Sugar

JayZ1488

How much sugar is ok to have on a daily basis. I work out 4x a week and have made some good life style changes! I'm sticking to my calorie deficit but I was just curious about sugar. I want to have it in moderation but I don't want to ver from my goals!

I know dark brown sugar is 16 calories a teaspoon, and I also know that sugar doesn't provide nutrients, so it's like wasted calories or some may say.

malibu927

Unless you have a medical reason to watch your sugar intake, too much would be what takes you over your calories. Some look at the goal MFP gives as added sugar (which you can't yet calculate). Others decide not to track it and switch it for fiber instead.

JayZ1488

malibu927 wrote: »

Unless you have a medical reason to watch your sugar intake, too much would be what takes you over your calories. Some look at the goal MFP gives as added sugar (which you can't yet calculate). Others decide not to track it and switch it for fiber instead.

Hey how are you. I'm confused what your saying? I was able to track my sugar

Orphia

Hi @JayZ1488

I think what @malibu927 is saying is that some people delete the category for sugar in their MFP nutrition settings because it doesn't matter to you unless a doctor has specifically advised you not to go over a certain amount of sugar.

I probably should do that myself but it never bothers me when I go over my sugar "limit" because I'm not diabetic or anything. I go over the "limit" a couple of times a week, but I just ignore it, and I'm fit and healthy.

Cheers.

yarwell

JayZ1488 wrote: »

How much sugar is ok to have on a daily basis. I work out 4x a week and have made some good life style changes! I'm sticking to my calorie deficit but I was just curious about sugar. I want to have it in moderation but I don't want to ver from my goals!

Some countries have an RDI of 90 or 100 grams a day. MFP is set up at 15% of calories so everyone should get a 45g allowance unless they've customised it.

No need to bury your head in the sand, make appropriate choices using the data provided. 200 grams of fruit at 10% is only 20g of sugars.

ElizabethOakes2

You can have my sugar when you rip it from my cold dead fingers!
A spoonful of brown sugar on your oatmeal in the morning, or a drizzle of maple syrup on your nonfat yogurt isn't going to hurt anything. If you're drinking three or four cans of soda a day and eating a dozen Oreos, you might have a problem, but it's not the demon it's been made out to be. Unless you're diabetic/pre-diabetic, don't sweat it.

Springfield1970

Moderation.
Also, context.
Sugar is brilliant for sports training, before, during and after.
The secret is finding the right balance of different releasing fuels.
first though, make sure you are getting your protein and fats in, you probably won't have too many calories left to 'spend' on pure sugar after your other carb needs are met.
Treats ARE important too.

Yi5hedr3

It raises insulin which stops fat burning, and starts fat storage mode.

JayZ1488

Springfield1970 wrote: »

Moderation.
Also, context.
Sugar is brilliant for sports training, before, during and after.
The secret is finding the right balance of different releasing fuels.
first though, make sure you are getting your protein and fats in, you probably won't have too many calories left to 'spend' on pure sugar after your other carb needs are met.
Treats ARE important too.

How does it help in sport training? Also I do eat the right amount of data and protiens. It's just I know you should use salt or sugar in moderation. I gave up on cookies, ice cream and those heavy treats. But I love making parfaits with fruit and plain yougurt. I add a small amount of brown sugar for a little more flavor lol thanks for the advice

percolater

It sounds like you're doing fine, JayZ. The spoonful of brown sugar probably doesn't make you go over 45g for the day anyway.

The amount of sugar in their diet does matter to some people, though. Sweet foods can cause blood sugar to spike and the pancreas to produce lots of insulin to try to handle it. This insulin in the blood stream can in turn, cause extreme hunger in some people. They can be full or only mildly hungry, eat one small cookie, and suddenly be ravenous. For those people, eliminating sugar can help in keeping calories down and controlling the urge to binge.

Diets high in sugar can also increase health risks for some diseases. The connection with diabetes is well know and recent studies, published in the news, link sugar with the risk for breast and lung cancers.

So I would say eat it if you really love it but be aware that it holds no particular nutritional value and could be harmful to some people.

Remember that refining vegetables into sugar wasn't even a concept until a few hundred years ago, it takes about as much processing to turn corn into corn syrup or beets into fine white sugar as it takes to turn a poppy into heroin. Before that we all got along fine, without any sugar at all, for thousands of years, so it's not something we must have to make our diet balanced.

lemurcat12

JayZ1488 wrote: »

How much sugar is ok to have on a daily basis. I work out 4x a week and have made some good life style changes! I'm sticking to my calorie deficit but I was just curious about sugar. I want to have it in moderation but I don't want to ver from my goals!

I know dark brown sugar is 16 calories a teaspoon, and I also know that sugar doesn't provide nutrients, so it's like wasted calories or some may say.

I'd say the way to figure out what a moderate amount is would be to see what's left when you meet other goals like protein, fat, fiber, whatever micronutrient goals you may have (I simply focus on getting in enough vegetables and some healthy fats like nuts and avocado, in addition to my protein, as I normally hit the fiber numbers anyway). Beyond that, stick within your calories and eat what you like.

Another option, of course, is going with the US Dietary Guidelines and WHO recommendations of no more than 5-10% of added sugar, but MFP doesn't measure that (sugar totals include amounts from dairy, fruit, and vegetables, which are not what the Guidelines or WHO are talking about), so you'd want to subtract out those amounts and it's sometimes hard to tell (a yogurt with fruit added with have lots of "inherent" sugar, but often will have some added too, you have to read the label). To make it easier, MFP sets a goal of 15% of calories for all sugars, which works fine if you have a reasonable calorie level (i.e., don't have one of the lowest calorie options, which I assume you do not) or aren't someone who eats lots of fruit. (But since there's nothing wrong with eating lots of fruit if you are otherwise meeting your goals, if you do I wouldn't focus on the MFP goal, which is just based on a guess about how much fruit/veg/dairy people would be eating.)

JayZ1488

lemurcat12 wrote: »

JayZ1488 wrote: »

How much sugar is ok to have on a daily basis. I work out 4x a week and have made some good life style changes! I'm sticking to my calorie deficit but I was just curious about sugar. I want to have it in moderation but I don't want to ver from my goals!

I know dark brown sugar is 16 calories a teaspoon, and I also know that sugar doesn't provide nutrients, so it's like wasted calories or some may say.

I'd say the way to figure out what a moderate amount is would be to see what's left when you meet other goals like protein, fat, fiber, whatever micronutrient goals you may have (I simply focus on getting in enough vegetables and some healthy fats like nuts and avocado, in addition to my protein, as I normally hit the fiber numbers anyway). Beyond that, stick within your calories and eat what you like.

Another option, of course, is going with the US Dietary Guidelines and WHO recommendations of no more than 5-10% of added sugar, but MFP doesn't measure that (sugar totals include amounts from dairy, fruit, and vegetables, which are not what the Guidelines or WHO are talking about), so you'd want to subtract out those amounts and it's sometimes hard to tell (a yogurt with fruit added with have lots of "inherent" sugar, but often will have some added too, you have to read the label). To make it easier, MFP sets a goal of 15% of calories for all sugars, which works fine if you have a reasonable calorie level (i.e., don't have one of the lowest calorie options, which I assume you do not) or aren't someone who eats lots of fruit. (But since there's nothing wrong with eating lots of fruit if you are otherwise meeting your goals, if you do I wouldn't focus on the MFP goal, which is just based on a guess about how much fruit/veg/dairy people would be eating.)

I am moderate in what I eat. I make sure I eat my protiens, fruits veggies fibers and all. I usually have sugar through fruit and yougurt, but other times I add some to things such as baked sweet potato, a run for my chicken. It's not much, but I was just curious. Just because a packet of sugar is only 17 calories "which I can burn in 1 minute, is it harmful, is it like salt where it retains water or fat.

Springfield1970

JayZ1488 wrote: »

Springfield1970 wrote: »

Moderation.
Also, context.
Sugar is brilliant for sports training, before, during and after.
The secret is finding the right balance of different releasing fuels.
first though, make sure you are getting your protein and fats in, you probably won't have too many calories left to 'spend' on pure sugar after your other carb needs are met.
Treats ARE important too.

How does it help in sport training? Also I do eat the right amount of data and protiens. It's just I know you should use salt or sugar in moderation. I gave up on cookies, ice cream and those heavy treats. But I love making parfaits with fruit and plain yougurt. I add a small amount of brown sugar for a little more flavor lol thanks for the advice

I'll try and be clearer. When I say sugar, I mean all sugar that has been converted from carbs.
There are different types. At one end of the spectrum there is glucose which is the fastest to get in the bloodstream. This is what is used in sports drinks. It would be used by someone that was training in high intensities where the supply of body fat for fuel wouldn't be quick enough for use.(it's easy to buy bags of glucose and make your own sports drinks.)
People use glucose if they have a very early session and haven't had time to fuel up. They would know how much they needed and would fuel as they went. They would also use it in a race where they had used up all their glycogen supply, say after about 90 minutes.
Other fast releasing carbs/sugars like pasta would be useful to elevate insulin after a weight training session. Why would we need to do that? To transport amino acids into the muscle cells and promote growth and repair.
Fruit, and other complex starches like oats etc are good for replenishing and storing for slow release. But they need 2/3 hours to digest and if you're a runner they need to be low fibre.

Slow release carbs in low amounts are best outside of the workout windows. I try not to have too many carbs at all after my pre and post workout meals. I'd rather save them and put lots into my training.

For most people staying in the aerobic and lower heart rate training zones, it doesn't really matter.

The idea that sugar feeds cancer cells is my next research point. Anyone got any legit links or studies, particularly irt sports people?

lemurcat12

JayZ1488 wrote: »

lemurcat12 wrote: »

JayZ1488 wrote: »

How much sugar is ok to have on a daily basis. I work out 4x a week and have made some good life style changes! I'm sticking to my calorie deficit but I was just curious about sugar. I want to have it in moderation but I don't want to ver from my goals!

I know dark brown sugar is 16 calories a teaspoon, and I also know that sugar doesn't provide nutrients, so it's like wasted calories or some may say.

I'd say the way to figure out what a moderate amount is would be to see what's left when you meet other goals like protein, fat, fiber, whatever micronutrient goals you may have (I simply focus on getting in enough vegetables and some healthy fats like nuts and avocado, in addition to my protein, as I normally hit the fiber numbers anyway). Beyond that, stick within your calories and eat what you like.

Another option, of course, is going with the US Dietary Guidelines and WHO recommendations of no more than 5-10% of added sugar, but MFP doesn't measure that (sugar totals include amounts from dairy, fruit, and vegetables, which are not what the Guidelines or WHO are talking about), so you'd want to subtract out those amounts and it's sometimes hard to tell (a yogurt with fruit added with have lots of "inherent" sugar, but often will have some added too, you have to read the label). To make it easier, MFP sets a goal of 15% of calories for all sugars, which works fine if you have a reasonable calorie level (i.e., don't have one of the lowest calorie options, which I assume you do not) or aren't someone who eats lots of fruit. (But since there's nothing wrong with eating lots of fruit if you are otherwise meeting your goals, if you do I wouldn't focus on the MFP goal, which is just based on a guess about how much fruit/veg/dairy people would be eating.)

I am moderate in what I eat. I make sure I eat my protiens, fruits veggies fibers and all. I usually have sugar through fruit and yougurt, but other times I add some to things such as baked sweet potato, a run for my chicken. It's not much, but I was just curious. Just because a packet of sugar is only 17 calories "which I can burn in 1 minute, is it harmful, is it like salt where it retains water or fat.

No, that sounds completely fine and it won't retain water or fat.

percolater

The idea that "sugar feeds cancer cells" is misleading because sugar feeds all cells so it isn't targeting the cancer cells in particular. However the research that says sugar can increase the risk for certain cancers is fairly conclusive.
https://mdanderson.org/newsroom/2015/12/sugar-in-western-diets.html

bdt0831

For me personally sugar has to be as low as I can keep it. I could LIVE ON SUGAR. My mouth is full of sweet teeth. I allow a little tiny bit here and there but I can become a raging monster and eat sugar until I make myself sick. I could eat sugar filled foods all day!! Even fake sugar substitutes are a no no because for me they can trigger my cravings for sweets. I don't drink pop. Ever. I don't use maple syrup. I allow a "treat" twice a week. That's it. It's like alcohol to an alcoholic for me. I keep the sugar in my diary so I can make sure I am keeping myself accountable. But if you have no health issues resulting from sugar then moderation is smart. A little bit here and there won't hurt you. At all. But for those like me a little bit TOO often triggers the want for more and more. It's just not a battle I want to deal with so I keep my sugar LOW LOW LOW.

JayZ1488

I don't think sugars bad at all in moderation. Thanks for the help everyone. Il keep it light still. I found plain yougurt with fruit like blue or blackberries and a teaspoon of brown sugar..mhmm so good and I've heard yougurt a good for you!