractive by Big Sugar.
Thank you for another very interesting video! As a functional medicine MD in Sweden I work a lot with helping my patents to reduce, fasting insulin, blood pressure, body weight, fatty liver and more, mostly by reducing carbohydrates. Fructose is a very interesting subject and the more I learn, the more interesting it is!
Best info on fruit I've run across. We've been told that fructose is only processed in the liver, but I never heard before that the intestines could buffer the amount that gets to the liver. Nevertheless, I eat mostly low fructose fruits, except watermelon, which has that citrulline so isn't all bad!
Fascinating . Had been cutting out fruit . Recently had a flair up of very body based ptsd and developed an overwhelming craving for an apple . Fought the urge for several hours and finally listened to my poor nervous system. Ate one apple . I don't know why but it seemed to calm my nervous system . Still not making it a constant habit but will listen to my body more when it's in that state . Curious as to why it helped my sympathetic nervous system stabilize.
I eat one granny smith apple per day. It really is true that an apple a day keeps the doctor away, and I state that from data as I measure my labs regularly and as part of my diet, that one apple provides me about 15% of my RDA of vitamin C. I get another 15% from berries. I get the remainder of my vitamin C either through bell peppers, brussels sprouts or broccoli, one of which I have at least 3 days a week and are so high in vitamin C that when averaged over a week with my fruit consumption, it gives me my RDA. My labs are all excellent, only my ApoB is in the moderate range (not optimal) because I am expressing the LMhR phenotype and it is, in fact (along with other carbs) that apple that allows me to attenuate the triad and my ApoB.
I've been wondering the same thing. I've noticed the same with myself. I listened to a RUclips video on Diary of a CEO where he interviewed Dr. Anna Lembke regarding Dopamine. I wonder if the sugar hit is the thing? Aren't our brains fascinating?
@@deltanine2468 I was a garbage and sugar junkie for decades . Quit sugar and processed carbs two years ago . If I were going to indulge in a sweet it would be better quality than that .
Thank you so much, I’ve been asking this question since I started low carb/keto in 2021. No one has been able to answer as comprehensively as you have. This is a brilliant video. I love fruit and I hated the complete ban that many influencers had. Sadly lemons and apple cider vinegar have eroded a lot of my tooth enamel so I now have to be careful with fruit that is too acidic as well. 😢😅❤
Always excellent content. As a type one diabetic..I tend to stick to berries, but I do indulge in other fruit..but it's correct..I monitor the portion carefully.
Another awesome video! One thing I never hear much about is seasonality of diet, as well as how our ancient ancestry may play a role in what we should eat. For example, a friend of mine has parents from SE Asia, which is tropical and has fruit year around. His ancestors from 1000+ years ago likely ate very differently than my ancestors from the parts of Europe that are now Germany, France, and the UK. For equatorial cultures, there may have been less seasonality of food availability. For cultures far from the equator, there were periods of "forced carnivore" (or nearly so) and periods abundant with fruits, nuts, seeds, tubers, etc. Interestingly, those cultures would often eat tons of fruits in season and put on 10-20lbs of fat, thus fattening up for winter. Carnivore diet in the winter would lack those sugary (and linoleic acid containing nuts) and thus body fat would be burned instead of stored. I think "Paleo" and now "Ancestral" inspiration for diet is fascinating but that we can also be inspired by our own personal ancestry and seasonality of food availability. Some things may always be theoretical without any studies to support.. but also, all research started with theories. STAY CURIOUS!
I eat every day 200g of dates + around 100g of honey, on top of sweet potatoes and rice. So very high-carb diet in general for most people. I feel fine, have a six-pack almost all year round, and my blood work is also fine. I'm very skeptical if fructose is really that bad.
Hi Nick. About your banana : calcium critique: Just because a food has a certain amount of a nutrient, it does not mean that is how much we absorb (or are able to use). We'd need an absorption scale similar to the protein digestibility-corrected amino acid score (PDCAAS), but for plant matter. Seeing as bananas are a plant food, and we (humans) don't have the digestive enzymes to break down plant cell walls (although some of our intestinal bacteria can), I believe the amount of nutrients absorbed from fruit and vegetables is much lower than the amount trapped in the plant food.
Thank you for this - best video about fruit/fructose/metabolism I have encountered to date. It starts to clear away some cobwebs. And thanks for the concise explanation of difference between glycemic index and glycemic load.
I heard a doctor say you should only eat fruit that grows in your country and in season. So here in the UK I wait to eat strawberries/raspberries in the summer and apples and pears in the autumn so I only eat fruit for approx 5 months and it works for me. So tropical fruits are a no no. It is so easy to go to a supermarket and buy any fruit at any time of the year.
I live in a place with avocado, mango, lemon and orange trees... 20 years ago our local supermarket would sell locally picked avocados, it would even have a timestamp for when it had been picked. They would be in all sized. Now all their avocados weight exactly 100g, and come from the other side of the planet, like Peru and Chile. If I eat an avocaco from my friends garden, I could eat one every day for a week and not feel bad at all. BUT if I eat one of those small ones from the supermarket, I can't even eat a half, and will have to throw the other away, because of my bodys response! Fruit isn't just fruit! Is it maturing on the tree vs in a storage room? 🤷♀️ Getting sunlight in the end growth fase? The lack of toxins (I don't know if they use toxins in Peru or Chile). Hand picked by me vs the way it's handled by the supermarket? 🤷♀️ Same goes for locally grown pommegranate, oranges and lemons (I can't stand mangos). But I'm sorry. It's even much more complicated than what you presented... 😘
Any plant foods commercially grown for export are regularly dosed with chemical sprays. The growers must complete a spray programme of generally 25-50 chemical applications to be able to export their product. It's not a case of use it if necessary. The spray programme must be adhered to if you want to export your product. Locally grown, spray free (or at least minimally sprayed) produce is definitely going to be better for you.
I've heard people say that the longer it's been picked the less healthy for you it becomes. Like most fruit in stores has been picked long before it made it to the store. It's been "dead" for quite some time. Also our needs should be seasonal as well. Fruit from South America shipped to middle of the USA isn't meant for our bodies. Especially in the middle of winter. We should eat seasonally and locally.
Fantastic video Nick! I also suspect co-ingestion of other foods is really impactful. For instance try spiking your blood sugar with eating fruit while also eating a 12oz steak and 3 eggs. While I was wearing a CGM for fun I was never able to do so even when eating high glucose fruits like bananas and grapes. I suspect co-ingestion of fats and protein slow digestion to afford a higher capacity for intestinal fructose metabolism/conversion, but I haven't seen any studies on this. That said I suppose some people do snack on just fruits so the points about GI/GL are relevant for that. Overall thanks for making this video! 🙏🥝
The person matters much more than the food. A tall and big sportsman vs a short obese diabetic woman need to eat very differently. Focus in the person, not in the food. That what's I like with doctor Norwitz, he makes it clear.
They both could eat meat and eggs and do just fine. Like our ancestors Tribal people eat the same food. Inuit, seal caribou, fish , birds. Native Americans too.
If the woman is diabetic she is currently very sick. The assumption in any of these discussions about food by Nick is that we're talking about nutrition from the POV of being metabolically healthy and what these different foods roles are in maintaining metabolic health. Of course, if one is critically ill they first need to get better before any of this applies to them; that should go without saying.
@@amyfarrell8799 to be clear, even though the Inuit definitely qualify as carnivore diets, about the only plant material they ever did get in quantity (in the summer) was berries. Native Americans who lived further south ate significant quantities of fruit when it was in season.
This is really helpful for me because I had been watching my systolic blood pressure creep up on an essentially Paleo diet with lots of fruit. I eliminated all fruit (except some berries) for a few weeks and now seeing BP drop. N=1 🤷♂️
Eyes thrown wide open on fructose & its metabolism. Want to dig more deeply into this information, and begin to "test-drive" some berries and citrus in my diet. Curious to see how I respond to that. Always many thanks and great appreciation for your teaching, and special thanks for this one. It really opened some new perspective to think through.
