Sugar

cnjg420

Can someone please help me understand the difference between natural and added sugar! Why they say sugar adds pounds when it's cico? And how much sugar is to much natural or added I usually go over by about 63 grams most of this comes from fruit I'm so confused please help

kittcii

Natural sugar is what you find in fruits, veggies, and dairy naturally. Think "raw".

Added sugar is typically in something that has been processed, like juice/candy. This means a form of sugar/sweetener (corn syrup, sucrose, glucose, dextrose, etc.) has been added.

However, you can easily have too much sugar, whether it's natural or processed. You may need to review your daily log. Fruits high in sugar (figs, bananas, grapes, mangoes, cherries, etc.) are good for you, but in moderation. Reaching for strawberries, blackberries, or raspberries might be a better alternative if you're struggling with sugar intake.

Hope this helps.

malibu927

To your body, there is no difference. Sugar is sugar. When people talk about limiting sugar, they usually limit added sugar because it can lead to excess calories. But if you're getting a good balance of nutrients and don't have a medical reason to watch your sugar intake, you should be fine.

Shawshankcan

Sugar is sugar, just a simple carb.

lemurcat12

cnjg420 wrote: »

Can someone please help me understand the difference between natural and added sugar!

The sugar isn't different, but on average what it comes with is. Sugar is naturally found in lots of foods that are low to not that high in cals -- broccoli, tomatoes, milk, yogurt, a banana -- and which also have good things like protein or micronutrients. It also can be added to nutritious foods to make them taste even better (oats with berries and some protein powder, where the protein powder has a bit of sugar; a homemade rhubarb sauce with a bit of sugar or, similarly, adding a bit of sugar to some cranberries). AND (most famously) it's in a lot of foods that are high cal either because they have SO MUCH sugar (sugary sodas or energy drinks) or because other ingredients also add lots of calories (a donut, which is typically half fat, half sugar, and same with many other sugary junk foods).

The main reason for watching added sugar is that it tends to come with lots of cals, not a lot of other nutrients, and often is eaten for reasons other than hunger or is not filling, so can easily throw a diet out of balance. This isn't as much a risk with intrinsic (non added) sugar, although it's also not so with some sources of added sugar, as mentioned above.

Processing really has nothing to do with it -- plain yogurt is processed, I process both apples for apple sauce and rhubarbs for rhubarb sauce even if I add sugar only to the latter, many processed foods obviously have no sugar (plain dried pasta).

Why they say sugar adds pounds when it's cico?

If you don't count calories it's easy to overeat when you eat lots of sugary things (and same with many other foods, of course). Or because it's the current scapegoat. Take your pick!

And how much sugar is to much natural or added I usually go over by about 63 grams most of this comes from fruit I'm so confused please help

Intrinsic I don't worry about so long as I have enough protein, healthy fats, and fiber (and fruits and veg usually contribute fiber) and not too many calories, of course. I like getting as much sugar as possible from vegetables and don't mind getting it from fruit or dairy either, or sweet potatoes, etc. I've never seen any credible evidence that a high sugar diet with adequate protein and healthy fats but that just happens to have lots of fruit, as well as veg, is bad. I don't worry a bit about eating high sugar fruits unless my calories don't allow for them on a particular day.

On added sugar, I watch and limit the kinds of foods that are the source of them (cookies and so on) as they are easy to overeat. I include them in my diet, but in moderation. I think on average (over a week, vs. over a specific day) about 5% of calories from added sugar makes sense for me, but I don't really focus on it at all, since if the rest of my diet is how I want it, it's not even an issue as I don't end up consuming that much.

cerise_noir

Agreed with answers 2 onwards.

Sugar is sugar is sugar. Your body cannot tell the difference. Going over mfp sugar goal won't hurt weight loss progress.

psuLemon

cnjg420 wrote: »

Can someone please help me understand the difference between natural and added sugar! Why they say sugar adds pounds when it's cico? And how much sugar is to much natural or added I usually go over by about 63 grams most of this comes from fruit I'm so confused please help

Are you able to stick within your calorie goal? And how does your protein look like? Ultimately, weight loss is driven by consuming less calories than you burn. Limited added sugar may help achieve that through increase satiety of food. The benefits of limited added sugar is you generally can increase volume of food which helps allows you to maintain a calorie deficit.


So the sugar is the same (all breaks down to glucose) but the other nutrients will support health and satiety. But also making sure you get adequate protein and fats is important for health as well.

crazyycatlady1

Shawshankcan wrote: »

Sugar is sugar, just a simple carb.

This. It's all the same at the sugar level. What sugar comes 'packaged' in though, is a different thing (an apple vs a donut etc).

frannieshack

If you look at your daily macros, personally, for my health, I try to get my protein and fiber grams above my sugar grams, or at least sugar not too far over. Make sure you are getting enough protein and fiber with your sugar. That is the difference between an apple vs a donut, generally speaking your natural foods will have the good fiber along with the sugar. It's all about balance for health, for weight loss it is simply CICO. Hope this helps.