Why I am cutting back on sugar
Replies
-
In terms of the effect on the body, is a calorie from sugar the same as a calorie from protein or complex carbs.
0 -
FitnessTim wrote: »In terms of the effect on the body, is a calorie from sugar the same as a calorie from protein or complex carbs.
No, but a calorie from fat isn't the same as a calorie from protein either.
0 -
FitnessTim wrote: »In moderate amounts, sugar is relatively harmless. So what is a moderate, or safe amount of sugar? The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that an adult consume less than 10% of their calorie intake or about 25 grams. To put it in perspective, below are a few foods and their sugar content:
Coke, 12 oz can = 25 grams
Yoplait Original Yogurt 6 oz = 26 grams
Orange juice raw 12 oz = 31 grams
Ragu Marinara Sauce 1/2 cup = 12 grams
Fruit Loops 1 cup = 12 grams
Wonder Bread small 2 slices = 4 grams
Cliff Bar 1 serving = 22 grams
Grapes 3.5 oz serving = 15 grams
With numbers like those in common foods, even someone who tries to avoid "sweets" still has the potential to go way over the recommended amount.
Can we trust the recommendation of the World Health Organization? Despite it being an internationally respected organization, I won't blindly follow the recommendation of any one group or person. I did some research and purposefully tried to find any evidence the counters the recommendation. While it was easy to find people on discussion boards who will still argue for sugar, I have yet to find a single nutrition authority who will claim that sugar is safe to consume in the quantities that people typically consume.
I'm not going into the science behind why sugar is bad. Just search on the web, "Is sugar bad" and read for yourself. The main problem is that sugar appears to be the main cause of obesity.
I was under the assumption that we needed some sugar in our diets, but I have yet to find any recommendation for a minimum amount. There are people who suffer from hypoglycemia that can experience blood sugar emergencies and need to consume sugar quickly, but as for the average person, I don't know.
To be clear, I don't intend to cut out sugar completely so my interest in minimum amounts is purely academic. I won't go completely sugar-free because, as the WHO recommendation suggest, I believe a moderate amounts of sugar is safe. I will avoid foods with added sugars as much as possible. By tracking in MyFitnessPal, I want to keep my sugar intake between 12 and 25g.
Some may consider this extreme but it is the average person's diet that is really extreme. The average person's intake of sugar is double the recommended maximum amount.
What is your take on sugar? Is it something you try to restrict or do you just concern yourself with calories.
10% of my calorie intake isn't 100 calories. I don't think anyone's is.
By the way, the only reasons the WHO is for cutting your sugar is because of overconsumption of calories and because of tooth decay. No direct healht problems.
Sugar isn't the main cause of obesity either.
0 -
What makes all of this even more complicated is most store bought pasta sauces, yogurts etc. have both naturally occurring sugars AND added sugars...mamapeach910 wrote: »I'm currently limiting my intake of everything in appropriate ratios to meet my goals/nutritional needs.
I sometimes go over sugar, but I get a lot of natural sugar from plain dairy and vegetables.
One of the issues with your post, OP was that some of the sugar in the products you listed was from natural sources (tomatoes, lactose in the yogurt), and the WHO recommendations are for added sugars.
I don't have too much to add to the discussion, because Side Steel said everything best that I'd like to say, particularly in terms of general population vs. health conscious eaters.
Oh, except this. I got 20 grams of sugar one day... almost half my daily allowance from MFP... from cauliflower. I consumed no added "free" sugars that day and ended up over my goals.
Bottom line? You do you, I'll do me. I'm not overly worried about me and my small serving of evening gelato.
0 -
The 5% further recommendation comes with a footnote saying why that's not their main recommendation: "3 Conditional recommendations are made when there is less certainty “about the balance between the benefitslemurcat12 wrote: »It's 10% but with a further recommendation of 5%, I think. 5% is 25 grams given a calorie limit of 2000, which is obviously not applicable to MANY (it is for me, but I'm a 5'3, 45 year old woman).
and harms or disadvantages of implementing a recommendation” (20). This means that “policy-making will require
substantial debate and involvement of various stakeholders” (20) for translating them into action."
Reading further the only reason they have the 5% recommendation seems to be tooth decay.