Thanks for the video nick on fruits. Would be interesting to have included the glycemic load of different foods to better reflect the glucose/insulin response from a given fruit serving. And what you're eating the food, fiber and fats seem to slow the release of glucose from starches and sugars in fruit.
Nice to know those tiny oranges are okay. I love Keto French toast. But, my elderly Italian wife wants me to eat other Keto meals. I googled "Who invented French toast"! She guessed the French. Wrong! It was Italians! She might be starting to become more tolerant of my favorite Keto brunch. Someday..😊
I recall an old Usenet thread on this topic. Someone guessimated that up to 15 grams per day would induce greater insulin sensitivity and after that with larger amounts the effects would be adverse. Anyway, it may have a hormetic effect at low levels. Mice have a adjustment factor of 6 or 7 as the denominator. His numbers pretty well match.
I went on a ketogenic diet and lost just under 100lbs over a decade ago. When my sweet tooth kicked in I would buy an Asian pear and eat it on my way home from work. Worked every time, didn’t seem to impact my weight loss and subsequent weight maintenance. And the best part is it didn’t trigger gas/cramps/diarrhea. And I can eat one and be satisfied, but if I eat a sweet mass production chocolate, it’s like an addiction and I just can’t stop myself.
I truly appreciate you explaining some of the negative potential concerns of fruit like sugar spikes and fructose toxicity but was wondering what your thoughts are on some special benefits from fruits like their phyto chemicals; carotenoids, flavonoids and phenolics on reducing chronic inflammation.
Wonderful video that gives VERY important details that are often not noted in the debate. Funny that one of Dr. Lugstic (sp?) Short videos came up just before this where he shared the difference between glucose and fructose in mice.
What about higher deuterium content in fruit? Have you researched that too? As far as I know fruit consumption might be latitude and season specific because body deuterium depletion mechanisms depend on temperature and sunlight
You can actually drink a glass of pure deuterium and it won't harm you. There is actually a community of folks who build their own fusion reactors (you'll hear about the 12 year olds that build their own fusion reactor on the news, but there is a much larger contingent of adults that build their own Farnsworth fusers). As part of that hobby people need to obtain pure deuterium as the source of hydrogen for the fusion reaction. I hang out in this group of people and folks in that group have drunk deuterium (it is very expensive so they haven't consumed a lot). No ill effects have been noted by anyone. Considering that drinking a shot glass of pure deuterium is the equivalent deuterium load of eating several hundred pounds of fruit, it is safe to say that deuterium content of fruit is irrelevant as a health concern.
You can drink a cup of pure deuterium without harm and given that a cup of pure deuterium is equivalent to the deuterium that would be found in several hundred pounds of fruit; deuterium content of fruit is entirely irrelevant. Now, I don't recommend drinking deuterium every day, because it displaces water and will definitely cause health issues if consumed long term, but you couldn't possibly consume enough deuterium from fruit in a 100 year lifespan to even come close to it causing problems. All those 12 year olds you read about in the paper who create their own Farnsworth fusion reactors will all be able to tell you that deuterium's toxicity is extremely low.
Nick, I would love to see a video about what you eat in a typical day/week. If you have already done that, could you please link it? Thanks for all your great content.
I get asked that a lot. Occasionally I answer that question on podcasts, but I don’t plan to do a video on it… changes too much. Also what I eat is specific to my goals and concerns & I’m afraid people would generalize
Great job Nick as usual! I think we should also consider how fruit contributes to satiety. I find apples, pears, oranges and berries very satisfying and they diminish my craving for very unhealthy sweet foods. Perhaps this is why the French and Italians maintain healthy weight with low levels of metabolic disease while eating a large variety of foods a low-carb or keto diet would never permit.
Great discussion on fruit-it's eye-opening to see the science behind moderation. I started taking nutrition more seriously and reading books like banned spartan rituals that go deep into natural nutrition and hormone balance.
Aside from fructose, not a single mention of glyphosate or pestesides sprayed on All fruit and vegetables, yes including your "organic" stuff. Spiking ones blood sugar is bad full stop. The negatives of eating fruits outweighs the posetives by a huge margin. The only thing I could agree to is growing your own fruit or barries and eating them within a very short seasons if you absolutely can't survive without.
Some fruit is fibre high sugar low; other fruits fibre low, sugar high. Oranges are easy to eat and have little fibre and will spike that insulin and the liver will love to make fat and uric acid. The gut can manage one or two pieces of fruit, High sugar fruits are going to the liver though. Prog Richard Johnson's "Nature wants us to be Fat" is great for more info on fructose, gout and the hibernation switch.
Since early 2023 I`ve planted 8 fig trees, 6 dwarf mulberry, 2 thornless blackberries, golden berry and ground cherries that reseed. Most of these are pretty low in sugars if eaten a bit early. Bugs ate my strawberry plants. I`m getting chickens for eggs and planted extra fruits to help feed them. I eat most of my homegrown greens and vegetables like squash raw just for nutrients. I`m growing the new purple tomato this year that has purple snapdragon genes for the antioxidants.
Summary version 1: The video discusses whether fruit is healthy and how much is too much. It explains that while fructose (a sugar found in fruit) can be metabolically harmful, the fructose in whole fruit is different from the fructose in processed foods like soda. The intestines process fructose before it reaches the liver, reducing its harmful effects. However, excessive fructose intake-especially from sugar-sweetened beverages-can overwhelm this system, leading to negative health impacts. The video critiques scientific studies on fruit consumption, noting issues like "healthy user bias" (health-conscious people tend to eat more fruit) and misleading categorization of different fruits. It also emphasizes that fruit’s health impact depends on context-e.g., an athlete eating a banana versus a diabetic person adding fruit to an already high-carb meal. A practical guide ranks fruits based on fructose content, glycemic index, and fiber. Mangoes, jackfruit, and grapes are high in fructose, while berries and citrus fruits are lower. High-glycemic fruits like watermelon and pineapple can spike blood sugar, while lower-glycemic fruits like berries and grapefruit have a milder effect. Fiber-rich fruits include avocados, pomegranates, and berries. The video concludes that fruit can be part of a healthy diet but isn’t essential. The best approach is to consider personal health goals, track individual responses, and focus on overall metabolic health.
Insightful video, thankyou for making it :) Have you done, or planning to do a video on starches and their metabolic impact? my main carbohydrate source is sweet potatoes and would love to see a video on it as well, hopefully you can answer this
Thanks nice video. Here is my fun fact.. there is a berry sometimes called the “Miracle Fruit” which is s a taste-altering berry that causes sour foods to be perceived as sweet. atson Lake in Prescott, AZ added back some fruit after doing my own research, but I did it with a twist. I ferment the fruit with my kefir for 24-96hrs which should convert most of the fructose. I ferment the kefir first, strain, add some baking soda (to reduce the ph which limits further bacterial growth), add some fruit and let it ferment for 1-2 more days. Its definitely not sweet anymore unless you use a miracle berry ;-)
People that understand AMO physics know that the mitochondria will react differently to energy molecules like fructose, depending on the light signaling. The light input will vary, depending on your latitude and elevation. Even the most casual observer of experiments done by Glenn Jefferies when exposing a small patch of skin on your shoulder to IR wavelengths can decrease blood glucose by 27%. This simple experiment is well documented and repeatable. The study that you cite, does it count for any of the physics described above? If not, is it valid? Or is it just a “generalized“ recommendation? When a person eats a banana in the middle of winter in New York City, are there any deleterious effects? Yes, it is complicated, but a more simple approach to understanding food inputs, and their possible effects, might just be considering latitude and light environment, and how it interacts with biology
1 gram fructose per kg body weight is about where I am at, per Cronometer. I have no concerns as I get enough protein and fat that the spillover of fructose is probably not a concern. Add in exercise and my diet also being high in fiber, around 70g per day and up. I think it is way to complex to even break it down to grams per kg since the sources can vary so much regarding fat, protein, fiber and how you combine it into meals, how many meals per day, etc.
