Choosing a sugar

Lipstick_chick1960

For breakfast I like to add sugar to my oatmeal but I'm not sure what is the healthiest choice for me. Should I simply be using cane sugar? I keep hearing that sugar substitutes are simply not good for you and cause sugar spikes. I'm trying to cut back on sugar but I just don't know what to put in my oatmeal and I need some help.

Chef_Barbell

Nothing wrong with artificial sweeteners.

queenliz99

Chef_Barbell wrote: »

Nothing wrong with artificial sweeteners.

This^^ I like Splenda.

jgnatca

The foods we usually associate with sugars are simple chemicals that end in -ose. (Fructose, Glucose, Sucrose). All are quickly absorbed by the body and are sources of quick energy. This is the "spike" you are referring to. All sugars do this. The normal physiological response to such a spike is to produce more insulin to transport the sugars to our cells and the excess to fat storage.

Sweeteners from natural sources like honey, cane sugar, sugar beets, and maple syrup will have a combination of "ose" sugars.

So there is no one "best" sweetener. You can use a little less of a sweetener that is mostly fructose because it is sweeter. So you can save a little on calories. Honey is high in fructose.

Artificial sweeteners do not cause a sugar spike or an insulin spike. If they did there would be diabetics everywhere fainting from insulin shock.

If you are comfortable with artificial sweeteners, you can really save in the calorie department. Common artificial sweeteners include aspartame and stevia. Stevia is extracted from a leaf so some people consider it more natural.

jgnatca

I forgot to mention that the sugar spike can be tempered by eating it along with protein and fat. Adding Greek Yogurt to your oatmeal or an egg on the side has the same effect.

Skyblueyellow

Artificial sweeteners do not cause sugar spikes. I'm diabetic so I rely on sugar substitutes at times.

If I do eat something that is higher in natural sugar I pair it with something high in fat. The fat does help to lower the spike a bit. My understanding is that it prolongs digestion.

I think you should pick a sugar or sugar substitute that you enjoy. I personally prefer Splenda for a sugar substitute in my coffee. I don't prefer it in other things though. I've tried Stevia in my coffee and did not care for it at all, but some people love it.

If you aren't diabetic (or have another metabolic problem) you could have more natural sugar, so go for it!

cee134

Honey – Is Winnie the Pooh onto something here? Is honey a better alternative than regular sugar? The appeal of honey is that it’s not just fructose or glucose, but a mixture of all sorts of compounds, minerals, and more. A study comparing honey to various types of compounds resulted in good results for the sticky stuff: “Overall, honey improved blood lipids, lowered inflammatory markers, and had minimal effect on blood glucose levels.” Along with that, honey resulted in a lower blood glucose spike in rats compared to other types of sugar.

https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2013/06/17/everything-you-need-to-know-about-sugar/

amusedmonkey

Use the sugar you like most with oatmeal. I like brown. Nothing is wrong with artificial sweeteners if you want to use that.

sijomial

Never seen any credible evidence that artificial sweeteners are harmful and they don't/can't cause "sugar spikes".

How much sugar are you putting in your oatmeal? Significant or not in context of your entire diet? Consider just cutting down the amount perhaps?

Is the enjoyment of a taste you enjoy worth the calories to you? If it's not then experiment with sweeteners to find one you enjoy (or don't dislike) the taste of.

I put a teaspoon of sugar in my porridge and it's well worth the 15 calories from my daily allowance.

dragon_girl26

The "healthiest" choice for you would be the one that doesnt affect any medical conditions, fits into your calorie goals and tastes the best to you. I wouldn't worry about someone else's arbitrary view of "healthy" food...nothing wrong with moderate amounts of cane sugar or artificial sweeteners if you want to use them. I like brown sugar, honey, or agave nectar in my oatmeal...usually depends on what else I'm mixing in.

lemurcat12

When "they" say that (some) artificial sweeteners cause sugar spikes, they don't mean more than sugar itself.

Plus, in oatmeal, which should have a decent amount of fiber, it shouldn't matter that much. Also, unless you have a medical condition that requires avoiding sugar (in which case you should have gotten advice on these topics), worrying about spikes from a small amount of sugar, especially in a mixed diet and with balanced meals, is unnecessary.

Anyway, I don't like sweetener in oatmeal, but if I did, and unless I was really wanting to save calories, I'd probably stick with sugar, because tastier. The amount of calories from a tsp of sugar is minimal.

