Sugar content in an apple seems off

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jilliez123
jilliez123 Posts: 2 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi, I have a question about the grams of sugar in an apple. Reading up on apples, it is said that the Granny Smith apple variety has one of the lowest sugar contents as opposed to other varieties. So when tracking, if I just say I have eaten an apple (no specific variety) it posts a sugar content of 14 g for a medium apple. However, it gives a higher listing of 17 grams for a medium apple when I enter specifically enter a Granny Smith. Of course I immediately want to just enter apple but, trying not to cheat myself. Why the presumably backwards difference in the sugar contents? Does anyone know?

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  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    edited March 2015
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    The thing with granny smith apples is that they are more tart and acidic than other varieties, which masks the sugar. They actually have as much or even more sugar than regular apples. With that said, don't worry too much about sugar content unless you are diabetic.
  • CyberTone
    CyberTone Posts: 7,337 Member
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    Here are the data from the USDA National Nutrient Database.

    ​ID, Apple - g Sugar/100g
    09003, Apples, raw, with skin - 10.39
    09004, Apples, raw, without skin - 10.10
    09500, Apples, raw, red delicious, with skin - 10.48
    09501, Apples, raw, golden delicious, with skin - 10.04
    09502, Apples, raw, granny smith, with skin - 9.59
    09503, Apples, raw, gala, with skin - 10.37
    09504, Apples, raw, fuji, with skin - 11.68

    Reference:
    ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited March 2015
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    jilliez123 wrote: »
    Hi, I have a question about the grams of sugar in an apple. Reading up on apples, it is said that the Granny Smith apple variety has one of the lowest sugar contents as opposed to other varieties. So when tracking, if I just say I have eaten an apple (no specific variety) it posts a sugar content of 14 g for a medium apple. However, it gives a higher listing of 17 grams for a medium apple when I enter specifically enter a Granny Smith. Of course I immediately want to just enter apple but, trying not to cheat myself. Why the presumably backwards difference in the sugar contents? Does anyone know?

    Maybe the average Granny Smith is on average larger than the average apple? That's one reason why "medium apple" isn't a great measurement anyway, although the number of calories different isn't going to matter much.
  • AlabasterVerve
    AlabasterVerve Posts: 3,171 Member
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    I typed in apple granny smith and there was a user created entry with USDA in the title -- that entry has 14g of sugar for a medium apple if you wanted to use that one.

    The database can - and is - edited by everyone and you can't tell how precise and exacting the person entering the food was. For produce I always opt for the entries without the asterisks, which are from the USDA and not user entered, even if I have a specific brand or variety.

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