I mainly eat a ketogenic diet during the year. But like to go off of it during the summer for mango season. Theres a body bulider named aaron reed, that recommends not mixing sugar and fats. Eating protein and carbs aroung workouts. Then later eat low carb with fattier meal. Is this a good approach? Still eating clean maybe little rice or sweet potato.
I went carno to heal me and it worked. Sometimes i eat something else, but it doesn't mater what i eat, i always notice it as i ate something not animal based, even with fruits.
Most people, even on a keto diet, aren't going to be in ketosis all the time. You still have insulin spikes, and insulin is necessary for glycogen production (sugar stores in your muscles and liver). You'll hear a lot said about how carbohydrate consumption is necessary for glycogen production but it literally can't be true or everyone on keto would be jelly limbed. It pretty much has to be the case that glucose produced during ketosis can also be converted to glycogen. Turns out the body is pretty good at what it does, if its not being fed absolute junk. 🤷♀️ But that wasn't really your question I think? I think you're asking about deliberately coming out of ketosis? I consider myself "fat adapted", which means I slip readily into ketosis when I eat low carb. Which I did for over a year and now do most days. But now I also consume fruit and roots and some higher carb dairy, usually 2 or 3 days a week. I'm more focused on upf free and whole food now than about staying 100% low carb. And in case you're wondering, I can tell when I go to the loo, whether or not I'm in ketosis. Not sure everyone has the "tell in the smell", but I do 😂
Technically, eating pretty much anything to a 'normal portion' degree is going to kick you out of ketosis. The key getting back into ketosis readily, which is to vary somewhat between differing types of people. Some people need to eat 20 grams of carbs, others can do 100 (or maybe more). So, for most people, you can do some fruit as long as you stay within the carb parameters your body is adapted to
@nicknorwitz, I kid you not. Mango smoothies tried to kill me. Sent to the ER with stroke level blood pressure. 215/105. It happened twice before we figured it out. And twice, doctors dismissed the fruit smoothies as being the cause, but they found no other cause. Each time, they gave me a shot of something to drop my Pressure. Each visit was about $3k. Not once did any of the doctors or ER nurses ask or say anything or questioned me about the smoothies. This real world experience ended my relationship with fruit. Yes, 100% agree N=1 is a key to eating right.
Maybe a mango allergy. I had a bad skin reaction to Brazilian pepper tree leaves. The dermatologist say it meant I was probably allergic to mangos also. My nose runs when the mango trees are pollinating here in Florida.
Great video! It is so annoying when people say that a fruit is the same as a soft drink. I've even seen a carnivore influencer video where they claimed that a fruit is WORSE than a soft drink. 😅 Yes, the molecules of fructose and glucose are the same but fruits and sodas aren't affecting the body in the same way. Why this is so difficult for some in the keto/carnivore community to understand baffles me. So I really appreciate this nuanced, unbiased video!🌞
Wrong. Humans require no fructose at all from any source. Eating lots of fruit will raise your triglycerides regardless of its source. This is never a good thing. Fruit u buy today is all man made, processed genetically made to taste sweet and last longer.
@IsakTougaardand finally for once, carbs become demonized. And for good reasons. Look at the population of India. They have around 150 million people with T2 diabetes and prediabetes, people over 18. Not counting T1D. And a lot of NAFLD.Estimates suggest that anywhere from 3% to 22% of Indian children may have NAFLD, depending on the population studied (general population vs. overweight/obese children). And the numbers are rising sharply. And this is from a population with mainly carbohydrates as food.
@@ematise They also eat a lot of butter and ghee so its going to make the carbs harder to process. If you're starving in India living off pure rice you don't have NAFLD
@katobytes so what's your point? Of course, if you mix carbs sugars and fat on your diet you'll metaboise glucose for energy. As a result, the excess glucose will get storred as fat. The body will cover your organs first, before storing it under skin. And eating only carbs will starve anyone for sure, even if they feel their stomach full after every serving.
You forgot to point out that metabolism of fructose also depends on the fact if it's in fiber matrix or refined form. Fructose in fruits is bounded by pectins, which are transporting it to lower guts where it serves to enhance prebiotic functions of pectins. At least, partially. Therefore, you can't make direct comparison between equivalent of fructose from whole foods and refined fructose.
Now I start to understand why there are people that tell me that if one looks for nutrition advice on the internet everything seems unhealthy and they just quit trying to. On the internet there is enough content to convince people that eating raw liver, drinking ones urine and then water fast for 40 days is the way to go but also the only and true way to become healthy and heaaal.
I had a lot of health problems and did carnivore and all varities of carnivore since 2017 and never truly felt good, although on strict carnivore (zerocarb beef salt water only) I noticed chronic pain and fatigue going away. However one problem I have is that I have chonically cold hands and feet and feel like crap and recently I started eating 300g strawberries and 2 avocados daily and I'm now constantly having warm hands and feeling better, this result doesn't come from any other fruits, I've had citrus fruits, watermelon, other melons, apples, cucumber, etc and nothing helps except the strawberry and avocado combo.
Another fun fact(s) for fruit: All squash are fruit, which includes pumpkins! You can technically call pumpkin carving: fruit carving or squash carving! Common plant sources people don't realize are fruits: Cucumbers, eggplants, tomatoes, legume pods (peas, green beans, peanut pods, etc), and the ear of corn itself.
Great video. I am one of those who is fully aware of the issues with fruit and fructose, and I found no errors in your discussion except or 1 clarification. When you extrapolated from the mouse data 0.25g/kg or 0.5g/kg did you intend that to be a maximum per meal or for the entire day? My limiting goal is no more 0.25g/kg of fructose or 0.5g/kg of sucrose or other simple sugars (averaging for 50/50 glucose/fructose content) per meal. However, most of my meals have significantly less than that maximum.
Fun fact: a hazelnut is also a fruit :) I mostly eat avocados, tomatoes, macadamia, lemons and blueberries in the fruit group, with blueberries and macadamia being the ones I prefer.
Your content is always so interesting. But is it possible that the ideal amount that the intestine can handle is the portion consumed at that moment and that one can then exceed that threshold at another time of the day?
Wow! Thank you! Really interesting and important information which clears up a lot of questions I had on fruit and fructose. Except one. Do you therefore expect that populations originating in the tropics with year round access to very sweet fruits like mangoes will have a genetically /epigentically enhanced ability to make safer the fructose consumed in the gut?
Good question. I think that’s a reasonable hypothesis. My best guess is it’s based on epigenetic adaptions to acute or sub-acute exposure. I don’t think geographic or ancestry matters as much as what does the individual eat routinely.
Just a 😊 Fun fact, microwaving food, more than likely retains more vitamins & nutrients than any other cooking methods!! ChatGPT “Yes, it’s true that microwaving food can sometimes retain more vitamins and minerals compared to other cooking methods, but it depends on the specific nutrient and how the food is cooked. Microwaving tends to preserve nutrients better than methods like boiling because the cooking time is shorter and less water is used. Many vitamins, particularly water-soluble ones like vitamin C and some B vitamins, are lost when they leach into the cooking water, which is more likely to happen during longer cooking processes like boiling or steaming. Since microwaving uses less water and takes less time, it minimizes this nutrient loss. Additionally, since microwaving cooks food more quickly, there's less time for heat to break down sensitive nutrients. However, overcooking in the microwave (like any method) can still degrade nutrients. So, overall, microwaving can be a more nutrient-preserving method, especially when compared to boiling or frying. Just remember, the way you prepare the food and the cooking time still matter!”
Hey Nick, love this one! But one specific question: in the study they did not give glucose and fructose as linked sucrose (as in HFCS). But sucrose must first be broken down by sucrase. Do you think that influences what happens with fructose in the intestines?
![Blox Fruits Dragon Rework Update [Full Stream]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/EqDAp8udhm0/mqdefault.jpg)
Love love love the way you present info. Other's would simply spout there findings as truth and fact. You on the other hand are clear about there being variables and how we just can't be sure about certain things. Much respect! Keep this up man!
