Should the sugar from fruit count in your daily sugar allowance?
sallyf18
Posts: 1 Member
I always go over my daily sugar allowance of 40grams....most of which is because of the fruit i am snacking on. Should the fruit not be counted in the sugar goal? They say you should have 5 pieces of fruit a day....i'm only having 3 and its making me go over my limit, the rest of the sugar comes from the meals i eat, but they are not as much as the sugar from fruit.
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Don't worry about sugar unless you have a medical condition that requires you to keep carbohydrates at a certain level (Diabetes etc.). Calories are what you should really be focussing on.0
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I would recommend changing the sugar goal to fiber. Even if you had diabetes, total carbs is more important than sugar (as subset of carbs).
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/my_goals
But to answer the direct question is, the sugar goal on MFP is supposed to be added sugar, but MFP and food companies don't differentiate from the two.2 -
I always go over my daily sugar allowance of 40grams....most of which is because of the fruit i am snacking on.
Where did the 40 g allowance come from? MFP's goal is 15% of total calories, so if that's the goal it gives you you are aiming for something like 1060 calories, which is too low for most and should not be done unless you are on a medically supervised diet (in which case this question should go to the doctor or RD you are working with).
If you added it yourself, it depends on why you chose it.
In general, MFP's goal DOES include all sources of sugar, but many (including me) find it better, especially at a very low calorie level, to focus on (1) protein, (2) fiber, (3) vegetables, and (4) getting in adequate sources of healthy fats. If you are doing all this, the sugar doesn't matter, and you probably are not eating a disproportionate amount of low nutrient sugar sources OR fruit.
If from a different source, like the NHS, US Dietary Guidelines, or WHO, etc., it's typically about ADDED sugar and will be a lower amount (5-10% of overall calories). For those goals, you would not count fruit (although you would count honey, syrup, juice).
I think overall diet matters more than specific amount of sugar, especially if you already know you aren't eating a lot of added sugar.
And no, "they" don't say you should have 5 pieces of fruit a day. The recommendation, I believe, is 5-7 servings of vegetables or fruit, and I personally try to meet that with vegetables and then add in a serving or two of fruit (sometimes 3 in the summer when the fruit is fresh and amazing). More is fine, though, if you have room in the diet, but if you are doing low calories that's something that will be limited.2 -
I would recommend changing the sugar goal to fiber. Even if you had diabetes, total carbs is more important than sugar (as subset of carbs).
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/my_goals
But to answer the direct question is, the sugar goal on MFP is supposed to be added sugar, but MFP and food companies don't differentiate from the two.
This...I changed my sugar goal to iron, because that's more important to me.1 -
What about sugar alcohol? Some protein bars list 1gr of sugar but 11gr of sugar alcohol. Does it effect the body the same? Shouldnt it be included?0
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tselby2203 wrote: »What about sugar alcohol? Some protein bars list 1gr of sugar but 11gr of sugar alcohol. Does it effect the body the same? Shouldnt it be included?
No, it doesn't effect the body the same way. Sugar alcohol tastes sweet, but your body can't really process it so it just passes through your body. That's why it isn't included in the sugar count.0 -
janejellyroll wrote: »tselby2203 wrote: »What about sugar alcohol? Some protein bars list 1gr of sugar but 11gr of sugar alcohol. Does it effect the body the same? Shouldnt it be included?
No, it doesn't effect the body the same way. Sugar alcohol tastes sweet, but your body can't really process it so it just passes through your body. That's why it isn't included in the sugar count.
As a diabetic who tests EVERYTHING he eats, and thousands of others who test their blood glucose response to ingested sugar alcohols will attest, this isn't the case.
Only one sugar alcohol has no effect on blood glucose (for most people and most studies) and that's erythritol.
The majority of sugar alcohols used in food products (maltitol, sorbitol, etc.) will absolutely raise your blood glucose - meaning they are NOT just passed through your body.
My personal testing shows that sugar alcohols (except erythritol) raise my blood glucose about 1/2 as much as the same quantity of sugar will raise it. Many others have recorded very similar results.1 -
Personally, I think sugar allowance should not exist. It's redundant if you are already counting calories and macros. As for sugar from fruit, it automatically counts towards your "allowance", no way around that.6
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From the Dietary Guidelines:
https://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/chapter-1/a-closer-look-inside-healthy-eating-patterns/
Fruits
Healthy intake: Healthy eating patterns include fruits, especially whole fruits. The fruits food group includes whole fruits and 100% fruit juice. Whole fruits include fresh, canned, frozen, and dried forms. The recommended amount of fruits in the Healthy U.S.-Style Eating Pattern at the 2,000-calorie level is 2 cup-equivalents per day. One cup of 100% fruit juice counts as 1 cup of fruit. Although fruit juice can be part of healthy eating patterns, it is lower than whole fruit in dietary fiber and when consumed in excess can contribute extra calories. Therefore, at least half of the recommended amount of fruits should come from whole fruits. When juices are consumed, they should be 100% juice, without added sugars. Also, when selecting canned fruit, choose options that are lowest in added sugars. One-half cup of dried fruit counts as one cup-equivalent of fruit. Similar to juice, when consumed in excess, dried fruits can contribute extra calories.
Key nutrient contributions: Among the many nutrients fruits provide are dietary fiber, potassium, and vitamin C.
