Sugar in fruit - okay?

lfaej77
lfaej77 Posts: 3 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I'm staying within my calorie goal (more or less!) and have cut down on sweets/chocolate/desserts, and cut out sugar from my coffee and switched to diet soft drinks.

But I eat a lot of fruit. And every day I'm near my max carb goal, and pretty much always over the sugar goal! What I want to ask is, is lots of sugar okay when the bulk of it is from for example two apples, a cup of blueberries, some pomegranate seeds, a banana and strawberries?

Replies

  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
    If you're under your calorie goal and don't have a medical issue, it's fine.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    Fruit is fine!
  • lfaej77
    lfaej77 Posts: 3 Member
    Haha thanks! I just wish the little nutrition table didn't have to mark off my excess sugar in red and make me feel bad!
  • macgurlnet
    macgurlnet Posts: 1,946 Member
    lfaej77 wrote: »
    Haha thanks! I just wish the little nutrition table didn't have to mark off my excess sugar in red and make me feel bad!

    Switch to tracking something else, like fiber, and then you won't have to see the red anymore :)

    ~Lyssa
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    macgurlnet wrote: »
    lfaej77 wrote: »
    Haha thanks! I just wish the little nutrition table didn't have to mark off my excess sugar in red and make me feel bad!

    Switch to tracking something else, like fiber, and then you won't have to see the red anymore :)

    ~Lyssa

    This is exactly what I did. As I find it impossible to stay under the sugar goal. Just my usual fruit and dairy sends me over.

  • carolineloves
    carolineloves Posts: 27 Member
    When I was tracking my nutrition without MFP, I never took into account natural occurring sugars (fruit, unflavored dairy, etc). I wish there was a way to separate naturally occurring sugars and added sugars. :/
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,159 Member
    I am on a no sugars or grains diet so it would be bad for me. Those on a sugar diet it would be just fine I would think. We are all different. I was different 50 years ago when I was a teenager too. :)
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Does one actually have to be "on a sugar diet" or a teenager to enjoy fruit?

    I just got a bunch of plums and a cantaloupe from my CSA. Guess I'm in trouble.
  • gothchiq
    gothchiq Posts: 4,590 Member
    It's fine unless you are diabetic or prediabetic, in which case your doctor will have guidelines for the right amounts and times to eat the fruit.
  • mccindy72
    mccindy72 Posts: 7,001 Member
    lfaej77 wrote: »
    I'm staying within my calorie goal (more or less!) and have cut down on sweets/chocolate/desserts, and cut out sugar from my coffee and switched to diet soft drinks.

    But I eat a lot of fruit. And every day I'm near my max carb goal, and pretty much always over the sugar goal! What I want to ask is, is lots of sugar okay when the bulk of it is from for example two apples, a cup of blueberries, some pomegranate seeds, a banana and strawberries?

    Unless you have a medical condition that requires you to watch your sugar intake, you don't need to watch your sugar from any sources. Just change the limit in your MFP settings so it stops warning you. As far as your carb intake, remember that vegetables, fruit, rice, pasta, bread, and sugars are all carbs, so that will all be added in by MFP. It doesn't all count the same way so don't sweat it too much.... just cut back some of the starches and increase your protein intake, if you are concerned about it.
  • lfaej77
    lfaej77 Posts: 3 Member
    carolineloves wrote: »
    I wish there was a way to separate naturally occurring sugars and added sugars. :/

    Yes! Same here. I'd be super interested to see that as I know I've done a fairly good job in reducing added sugars. Or at least I think I have!

    Thanks for the help gang. I actually didn't know I can change/hide the sugar "goal" in my settings either. Honestly I'm not really sure where mfp even got the numbers for the goals from!
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited August 2015
    You can see that by just looking at your entries and seeing where your sugar is from. The sugar goal is 15% of calories, which incorporates the usual recommendations of 5-10% of calories from added sugar (which includes honey or juice) plus the average amount of fruit, veg, and dairy. If you eat more than the average of those, your sugar will be higher. There's no credible number for which ALL sugar should be limited to, which is why the track fiber advice is good.
  • jessica_sodenkamp
    jessica_sodenkamp Posts: 34 Member
    Fruit sugar doesn't bother me! I'd be in trouble if it did...love that stuff :)
  • lodro
    lodro Posts: 982 Member
    yes, it can be addictive.
  • kirstym1108
    kirstym1108 Posts: 46 Member
    Glad I read this post because I do eat a lot of fruit and was annoyed about the red sugar number; now changed my settings to track fibre instead! Thanks for the info!
  • 999tigger
    999tigger Posts: 5,235 Member
    As they said above shift it to tracking fiber.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,426 MFP Moderator
    GaleHawkins wrote: »
    I am on a no sugars or grains diet so it would be bad for me. Those on a sugar diet it would be just fine I would think. We are all different. I was different 50 years ago when I was a teenager too. :)
    But you also have medical issues which makes your dietary requirements different than the rest of us. And I am pretty sure non of us are on a sugar diet... but rather a flexible diet that allows us to have sugar in our diets.

    OP, I eat fruit every day. It's a great source of vitamins and minerals and generally lower in calories to help keep you on track. In the grand scheme of things, I would concentrate on calories, then protein, then fats/carbs, then the rest. Also, with 9 lbs to go, make sure your weight loss goal is set for .5 - 1 lb per week max. If you want to maximize muscle retention, I would probably increase protein over the MFP amount to about .6-.8g of protein per lb of weight and make sure you have some resistance training in there.
  • carolineloves
    carolineloves Posts: 27 Member
    lfaej77 wrote: »
    carolineloves wrote: »
    I wish there was a way to separate naturally occurring sugars and added sugars. :/

    Yes! Same here. I'd be super interested to see that as I know I've done a fairly good job in reducing added sugars. Or at least I think I have!

    I came up with a great idea this morning to creat new foods without adding the sugar - labeling it as Natural Sugar Omitted. Hopefully this is will work!
  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 6,002 Member
    psulemon wrote: »
    OP, I eat fruit every day. It's a great source of vitamins and minerals and generally lower in calories to help keep you on track. In the grand scheme of things, I would concentrate on calories, then protein, then fats/carbs, then the rest. Also, with 9 lbs to go, make sure your weight loss goal is set for .5 - 1 lb per week max. If you want to maximize muscle retention, I would probably increase protein over the MFP amount to about .6-.8g of protein per lb of weight and make sure you have some resistance training in there.

    Done, done and done!
    +1

  • mccindy72
    mccindy72 Posts: 7,001 Member
    lodro wrote: »
    yes, it can be addictive.

    No, it can't. But it's entirely up to the person to make a choice to consume it or not.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited August 2015
    carolineloves wrote: »
    lfaej77 wrote: »
    carolineloves wrote: »
    I wish there was a way to separate naturally occurring sugars and added sugars. :/

    Yes! Same here. I'd be super interested to see that as I know I've done a fairly good job in reducing added sugars. Or at least I think I have!

    I came up with a great idea this morning to creat new foods without adding the sugar - labeling it as Natural Sugar Omitted. Hopefully this is will work!

    I'd save them just for your personal use and not make them public, as the database is confused enough. It's also going to be harder than you might think depending on what it is. For example, any flavored yogurt is a combination of lactose and added sugar. (I don't eat many such products myself, but that's why I generally can tell easily if my sugar is added -- like most of the sugar in ice cream -- or not (as in the dairy, fruit, and vegetables I eat).)

    I really think just understanding what you eat and what's in it and maybe looking at where your sugar came from that day is sufficient and probably more educational than focusing on a specific number, but if counting the grams works for you good luck with it!

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