You are so welcome
As a (retired from practice) physician, I couldn't agree more. Since the internet has Nick and Physionics, there's still hope for us all. 🙂
@@thehealthofthematter1034 The Nicks (Phsyionic is Nick V)
I quit eating eggs for 20 years trying to lower my cholesterol. Nicks video on consuming 720 eggs in a month and his cholesterol going down started me eating 3 eggs every morning again! Thanks Nick for being the test subject and refuting MANY diet claims!
Cholesterol is building blocks for muscle.
I'm eating 15 eggs a day
Which video is this?
I'm 49 years old and heard that cholesterol BS when I was a kid. I never bought into any of it. It didn't make sense. I've kind of always looked at nutrition from a Hunter gatherer perspective. I had the mindset of "Go into the woods and find food" and to me the answers on what we should eat are obvious.
This only works for people who are LMHR. You are damaging yourself if you already have high LDL
Fantastic review. Other points I'd throw in that would lead me to arguing for less fruit consumption:
-human evolved away from fruit eating (to throw spears instead of climb trees)
-high fruit diets can lead to tooth decay (sign of evolutionary discordance)
-pesticide load (that makes fruit eating even possible for the most part)
Good points, Kevin. I’m thinking along these lines… With all the caveats around eating fruit (max dose, glycemic load, etc) it sure seems that we’re meant to live on meat. Fill up on muscle meat/fat, eggs, etc… and no need to concern ourselves with all those caveats.
Many tropical fruits have enzymes for protein, so we evolved to eat both.
The problem is our sedentary lifestyles and, yes, pesticides. These are modern concerns. Along with genetic changes to fruit. So I agree that TODAY fruit is a problem, but it didn't used to be.
Modern animal food isn't the same, either, but still closer to nature's intention.
I'm low-carb, too, and got a headache from half a banana last time I tried. I can only tolerate berries anymore.
Tooth decay isn’t caused by fruit. Otherwise I wouldn’t have any teeth by now. Tooth decay is caused by unhealthy drinks like soda which has phosphoric acid. Agree on the pesticides point.
@@ceoherohub2584 it's well documented fruit can cause cavities.
More info if interested: ruclips.net/video/5vMy8C_D634/видео.htmlsi=Felge9Fc0T4ZCIJx
Regarding pesticide load, isn't it going to be higher in meat? I mean don't the cows eat plants? Those plants are sprayed with pesticides and herbicides and they accumulate in the animal when eaten. Any toxin that bioaccumulates is going to be higher in meat everything else being equal. It's well known and accepted that eating low on the food chain will lower the toxic load on the body. If you're worried about toxins in fruit you should really be worried about toxins in meat.
Growing up in California, with so much fresh local fruit available I always thought it was a healthy food! I never ate refined sugars after reading Sugar Blues in 1976, but in my 60s was becoming pre-diabetic. Keto took care of that and my cholesterol levels too. I do have a small of amount berries or citrus with my yogurt and walnuts for brunch now. Maybe a dried fig for a rare dessert. It’s a total dietary paradigm shift, and takes time. Love your work, keep it up!
There is literally no chance in hell you got prediabetes because of fruits. You got it for eating too many calories and saturated fats, added sugars combo.
Try wearing a continuous glucose monitor for a month or two. It will show you exactly how your body is reacting to your environment.
Summary version 2:
This video dives into the complex question of whether fruit is healthy and how much is too much, breaking it down into three main parts:
### 1. **Fructose vs. Fruit**:
- **Fructose**, a sugar found in fruit, can be harmful in high doses, promoting metabolic syndrome, damaging mitochondria, and potentially aiding cancer growth. However, the fructose in whole fruits behaves differently than the fructose in processed foods like sodas or candies.
- The intestines can transform fructose into glucose and other molecules before it reaches the liver, reducing its harmful effects. This process depends on the dose: small amounts of fructose (like those in whole fruits) are processed efficiently, but large doses (like in sugary drinks) can overwhelm the intestines, leading to fructose "spillover" into the liver, which is harmful.
- Based on animal studies, the upper limit for fructose intake is around **1 gram per kilogram of body weight** (e.g., two mangoes for an average person). However, this threshold may be lower for humans, especially for those on low-carb diets, who may have a lower tolerance for fructose.
### 2. **Why the Scientific Literature on Fruit is Misleading**:
- Studies on fruit consumption often suffer from **healthy user bias** (people who eat more fruit tend to have healthier lifestyles overall) and lump together metabolically different foods (e.g., raisins and blueberries).
- Short-term studies may not reflect long-term health outcomes, and results from one population (e.g., athletes) may not apply to others (e.g., diabetics).
- The comparison matters: if fruit replaces unhealthy foods like candy or donuts, it’s beneficial, but that doesn’t mean fruit is always the optimal choice compared to other whole foods like eggs or cheese.
### 3. **A Practical Guide to Ranking Fruits**:
- Fruits can be ranked by **fructose content**, **glycemic index (GI)**, and **fiber content**:
- **High-fructose fruits**: Mango, jackfruit, grapes, watermelon.
- **Low-fructose fruits**: Berries (e.g., raspberries), kiwi, citrus fruits.
- **High-GI fruits**: Watermelon, pineapple, mango, banana.
- **Low-GI fruits**: Berries, grapefruit.
- **High-fiber fruits**: Avocado, wild berries, pomegranates.
- **Glycemic load** (GI multiplied by portion size) is also important-eating half a banana is different from eating three bananas.
- Individual responses to fruits vary based on factors like gut microbiome, so personal experimentation is key.
### Key Takeaways:
- **Fruit can be part of a healthy diet**, but it’s not necessary for everyone. The dose and context matter.
- **Fructose in whole fruits** is less harmful than in processed foods due to intestinal processing, but excessive intake can still be problematic.
- **No single parameter** (fructose, GI, fiber) fully captures the health impact of a fruit-consider the whole picture.
- **Personal experimentation** (n=1 approach) is crucial: observe how different fruits affect your health and biomarkers.
### Fun Facts:
- Strawberries aren’t technically berries, but watermelons are.
- Bananas are clones, and apples in stores can be up to a year old due to preservation techniques.
- Olive trees can live over 1,500 years.
### Conclusion:
Fruit can be healthy in moderation, but its impact depends on individual factors like diet, health status, and portion size. Focus on what works best for your body and metabolic health. Whether you eat fruit or not, the goal is to prioritize overall metabolic health.
Great vid, Nick thanks for bringing the nuance in.
Super interesting about the distinction between dietary fructose and the fructose that makes it to the liver. I will definitely check out that paper.
As a matter of practicality, I find that taking out the high-sugar fruits really helps people who want to lose weight or reverse their T2D. It's probably less of a concern for people who are not worried about those things. This is why I feel like people in the Saladino (pro-fruit) camp and say the Westman (anti-fruit or anti-high-sugar fruit) are often talking past each other. They're each providing good advice, but for different kinds of people.
You should definitely hit up Paul Saladino to discuss the data on fruit. I respect the hell out of both you guys, and I think it would make for a, dare I say, fruitful endeavour.
Saladino convinced me to try carnivore. I applaud him for experimenting, but he is not an exceptional source of valid information. Will be interesting to follow him and see if he continues to seem extremely healthy, there are already questions in my mind, but that is just me.
@@seanveach950 if you are "ultra-active" as he, carbs are not much problem... But 99% on this planet isnt active as him already...
@@Radoslav-gk7wu Yeah, not convinced of that at all, there are plenty of 'ultra' active people that drop dead. Had a family member much like Paul who is no longer with us...
Also the sun exposure also helps the body to process the fructose
@@peterjordanson4201 I work in the sun almost every day, all day. Didn't help me.
This is my new favorite channel. Been doing the carnivore diet for two years now - really appreciate your nuanced explanations of the current literature. Cheers!
Thanks! Love to hear it!