Here's the whole thing if anyone is interested.
http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/149782/1/9789241549028_eng.pdf?ua=10 -
kristalasimpson wrote: »Refined sugars are the ones we should avoid wherever we can. They do us no favours. MFP measures all sugar on your diary - natural and refined. They do not separate healthy sugars found in fruit from white sugar you add in you coffee or found in your breads and sauces and really any processed food.
The food companies have it down to a science on how much salt, sugar and fat is needed to be added to food and how to make us addicted to it.
There is an excellent book on this. Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us by Michael Moss
It really if anything opened my mind on what is put in our grocery bought foods and helps me make more informed decisions.
I have lost 8 lbs just from modifying what I eat since January thanks to this book. I am not perfect and still slip up, but it is more of an emotional battle for me now.
You know why, right? It's because sugar is sugar....whether in a candy bar, bread, or an apple. You may want to scroll back up and read side steel's post.
Yes. I read it originally and he specifically mentions added sugar as did I. Sugar is not sugar. The type you eat determines how your body responds to it.
Refined sugars have a fast rate of metabolism, lack of healthy nutrients and inability to make you feel full. The refining process has eliminated all of the fiber and plant nutrients. Refined sugar is quickly broken down into glucose and fructose and can create spikes in insulin and blood sugar levels. Sounds great, but if you are just sitting on your couch or at your desk, and not using that surge of energy, your body "could" turn it into fat. Fructose is metabolized in your liver and is absorbed at once, increasing fat cell production and workload on your liver. The quick digestion of refined sugar prevents fullness leaving many feeling hungry and going back for more.
Fruit aside from being rich in antioxidants, phytonutrients, vitamins and minerals, is an excellent source of fiber. That fiber determines what happens to fruit sugars in your body and how quickly they are broken down in your gastrointestinal tract. Unlike refined sugar, fiber in fruit expands in your gut, making you feel full. Fiber is why fruit sugars are not as dangerous as refined sugar as it prevents the sugars from being rapidly broken down and stored.0 -
I've cut out most sugar and have found it to be fairly easy, actually. But then I've fully adopted a LCHF lifestyle that I must sustain for health reasons. I think some people have an easier time restricting sugar than others, probably for some reason I'll never know. If you notice its a problem for you, then restricting might be a good idea.0
-
kristalasimpson wrote: »kristalasimpson wrote: »Refined sugars are the ones we should avoid wherever we can. They do us no favours. MFP measures all sugar on your diary - natural and refined. They do not separate healthy sugars found in fruit from white sugar you add in you coffee or found in your breads and sauces and really any processed food.
The food companies have it down to a science on how much salt, sugar and fat is needed to be added to food and how to make us addicted to it.
There is an excellent book on this. Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us by Michael Moss
It really if anything opened my mind on what is put in our grocery bought foods and helps me make more informed decisions.
I have lost 8 lbs just from modifying what I eat since January thanks to this book. I am not perfect and still slip up, but it is more of an emotional battle for me now.
You know why, right? It's because sugar is sugar....whether in a candy bar, bread, or an apple. You may want to scroll back up and read side steel's post.
Yes. I read it originally and he specifically mentions added sugar as did I. Sugar is not sugar. The type you eat determines how your body responds to it.
Refined sugars have a fast rate of metabolism, lack of healthy nutrients and inability to make you feel full. The refining process has eliminated all of the fiber and plant nutrients. Refined sugar is quickly broken down into glucose and fructose and can create spikes in insulin and blood sugar levels. Sounds great, but if you are just sitting on your couch or at your desk, and not using that surge of energy, your body "could" turn it into fat. Fructose is metabolized in your liver and is absorbed at once, increasing fat cell production and workload on your liver. The quick digestion of refined sugar prevents fullness leaving many feeling hungry and going back for more.
Fruit aside from being rich in antioxidants, phytonutrients, vitamins and minerals, is an excellent source of fiber. That fiber determines what happens to fruit sugars in your body and how quickly they are broken down in your gastrointestinal tract. Unlike refined sugar, fiber in fruit expands in your gut, making you feel full. Fiber is why fruit sugars are not as dangerous as refined sugar as it prevents the sugars from being rapidly broken down and stored.
