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About Laurie Beebe, MS, RD, LD
Expertise
As a registered dietitian I am fully qualified to accurately answer questions regarding weight loss, including those from people with health conditions requiring dietary restrictions (diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, etc) who want to lose weight, or who have been advised to do so by their physician.
Experience
I have been a registered dietitian for over 25 years and am certified in Adult Weight Management through the commission on dietetic registration. I also have training in coaching through Coach U and currently work as a diet coach to help people lose weight the healthy way.
Organizations
American Dietetic Association, Weight Management Dietetic Practice Group, Nutrition Entreprenuers, St.Louis International Coach Federation, Toastmasters
Education/Credentials
Bachelor of Health Science from the University of Florida, 1983; Master of Science in Clinical Nutrition from Case Western Reserve Universitiy 1985; Certification in Adult Weight Management 2006; CoachU core essentials grad 2007.
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You are here: Experts > Health/Fitness > Eating Disorders > Nutrition & Dieting > natural sugar vs. refined sugar
Expert: Laurie Beebe, MS, RD, LD - 10/27/2009
Question
Are the natural sugars found in fruits healthier than refined sugar or fructose corn syrup?
Answer
Dear James,
It sounds like what you are asking is whether fruit sugar is better than cane sugar. The answer is no.
Once you ingest sugar, whether it's fructose (fruit sugar), sucrose (table sugar), or corn syrup, your body treats it all alike. Even starchy foods (potatoes, bread, pasta) break down after digestion to yield sugars. Your liver converts all sugars ultimately to glucose, the preferred source of fuel (energy) for most of the body's cells.
Cane sugar has to be processed to make it into grains, since we cannot use chunks of sugar cane to cook, bake, etc. It's not necessarily a bad thing to process a food.
That said, eating fruits can be better for you than eating sugary foods because of the nutrients they provide: you get fiber in fresh fruits, vitamins, and antioxidants that aren't found in sweets!
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