This is sooo timely for me. I’ve been on a low carb/ carnivorish diet for a long time but do crave fruit every now and then. I allow myself to have one fruit per day, like a pear lately. Today I had 2 oranges and was wondering if I should feel bad. Thank you for the video!
Glad you found value in the video :)
Fun Fact: Nowhere from any medical establishment or professional have I gotten this information. No one is making these connections and presenting the data like Nick.
Thank you, Nick, for being you and doing what you're doing.
Thanks Grant. I appreciate it. I'm passionate about this because people like you want to hear the nuance.
Veterinarians for large animals (herbivores and omnivores) usually think about it. You go the the vet and unless there is a would, first question is - what does the animal eat. They also know about protein balancing...
Veterinarians for large animals (herbivores and omnivores) usually think about it. You go the the vet and unless there is a would, first question is - what does the animal eat. They also know about protein balancing...
@@igelbofh wound? not would?
@@janalderton8644 correct. Tiny screen autocorrect. Wound
Super interesting! I've been doing a lot of at-home experiments with fruit, in an attempt to fix a sleep issue I developed after eating super low carb for so long (3 AM wakeups). This seems to be a common issue for people eating low carb long-term. I've found it to be helpful to consume some fruit with my last meal - with fats to buffer it. For me, peaches with coconut butter/milk work great. I've found that oftentimes fruit and even a bit of honey has almost no impact on my state of ketosis if I eat only a small portion and it also depends on the type of fruit - and if the food I ate before was higher in protein and fats. I never eat fruit alone as it can really spike your glucose levels. In testing out different fruits, I noticed that cherries have the worst/highest impact on my glucose levels, even when eating a high protein/high fat meal before.
You and I have talked about sleep issues before - a few months ago. I have to tell you that I have finally found the root problem: I was not eating enough protein. I was afraid that protein was going to spike my BG, and I was eating a high fat, lowish protein diet. In December I tripled my protein intake to at least 200 net grams, and halved my fat intake to no more than 100 net grams per day. I replaced beef, butter and eggs with chicken, turkey, fish and lean cuts of pork, plus some cottage cheese. My sleep problems immediately disappeared!!! (After 3 and a half years!!!) And amazingly, my BG went DOWN!!! My fasting BG went from 105 to 86!!!
Look into Dr. Ted Naiman, Craig & Maria Emmerich, and Marty Kendall. They explain how fat can can raise insulin and BG - but we don't see it immediately because it happens after several hours. They call it energy toxicity - and this is exactly what was happening to me!!
Maria Emmerich and Kelly Hogan also eat 200+ grams of net protein per day - and Maria E. mentions that this way she sleeps better.
Fruits are NOT the answer!! I had NAFLD for 10 years, I know what I'm talking about...
Eat fat before bed. Magnesium oil too
What time do you go to bed?
When I eat carnivore I find that 7.5 hours is my absolute max for sleep or I feel awful.
I tend to go to bed at the same time as my toddler, so I'll wake up at 3:30-4 am ready fir the day.
@@aurapopescu1875 this is really interesting. I’m currently experimenting with increasing my protein intake too. I’m still eating fatty cuts of meat, but I’m not adding extra fat to my meals. I’m chasing sleep issues myself.
Be very very careful because what you're doing is similar to eating a chocolate bar which also has sugars and fats and will also help you to sleep... but not for the right reasons... just be very careful and realistic
I have heard much fruit eaters who state they eat in an ancestral type fashion. We all know most fruit is not available year round but most people eat fruit year round. Also if eating a year old apple doesn’t put into perspective what is needed to make apples available year round, nothing else will give people pause on how eating fruit can be detrimental.
Most modern fruits are also genetically bred. They were inedible not long ago.
Even in the months when fruits grow naturally, finding them in a jungle is extremely difficult, and most people don't realize how dangerous it is to climb trees; we are not monkeys
Also the fact fruit today is like 10 times bigger then ancestral fruit and 10 times more sugar
@@Amandahugginkizz this was proven all over again to be a ketard lie. I've experienced many native wild fruits which are big and very sweet, instead of being lifeless fibrous foods. Next time you're gonna say that honey has been made more attractive by Big Sugar.
What about people living in tropical climate huuun ??
White people….
Thank you for another very interesting video! As a functional medicine MD in Sweden I work a lot with helping my patents to reduce, fasting insulin, blood pressure, body weight, fatty liver and more, mostly by reducing carbohydrates. Fructose is a very interesting subject and the more I learn, the more interesting it is!
Best info on fruit I've run across. We've been told that fructose is only processed in the liver, but I never heard before that the intestines could buffer the amount that gets to the liver. Nevertheless, I eat mostly low fructose fruits, except watermelon, which has that citrulline so isn't all bad!
Fascinating . Had been cutting out fruit . Recently had a flair up of very body based ptsd and developed an overwhelming craving for an apple .
Fought the urge for several hours and finally listened to my poor nervous system. Ate one apple . I don't know why but it seemed to calm my nervous system . Still not making it a constant habit but will listen to my body more when it's in that state .
Curious as to why it helped my sympathetic nervous system stabilize.
I eat one granny smith apple per day.
It really is true that an apple a day keeps the doctor away, and I state that from data as I measure my labs regularly and as part of my diet, that one apple provides me about 15% of my RDA of vitamin C. I get another 15% from berries. I get the remainder of my vitamin C either through bell peppers, brussels sprouts or broccoli, one of which I have at least 3 days a week and are so high in vitamin C that when averaged over a week with my fruit consumption, it gives me my RDA.
My labs are all excellent, only my ApoB is in the moderate range (not optimal) because I am expressing the LMhR phenotype and it is, in fact (along with other carbs) that apple that allows me to attenuate the triad and my ApoB.
I've been wondering the same thing. I've noticed the same with myself. I listened to a RUclips video on Diary of a CEO where he interviewed Dr. Anna Lembke regarding Dopamine. I wonder if the sugar hit is the thing? Aren't our brains fascinating?
@kiainfpe9 they sure are .
What about one pack of Twinkies?
@@deltanine2468 I was a garbage and sugar junkie for decades . Quit sugar and processed carbs two years ago . If I were going to indulge in a sweet it would be better quality than that .
Great video, only missed oxalate content. Those fruits low in fructose are actually high on oxalates, so still need to consume them in moderation
Oxalates are countered by calcium and biotin.
@campersruincod6134 Calcified kidney stones proves your point. I wouldn't recommend anyone to expose themselves to that risk.
Not always true. Blueberries are low in oxalates
@@campersruincod6134 your body will produce oxalates in a low carb diet.
Citrus isn't too high in fructose relative to polyphenol benefits, and it's not high oxalate
Thank you so much, I’ve been asking this question since I started low carb/keto in 2021. No one has been able to answer as comprehensively as you have. This is a brilliant video.
I love fruit and I hated the complete ban that many influencers had. Sadly lemons and apple cider vinegar have eroded a lot of my tooth enamel so I now have to be careful with fruit that is too acidic as well. 😢😅❤
Always excellent content. As a type one diabetic..I tend to stick to berries, but I do indulge in other fruit..but it's correct..I monitor the portion carefully.
Thanks Shelly. Sounds very mindful.
Another awesome video!
One thing I never hear much about is seasonality of diet, as well as how our ancient ancestry may play a role in what we should eat. For example, a friend of mine has parents from SE Asia, which is tropical and has fruit year around. His ancestors from 1000+ years ago likely ate very differently than my ancestors from the parts of Europe that are now Germany, France, and the UK. For equatorial cultures, there may have been less seasonality of food availability. For cultures far from the equator, there were periods of "forced carnivore" (or nearly so) and periods abundant with fruits, nuts, seeds, tubers, etc. Interestingly, those cultures would often eat tons of fruits in season and put on 10-20lbs of fat, thus fattening up for winter. Carnivore diet in the winter would lack those sugary (and linoleic acid containing nuts) and thus body fat would be burned instead of stored. I think "Paleo" and now "Ancestral" inspiration for diet is fascinating but that we can also be inspired by our own personal ancestry and seasonality of food availability. Some things may always be theoretical without any studies to support.. but also, all research started with theories.
