How many grams of sugar do you eat in a day?

gracetillman · July 2013

I do not have a problem with diabetes and I have never monitored my sugar consumption before. I read the American Heart Association recommends women consume no more than 24g of sugar in a day -- MFP has auto-calculated my plan at 25g per day. The problem is -- even when trying to eat clean -- I am NEVER below that number. I enjoy fruit, greek yogurt, whole multigrain bread, and usually one or two other items with some form of sugar in it on a daily basis. I have radically changed my eating habits in the past two months and continue to make changes as I find new things. I have really become label conscious and prepare most of my food from scratch at home. I am eating well.

My question is does anyone who doesn't have "issues" with sugar actually stay below the recommended amount regularly?

I don't think it is hurting my progress one way or another, but I was just wondering what others were doing.

iwantodance · July 2013

I was just going to post a similar topic and decided I'd better search the topics first.Today is my 2nd day of recording my food intake, although I got on the site about a year ago.

According to the website's calculations, my goal is 33 grams of sugar today. Yesterday, it was 29 grams. I can hit that with a cup of nonfat milk, a slice of whole grain bread, and a couple of fruits. I don't see how I can stay at or under that limit. I know that I should limit sugar intake but 33 grams seems impossible.

Also, I wonder why the goal was higher today than yesterday. Maybe it has something to do with the amount of exercise? Or, maybe it's based on my totals from yesterday? I hit 61 grams yesterday and thought that I was eating pretty healthy. Today, I'm at 29 grams already and I haven't had dinner or any snacks yet. I've lost weight before by counting calories and limiting fat and sugar but not at the rate the website gives me.

jwdieter · July 2013

AHA recommendation is for *added* sugars.

neanderthin · July 2013

That's added sugar, not sugar found in whole foods naturally. I'm pretty much added sugar free, except maple syrup and honey, which are for specific recipes.......No I lied I do add sugar when I bake, but I don't bake much, oh and when I make ice cream.......ok I eat added sugar.

1yoyoKAT · July 2013

I don't even watch the sugar number, I turned it off in favor of showing other nutrients. I eat a lot of fruit and vegetables, no doubt going over the sugar allotment from MFP. I did my own research and have set the nutrients I want to track at a level that works well for me. Example, I set my protein higher than the default on MFP. It sounds like you are eating a healthy diet and the sugar is coming from fruits, milk, etc. not added sugar. I think AHA is most concerned with added sugar.

Bobbie8786 · July 2013

I switched sugar for fiber in my diary since I was sick of seeing the big red number in my sugar column every day. You can barely eat 2 pieces of fruit a day without going over and that is ridiculous. Unless you are a diabetic or have some other medical condition, I would ignore it.

magerum · July 2013

Between 120 - 200. Typically around 130.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics · July 2013

I don't even track sugar and never have. I'm certain I'd be over every single day.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics · July 2013

I was just going to post a similar topic and decided I'd better search the topics first.Today is my 2nd day of recording my food intake, although I got on the site about a year ago.

According to the website's calculations, my goal is 33 grams of sugar today. Yesterday, it was 29 grams. I can hit that with a cup of nonfat milk, a slice of whole grain bread, and a couple of fruits. I don't see how I can stay at or under that limit. I know that I should limit sugar intake but 33 grams seems impossible.

Also, I wonder why the goal was higher today than yesterday. Maybe it has something to do with the amount of exercise? Or, maybe it's based on my totals from yesterday? I hit 61 grams yesterday and thought that I was eating pretty healthy. Today, I'm at 29 grams already and I haven't had dinner or any snacks yet. I've lost weight before by counting calories and limiting fat and sugar but not at the rate the website gives me.

Your macros change when you add exercise calories, so that's probably why you've got a different number.

tameko2 · July 2013

I don't even track sugar and never have. I'm certain I'd be over every single day.

Ditto. If you're eating a reasonable diet (like you're not drinking 2,000 calories of soda and calling that a balanced diet) and it sounds like you are then there's really no reason to fret about it outside of, like you mentioned, medical issues.

BrianSharpe · July 2013

I had to look at my full report for today.....140g

born2drum · July 2013

You mean carbs not sugar? 25g of sugar is over when you eat greek yogurt or fruit. Doesn't matter. As long as you dont over do it. I eat about 150-175g of carbs per day

CyberEd312 · July 2013

I have No Clue.... Never tracked it........ Just watch Carbs, Proteins, and Fats......... Best of Luck

Achrya · July 2013

All of them.

BeachIron · July 2013

I do not have a problem with diabetes and I have never monitored my sugar consumption before. I read the American Heart Association recommends women consume no more than 24g of sugar in a day -- MFP has auto-calculated my plan at 25g per day. The problem is -- even when trying to eat clean -- I am NEVER below that number. I enjoy fruit, greek yogurt, whole multigrain bread, and usually one or two other items with some form of sugar in it on a daily basis. I have radically changed my eating habits in the past two months and continue to make changes as I find new things. I have really become label conscious and prepare most of my food from scratch at home. I am eating well.

My question is does anyone who doesn't have "issues" with sugar actually stay below the recommended amount regularly?

I don't think it is hurting my progress one way or another, but I was just wondering what others were doing.

Please go check the AHA's recommendations again. They specifically address added sugars, not naturally occurring sugars in fruits and other foods. That said, even that is probably overkill as sugar is simply a carbohydrate and will not make you fat unless your calorie intake exceeds your calories burned. I personally don't bother to track sugar at all and while I do not eat sweets throughout the day, I do eat a lot of fruit and I have ice cream or some other sweet most nights.

AnneSoCal · July 2013

I've never tracked the sugar before, since I eat a high fat / low carb diet, but I just added the column in to see since I really had no idea. Based on my diary for the past couple of weeks, I eat less than 20g of sugar a day. It's usually around 12 - 13.

Then again, I don't eat any foods that have added sugar or foods that are naturally high in sugar (like bananas) so that's why my numbers are so low. I certainly don't miss it!

LizAnn925 · July 2013

I have thought about this too. I do not think fruit sugars should really be including in this on MFP because your fruit recommendations alone will probably cover this amount. I go over my sugar amount 99% of the time (25 grams a day is nothing when it comes to fruit - there is double that in a mango). I think this sugar refers to added sugars in breads, pastas, cookies, and the like. You may have to keep these sugars separate from each other on a list and make sure you aren't eating 25 grams of processed sugars in baked goods and whatnot. Fruit is separate.