Too much sugar in fruit, is that bad?

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kjerome101
kjerome101 Posts: 61 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I ALWAYS go over my sugar goal for the day because I eat a lot of fruit, is this bad? Will it make me gain weight or is it ok because it's fruit?
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Replies

  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    If you need to watch your sugar due to a medical condition or because you're sticking to a particular diet (like keto), then you may need to cut back on the fruit. But many of us don't worry about our sugar goals and prefer to track things like fiber, micros, etc before sugar.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    Do you have a medical reason to limit sugar?

    Sugar, by itself, won't cause you to gain weight. You'll only gain weight if you regularly consume more calories than you're burning. That will happen whether the calories are from carbohydrates, fat, or protein.
  • upoffthemat
    upoffthemat Posts: 679 Member
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    Calories are what matter. If you are eating too many sugars and not enough other carbs, proteins and fats then it can impact how you feel, but you will still lose weight. Don't believe all the bad press sugar is getting lately, but do try to have some balance in your macros

    Of course too much fruit could have some other rather messy consequences as well.
  • rosebarnalice
    rosebarnalice Posts: 3,488 Member
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    Your body sees sugar as sugar-- no matter what the source. But, as @diannethegeek says, if it fits your calorie goals and you don't have a medical condition that requires you to limit sugar, you're getting some fiber and micronutrients from fruit that you wouldn't get from mainlining an chocolate bar!
  • kjerome101
    kjerome101 Posts: 61 Member
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    janejellyroll wrote: »
    Do you have a medical reason to limit sugar?

    Sugar, by itself, won't cause you to gain weight. You'll only gain weight if you regularly consume more calories than you're burning. That will happen whether the calories are from carbohydrates, fat, or protein.

    No medical reason, just want to make sure that I don't eat too much sugar because I thought it would make me gain weight.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    kjerome101 wrote: »
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    Do you have a medical reason to limit sugar?

    Sugar, by itself, won't cause you to gain weight. You'll only gain weight if you regularly consume more calories than you're burning. That will happen whether the calories are from carbohydrates, fat, or protein.

    No medical reason, just want to make sure that I don't eat too much sugar because I thought it would make me gain weight.

    Assuming you are hitting your calorie goal, going over your sugar goal won't cause you to gain weight.
  • kjerome101
    kjerome101 Posts: 61 Member
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    Great! Thank you everyone for your replies!!! :)
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
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    No, eating too many calories causes weight gain
  • sana66
    sana66 Posts: 54 Member
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    i hear wat everyones saying, just out of curiosity, how does atkins make u loose weight coz ur counting carbs not calories right?
  • StorkFootFamily
    StorkFootFamily Posts: 4 Member
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    Your goals should not be completely weight centered, but should also include concerns about health. I disagree with a lot of the commenters here, because sugar absolutely does matter to your health, and it very rightfully has received bad press.

    With that being said - the sugar in whole fruit should not concern you the same way that added sugar does. When you consume naturally occurring sugar in a whole piece of fruit, you're also eating plenty of fiber. The fiber in the fruit helps to slow your digestion of said sugar, and prevents a drastic insulin spike (constantly having too many insulin spikes could eventually lead to issues like diabetes). Added sugar is what you really need to monitor - for women, that's around 25g a day.

    Stick to 2-4 servings of fruit a day, to keep your diet balanced (veggies should be consumed more than fruit), and limit fruit juices (it's natural, but it's a very high sugar count with almost no fiber benefit), and you should be fine. From what I understand, the daily recommended value of naturally occurring sugar in whole foods has not been set, but as a rule of thumb, you should keep the amount to about 1/3 of the amount of carbs you consume in a day.

    Also, never believe anyone that tries to tell you that the only thing that matters is calories in vs. calories out. Dieticians and nutritionists will all tell you that what the calories are made of matters. More calories of whole, natural foods will make you less likely to gain weight than fewer calories of chemical or additive laden processed foods. Studies have proved it, but the old myth is so planted within our brains, it's hard to shake it.
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    edited September 2016
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    StorkFootFamily wrote: »
    Your goals should not be completely weight centered, but should also include concerns about health. I disagree with a lot of the commenters here, because sugar absolutely does matter to your health, and it very rightfully has received bad press.

    With that being said - the sugar in whole fruit should not concern you the same way that added sugar does. When you consume naturally occurring sugar in a whole piece of fruit, you're also eating plenty of fiber. The fiber in the fruit helps to slow your digestion of said sugar, and prevents a drastic insulin spike (constantly having too many insulin spikes could eventually lead to issues like diabetes). Added sugar is what you really need to monitor - for women, that's around 25g a day.