Considerations: Juices may be partially fruit juice, and only the proportion that is 100% fruit juice counts (e.g., 1 cup of juice that is 50% juice counts as ½ cup of fruit juice). The remainder of the product may contain added sugars. Sweetened juice products with minimal juice content, such as juice drinks, are considered to be sugar-sweetened beverages rather than fruit juice because they are primarily composed of water with added sugars (see the Added Sugars section below). The percent of juice in a beverage may be found on the package label, such as “contains 25% juice” or “100% fruit juice.” The amounts of fruit juice allowed in the USDA Food Patterns for young children align with the recommendation from the American Academy of Pediatrics that young children consume no more than 4 to 6 fluid ounces of 100% fruit juice per day.[12] Fruits with small amounts of added sugars can be accommodated in the diet as long as calories from added sugars do not exceed 10 percent per day and total calorie intake remains within limits.
So, they recommend adults eat 1.5-2 cups of fruits, including juice, dried fruit and such. Sort of goofy if you ask me. I think they would do better pushing vegetables over fruit - same nutrients but a lot less sugar. And including juice is just ignorant, IMO. I'm one who believes sugar is sugar and if you want to cut back on sugar you'll need to cut back on fruit, or at the very least switch to lower GI fruits like berries, apples and oranges, and skip tropical fruits like bananas and mangos.
If you want to cut back on sugar, you'll need to consider your fruit intake since there can potentially be a LOT of sugar there. This is especially true if you are the half of the population dealing with insulin resistance (in the form of T2D, prediabetes, PCOS, NAFLD, Alzheimers, and CAD). If you are perfectly healthy and at an ideal weight, you may not need to worry about sugar in fruit or your fruit intake.1 -
Nah bro. Just added sugars0
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Who says you should have 5 pieces of fruit a day? Apples and bananas for example are over 100 calories each. No way could I fit 500 plus calories of fruit in my calories a day. I have heard 5 servings of fruits and veggies with 3 being veggies and 2 being fruits. I don't even bother tracking sugar, but I am for sure tracking calories and super jealous of those who can fit in over 500 calories of fruit a day!1
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albertabeefy wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »tselby2203 wrote: »What about sugar alcohol? Some protein bars list 1gr of sugar but 11gr of sugar alcohol. Does it effect the body the same? Shouldnt it be included?
No, it doesn't effect the body the same way. Sugar alcohol tastes sweet, but your body can't really process it so it just passes through your body. That's why it isn't included in the sugar count.
As a diabetic who tests EVERYTHING he eats, and thousands of others who test their blood glucose response to ingested sugar alcohols will attest, this isn't the case.
Only one sugar alcohol has no effect on blood glucose (for most people and most studies) and that's erythritol.
The majority of sugar alcohols used in food products (maltitol, sorbitol, etc.) will absolutely raise your blood glucose - meaning they are NOT just passed through your body.
My personal testing shows that sugar alcohols (except erythritol) raise my blood glucose about 1/2 as much as the same quantity of sugar will raise it. Many others have recorded very similar results.
Thank you for the correction -- I had thought since they were used in sugarfree candy that they all acted like erythritol.0 -
The UK's NHS sets an RDA of 90g sugar per day on a 2000 calorie diet, with up to 30g of that being added sugar.
MFP sets a lower value than this, which I would find unachievable and pointless. So I set my own level based on NHS guidelines. I have a 1600 calorie goal, so I set my goal as (1600/2000)x90 = 72. I don't always meet this, but it's a more realistic goal for me to aim for.0 -
Ready2Rock206 wrote: »Who says you should have 5 pieces of fruit a day? Apples and bananas for example are over 100 calories each. No way could I fit 500 plus calories of fruit in my calories a day. I have heard 5 servings of fruits and veggies with 3 being veggies and 2 being fruits. I don't even bother tracking sugar, but I am for sure tracking calories and super jealous of those who can fit in over 500 calories of fruit a day!
Many fruits are in the 50-60 calories per cup region (melons, berries, grapes, etc.), and full of nice micronutrients and fiber. While I mostly stuck around 2-3 servings of fruit while losing, 250-300 isn't 500. I've looked at diaries of some people who couldn't accommodate fruit because it had too many calories, but could accommodate pasta, bread, white rice, etc. Nothing wrong with those latter foods, either, but I think some folks over-demonize fruit on the nutrient/calorie front.
OP, I was going over my MFP sugar goal while losing, at a time when the only added sugar I ate was a small amount of concentrated fruit juice in my one daily 30-calorie tablespoon of all-fruit spread (in which the juice wasn't even the top ingredient!). The rest was all coming from 2-3 fruit servings and the inherent sugars in no-sugar-added dairy.
Like so many others (who also lack any special medical condition that dictates sugar/carb avoidance), I stopped tracking sugar, and started tracking fiber.1 -
I track both, but the fibre is inaccurate for me, because UK labels don't have to include it.
It is on many labels, but not all. Iron is on far fewer labels. Salt / sodium logging is inaccurate because I add a little to water for boiling or at the table, that is too low to estimate sensibly (and most of it is thrown out with the water if it's added at that stage).
Sugar is slightly inaccurate for me because alcoholic beverages only have to show alcohol % and units. Many also show calories, and it's often possible to make a good guess by comparison to similar products when there is no calorie information, but almost none of them show sugar content.
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Of course. It's sugar. I mean...it doesn't really matter if you go over if you don't have medical condition. I always count fruit sugars though, I like to keep my carbs moderate to low.0
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My sugar grams go up up up in summer, because of fresh fruit and way down in winter, no fresh fruit
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