Sugar
Khovde07
Posts: 508 Member
Hi all! I noticed something in my daily food entry that's been bugging me. My sugar intake. I normally don't have a problem with eating too much candy, etc. My problem lies in the fact that an apple has almost as much sugar as a candy bar. Now here's my problem... With natural sugars vs processed sugars, do you still count them as sugar is sugar? Or do you kind of ignore the sugar that comes from fruit?
I'm just curious what everyone else's methods are. Thanks!
I'm just curious what everyone else's methods are. Thanks!
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Replies
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I think what MFP tracks is supposed to be added sugars, but I could be wrong. I don't count my sugars. I swapped it out for fiber.0
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I don't ignore the fruit sugars, I use that number as motivation to eat more veggies if it is going too high. I have to believe that eating a reasonable amount of fruit is good for weight loss.0
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Unless you have a medical condition that is affected by sugar..you don't really need to worry about it0
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Sugar is sugar. The body processes it the same, though you'll also get the nutrients from the apple.0
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I think what MFP tracks is supposed to be added sugars, but I could be wrong. I don't count my sugars. I swapped it out for fiber.
This. The daily limit is based off "added sugar", but there is no way to differentiate in the logs, so it counts all sugar. I also removed sugar to track (it's a carb, so why double track?) and now track fiber to make sure I'm getting enough.0 -
Ignore sugar in general, unless you have a medical reason to watch it. Pay attention to your total carb macro instead. Most switch out the sugar tracking and track fiber instead because that has a bigger impact on overall health in most people.
I am T2 diabetic and, per doctors orders, I don't track my sugars. I have a carb maximum I don't go over, even when I earn exercise calories and that is enough. Diabetics who are on insulin should pay attention to sugars since their insulin dose needs to be modified.0 -
I don't track it.
It's irrelevant to me and it's a subset of carbs anyway.0 -
Do not worry about sugar that occurs naturally in fruits and veggies. All the data linking sugar to obesity etc., comes from foods that have "added sugar" or "free sugar."
Whether you want to limit added sugar or not is up to you. But definitely do not avoid fruits as most studies have associated them with decreased weight.0 -
Do not worry about sugar that occurs naturally in fruits and veggies. All the data linking sugar to obesity etc., comes from foods that have "added sugar" or "free sugar."
Whether you want to limit added sugar or not is up to you. But definitely do not avoid fruits as most studies have associated them with decreased weight.
That's what I was thinking. It just annoys me when I get anything in my daily diary in red. I think it's just a weird quirk of mine.
And I do not have any medical condition that says I can't have sugar. Diabetes does run in my family, so I would like to keep an eye on it. But I tend to struggle more with too much salt than I do with too much sugar.0 -
Do not worry about sugar that occurs naturally in fruits and veggies. All the data linking sugar to obesity etc., comes from foods that have "added sugar" or "free sugar."
Whether you want to limit added sugar or not is up to you. But definitely do not avoid fruits as most studies have associated them with decreased weight.
That's what I was thinking. It just annoys me when I get anything in my daily diary in red. I think it's just a weird quirk of mine.
And I do not have any medical condition that says I can't have sugar. Diabetes does run in my family, so I would like to keep an eye on it. But I tend to struggle more with too much salt than I do with too much sugar.
Unless you have high blood pressure there is really no reason to worry about salt either.0 -
Do not worry about sugar that occurs naturally in fruits and veggies. All the data linking sugar to obesity etc., comes from foods that have "added sugar" or "free sugar."
Whether you want to limit added sugar or not is up to you. But definitely do not avoid fruits as most studies have associated them with decreased weight.
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Do not worry about sugar that occurs naturally in fruits and veggies. All the data linking sugar to obesity etc., comes from foods that have "added sugar" or "free sugar."
Whether you want to limit added sugar or not is up to you. But definitely do not avoid fruits as most studies have associated them with decreased weight.
My pancreas doesn't discriminate between a pineapple and a pack of sour patch kids.