Non-refined sugars have an even faster rate of metabolism, the nutrients aren't in the sugar itself they're additionally to it, if you're at a deficit that "could" is at worst temporary for the next few hours, fructose can be found in fruit too, so better stop eating fruit forever, there's plenty of fruits that only have little fiber content, what of any of the (not exactly correct) things you posted would you define as "dangerous" in refined sugar?0 -
First off, I totally agree with you. It will likely be nice for you to read that because most MFP members who will comment on this will not agree. There are so many other reasons to cut way back on the sugar than weightloss. I think a better way to determine what you should or shouldn't eat most of the time is to ask yourself how nutrient dense your food is. That would eliminate most of your list right off the bat.0
-
I'm not amazing ....I just eat less than 1350 calories per day. If that's amazing to you...then...wow. lol0
-
Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
What makes all of this even more complicated is most store bought pasta sauces, yogurts etc. have both naturally occurring sugars AND added sugars...mamapeach910 wrote: »I'm currently limiting my intake of everything in appropriate ratios to meet my goals/nutritional needs.
I sometimes go over sugar, but I get a lot of natural sugar from plain dairy and vegetables.
One of the issues with your post, OP was that some of the sugar in the products you listed was from natural sources (tomatoes, lactose in the yogurt), and the WHO recommendations are for added sugars.
I don't have too much to add to the discussion, because Side Steel said everything best that I'd like to say, particularly in terms of general population vs. health conscious eaters.
Oh, except this. I got 20 grams of sugar one day... almost half my daily allowance from MFP... from cauliflower. I consumed no added "free" sugars that day and ended up over my goals.
Bottom line? You do you, I'll do me. I'm not overly worried about me and my small serving of evening gelato.
Plain yogurt doesn't.
Flavored yogurt does, and of course it's hard to sort out. I had some yesterday, as I said, and it had sugar from yogurt, blueberries, and a little cane sugar--I could only guess at how much based on placement on the label. In the scheme of things the addition of a little cane sugar didn't matter to me, although I'd normally avoid the issue since I like plain yogurt with blueberries as well or better. But people exaggerate the extent to which something like that yogurt contains added sugar, and I seriously doubt it contributes to the obesity issue at all. (Same with adding a little sugar to oatmeal or store-bought pasta sauce, although as I always say, I'm a snob about store-bought pasta sauce. The funny thing is plenty of traditional recipes for marinara will have a little sugar, even though I've never added it personally.)0 -
-
lemurcat12 wrote: »Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
What makes all of this even more complicated is most store bought pasta sauces, yogurts etc. have both naturally occurring sugars AND added sugars...mamapeach910 wrote: »I'm currently limiting my intake of everything in appropriate ratios to meet my goals/nutritional needs.
I sometimes go over sugar, but I get a lot of natural sugar from plain dairy and vegetables.
One of the issues with your post, OP was that some of the sugar in the products you listed was from natural sources (tomatoes, lactose in the yogurt), and the WHO recommendations are for added sugars.
I don't have too much to add to the discussion, because Side Steel said everything best that I'd like to say, particularly in terms of general population vs. health conscious eaters.
Oh, except this. I got 20 grams of sugar one day... almost half my daily allowance from MFP... from cauliflower. I consumed no added "free" sugars that day and ended up over my goals.
Bottom line? You do you, I'll do me. I'm not overly worried about me and my small serving of evening gelato.
Plain yogurt doesn't.
Flavored yogurt does, and of course it's hard to sort out. I had some yesterday, as I said, and it had sugar from yogurt, blueberries, and a little cane sugar--I could only guess at how much based on placement on the label. In the scheme of things the addition of a little cane sugar didn't matter to me, although I'd normally avoid the issue since I like plain yogurt with blueberries as well or better. But people exaggerate the extent to which something like that yogurt contains added sugar, and I seriously doubt it contributes to the obesity issue at all. (Same with adding a little sugar to oatmeal or store-bought pasta sauce, although as I always say, I'm a snob about store-bought pasta sauce. The funny thing is plenty of traditional recipes for marinara will have a little sugar, even though I've never added it personally.)
Indeed, plain yogurt does not.0 -
kristalasimpson wrote: »kristalasimpson wrote: »Refined sugars are the ones we should avoid wherever we can. They do us no favours. MFP measures all sugar on your diary - natural and refined. They do not separate healthy sugars found in fruit from white sugar you add in you coffee or found in your breads and sauces and really any processed food.