    Stick to 2-4 servings of fruit a day, to keep your diet balanced (veggies should be consumed more than fruit), and limit fruit juices (it's natural, but it's a very high sugar count with almost no fiber benefit), and you should be fine. From what I understand, the daily recommended value of naturally occurring sugar in whole foods has not been set, but as a rule of thumb, you should keep the amount to about 1/3 of the amount of carbs you consume in a day.

    Also, never believe anyone that tries to tell you that the only thing that matters is calories in vs. calories out. Dieticians and nutritionists will all tell you that what the calories are made of matters. More calories of whole, natural foods will make you less likely to gain weight than fewer calories of chemical or additive laden processed foods. Studies have proved it, but the old myth is so planted within our brains, it's hard to shake it.

    Strong first post.....

    Nope. All that matters for weighlose is calories unless you have a medical condition.

    Also sugar doesn't cause diabetes.

    Gotta love fear mongering
  • StorkFootFamily
    StorkFootFamily Posts: 4 Member
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    https://authoritynutrition.com/debunking-the-calorie-myth/
    This article puts it simply, but you can find plenty more online if you're interested in why what your calories are made of does matter.

    Sugar does not cause diabetes, but too much of it regularly can lead to insulin resistance, which can lead to diabetes.
  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 5,948 Member
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    sana66 wrote: »
    i hear wat everyones saying, just out of curiosity, how does atkins make u loose weight coz ur counting carbs not calories right?

    If you're counting carbs you're counting calories...
  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 5,948 Member
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    StorkFootFamily wrote: »
    https://authoritynutrition.com/debunking-the-calorie-myth/
    This article puts it simply, but you can find plenty more online if you're interested in why what your calories are made of does matter.

    Sugar does not cause diabetes, but too much of it regularly can lead to insulin resistance, which can lead to diabetes.

    In the context of a balanced diet with plenty of fiber added sugar is of no consequence...
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
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    Also authority nutrition is not exactly an unbiased legitimate source.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    StorkFootFamily wrote: »
    Your goals should not be completely weight centered, but should also include concerns about health. I disagree with a lot of the commenters here, because sugar absolutely does matter to your health, and it very rightfully has received bad press.

    With that being said - the sugar in whole fruit should not concern you the same way that added sugar does. When you consume naturally occurring sugar in a whole piece of fruit, you're also eating plenty of fiber. The fiber in the fruit helps to slow your digestion of said sugar, and prevents a drastic insulin spike (constantly having too many insulin spikes could eventually lead to issues like diabetes). Added sugar is what you really need to monitor - for women, that's around 25g a day.

    Stick to 2-4 servings of fruit a day, to keep your diet balanced (veggies should be consumed more than fruit), and limit fruit juices (it's natural, but it's a very high sugar count with almost no fiber benefit), and you should be fine. From what I understand, the daily recommended value of naturally occurring sugar in whole foods has not been set, but as a rule of thumb, you should keep the amount to about 1/3 of the amount of carbs you consume in a day.

    Also, never believe anyone that tries to tell you that the only thing that matters is calories in vs. calories out. Dieticians and nutritionists will all tell you that what the calories are made of matters. More calories of whole, natural foods will make you less likely to gain weight than fewer calories of chemical or additive laden processed foods. Studies have proved it, but the old myth is so planted within our brains, it's hard to shake it.

    Which studies are you referring to?
  • ccrdragon
    ccrdragon Posts: 3,366 Member
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    StorkFootFamily wrote: »
    Also, never believe anyone that tries to tell you that the only thing that matters is calories in vs. calories out. Dieticians and nutritionists will all tell you that what the calories are made of matters. More calories of whole, natural foods will make you less likely to gain weight than fewer calories of chemical or additive laden processed foods. Studies have proved it, but the old myth is so planted within our brains, it's hard to shake it.

    Are you seriously trying to say that if you go out and eat a steady diet of 5000 calories a day of 'whole, natural foods' for the next 6 months that you will not take on a resemblance to a landwhale simply because the foods that you are eating are 'whole and natural' ?!?!?
  • StorkFootFamily
    StorkFootFamily Posts: 4 Member
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    :) So, I joined this site because I want to be able to enter my meals into their tracker, and have it tell me a nutritional breakdown of my day (faster than calculating it myself). I saw the thread that said "food and nutrition" and thought, "oh, people who are excited and knowledgeable about healthy foods and nutrition!" My bad. I've only checked a few threads, but I've already read my fair share of misinformation for the day.

    I only posted one link that put things simply, but there are plenty others that do a better, or more thorough job of explaining why your calorie content (not just the count) is important. Aside from your calorie content being important to your weight, it is absolutely important to your health. I will leave you to do your own research.

    ccrdragon - your hyperbolic example is cute, but I think even you are capable of figuring out that your exaggeration is not what I meant. While calorie content is important, the count obviously does still matter and plays a very large role in both your weight and health.

    I wish you all well in your search for weight management, but I think I'll probably look elsewhere for nutritional conversation.

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