dairy and fruit sugars?

ABChambers8
ABChambers8 Posts: 2 Member
edited November 21 in Health and Weight Loss
I've noticed that I am always well over my sugar target for the day- myfitnesspal counts dairy and fruit sugars as part of this, should I be cutting down on these products? I'm freaking out a little that I will start gaining weight eating this much sugar everyday... some other forums on the internet only say that you should count "added sugar", what's your views on this?
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Replies

  • Azexas
    Azexas Posts: 4,334 Member
    MFP sugar goals are set very low. I wouldn't worry about being over your sugar goals unless you have a medical condition which requires you to monitor it. You will not gain weight being over your sugar goal as long as you are in a caloric deficit.
  • azulvioleta6
    azulvioleta6 Posts: 4,195 Member
    edited July 2015
    You will not find agreement about the topic on this forum.

    I am on the "sugar is sugar" side of the fence. Your body doesn't distinguish the difference between added and natural sugars. Just because Americans are used to eating (and don't want to reduce their intake of) massive amounts of sugar...well, that doesn't make it healthy.

    Assuming that you have a normal metabolism, too much sugar is probably less of an issue for weight loss than it is for long-term health and good aging.

    An easy switch is to exchange some of your fruits for more vegetables. Eating less processed food also makes it easier to reduce your sugar intake
  • DisneyDude85
    DisneyDude85 Posts: 428 Member
    edited July 2015
    I removed the sugar goal and replaced it with fiber :) The fiber you GET from fruit is important :) most of the sugar I get is from fruit. Not a big sweets guy.
  • Azexas
    Azexas Posts: 4,334 Member
    edited July 2015
    You will not find agreement about the topic on this forum.

    I am on the "sugar is sugar" side of the fence. Your body doesn't distinguish the difference between added and natural sugars. Just because Americans are used to eating (and don't want to reduce their intake of) massive amounts of sugar...well, that doesn't make it healthy.

    A good rule of thumb is to not make blanket statements about a population. Do you know every American?
  • mantium999
    mantium999 Posts: 1,490 Member
    You will not find agreement about the topic on this forum.

    I am on the "sugar is sugar" side of the fence. Your body doesn't distinguish the difference between added and natural sugars. Just because Americans are used to eating (and don't want to reduce their intake of) massive amounts of sugar...well, that doesn't make it healthy.

    "massive" is subjective, anything in excess is unhealthy, too much is defined by the individual and their overall diet with respect to all macros/micros
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  • Azexas
    Azexas Posts: 4,334 Member
    I removed the sugar goal and replaced it with fiber :) The fiber you GET from fruit is important :) most of the sugar I get is from fruit. Not a big sweets guy.

    Agreed. I swapped my sugar goal for fiber and track that as well. Makes it easier in the long run.
  • PrizePopple
    PrizePopple Posts: 3,133 Member
    I removed the sugar goal and replaced it with fiber :) The fiber you GET from fruit is important :) most of the sugar I get is from fruit. Not a big sweets guy.

    And fiber is something that people struggle to get enough of. I have to maintain a high fiber diet per my GI and colorectal surgeon, and sometimes it's NOT easy. I'm not even at the daily minimum MFP sets, much less the level I should be at. I guess I'll be having Cheerios.. heh.
  • azulvioleta6
    azulvioleta6 Posts: 4,195 Member
    You will not find agreement about the topic on this forum.

    I am on the "sugar is sugar" side of the fence. Your body doesn't distinguish the difference between added and natural sugars. Just because Americans are used to eating (and don't want to reduce their intake of) massive amounts of sugar...well, that doesn't make it healthy.

    Phew, good thing not all of us are Americans then.

    Are you not a North American?

    People who eat the Standard American Diet (S.A.D.) tend to be those who most vehemently object to following basic sugar limits. If you are not living off of processed junk, it's pretty easy to avoid going over the sugar limit.
  • Azexas
    Azexas Posts: 4,334 Member
    edited July 2015
    You will not find agreement about the topic on this forum.

    I am on the "sugar is sugar" side of the fence. Your body doesn't distinguish the difference between added and natural sugars. Just because Americans are used to eating (and don't want to reduce their intake of) massive amounts of sugar...well, that doesn't make it healthy.

    Phew, good thing not all of us are Americans then.

    Are you not a North American?