The food companies have it down to a science on how much salt, sugar and fat is needed to be added to food and how to make us addicted to it.
There is an excellent book on this. Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us by Michael Moss
It really if anything opened my mind on what is put in our grocery bought foods and helps me make more informed decisions.
I have lost 8 lbs just from modifying what I eat since January thanks to this book. I am not perfect and still slip up, but it is more of an emotional battle for me now.
You know why, right? It's because sugar is sugar....whether in a candy bar, bread, or an apple. You may want to scroll back up and read side steel's post.
Yes. I read it originally and he specifically mentions added sugar as did I. Sugar is not sugar. The type you eat determines how your body responds to it.
Refined sugars have a fast rate of metabolism, lack of healthy nutrients and inability to make you feel full. The refining process has eliminated all of the fiber and plant nutrients. Refined sugar is quickly broken down into glucose and fructose and can create spikes in insulin and blood sugar levels. Sounds great, but if you are just sitting on your couch or at your desk, and not using that surge of energy, your body "could" turn it into fat. Fructose is metabolized in your liver and is absorbed at once, increasing fat cell production and workload on your liver. The quick digestion of refined sugar prevents fullness leaving many feeling hungry and going back for more.
Fruit aside from being rich in antioxidants, phytonutrients, vitamins and minerals, is an excellent source of fiber. That fiber determines what happens to fruit sugars in your body and how quickly they are broken down in your gastrointestinal tract. Unlike refined sugar, fiber in fruit expands in your gut, making you feel full. Fiber is why fruit sugars are not as dangerous as refined sugar as it prevents the sugars from being rapidly broken down and stored.
You're talking about delivery systems of sugar into the body, not really the sugar itself. Yes, we all understand the difference in amount of nutrients when the body has sugar delivered from an apple vs a candy bar, but it's still...sugar.Sounds great, but if you are just sitting on your couch or at your desk, and not using that surge of energy, your body "could" turn it into fat.
In a deficit?0 -
The WHO recommendations are not based on "sugar is bad", else they would have not recommended moderating only added sugar. The case for sugar and obesity is not about sugar itself, it's about how it often comes packaged in high fat and/or low moisture items resulting in foods that have a high calorie to unit volume ratio, which makes people more likely to over-consume them (hence being indirectly associated with obesity). This should not be an issue for a person who is tracking their calories because the act of tracking makes unknowingly consuming too many calories less likely.
Don't forget that part of the case they make for less added sugar is tooth decay. Barely a concern for someone with adequate oral hygiene.
With that said, I'm all for moderating high sugar items if doing so helps make the diet easier, but MFP may not be the best tool for the job because it cannot measure added sugar and I end up going over your goal of 25 grams just in tomatoes.0 -
Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »Indeed, plain yogurt does not.
I knew you knew that, but given the endless posts about how low fat or no fat dairy supposedly has "extra" sugar or sugar added, I thought it needed to be clarified.0 -
I'm surprised at how strongly people will defend sugar. I guess it is my fault for using the phrasing "sugar is bad". That's totally subjective and not true.
Based on historical data, excess sugar does appear to be a contributing factor to health issues.
Does that work for everyone? That may be an acceptable way to put it but it is unlikely to get the average person motivated to restrict their sugar intake.
In my personal experience, not evidence but worth discussing, sugar is hard to control. About a year ago, I was in peak condition, eating right and exercising regularly. One day I decided to try Nutella. I had never had it before and I was curious about how it tasted. I spread some on a rice cake and took a taste. To me, it was the best thing I had ever tasted. Short time later my healthy lifestyle was derailed.
I can't say that one taste of processed sugar was what sent me on a tailspin but it definitely made keeping my diet in check more difficult.
From WebMd:
Your Brain on SugarINEXPLICABLE WEIGHT GAIN You stay away from burgers and drink diet soda. But sugar—both real and artificial—is the secret saboteur. When the pancreas senses sugar, the body releases insulin, which causes cells in the liver, muscle, and fat tissue to take up glucose from the blood, storing it as glycogen for energy. Eat too much at once, though, and insulin levels spike, then drop. The aftermath? You feel tired, then crave more sustenance to perk up.
I'm not suggesting that sugar has the same effect on everyone. I'm not saying that people on a high sugar diet can't keep their weight under control. What I am saying is that based on all the evidence and studies, it is worth it for people to question whether or not sugar has a negative impact on their health and fitness goals.0 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »Indeed, plain yogurt does not.
