Not even one hour after sending my last post, I got a great response from a great friend, Taylor, regarding sugar occurring in fruits & jams.
I’ve been asked this before, so I thought I should respond for everyone to see.
Taylor’s Message
Your article was very intriguing, you say you don’t eat sugar which of course means cake and ice cream. There is natural sugars in apples, bananas, and stuff like that. Do you eat any natural jams? I love peanut butter & jelly which is why I ask.
These are all great points & questions. Here we go!
Fruits & Natural Sugars
First, I do technically “eat sugar” in the form of fruit. Apples, bananas, and grapes all contain some degree of “sugar.”
Your body also converts all kinds of foods into sugar too, making this even more confusing.
Sugar naturally occurring in the wild is 100% safe to eat. There are different types of sugar, such as “added sugar” (the white cocaine-looking powder infested in our food supply) and “high fructose corn-syrup.”
To clarify, when I say I “quit sugar,” it means I’m quitting all forms of processed, added, or refined sugar.
These sugars are slightly different than naturally occurring sugar. Also, they are added in insanely high amounts compared to that of a banana.
Furthermore, fruits such as bananas are extremely rich in “fiber.” Fiber prevents sugar from having ridiculously negative effects like it did with my cake & ice cream.
There are other factors in fruits which scientists don’t currently understand yet.
For example, we know what “Vitamin B” is and does. Despite this, there are countless vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients which have not been studied and interact with your body in ways which are not understood.
Our bodies are complex physiological machines, and I don’t expect all of the research to be done in my lifetime.
I’m not too concerned with the actual “make up” of a food because we are decades behind on fully understanding every aspect of a food & how it interacts with the body.
I simply eat that which makes me feel fulfilled & happy, and avoid that which does not.
The point in writing this is that yes, fruits have sugar, but they also have other nutrients & vitamins n’ stuff that prevent spikes in blood sugar.
I’m certain they have other benefits which have yet to be discovered.
Eat That Which Is Natural
What I’ve been leaning towards recently is a 100% natural diet. This means one day I may even quit eating Gyros, which I’m absolutely in love with.
We humans evolved to eat very specific foods in very specific ways.
Again, scientists have not & will not be able to research all of the various ways nutrients, minerals, etc. affect your body.
All I know is that my ancestors were not eating processed, refined sugars & foods, and were eating much more natural. My current experiments have proven the “natural” way of living to be so much healthier and happier.
In short, fruits have sugar, yes. But this is a healthier form of sugar, and the fruit does not cause problems like eating say a cake.
Why that is, I don’t know. I don’t care so much either; it’s unlikely scientists will care to figure this out given that making new pills is so much more profitable than eating healthy in the first place.
Peanut Butter & Jam: Yes or No?
I don’t know. I’m in Europe right now, and haven’t been eating that good ole’ American PB&J.
When I was first living in Bulgaria, I attempted to search for peanut butter, but could not find something of high enough quality like that in the USA.
I’d definitely be interested in some experimentation with peanut putter & jelly.
Based on what I know, I would make my best educated guess that you should not eat peanut butter & jelly.
I’m almost certain the sugars in these products are added or refined.
After doing some brief research, it seems that some types of “peanut butter” could be okay, but it’s a huge risk.
Unless you’re making the peanut butter yourself, you can’t be certain of whether or not the company making it is adding in any sugar.
I also briefly checked how much natural sugar occurs in nuts, and how much is found in peanut butter. The amount per 100g in peanut butter is several multiples higher than that of nuts.
I’m no expert, and I could be completely wrong. If this makes sense what I just did, then there are extra sugars occurring in peanut butter!
Based off of what my girlfriend told me, and the nutrition labels I’ve read in Eastern Europe, peanut butter & jam is probably not safe to eat.
That being said, it’s one of those things that’s “not exactly unhealthy, or healthy.” There are certain healthy things in peanut butter or jam, however in my humble opinion that doesn’t reduce the sugary risk factor.
Also, a lot of the companies producing peanut butter in the USA are not exactly producing healthy foods.
Growing up I ate “Kraft” peanut butter. Those that know “Kraft” products know that it’s far from healthy.
Test It!
Create a Google Form and every single night rate your energy levels on 1-10, happiness 1-10, etc.
Then do a split test. For 3 days you will eat peanut butter/jams, then 3 days you won’t. Keep your diet, sleep, and other factors as similar as possible during the test.
Repeat the cycle 2-3 times. At the end of this, review your results.
My Short Theory Summarized
I don’t think peanut butter & jam is healthy for you.
CNN & Kraft will promote peanut butter as “healthy,” primarily because it’s not unhealthy.
Yes, there are certain proteins & nutrients included in peanut butter & jam. There’s also a sugar level which is a bit too high for my liking.
It’s like “Granola Bars.” You know, those “healthy bars” you can eat?
Hah, right. Granola bars are extremely unhealthy & packed with sugar. That being said, there are “healthy aspects” to granola bars but that doesn’t make it a healthy food.
For huge corporations competing for the masses, they must sell products with sugar. The masses have not evolved to eat that which is healthy & whole yet.
The idea of “eating healthy” has dipped into mainstream, so the companies are evolving by selling “healthy granola bars” and this probably includes peanut butter & jam, too.
If you’re not certain, do the test, and let me know. I’m genuinely curious!
Otherwise, stick to that which is natural & whole, which to me based on my experience & brief research, does not sound like peanut butter & jelly.
Post Summarized
Fruits are good to eat because the sugars are 100% natural, and there are other minerals or nutrients or whatever which prevent unhealthy effects.
We evolved in environments in which we require lots of naturally occurring foods. Scientists have not and probably won’t research all of the effects of certain foods. That being said, the wisest bet is to eat that which you were designed through nature to eat.
Peanut butter & jam does not sound natural. Brief research reveals that companies are marketing it as “healthy.” While there are healthy aspects to it, the products do not appear healthy.
While they may not be as unhealthy as a chocolate cake, it would likely be wiser to quit it. If you’re uncertain, please test & report back because I’m unable to do a self-experiment in Europe. I’m also feeling so great I don’t want to test with sugar anymore.
P.S. To Americans
I appear not to be the only American to have thought PB&J’s are healthy.
My Bulgarian girlfriend thought otherwise! This was a shock to me!
In the beginning of my no sugar adventures, I wanted to find PB&J to make toast. She responded, “you do realize PB&J is packed with sugar, right?”
I was shocked. Welp, it’s true.
Our food supply is infested with sugar then marketed as “healthy.” Be careful.
-Michael