    People who eat the Standard American Diet (S.A.D.) tend to be those who most vehemently object to following basic sugar limits. If you are not living off of processed junk, it's pretty easy to avoid going over the sugar limit.


    MY banana, grapes and strawberries put me over the sugar limit...
  • Lasmartchika
    Lasmartchika Posts: 3,440 Member
    You will not find agreement about the topic on this forum.

    I am on the "sugar is sugar" side of the fence. Your body doesn't distinguish the difference between added and natural sugars. Just because Americans are used to eating (and don't want to reduce their intake of) massive amounts of sugar...well, that doesn't make it healthy.

    Assuming that you have a normal metabolism, too much sugar is probably less of an issue for weight loss than it is for long-term health and good aging.

    An easy switch is to exchange some of your fruits for more vegetables. Eating less processed food also makes it easier to reduce your sugar intake

    @azulvioleta6 Which Amercans? North? Central? South? You can't know all of them. :grey_question::grey_question::grey_question: Who are you referring to? Quite a huge blanket statement there. Me ofendes.
    I've noticed that I am always well over my sugar target for the day- myfitnesspal counts dairy and fruit sugars as part of this, should I be cutting down on these products? I'm freaking out a little that I will start gaining weight eating this much sugar everyday... some other forums on the internet only say that you should count "added sugar", what's your views on this?

    OP don't worry about the sugars... as others have stated, you can track something else... after all, for weight loss, what mattters is a calorie deficit. :smile:
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  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
    edited July 2015
    You will not find agreement about the topic on this forum.

    I am on the "sugar is sugar" side of the fence. Your body doesn't distinguish the difference between added and natural sugars. Just because Americans are used to eating (and don't want to reduce their intake of) massive amounts of sugar...well, that doesn't make it healthy.

    Assuming that you have a normal metabolism, too much sugar is probably less of an issue for weight loss than it is for long-term health and good aging.

    An easy switch is to exchange some of your fruits for more vegetables. Eating less processed food also makes it easier to reduce your sugar intake

    You're conflating "some" sugar with "too much" sugar.

    Why?

    And taking a stab at Americans to boot. Lovely.

  • lisabinco
    lisabinco Posts: 1,016 Member
    I removed the sugar goal and replaced it with fiber :) The fiber you GET from fruit is important :) most of the sugar I get is from fruit. Not a big sweets guy.

    Same for me. I don't worry about how much sugar is in whole fruit nor do I limit whole fruit. (Sugars from dairy? Easy fix. I don't do dairy anymore at all -- way too lactose intolerant.)
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
    I've noticed that I am always well over my sugar target for the day- myfitnesspal counts dairy and fruit sugars as part of this, should I be cutting down on these products? I'm freaking out a little that I will start gaining weight eating this much sugar everyday... some other forums on the internet only say that you should count "added sugar", what's your views on this?

    OP, while MFP's sugar goals are set low, it's up to you to determine what a prudent intake for you is.

    Fruit sugar and dairy sugar are fine. Added sugar is what we're recommended to watch and limit. If you're going over, I do have to ask by how much? If it's only a little -- don't sweat it.

    Follow the WHO's guidelines on added sugars if you're concerned:

    http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2015/sugar-guideline/en/
  • Cynthiamr2015
    Cynthiamr2015 Posts: 161 Member
    Troutsy wrote: »
    I removed the sugar goal and replaced it with fiber :) The fiber you GET from fruit is important :) most of the sugar I get is from fruit. Not a big sweets guy.

    Agreed. I swapped my sugar goal for fiber and track that as well. Makes it easier in the long run.

    How do you do that? remove the sugar?
  • tlblood
    tlblood Posts: 473 Member
    I don't pay much attention to the sugars in natural sources, but pay attention to added sugars. I switched to a lower sugar flavored yogurt when the sugar in my old yogurt (Chobani, Fage) contained almost 1/2 of my recommended daily sugar. I don't care if I go over my sugar and most of it is from fruit, but it helps me notice when I go over because of the high added sugar in some of my foods.
  • Azexas
    Azexas Posts: 4,334 Member
    edited July 2015
    Troutsy wrote: »
    I removed the sugar goal and replaced it with fiber :) The fiber you GET from fruit is important :) most of the sugar I get is from fruit. Not a big sweets guy.

    Agreed. I swapped my sugar goal for fiber and track that as well. Makes it easier in the long run.

    How do you do that? remove the sugar?

    On the website: go to the food section- and select settings- and then pick and choose your macros.
  • PrizePopple
    PrizePopple Posts: 3,133 Member
    You will not find agreement about the topic on this forum.

    I am on the "sugar is sugar" side of the fence. Your body doesn't distinguish the difference between added and natural sugars. Just because Americans are used to eating (and don't want to reduce their intake of) massive amounts of sugar...well, that doesn't make it healthy.

    Phew, good thing not all of us are Americans then.

    Are you not a North American?

    People who eat the Standard American Diet (S.A.D.) tend to be those who most vehemently object to following basic sugar limits. If you are not living off of processed junk, it's pretty easy to avoid going over the sugar limit.

    Oh noes 62% of my sugar intake today is from my morning snack... of watermelon. Only 22g left for my day, and I think I'll have some Oreo's just for you lady.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    You will not find agreement about the topic on this forum.

    I am on the "sugar is sugar" side of the fence. Your body doesn't distinguish the difference between added and natural sugars. Just because Americans are used to eating (and don't want to reduce their intake of) massive amounts of sugar...well, that doesn't make it healthy.

    Assuming that you have a normal metabolism, too much sugar is probably less of an issue for weight loss than it is for long-term health and good aging.

    An easy switch is to exchange some of your fruits for more vegetables. Eating less processed food also makes it easier to reduce your sugar intake

    Excuse me but what exactly do you have against Americans?

    OP, I disregard sugar, as I have no medical condition that would require me to track it. Instead, I changed that particular spot to track my fiber.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited July 2015
    I've noticed that I am always well over my sugar target for the day- myfitnesspal counts dairy and fruit sugars as part of this, should I be cutting down on these products? I'm freaking out a little that I will start gaining weight eating this much sugar everyday... some other forums on the internet only say that you should count "added sugar", what's your views on this?

    Calories are what matter for weight loss.

    The sugar goal is a very rough estimate to help you figure out if you are eating too many low nutrient sweets or a non balanced diet. It's probably better to look at macros and micros (to the extent available) and fiber for that. If you were having trouble staying within your calories and always over sugar, that might be something to look at, but on its own it's not significant.

    Also, how many grams are we talking about? If you are on very reduced calories (like 1200) it's quite a low limit. I exceeded it (with 52 grams) the other day with no dairy, a few cherries and a pluot, lots of vegetables and some corn.
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
    You will not find agreement about the topic on this forum.

    I am on the "sugar is sugar" side of the fence. Your body doesn't distinguish the difference between added and natural sugars. Just because Americans are used to eating (and don't want to reduce their intake of) massive amounts of sugar...well, that doesn't make it healthy.

    Phew, good thing not all of us are Americans then.

    Are you not a North American?

    People who eat the Standard American Diet (S.A.D.) tend to be those who most vehemently object to following basic sugar limits. If you are not living off of processed junk, it's pretty easy to avoid going over the sugar limit.

    No it's not. I very rarely eat processed "junk", and I've gone over the old sugar limit on MFP just from unsweetened dairy and veggie consumption. They raised it since then, but I had a huge whack of cauliflower be the biggest contributor to my sugar intake for that particular day.

    Once again, blanket statements...

    Also? People "objecting to following basic sugar limits" might just think that adults are capable of being a little more flexible with fitting more than a couple of pieces of fruit in their diet. You can eat very healthfully and go over MFP's sugar goal just from eating a banana, an apple, some yogurt, and plenty of veggies and maybe having some watermelon or sweet potato.

    Not everyone low carbs.

  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Just because Americans are used to eating (and don't want to reduce their intake of) massive amounts of sugar...well, that doesn't make it healthy.

    LOL. 46+ grams of sugar from fruits, dairy, and vegetables, as well as some starches, is not difficult at all to do even with a fruit consumption at or below what is typically recommended.

    The problem with the SAD is not excess fruit.

    Generalizing about what Americans eat is silly. There's enormous diversity and you don't have enough knowledge about OP's diet to opine that she's eating unhealthy levels of sugar.
    If you are not living off of processed junk, it's pretty easy to avoid going over the sugar limit.

    You have been over the sugar limit for 1200 calories on numerous days.
  • Unknown
    edited July 2015
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  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    This raises an interesting (well, not really) question:

    It's generally easy for me to stay under the sugar recommendation, because I'm on 1700 calories, so get a reasonable amount of sugar.

    It would be hard to stay under if I were on 1200, especially since then I'm likely to replace some fattier options with more fruit or low fat dairy.

    So am I an American or not?

    It seems I am more American when I keep my calories lower, and yet Americans are hardly notorious for our low calorie consumption. Oh, what a conundrum!
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    This raises an interesting (well, not really) question:

    It's generally easy for me to stay under the sugar recommendation, because I'm on 1700 calories, so get a reasonable amount of sugar.

    It would be hard to stay under if I were on 1200, especially since then I'm likely to replace some fattier options with more fruit or low fat dairy.

    So am I an American or not?

    It seems I am more American when I keep my calories lower, and yet Americans are hardly notorious for our low calorie consumption. Oh, what a conundrum!

    I'm American today! Slightly under 1200 calories, but over 45 grams of sugar. Had to go and put 35 calories of chocolate chips in my plain yogurt (which itself was the highest sugar containing item in my diary).



  • myfelinepal
    myfelinepal Posts: 13,000 Member
    You will not find agreement about the topic on this forum.

    I am on the "sugar is sugar" side of the fence. Your body doesn't distinguish the difference between added and natural sugars. Just because Americans are used to eating (and don't want to reduce their intake of) massive amounts of sugar...well, that doesn't make it healthy.

    Phew, good thing not all of us are Americans then.

    *nods*
  • AlabasterVerve
    AlabasterVerve Posts: 3,171 Member
    edited July 2015
    Unnecessary snark deleted.
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
    edited July 2015
    You will not find agreement about the topic on this forum.

    I am on the "sugar is sugar" side of the fence. Your body doesn't distinguish the difference between added and natural sugars. Just because Americans are used to eating (and don't want to reduce their intake of) massive amounts of sugar...well, that doesn't make it healthy.

    Assuming that you have a normal metabolism, too much sugar is probably less of an issue for weight loss than it is for long-term health and good aging.

    An easy switch is to exchange some of your fruits for more vegetables. Eating less processed food also makes it easier to reduce your sugar intake

    I had a look through your diary.

    I found a day where you consumed around 1200 calories so that it compared to the people who normally have this issue.

    Here's the thing. the sugar goal for people who are on 1200 calories is 45 grams.

    Today I didn't exercise, and I was over my goal by 3 grams. I had 35 calories worth of chocolate chips, but by and large, my intake of sugar was from fruit, veggies, and unsweetened dairy. 48 grams of sugar.

    On your 1200 calorie day, you had two generous servings of fruit and plenty of veggies. In fact, except for eating meat, you and I have similar diets. Your sugar consumption for that day? 69 grams. Most of it from blueberries.

    People who are on lower calorie allowances blow through that sugar goal eating dairy and fruit quite easily. I don't think you understand this at all.

    Editing to add: I just looked again at that day's entry, and your sugar intake was probably not that high. The two blueberry entries vary and one has a really high sugar number.

    The point still stands about how easy it is to come near to the sugar limit for people on 1200 calories, though.

  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
    You will not find agreement about the topic on this forum.

    I am on the "sugar is sugar" side of the fence. Your body doesn't distinguish the difference between added and natural sugars. Just because Americans are used to eating (and don't want to reduce their intake of) massive amounts of sugar...well, that doesn't make it healthy.

    Assuming that you have a normal metabolism, too much sugar is probably less of an issue for weight loss than it is for long-term health and good aging.

    An easy switch is to exchange some of your fruits for more vegetables. Eating less processed food also makes it easier to reduce your sugar intake
    You will not find agreement about the topic on this forum.

    I am on the "sugar is sugar" side of the fence. Your body doesn't distinguish the difference between added and natural sugars. Just because Americans are used to eating (and don't want to reduce their intake of) massive amounts of sugar...well, that doesn't make it healthy.

    Phew, good thing not all of us are Americans then.

    Are you not a North American?

    People who eat the Standard American Diet (S.A.D.) tend to be those who most vehemently object to following basic sugar limits. If you are not living off of processed junk, it's pretty easy to avoid going over the sugar limit.

    That is the most ignorant thing to say!!!
This discussion has been closed.