STAY CURIOUS!
I eat every day 200g of dates + around 100g of honey, on top of sweet potatoes and rice. So very high-carb diet in general for most people. I feel fine, have a six-pack almost all year round, and my blood work is also fine. I'm very skeptical if fructose is really that bad.
Have your fasting insulin tested. I bet it’s above 8.
You cast a wide net then bring it in. Integrity and smarts. I appreciate you.
Thank you Brook!
This video is a massive W.
Hugely informative, easily digestible.
Hi Nick. About your banana : calcium critique: Just because a food has a certain amount of a nutrient, it does not mean that is how much we absorb (or are able to use). We'd need an absorption scale similar to the protein digestibility-corrected amino acid score (PDCAAS), but for plant matter. Seeing as bananas are a plant food, and we (humans) don't have the digestive enzymes to break down plant cell walls (although some of our intestinal bacteria can), I believe the amount of nutrients absorbed from fruit and vegetables is much lower than the amount trapped in the plant food.
Thank you for this - best video about fruit/fructose/metabolism I have encountered to date. It starts to clear away some cobwebs. And thanks for the concise explanation of difference between glycemic index and glycemic load.
I heard a doctor say you should only eat fruit that grows in your country and in season. So here in the UK I wait to eat strawberries/raspberries in the summer and apples and pears in the autumn so I only eat fruit for approx 5 months and it works for me. So tropical fruits are a no no. It is so easy to go to a supermarket and buy any fruit at any time of the year.
I live in a place with avocado, mango, lemon and orange trees... 20 years ago our local supermarket would sell locally picked avocados, it would even have a timestamp for when it had been picked. They would be in all sized.
Now all their avocados weight exactly 100g, and come from the other side of the planet, like Peru and Chile.
If I eat an avocaco from my friends garden, I could eat one every day for a week and not feel bad at all. BUT if I eat one of those small ones from the supermarket, I can't even eat a half, and will have to throw the other away, because of my bodys response!
Fruit isn't just fruit!
Is it maturing on the tree vs in a storage room? 🤷♀️ Getting sunlight in the end growth fase? The lack of toxins (I don't know if they use toxins in Peru or Chile). Hand picked by me vs the way it's handled by the supermarket? 🤷♀️ Same goes for locally grown pommegranate, oranges and lemons (I can't stand mangos).
But I'm sorry. It's even much more complicated than what you presented... 😘
Any plant foods commercially grown for export are regularly dosed with chemical sprays. The growers must complete a spray programme of generally 25-50 chemical applications to be able to export their product. It's not a case of use it if necessary. The spray programme must be adhered to if you want to export your product. Locally grown, spray free (or at least minimally sprayed) produce is definitely going to be better for you.
I've heard people say that the longer it's been picked the less healthy for you it becomes. Like most fruit in stores has been picked long before it made it to the store. It's been "dead" for quite some time. Also our needs should be seasonal as well. Fruit from South America shipped to middle of the USA isn't meant for our bodies. Especially in the middle of winter. We should eat seasonally and locally.
Thanks, Dr. Nick. I can’t imagine a better explanation of a complex subject. Reality is complicated. That’s just the way it is.
You get it!
Fantastic video Nick! I also suspect co-ingestion of other foods is really impactful. For instance try spiking your blood sugar with eating fruit while also eating a 12oz steak and 3 eggs. While I was wearing a CGM for fun I was never able to do so even when eating high glucose fruits like bananas and grapes. I suspect co-ingestion of fats and protein slow digestion to afford a higher capacity for intestinal fructose metabolism/conversion, but I haven't seen any studies on this.
That said I suppose some people do snack on just fruits so the points about GI/GL are relevant for that.
Overall thanks for making this video! 🙏🥝
The person matters much more than the food.
A tall and big sportsman vs a short obese diabetic woman need to eat very differently. Focus in the person, not in the food. That what's I like with doctor Norwitz, he makes it clear.
They both could eat meat and eggs and do just fine. Like our ancestors
Tribal people eat the same food. Inuit, seal caribou, fish , birds. Native Americans too.
If the woman is diabetic she is currently very sick. The assumption in any of these discussions about food by Nick is that we're talking about nutrition from the POV of being metabolically healthy and what these different foods roles are in maintaining metabolic health. Of course, if one is critically ill they first need to get better before any of this applies to them; that should go without saying.
@@amyfarrell8799 to be clear, even though the Inuit definitely qualify as carnivore diets, about the only plant material they ever did get in quantity (in the summer) was berries.
Native Americans who lived further south ate significant quantities of fruit when it was in season.
Thanks!
You bet!
This is really helpful for me because I had been watching my systolic blood pressure creep up on an essentially Paleo diet with lots of fruit. I eliminated all fruit (except some berries) for a few weeks and now seeing BP drop. N=1 🤷♂️
Eyes thrown wide open on fructose & its metabolism. Want to dig more deeply into this information, and begin to "test-drive" some berries and citrus in my diet. Curious to see how I respond to that. Always many thanks and great appreciation for your teaching, and special thanks for this one. It really opened some new perspective to think through.
Finally, you put it all together. Quick, clean and precise, I get it. You're so awesome. 😊
Here in the Czech Republic we sell watermelon as friut, but actually it is vegetable (cucurbitaceae family, botanically berry).
Awesome presentation Nick. You are a shining light amongst a sea of confusing science.
Thanks for the video nick on fruits. Would be interesting to have included the glycemic load of different foods to better reflect the glucose/insulin response from a given fruit serving. And what you're eating the food, fiber and fats seem to slow the release of glucose from starches and sugars in fruit.
Nice to know those tiny oranges are okay.
I love Keto French toast. But, my elderly Italian wife wants me to eat other Keto meals.
I googled "Who invented French toast"! She guessed the French. Wrong! It was Italians!
She might be starting to become more tolerant of my favorite Keto brunch. Someday..😊
Thank you Dr Nick for another informative video! You are appreciated.
Thank you! This comment is appreciated:).
I recall an old Usenet thread on this topic. Someone guessimated that up to 15 grams per day would induce greater insulin sensitivity and after that with larger amounts the effects would be adverse. Anyway, it may have a hormetic effect at low levels. Mice have a adjustment factor of 6 or 7 as the denominator. His numbers pretty well match.
I went on a ketogenic diet and lost just under 100lbs over a decade ago. When my sweet tooth kicked in I would buy an Asian pear and eat it on my way home from work. Worked every time, didn’t seem to impact my weight loss and subsequent weight maintenance. And the best part is it didn’t trigger gas/cramps/diarrhea. And I can eat one and be satisfied, but if I eat a sweet mass production chocolate, it’s like an addiction and I just can’t stop myself.
I truly appreciate you explaining some of the negative potential concerns of fruit like sugar spikes and fructose toxicity but was wondering what your thoughts are on some special benefits from fruits like their phyto chemicals; carotenoids, flavonoids and phenolics on reducing chronic inflammation.
Excellent video! I had no idea that fructose is ‘bad’ for us after certain amount… thank you for this brilliant presentation! 💜
Glad it was helpful!
Excellent analysis, thanks
Wonderful video that gives VERY important details that are often not noted in the debate. Funny that one of Dr. Lugstic (sp?) Short videos came up just before this where he shared the difference between glucose and fructose in mice.
What about higher deuterium content in fruit? Have you researched that too? As far as I know fruit consumption might be latitude and season specific because body deuterium depletion mechanisms depend on temperature and sunlight
You can actually drink a glass of pure deuterium and it won't harm you.
There is actually a community of folks who build their own fusion reactors (you'll hear about the 12 year olds that build their own fusion reactor on the news, but there is a much larger contingent of adults that build their own Farnsworth fusers).
As part of that hobby people need to obtain pure deuterium as the source of hydrogen for the fusion reaction. I hang out in this group of people and folks in that group have drunk deuterium (it is very expensive so they haven't consumed a lot). No ill effects have been noted by anyone.
