On Fri, 12 Jun 1998, Kent Multer wrote:

> Fruit is acceptable on the paleo diet, right?  And fruit contains sugar.
> Of course, that's fructose.  But from what I've learned, I gather that the
> chemistry of fructose is not significantly different from other types of
> sugars (although some manufacturers of "health" foods might disagree,
> judging from their advertising).

Actually, the sugar in fruit is a combination of fructose and
glucose (dextrose).  The ratios vary in different fruits.
Sucrose, or table sugar, also combines the two, although it is
also exposed to various chemicals in the refining process.  It is
possible to buy "sugar in the raw" that is not so extensively
processed.

> So it seems to me, maybe the real story on sugar is not that it should be
> forbidden, but only that the modern American diet contains 'way too much of
> it.  Small amounts, for flavoring or for curing bacon, should be OK, except
> for those people whose digestive systems have been damaged by long-term
> heavy exposure.

I am inclined to agree.  Sugar is not foreign to the body of an
animal that eats fruit and has sweetness sensors on the tongue.

If we look at where we customarily find sugar in the diet, we get
the bigger picture.  Cured bacon is a trivial source, compared to
pastries, cookies, etc.  Significant amounts of sucrose are
usually found in the company of large amounts of flour, a dubious
partnership.

Todd Moody
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