Is the Sugar in Fruit Healthy?
Trying to Lose Weight but Love Sugar? You've Gotta See These Comparison Photos
Seeing these comparison photos posted by Amanda Meixner, known as Instagram user meowmeix, of a strawberry milkshake vs. actual strawberries is shocking. First of all, did you know a milkshake had 86 grams of sugar? You could eat 12 cups of fresh strawberries to equal the same amount!
While there's definitely a time and place for a milkshake, these photos help illustrate why choosing fresh fruit over foods made with processed sugar on a daily basis is the healthier choice. Amanda wrote, "Because nobody is eating 12 cups of strawberries in one sitting but it's very easy to drink a whole strawberry milkshake."
If you snack on a more normal portion size of strawberries, around two cups, it's just under 100 calories, and it offers 6.1 grams of fibre for just 14.2 grams of sugar. A strawberry milkshake is 590 calories with zero grams of fibre. The strawberries also offer micronutrients like potassium, vitamin C, calcium, folate, and manganese to boost your immune system and keep you energized.
Aside from saving you calories, which helps with weight loss, the fibre also fills you up, so you'll be satiated longer. It also helps the sugar take longer to digest, meaning you won't get a sugar crash from eating a bowl of strawberries. The milkshake does offer protein, but you'd be better off pairing your strawberries with some yoghurt, or blending frozen strawberries with protein powder to make a healthier strawberry-milkshake smoothie.