Considering that drinking a shot glass of pure deuterium is the equivalent deuterium load of eating several hundred pounds of fruit, it is safe to say that deuterium content of fruit is irrelevant as a health concern.
Reference?
You can drink a cup of pure deuterium without harm and given that a cup of pure deuterium is equivalent to the deuterium that would be found in several hundred pounds of fruit; deuterium content of fruit is entirely irrelevant. Now, I don't recommend drinking deuterium every day, because it displaces water and will definitely cause health issues if consumed long term, but you couldn't possibly consume enough deuterium from fruit in a 100 year lifespan to even come close to it causing problems.
All those 12 year olds you read about in the paper who create their own Farnsworth fusion reactors will all be able to tell you that deuterium's toxicity is extremely low.
This is a topic I have been wondering about for a while now. Thanks!
You’re welcome! Glad you a-peach-ciate it :)
A balanced explanation of fructose metabolism. Very timely. Thank you.
Excellent info as usual. Thanks
You bet
Great data. You rock again. Gracias professor!
You had me eat watermelon. Context did matter
Nick, I would love to see a video about what you eat in a typical day/week. If you have already done that, could you please link it? Thanks for all your great content.
I get asked that a lot. Occasionally I answer that question on podcasts, but I don’t plan to do a video on it… changes too much. Also what I eat is specific to my goals and concerns & I’m afraid people would generalize
What about the difference between eating fruit on an empty stomach or after a meal?
Another great video, well done. We will watch your career with great interest.
Much appreciated!
Great job Nick as usual! I think we should also consider how fruit contributes to satiety. I find apples, pears, oranges and berries very satisfying and they diminish my craving for very unhealthy sweet foods. Perhaps this is why the French and Italians maintain healthy weight with low levels of metabolic disease while eating a large variety of foods a low-carb or keto diet would never permit.
Always enlightening and thought-provoking
Thanks!
People who say "no more puns" are cowards! Be proud of your puns! Joking, thank you for making your videos so easy to understand.
Great discussion on fruit-it's eye-opening to see the science behind moderation. I started taking nutrition more seriously and reading books like banned spartan rituals that go deep into natural nutrition and hormone balance.
Great video. Thank you.
Amazing how little we still know about something so important, when you consider all the nuance.
Aside from fructose, not a single mention of glyphosate or pestesides sprayed on All fruit and vegetables, yes including your "organic" stuff. Spiking ones blood sugar is bad full stop. The negatives of eating fruits outweighs the posetives by a huge margin. The only thing I could agree to is growing your own fruit or barries and eating them within a very short seasons if you absolutely can't survive without.
Really great post Nick…thanks!!
If you are a sugar addict, this video is not an excuse. Stay strong!
I needed to see this comment, my body looking for an excuse
I've covered the science of food addiction, here: ruclips.net/video/DSbw_V0pXdc/видео.html
why don't sugar addicts eat white sugar with a tablespoon?
Some fruit is fibre high sugar low; other fruits fibre low, sugar high. Oranges are easy to eat and have little fibre and will spike that insulin and the liver will love to make fat and uric acid. The gut can manage one or two pieces of fruit, High sugar fruits are going to the liver though. Prog Richard Johnson's "Nature wants us to be Fat" is great for more info on fructose, gout and the hibernation switch.
Since early 2023 I`ve planted 8 fig trees, 6 dwarf mulberry, 2 thornless blackberries, golden berry and ground cherries that reseed. Most of these are pretty low in sugars if eaten a bit early. Bugs ate my strawberry plants. I`m getting chickens for eggs and planted extra fruits to help feed them. I eat most of my homegrown greens and vegetables like squash raw just for nutrients. I`m growing the new purple tomato this year that has purple snapdragon genes for the antioxidants.
I only eat fruit when it's in season and prefer berries ,avocado,, and figs. Excellent video.
Summary version 1:
The video discusses whether fruit is healthy and how much is too much. It explains that while fructose (a sugar found in fruit) can be metabolically harmful, the fructose in whole fruit is different from the fructose in processed foods like soda. The intestines process fructose before it reaches the liver, reducing its harmful effects. However, excessive fructose intake-especially from sugar-sweetened beverages-can overwhelm this system, leading to negative health impacts.
The video critiques scientific studies on fruit consumption, noting issues like "healthy user bias" (health-conscious people tend to eat more fruit) and misleading categorization of different fruits. It also emphasizes that fruit’s health impact depends on context-e.g., an athlete eating a banana versus a diabetic person adding fruit to an already high-carb meal.
A practical guide ranks fruits based on fructose content, glycemic index, and fiber. Mangoes, jackfruit, and grapes are high in fructose, while berries and citrus fruits are lower. High-glycemic fruits like watermelon and pineapple can spike blood sugar, while lower-glycemic fruits like berries and grapefruit have a milder effect. Fiber-rich fruits include avocados, pomegranates, and berries.
The video concludes that fruit can be part of a healthy diet but isn’t essential. The best approach is to consider personal health goals, track individual responses, and focus on overall metabolic health.
Absolute quality videos
Thanks!
Insightful video, thankyou for making it :)
Have you done, or planning to do a video on starches and their metabolic impact? my main carbohydrate source is sweet potatoes and would love to see a video on it as well, hopefully you can answer this
Excellent video!
I'd love to hear more about dried fruit like dates and raisins. How they effect the liver and digestion.
Thanks nice video. Here is my fun fact.. there is a berry sometimes called the “Miracle Fruit” which is s a taste-altering berry that causes sour foods to be perceived as sweet.
atson Lake in Prescott, AZ added back some fruit after doing my own research, but I did it with a twist. I ferment the fruit with my kefir for 24-96hrs which should convert most of the fructose. I ferment the kefir first, strain, add some baking soda (to reduce the ph which limits further bacterial growth), add some fruit and let it ferment for 1-2 more days. Its definitely not sweet anymore unless you use a miracle berry ;-)
Very interesting! I didn't know about intestine transformation of fructose.
People that understand AMO physics know that the mitochondria will react differently to energy molecules like fructose, depending on the light signaling. The light input will vary, depending on your latitude and elevation. Even the most casual observer of experiments done by Glenn Jefferies when exposing a small patch of skin on your shoulder to IR wavelengths can decrease blood glucose by 27%. This simple experiment is well documented and repeatable. The study that you cite, does it count for any of the physics described above? If not, is it valid? Or is it just a “generalized“ recommendation? When a person eats a banana in the middle of winter in New York City, are there any deleterious effects?
Yes, it is complicated, but a more simple approach to understanding food inputs, and their possible effects, might just be considering latitude and light environment, and how it interacts with biology
1 gram fructose per kg body weight is about where I am at, per Cronometer.
I have no concerns as I get enough protein and fat that the spillover of fructose is probably not a concern. Add in exercise and my diet also being high in fiber, around 70g per day and up.
I think it is way to complex to even break it down to grams per kg since the sources can vary so much regarding fat, protein, fiber and how you combine it into meals, how many meals per day, etc.
I mainly eat a ketogenic diet during the year. But like to go off of it during the summer for mango season. Theres a body bulider named aaron reed, that recommends not mixing sugar and fats. Eating protein and carbs aroung workouts. Then later eat low carb with fattier meal. Is this a good approach? Still eating clean maybe little rice or sweet potato.
I went carno to heal me and it worked. Sometimes i eat something else, but it doesn't mater what i eat, i always notice it as i ate something not animal based, even with fruits.
Won't eating fruit get one out of ketosis? How long does it take to return to ketosis after eating fruit?
Most people, even on a keto diet, aren't going to be in ketosis all the time. You still have insulin spikes, and insulin is necessary for glycogen production (sugar stores in your muscles and liver). You'll hear a lot said about how carbohydrate consumption is necessary for glycogen production but it literally can't be true or everyone on keto would be jelly limbed. It pretty much has to be the case that glucose produced during ketosis can also be converted to glycogen. Turns out the body is pretty good at what it does, if its not being fed absolute junk. 🤷♀️
But that wasn't really your question I think? I think you're asking about deliberately coming out of ketosis?
