Simon writes:
“These days many people are eating date-based snack bars as they are perceived to be healthier than some other snacks. I love them and eat one every day after I was advised by a nutritionist to eat one instead of dessert. My concern is the effect the fructose may have on us, including our microbiota.”
The question about snack bars sweetened with dates has come up before. As I’ve written previously, “Because dates are a fruit, products sweetened with dates and date puree can legitimately claim to have zero added sugars. But, frankly, dates are about as close as you can get to pure sugar and still call yourself a fruit.”
I agree with your nutritionist that if a LARABAR satisfies the urge for candy or baked goods, that’s a pretty good upgrade. But the fact that snack bars are sweetened only with fruit doesn’t mean that they can be eaten in unlimited quantities.
How much fruit is too much?
I usually suggest that people limit their added sugar intake (which does not include sugar from fruit) to 25 grams per day. But I also suggest limiting fruit to 2-4 servings a day, which provides another 30-60 grams of naturally occurring sugar.
A LARABAR contains about 23 grams of sugar from dates. That’s darned close to the recommended limit for added sugars. As far as I’m concerned, you can count that as your added sugars for the day OR as 1 1/2 servings of fruit. If you choose to count it as your added sugars, you’ve really taken the high road, nutritionally!
How does fructose affect gut bacteria?
But your question about the effect of fructose on gut bacteria is one that I haven’t addressed before. There have been concerns about the effect of fructose on gut bacteria but –as with other fructose fears–it’s all about the quantity and context.
When sugars constitute 25-35% of calories in a diet that’s also low in fiber and nutrient-dense foods (which, sadly, describes the typical American diet), various negative effects–on insulin sensitivity, inflammation, liver fats, and gut bacteria–start to accrue. When sugars constitute 5-10% of calories in a diet that’s high in fiber and nutrient-dense foods, we have little to fear from fructose or from sugar in general.
Could you suggest ways to incorporate the suggested servings of vegetables a day? And, perhaps, an idea of what is a “serving”? Thank you.
Sure! Here are some ways to incorporate vegetables: http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/health-fitness/healthy-eating/how-get-more-vegetables-your-diet
And here is how a serving is defined:
http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/health-fitness/healthy-eating/how-get-five-servings-vegetable-day
How many dates are used in 1 larabar?
One date has about 16 grams of sugar. You could compare that with the amount of sugar in the bar and make a pretty good guess.
So is it healthy or unhealthy?
There’s nothing in a Larabar that’s inherently unhealthy. It depends on how it fits into and adds up with the rest of your diet (and lifestyle). Here’s an article that goes into more detail on this type of question: http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/health-fitness/healthy-eating/what-foods-deserve-to-be-labeled-healthy?utm_source=NOE
Leave it alone – if you enjoy something then EAT IT !! everything in moderation – what you should be worried about is the STRESS you have about all the foods you should or shouldnt eat
That will make you sick
…or the stress that unhealthy diets also cause…
so it’s better to learn about what you put in your body and not be blind about it cause that just makes more problems…
Being lazy is no excuse.