IME, berries add sweetness perfectly well without adding anything else, but whatever you enjoy is good. Other options are to add some dairy (milk or yogurt, often adds enough sweetness for people) or protein powder (often sweetened).

lemurcat12

cee134 wrote: »

Honey – Is Winnie the Pooh onto something here? Is honey a better alternative than regular sugar? The appeal of honey is that it’s not just fructose or glucose, but a mixture of all sorts of compounds, minerals, and more. A study comparing honey to various types of compounds resulted in good results for the sticky stuff: “Overall, honey improved blood lipids, lowered inflammatory markers, and had minimal effect on blood glucose levels.” Along with that, honey resulted in a lower blood glucose spike in rats compared to other types of sugar.

https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2013/06/17/everything-you-need-to-know-about-sugar/

The difference from the amount you add to oatmeal is not going to be meaningful--you aren't going to be getting tons of nutrients from a tsp of honey.

I really like honey and prefer the taste to sugar in some uses (and plus I rarely have sugar on hand, since I only use it when baking sweets, which I do somewhat rarely, and always have honey), but I'd worry it wouldn't mix well with oatmeal. Worth a try for anyone who enjoys honey, but not because it's going to make a health difference, vs. sugar.

Lipstick_chick1960

I actually like french vanilla creamer in my oats.
I read that a women should aim toward 24 grams of sugar daily....that's 6 teaspoons. (added sugar). It's so hard track because there is bad sugar and then there are natural sugars like in fruit. I have a hard time distinguishing between the two at times.

Chef_Barbell

Volkswagon_girl1960 wrote: »

I actually like french vanilla creamer in my oats.
I read that a women should aim toward 24 grams of sugar daily....that's 6 teaspoons. (added sugar). It's so hard track because there is bad sugar and then there are natural sugars like in fruit. I have a hard time distinguishing between the two at times.

No such thing as "bad" sugar, unless it's infested with ants or something.

sijomial

What is "bad sugar" and why?

Lipstick_chick1960

I wonder how much sugar ants have....and if that's considered natural ?

snowflake930

Volkswagon_girl1960 wrote: »

I actually like french vanilla creamer in my oats.
I read that a women should aim toward 24 grams of sugar daily....that's 6 teaspoons. (added sugar). It's so hard track because there is bad sugar and then there are natural sugars like in fruit. I have a hard time distinguishing between the two at times.

If you like vanilla creamer in your oatmeal, try subbing a little unsweetened almond milk and a touch of vanilla. Also, I really like blueberries on top of my oatmeal and that gives it a little sweetness.

lemurcat12

24 grams is based on the WHO's recommendation of about 5% of overall calories and the average maintenance calories for a woman, I believe. (The WHO's actually recommendation is less than 10% of calories should be from added sugar, less than 5% ideally, but you have to consider overall diet and how nutrient dense it is -- going over the "ideal" amount of added sugar at the expense of something like white bread is no big thing, at the expense of meeting protein goals or vegetables, or legumes, probably not as ideal (but on occasion, no biggy)).

The important thing is to understand that the reason for the WHO's recommendation is NOT that sugar is inherently bad, that "added sugar" is different in kind from intrinsic sugar (it's not about good sugar vs. bad sugar at all), or that there's some magic that happens if you hit a specific amount, especially not 25 g. It's that having more added sugar in the diet, on average tends to correlate with more calories and a less nutrient dense diet overall, so one way to prevent this is to limit added sugar (another is to focus on eating a healthful diet and watch calories). Interestingly, a lot of the excess calories the WHO is concerned about come from FAT, which is typically half the calories of many foods that also contribute lots of added sugar and calories.

If you don't eat lots of sweets or add sugar to lots of things, I wouldn't worry about adding a little sugar to oatmeal (although try it with just berries if you want to avoid the sweetener -- like I said above, I think it's good that way and have never added sugar). If you want to watch ADDED sugar, ignore the MFP recommendation and just deduct obvious intrinsic sugars from your total to see where you are for added sugar and where it's coming from. (I don't eat that much packaged stuff, so my added sugar mostly comes from obvious sources and it's pretty easy to see if it's below 10% or 5% of calories).

Lipstick_chick1960

I eat blueberries daily....i grow them myself.

Lipstick_chick1960

According to the American Heart Association (AHA), the maximum amount of added sugars you should eat in a day are (7): Men: 150 calories per day (37.5 grams or 9 teaspoons). Women: 100 calories per day (25 grams or 6 teaspoons).

esjones12

I avoid sugar (and carbs) until later in the day so I don't deal with spikes and crashes.

When I use sweeteners I opt for all natural - honey, maple syrup, pure stevia extract or ground up stevia leaves. What I use depends on what I'm using it on/for. For something like oatmeal maybe try adding in some blueberries? That would provide you with sweetness and lots of other good things like antioxidants.

Lipstick_chick1960

Blueberries are just not pleasingly sweet like a good olé banana

lemurcat12

Volkswagon_girl1960 wrote: »

According to the American Heart Association (AHA), the maximum amount of added sugars you should eat in a day are (7): Men: 150 calories per day (37.5 grams or 9 teaspoons). Women: 100 calories per day (25 grams or 6 teaspoons).