I consider myself "fat adapted", which means I slip readily into ketosis when I eat low carb. Which I did for over a year and now do most days. But now I also consume fruit and roots and some higher carb dairy, usually 2 or 3 days a week. I'm more focused on upf free and whole food now than about staying 100% low carb.
And in case you're wondering, I can tell when I go to the loo, whether or not I'm in ketosis. Not sure everyone has the "tell in the smell", but I do 😂
Technically, eating pretty much anything to a 'normal portion' degree is going to kick you out of ketosis. The key getting back into ketosis readily, which is to vary somewhat between differing types of people. Some people need to eat 20 grams of carbs, others can do 100 (or maybe more). So, for most people, you can do some fruit as long as you stay within the carb parameters your body is adapted to
Depends on the type of fruit, amount and metabolic state of the consumer
@nicknorwitz, I kid you not. Mango smoothies tried to kill me. Sent to the ER with stroke level blood pressure. 215/105. It happened twice before we figured it out. And twice, doctors dismissed the fruit smoothies as being the cause, but they found no other cause. Each time, they gave me a shot of something to drop my Pressure. Each visit was about $3k. Not once did any of the doctors or ER nurses ask or say anything or questioned me about the smoothies. This real world experience ended my relationship with fruit. Yes, 100% agree N=1 is a key to eating right.
Maybe a mango allergy. I had a bad skin reaction to Brazilian pepper tree leaves. The dermatologist say it meant I was probably allergic to mangos also. My nose runs when the mango trees are pollinating here in Florida.
Also, I forgot to say that if your mango smoothies included the mango skin, that would be much more allergenic.
Great video! It is so annoying when people say that a fruit is the same as a soft drink. I've even seen a carnivore influencer video where they claimed that a fruit is WORSE than a soft drink. 😅 Yes, the molecules of fructose and glucose are the same but fruits and sodas aren't affecting the body in the same way. Why this is so difficult for some in the keto/carnivore community to understand baffles me. So I really appreciate this nuanced, unbiased video!🌞
Wrong. Humans require no fructose at all from any source. Eating lots of fruit will raise your triglycerides regardless of its source. This is never a good thing. Fruit u buy today is all man made, processed genetically made to taste sweet and last longer.
@IsakTougaardand finally for once, carbs become demonized. And for good reasons. Look at the population of India. They have around 150 million people with T2 diabetes and prediabetes, people over 18. Not counting T1D. And a lot of NAFLD.Estimates suggest that anywhere from 3% to 22% of Indian children may have NAFLD, depending on the population studied (general population vs. overweight/obese children). And the numbers are rising sharply. And this is from a population with mainly carbohydrates as food.
@@ematise They also eat a lot of butter and ghee so its going to make the carbs harder to process. If you're starving in India living off pure rice you don't have NAFLD
@katobytes so what's your point? Of course, if you mix carbs sugars and fat on your diet you'll metaboise glucose for energy. As a result, the excess glucose will get storred as fat. The body will cover your organs first, before storing it under skin. And eating only carbs will starve anyone for sure, even if they feel their stomach full after every serving.
Very fruitful discussion
You forgot to point out that metabolism of fructose also depends on the fact if it's in fiber matrix or refined form. Fructose in fruits is bounded by pectins, which are transporting it to lower guts where it serves to enhance prebiotic functions of pectins. At least, partially. Therefore, you can't make direct comparison between equivalent of fructose from whole foods and refined fructose.
It depends on your light environment. See what Jack Kruse says about eating pineapple in Boston in winter
Why don’t you tell me in your own words
Useful and helpful
Now I start to understand why there are people that tell me that if one looks for nutrition advice on the internet everything seems unhealthy and they just quit trying to. On the internet there is enough content to convince people that eating raw liver, drinking ones urine and then water fast for 40 days is the way to go but also the only and true way to become healthy and heaaal.
This is very informative, thanks. I've been concerned about fructose intake, and uncertain what makes sense.
I had a lot of health problems and did carnivore and all varities of carnivore since 2017 and never truly felt good, although on strict carnivore (zerocarb beef salt water only) I noticed chronic pain and fatigue going away. However one problem I have is that I have chonically cold hands and feet and feel like crap and recently I started eating 300g strawberries and 2 avocados daily and I'm now constantly having warm hands and feeling better, this result doesn't come from any other fruits, I've had citrus fruits, watermelon, other melons, apples, cucumber, etc and nothing helps except the strawberry and avocado combo.
Another fun fact(s) for fruit:
All squash are fruit, which includes pumpkins!
You can technically call pumpkin carving: fruit carving or squash carving!
Common plant sources people don't realize are fruits: Cucumbers, eggplants, tomatoes, legume pods (peas, green beans, peanut pods, etc), and the ear of corn itself.
excellent info as alway. thanks
This is great. Thank you
Watch out for the oxalates; especially high in rhubarb, kiwis, dates, raspberries.
Great video. I am one of those who is fully aware of the issues with fruit and fructose, and I found no errors in your discussion except or 1 clarification. When you extrapolated from the mouse data 0.25g/kg or 0.5g/kg did you intend that to be a maximum per meal or for the entire day? My limiting goal is no more 0.25g/kg of fructose or 0.5g/kg of sucrose or other simple sugars (averaging for 50/50 glucose/fructose content) per meal. However, most of my meals have significantly less than that maximum.
Fun fact: a hazelnut is also a fruit :)
I mostly eat avocados, tomatoes, macadamia, lemons and blueberries in the fruit group, with blueberries and macadamia being the ones I prefer.
A fellow Mac monster!!
Your content is always so interesting. But is it possible that the ideal amount that the intestine can handle is the portion consumed at that moment and that one can then exceed that threshold at another time of the day?
Wow! Thank you! Really interesting and important information which clears up a lot of questions I had on fruit and fructose. Except one. Do you therefore expect that populations originating in the tropics with year round access to very sweet fruits like mangoes will have a genetically /epigentically enhanced ability to make safer the fructose consumed in the gut?
Good question. I think that’s a reasonable hypothesis. My best guess is it’s based on epigenetic adaptions to acute or sub-acute exposure. I don’t think geographic or ancestry matters as much as what does the individual eat routinely.
@nicknorwitzPhD thank you. Would be a very interesting study!
Eating some fruit this morning while watching, let's see how my morning goes.
Check that blood sugar and watch it soar way high.
This video raises more questions than gives answers... Including the one in the video title
Spokesperson for your generations health! Kudos!
Love the part on literature caveat analysis.
Just a 😊 Fun fact, microwaving food, more than likely retains more vitamins & nutrients than any other cooking methods!!
ChatGPT “Yes, it’s true that microwaving food can sometimes retain more vitamins and minerals compared to other cooking methods, but it depends on the specific nutrient and how the food is cooked.
Microwaving tends to preserve nutrients better than methods like boiling because the cooking time is shorter and less water is used. Many vitamins, particularly water-soluble ones like vitamin C and some B vitamins, are lost when they leach into the cooking water, which is more likely to happen during longer cooking processes like boiling or steaming. Since microwaving uses less water and takes less time, it minimizes this nutrient loss.
Additionally, since microwaving cooks food more quickly, there's less time for heat to break down sensitive nutrients. However, overcooking in the microwave (like any method) can still degrade nutrients.
So, overall, microwaving can be a more nutrient-preserving method, especially when compared to boiling or frying. Just remember, the way you prepare the food and the cooking time still matter!”
ahhh GPT said so, must be true.... radiating the food is better got it
@ ChatGPT said it so it must be untrue? Hopefully Nick will dive into this controversial subject🤞
Hey Nick, love this one! But one specific question: in the study they did not give glucose and fructose as linked sucrose (as in HFCS). But sucrose must first be broken down by sucrase. Do you think that influences what happens with fructose in the intestines?
Yet another well put one, tack! Would you raise the 0,5g/kg of carbs let's for athletes like soccer players?😊
Thank you, Love your take on fruit.
You are so welcome!