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I think what MFP tracks is supposed to be added sugars, but I could be wrong. I don't count my sugars. I swapped it out for fiber.
The sugar tracker on MFP doesn't discriminate between natural and added sugar. I rarely eat sugar (just don't have the taste for it that often) and have gone over my limit due to dairy and the sugar content in vegetables.
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1. Obviously if you have diabetes that's different situation.blktngldhrt wrote: »My pancreas doesn't discriminate between a pineapple and a pack of sour patch kids.
2. Perhaps your pancreas doesn't, so what? Your GI system does.
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I don't track sugar at all0
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1. Obviously if you have diabetes that's different situation.blktngldhrt wrote: »My pancreas doesn't discriminate between a pineapple and a pack of sour patch kids.
2. Perhaps your pancreas doesn't, so what? Your GI system does.
Unless you have a medical condition, the source of the sugar makes no difference. Even added sugar comes from plants like sugar cane or sugar beets.0 -
1. Obviously if you have diabetes that's different situation.blktngldhrt wrote: »My pancreas doesn't discriminate between a pineapple and a pack of sour patch kids.
2. Perhaps your pancreas doesn't, so what? Your GI system does.
Unless you have a medical condition, the source of the sugar makes no difference. Even added sugar comes from plants like sugar cane or sugar beets.
1. Why would the source only make difference if you have a medical condition?
2. Foods with a significant amount of added sugar are associated with obesity most likely because they're easy to over-eat, taste really good, and aren't very filling given their relatively high number of calories. Your pancreas has nothing to do with it.
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This all sprouted because I had an apple with breakfast one day and I was having a serious craving for something sweet later that night. I grabbed a Hershey's chocolate bar and logged it and was really surprised to see that the sugar content was about the same. Something just seemed weird about that. Obviously the calories, fat, etc. are different, but it didn't seem fair that something "healthy" had as much sugar as a candy bar.0
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1. Obviously if you have diabetes that's different situation.blktngldhrt wrote: »My pancreas doesn't discriminate between a pineapple and a pack of sour patch kids.
2. Perhaps your pancreas doesn't, so what? Your GI system does.
Unless you have a medical condition, the source of the sugar makes no difference. Even added sugar comes from plants like sugar cane or sugar beets.
1. Why would the source only make difference if you have a medical condition?
2. Foods with a significant amount of added sugar are associated with obesity most likely because they're easy to over-eat, taste really good, and aren't very filling given their relatively high number of calories. Your pancreas has nothing to do with it.
But I don't think the argument was about satiety, it was about the source of sugar, which is irrelevant in terms of weight loss.
For satiety, sure most fruits and vegetables will hold better satiety because they contain fiber, etc but if you had your satiety under control and met your bodies nutrient requirements , eating a donut instead of an apple wouldn't negatively impact weight loss, assuming you're maintaining a deficit in doing so.
At least, that's what I was taking away from it.0 -
that's the problem, isn't it? There's a perception that fruit is healthy and candy bars aren't. Basically if you are just looking at sugar, they are the same. Now, if you start comparing other things, like fiber content, fat content, vitamins and other things, the apple will come out on top. That's why you can't simplify it just by looking at the sugar.0
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1. Obviously if you have diabetes that's different situation.blktngldhrt wrote: »My pancreas doesn't discriminate between a pineapple and a pack of sour patch kids.
2. Perhaps your pancreas doesn't, so what? Your GI system does.
Unless you have a medical condition, the source of the sugar makes no difference. Even added sugar comes from plants like sugar cane or sugar beets.
I do not have diabetes.
Even with a medical condition the source of the sugar makes no difference. Where the sugar comes from is irrelevant. It's the other components of whatever you're eating in addition to the sugar that are relevant to weight-loss.0 -
I am confused on what should be daily amount of sugar intake as AMA states 20 grams for women and some articles I read state about 24 grams but my pal tracker has way over that for daily amount, by a lot ???0
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tanyanetardus wrote: »I am confused on what should be daily amount of sugar intake as AMA states 20 grams for women and some articles I read state about 24 grams but my pal tracker has way over that for daily amount, by a lot ???
These recommendations are for added sugar (and the reasoning for them has nothing to do with sugar itself being bad, but with people overeating on sweet high-calorie foods if they aren't paying attention). MFP tracks all sugar and so, as a result, I'd ignore it and not over think things in general.
Track calories (for weight loss). Watch your diet if you want to know if you are eating a health diet--monitoring sugar grams if you understand what you are eating seems unnecessary. However, if you must, track carbs and fiber if you want a good proxy for whether you are eating too many low-nutrient carbs. If you are within a reasonable carb limit (like the default) and have enough fiber, you are fine. Also, if you know you are mostly getting sugar from fruit, veggies, and dairy, you are fine.0 -
blktngldhrt wrote: »
1. Obviously if you have diabetes that's different situation.blktngldhrt wrote: »My pancreas doesn't discriminate between a pineapple and a pack of sour patch kids.
2. Perhaps your pancreas doesn't, so what? Your GI system does.
Unless you have a medical condition, the source of the sugar makes no difference. Even added sugar comes from plants like sugar cane or sugar beets.
I do not have diabetes.
Even with a medical condition the source of the sugar makes no difference. Where the sugar comes from is irrelevant. It's the other components of whatever you're eating in addition to the sugar that are relevant to weight-loss.
The one exception is for those who take insulin, sugar (of any kind) that is accompanied with fiber will raise the blood sugar slower so the insulin dose needs to be adjusted for the slower reaction time. I think that is what was meant by "Unless you have a medical condition, the source of the sugar makes no difference". The actual sugar makes no difference (sucrose, fructose, lactose, maltose, glucose, etc) in how your body reacts, but the source (fruit, milk, table sugar, honey, agave, etc) can make a difference in those with a medical condition (diabetes) that needs to be managed with insulin. For weight loss, no, it makes no difference. For diabetics who are managing via oral medication or diet and exercise only, no, it makes no difference.
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My doctor friend, who also has T1 diabetes, has told me that in things like fruit, for most people, the amount of fiber should be deducted from the amount of sugar. He explained that the remaining amount of sugar is a more accurate estimate of what your body actually takes in (if that makes sense).
If the majority of your sugar comes from natural sources, and you do not have a medical reason to be concerned about sugar, then I wouldn't worry about it too much, as others have said.0 -
With natural sugars vs processed sugars, do you still count them as sugar is sugar?
Sugar is sugar is sugar. Don't put the cart in front of the horse. Worry about overall calories instead of sugars. Highly refined foods with lost of added sugars are usually low in nutrients and very easy to over eat so use common sense and let your goals guide your choices...0 -
Thanks very interesting i love all the feedback it helps0
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I just realized this week, after 40 years of life, that milk has ask this sugar. I was alerted that I went over my sugar too and I cut adding sugar to my food. With my busy lifestyle, I missed a lot of meals and subbed lattes. And wondered why I never lost weight. I'm paying attention to sugar in food now!0
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irishtatty125 wrote: »I just realized this week, after 40 years of life, that milk has ask this sugar. I was alerted that I went over my sugar too and I cut adding sugar to my food. With my busy lifestyle, I missed a lot of meals and subbed lattes. And wondered why I never lost weight. I'm paying attention to sugar in food now!
It wasn't the sugar, it was the calories.
And basically anything ending in -ose is a sugar (for future reference).
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irishtatty125 wrote: »I just realized this week, after 40 years of life, that milk has ask this sugar. I was alerted that I went over my sugar too and I cut adding sugar to my food. With my busy lifestyle, I missed a lot of meals and subbed lattes. And wondered why I never lost weight. I'm paying attention to sugar in food now!
...you didn't lose weight because you weren't in a calorie deficit. Period. Sugar had nothing to do with your lack of loss.0
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