I knew you knew that, but given the endless posts about how low fat or no fat dairy supposedly has "extra" sugar or sugar added, I thought it needed to be clarified.
Well given that many foods had sugar added when the fat was removed, it's not a surprising assumption.0 -
Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
What makes all of this even more complicated is most store bought pasta sauces, yogurts etc. have both naturally occurring sugars AND added sugars...mamapeach910 wrote: »I'm currently limiting my intake of everything in appropriate ratios to meet my goals/nutritional needs.
I sometimes go over sugar, but I get a lot of natural sugar from plain dairy and vegetables.
One of the issues with your post, OP was that some of the sugar in the products you listed was from natural sources (tomatoes, lactose in the yogurt), and the WHO recommendations are for added sugars.
I don't have too much to add to the discussion, because Side Steel said everything best that I'd like to say, particularly in terms of general population vs. health conscious eaters.
Oh, except this. I got 20 grams of sugar one day... almost half my daily allowance from MFP... from cauliflower. I consumed no added "free" sugars that day and ended up over my goals.
Bottom line? You do you, I'll do me. I'm not overly worried about me and my small serving of evening gelato.
Plain yogurt doesn't.
Flavored yogurt does, and of course it's hard to sort out. I had some yesterday, as I said, and it had sugar from yogurt, blueberries, and a little cane sugar--I could only guess at how much based on placement on the label. In the scheme of things the addition of a little cane sugar didn't matter to me, although I'd normally avoid the issue since I like plain yogurt with blueberries as well or better. But people exaggerate the extent to which something like that yogurt contains added sugar, and I seriously doubt it contributes to the obesity issue at all. (Same with adding a little sugar to oatmeal or store-bought pasta sauce, although as I always say, I'm a snob about store-bought pasta sauce. The funny thing is plenty of traditional recipes for marinara will have a little sugar, even though I've never added it personally.)
Indeed, plain yogurt does not.
All yogurt has sugar but the difference is fructose. Plain yogurt only has lactose. Yogurt with added fruit has fructose from, of course, the fruit and then also usually more added sugar (sucrose which is half fructose). Your body metabolizing the various types of sugar differently. Plain and then adding your own fruit would be best if you want fruity yogurt so there is no added sugar.0 -
FitnessTim wrote: »I'm surprised at how strongly people will defend sugar. I guess it is my fault for using the phrasing "sugar is bad". That's totally subjective and not true.
Based on historical data, excess sugar does appear to be a contributing factor to health issues.
Does that work for everyone? That may be an acceptable way to put it but it is unlikely to get the average person motivated to restrict their sugar intake.
In my personal experience, not evidence but worth discussing, sugar is hard to control. About a year ago, I was in peak condition, eating right and exercising regularly. One day I decided to try Nutella. I had never had it before and I was curious about how it tasted. I spread some on a rice cake and took a taste. To me, it was the best thing I had ever tasted. Short time later my healthy lifestyle was derailed.
I can't say that one taste of processed sugar was what sent me on a tailspin but it definitely made keeping my diet in check more difficult.
From WebMd:
Your Brain on SugarINEXPLICABLE WEIGHT GAIN You stay away from burgers and drink diet soda. But sugar—both real and artificial—is the secret saboteur. When the pancreas senses sugar, the body releases insulin, which causes cells in the liver, muscle, and fat tissue to take up glucose from the blood, storing it as glycogen for energy. Eat too much at once, though, and insulin levels spike, then drop. The aftermath? You feel tired, then crave more sustenance to perk up.
I'm not suggesting that sugar has the same effect on everyone. I'm not saying that people on a high sugar diet can't keep their weight under control. What I am saying is that based on all the evidence and studies, it is worth it for people to question whether or not sugar has a negative impact on their health and fitness goals.
"Inexplicable". You were hungry so you overate which may or may not be because you had a bunch of sugar. Very inexplicable.0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 392.9K Introduce Yourself
- 43.7K Getting Started
- 260.1K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.8K Food and Nutrition
- 47.4K Recipes
- 232.5K Fitness and Exercise
- 415 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.9K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.6K MyFitnessPal Information
- 23 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.5K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions