Smoothies, too much sugar

4bugsmama

I have started doing smoothies for breakfast since they travel well and are fairly simple to make before my commute to work. After logging them for a few days, I have quickly realized that what I started out thinking was a good idea, is full of too much sugar. I haven't strayed too far from what I've been putting in my blender cup (spinach/kale mix, 1/2 banana, blueberries, lactose-free milk, and buckwheat). I am hoping someone can help guide me to some more healthy (but still good tasting) smoothies. I would hate to lose my momentum on the healthy breakfasts I've been enjoying. TIA

mbaker566

why would you think they have too much sugar?
so long as you are fitting them into your calorie allotment, what is the issue? you are getting vitamins and other health benifits from them.

ultrahoon

Unless you have a medical reason to avoid sugar, I wouldn't worry about it unless it's making it too challenging to stick to your calorie goals consistently.

4bugsmama

My calories are not an issue, I am consistently at or just below my calorie allotment. My concern is the sugars that are in my smoothies. I consistently go over my sugars when I do more than one smoothie a day (which I have been doing lately, again because they travel well and are tasty). I just don't want to be setting myself up for having too much sugar and in return be slowing my weight loss.

cwolfman13

4bugsmama wrote: »

My calories are not an issue, I am consistently at or just below my calorie allotment. My concern is the sugars that are in my smoothies. I consistently go over my sugars when I do more than one smoothie a day (which I have been doing lately, again because they travel well and are tasty). I just don't want to be setting myself up for having too much sugar and in return be slowing my weight loss.

sugar does not slow your weight loss...

personally, unless you're eating a ton of added sugars and sucking down sodas to wash down your pie and cookies, i wouldn't worry about it. pretty much if you eat fruit at all you are going to go over on your sugar targets. unless they've changed it (i haven't logged in a long time), mfp's sugar target is for added sugars.

_incogNEATo_

Your weight loss won't slow down from the amount of sugar you take in. It will slow down if the calories you consume are closer to the calories you burn. If the calories you consume are greater than the calories you burn, you will gain weight.

ETA: Disclaimer about medical condition requiring you to limit sugars.

4bugsmama

Thank you all for the information, I always learn so much when I put my questions out there I have a long road ahead of me to really figure out how to eat (how sad does that sound?).

DaddieCat

Sugar is not what causes weight gain. Barring some medical issue, it's overall calories that contribute to weight gain. Many people don't even track sugar, myself included. I traded out the sugar tracker on my page for fiber, which is a much better indicator of something that matters to me in my dietary needs.

Additionally, the sugar tracker does not differentiate between naturally occurring sugars vs added sugars. Personally I would be more worried about added sugars as those are the ones that can wreak havoc on my calorie counts. For example, a soda, while delicious, is 120 calories that I could have eaten instead. Even if it were ice cream or broccoli, I'd prefer to eat my calories than drink them. I feel more satiated that way.

Nothing wrong with fruit or sugar, provided it doesn't take you over your calorie goals.

ultrahoon

4bugsmama wrote: »

Thank you all for the information, I always learn so much when I put my questions out there I have a long road ahead of me to really figure out how to eat (how sad does that sound?).

Don't worry about it, most of us are here because we didn't know how to eat properly before (it's why we got fat!) and the weight loss / nutrition industries put out a lot of confusing and contradictory information. The important thing is that you're here, and asking questions, never be afraid to ask questions here

fat2strongbeth

You don't have any added sugars in your smoothie, so I wouldn't be too concerned. My go-to smoothie is very similar - greens, almond milk, banana, hemp or chia seeds.

nutmegoreo

I love my smoothie. I use it to help reach my protein, iron, and fibre goals. As BecomingBane said, I don't track sugar either. It's a carb. It gets counted there. Unless there is medical reason to track, perhaps pick something different. Overall calories is what will cause the weight changes. Different macros may help you stay full longer (fats and proteins keep me full), and other things (veggies) can be eaten in larger portions due to fewer calories.

vingogly

If you want to reduce the sugars (and calorie count) in your smoothies, you might switch to unsweetened almond milk (12g savings per smoothie) and a mix of strawberries, blackberries, and/or raspberries rather than the 1/2 banana and the blueberries (assuming 1 cup of fruit, up to 10g savings per smoothie). This would save about 88 calories per smoothie.

I like to have a smoothie every day as an evening treat: 1 cup water, two scoops protein powder, 3/4 cup frozen berries (including blueberries), 1/4 cup reduced fat ricotta, stevia to taste (13g sugar total), maybe some cocoa powder. I like a half frozen banana for part of the fruit sometimes, too. The frozen fruit and ricotta make for a thick, filling, and rich tasting snack. For me, calories saved here and there are calories I can use somewhere else during the day.

megpie41

I agree with everyone else. You really don't need to worry about whole fruit sugar (or blended whole fruit) as long as you stay within your calorie goals (added sugar is another story). I drink a smoothie every morning very similar to yours. I'd recommend checking out "Sugar: The Bitter Truth" by Robert Lustig (YouTube it...it's almost 2 hours, but extremely eye opening). He gives a great lecture on sugar, high fructose corn syrup etc and why it is bad/how it effects the body. But he does say that natural whole fruit sugar is okay because the nutrients and fiber you get help metabolize it differently. Fruit juice isn't that great because it is lacking the fiber of the whole fruit.

nichalsont

No need to worry unless you are diabetic. As long as it is sugar from a nutritious source and not from baked goods and the like. I usually go over my sugar allotment because of fruit and skim milk.

4bugsmama

Again, thank you all so much for your insight and willingness to help!

As far as changing what I track (switching from sugar to another macro), how do I do that? I am fairly new at this and haven't navigated the use of MFP much.

DaddieCat

4bugsmama wrote: »

Again, thank you all so much for your insight and willingness to help!

As far as changing what I track (switching from sugar to another macro), how do I do that? I am fairly new at this and haven't navigated the use of MFP much.

Website and Windows Phone Users

Log in to http://www.myfitnesspal.com in a web browser
Click "My Home", then "Goals", then click the "Change Goals" button at the bottom of the page.
Choose the "Custom" option and you'll be taken to a page where you can set your own targets for all of the nutrients we track.
Once you've saved your changes, those same changes will appear in the app the next time the app syncs to the website
Windows Phone users can adjust their Net Calorie goal directly in the app on the "More" page by tapping "Edit Profile" then "Net Calorie Goal."
In our Android and iOS apps
Tap "Goals" in the Menu (or "More" page)
Tap the settings to adjust your weight change and macronutrient goals (Fat, Protein Carbs)
Tap "Advanced Nutritional Goals" to adjust additional micronutrient goals

nichalsont

My Home / Settings / Diary Settings

nutmegoreo

4bugsmama wrote: »

Again, thank you all so much for your insight and willingness to help!

As far as changing what I track (switching from sugar to another macro), how do I do that? I am fairly new at this and haven't navigated the use of MFP much.

On the website, go to My Home > settings > Diary settings. On the app, go to settings on the drop down menu, then diary settings.

nichalsont wrote: »

No need to worry unless you are diabetic. As long as it is sugar from a nutritious source and not from baked goods and the like. I usually go over my sugar allotment because of fruit and skim milk.

FYI, I don't worry about the sugar in baked goods or anything else either. Again, for me, I have no medical conditions requiring that I monitor it. I eat mostly whole foods, but fit in some treats nearly daily. This helps keep me sane and not feeling like I'm on a diet. I intend to continue having treats throughout my life, I want to learn good habits now, so that I can maintain in the future.

RuNaRoUnDaFiEld

Just make sure you brush your teeth afterwards.

cat_smith1

Thanks for this. Is the 90g UK RDA just for 'added' sugars then? I'd love to be able to discount the fruit sugar - at the moment trying to keep sugar total low means a lot of very green, and not very pleasant protein shakes.

amandabullock120

4bugsmama wrote: »

I have started doing smoothies for breakfast since they travel well and are fairly simple to make before my commute to work. After logging them for a few days, I have quickly realized that what I started out thinking was a good idea, is full of too much sugar. I haven't strayed too far from what I've been putting in my blender cup (spinach/kale mix, 1/2 banana, blueberries, lactose-free milk, and buckwheat). I am hoping someone can help guide me to some more healthy (but still good tasting) smoothies. I would hate to lose my momentum on the healthy breakfasts I've been enjoying. TIA

It looks like you are eating natural sugars. If you were drinking soda every single day, that might be an issue. If you want to lower your sugars in your smoothie, switch out the banana for pineapple or some other low sugar fruit or milk. Make sure you weigh bananas, I have found MFP to be inaccurate with some foods. But I wouldn't stress to much about sugars found in fruits and veggies! Enjoy your smoothie!!