This is what it actually says, which is similar to what I explained about the WHO above:

"Although sugars are not harmful to the body, our bodies don’t need sugars to function properly. Added sugars contribute additional calories and zero nutrients to food.

Over the past 30 years, Americans have steadily consumed more and more added sugars in their diets, which has contributed to the obesity epidemic. Reducing the amount of added sugars we eat cuts calories and can help you improve your heart health and control your weight.

The American Heart Association recommends limiting the amount of added sugars you consume to no more than half of your daily discretionary calorie allowance. For most American women, this is no more than 100 calories per day and no more than 150 calories per day for men (or about 6 teaspoons per day for women and 9 teaspoons per day for men)."

Not really sure why the percentage of the daily discretionary calories used for sugar vs. other things matters, but remember lots of foods with added sugar would also be contributing "discretionary calories" from fat.

It goes on to explain the discretionary calories concept:

"You have a daily energy need — the amount of calories (or energy units) your body needs to function and provide energy for your activities. Think of your daily energy need as a budget. You’d organize a real budget with “essentials” (things like rent and utilities) and “extras” (such as vacation and entertainment). In a daily calorie budget, the essentials are the minimum number of calories you need to meet your nutrient needs.
Select low-fat and no-sugar-added foods to make good “nutrient buys” with your budget. Depending on the foods you choose and the amount of physical activity you do each day, you may have calories left over for “extras” that can be used on treats like solid fats, added sugars and alcohol. These are discretionary calories, or calories to be spent at your discretion.

A person’s discretionary calorie budget varies depending on how physically active they are and how many calories they need to consume to meet their daily nutrient requirements. Use this interactive tool to calculate your personal daily calorie needs. The American Heart Association recommends that no more than half of a person’s daily discretionary calorie allowance be spent on added sugars.

Common sources of discretionary calories (in addition to added sugars) are fats, oils and alcohol. Fats are the most concentrated source of calories.

Discretionary calories can be used to:

Eat additional foods from a food group above your daily recommendation.
Select a higher-calorie form of a food that’s higher in fat or contains added sugars (whole milk vs. skim or sweetened vs. unsweetened cereal).
Add fats or sweeteners to the leanest versions of foods (for example, sauce, dressing and butter/margarine).
Eat or drink items that are mostly fat, sugar or alcohol such as candy, cake, beer, wine or regular soda."

If we are going to talk about this advice it's important to see it in context and not suggest it's focusing on sugar as a particular evil.

cwolfman13

I like a little maple syrup in my oatmeal...otherwise brown sugar.

jgnatca

It sounds to me that the French vanilla creamer is an excellent choice. And you like it! Just watch the portions to keep under your six teaspoons.

You may also want to try sliced a banana in there to see how you like it.

Alluminati

Volkswagon_girl1960 wrote: »

I actually like french vanilla creamer in my oats.

I do this too but with sugar free french vanilla creamer, only because I can save cals from the milk for other add ins like blueberries or raisins. 2 tbs for 30 cals i get the sweetness and creamyness.

cerise_noir

Use the sugar you like, or reach for something like splenda/aspartame/what ever sugar sub you like best.

Chef_Barbell wrote: »

Volkswagon_girl1960 wrote: »

I actually like french vanilla creamer in my oats.
I read that a women should aim toward 24 grams of sugar daily....that's 6 teaspoons. (added sugar). It's so hard track because there is bad sugar and then there are natural sugars like in fruit. I have a hard time distinguishing between the two at times.

No such thing as "bad" sugar, unless it's infested with ants or something.

fishshark

i dont use artificial because i just dont need too. I use honey, cane, and brown sugar all depending on other ingredients. There is no best just personal opinion and/or if one has medical reasons to chose one over ther other.

fishshark

cerise_noir wrote: »

Use the sugar you like, or reach for something like splenda/aspartame/what ever sugar sub you like best.

Chef_Barbell wrote: »

Volkswagon_girl1960 wrote: »

I actually like french vanilla creamer in my oats.
I read that a women should aim toward 24 grams of sugar daily....that's 6 teaspoons. (added sugar). It's so hard track because there is bad sugar and then there are natural sugars like in fruit. I have a hard time distinguishing between the two at times.

No such thing as "bad" sugar, unless it's infested with ants or something.

haha one of my favorite on going archer jokes... that and how "phrasing" has come gone and now on its way back haha.

Christine_72

OP i add chocolate /peanut butter protein powder to my oats. I don't need to add any sugar as the pp sweetens it enough, plus you get the added benefit of extra protein along with your carbs/fibre.