Is a small/moderate amount of added sugar really THAT bad

trixxxeee
trixxxeee Posts: 11 Member
edited November 20 in Food and Nutrition
For instance, blended Greek yogurt. I've heard it's better to buy plain yogurt and add stuff to make it taste better. But, no matter what I put in it, it just doesn't taste that good to me. I like the blended yogurt better. There's 6 grams of sugar in the container I ate. Is it REALLY that bad for you?

I do try to steer clear of most processed foods in general. My sugar is usually below goal, most of that coming from fruits and other natural sources. But if I eat a blended yogurt or some salad dressing with a bit of added sugar, is it honestly that harmful?
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Replies

  • Jruzer
    Jruzer Posts: 3,501 Member
    It's not harmful at all.
  • trixxxeee
    trixxxeee Posts: 11 Member
    Thank you everyone!
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    No, a little sugar is not bad.
  • Juniper210
    Juniper210 Posts: 77 Member
    It's totally fine. Though for the greek yogurt example, try adding crystal light. OMG, it's DELICIOUS. It's my treat every day.
  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,283 Member
    Unless you're diabetic or have some other medical reason to watch your sugar, it's not bad. It's got calories and it tastes good, which makes it easy to overdo. But so long as you're within your calories and getting adequate nutrition, nothing to worry about.
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
    Enjoy your yogurt!
  • GottaluvFood
    GottaluvFood Posts: 65 Member
    I think it's a big deal for those struggling with yeast infections. Otherwise, it's just another dietary Boogeyman.
  • HeidiCooksSupper
    HeidiCooksSupper Posts: 3,831 Member
    Nope, not a problem. The problem arises when people get a large proportion of their calories from sugar, starch, and saturated- or trans-fats. It means needing to read labels and be careful about consuming things where sugar figures prominently in the ingredients. Ingredient lists in the US are given in order from most present to least present in the item. Consider this list for Nutella as sold in the United States (it is a different formula in Europe):

    INGREDIENTS: SUGAR, PALM OIL, HAZELNUTS, COCOA, SKIM MILK, WHEY (MILK), LECITHIN AS EMULSIFIER (SOY), VANILLIN: AN ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR.

    Note that the first two items are sugar and a fat that is relatively high in saturated fats. In other words US Nutella has more sugar than hazelnuts and more palm oil than hazelnuts. This is not saying you cannot eat Nutella, it is saying you should be aware of what you are consuming when you eat Nutella and adjust the rest of your food accordingly if you strive toward a healthy diet.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    HeidiCooksSupper wrote: »
    Consider this list for Nutella as sold in the United States (it is a different formula in Europe):

    INGREDIENTS: SUGAR, PALM OIL, HAZELNUTS, COCOA, SKIM MILK, WHEY (MILK), LECITHIN AS EMULSIFIER (SOY), VANILLIN: AN ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR.

    Note that the first two items are sugar and a fat that is relatively high in saturated fats. In other words US Nutella has more sugar than hazelnuts and more palm oil than hazelnuts. This is not saying you cannot eat Nutella, it is saying you should be aware of what you are consuming when you eat Nutella and adjust the rest of your food accordingly if you strive toward a healthy diet.

    I just looked up the ingredients in our Nutella (Australia), and it's pretty much the same as yours.

    Ingredients:
    SUGAR, VEGETABLE OIL (PALM*), HAZELNUTS (13%), FAT-REDUCED COCOA POWDER (7.4%), SKIM MILK POWDER (6.6%), WHEY POWDER, EMULSIFIER (LECITHINS) (SOY), FLAVOURING (VANILLIN). TOTAL MILK SOLIDS: 8.7%. TOTAL COCOA SOLIDS:7.4%.

  • HeidiCooksSupper
    HeidiCooksSupper Posts: 3,831 Member
    So, using those Australian figures we can guess that Nutella is two-thirds sugar and palm oil. Yummy.
  • OliveGirl128
    OliveGirl128 Posts: 801 Member
    GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »
    I know there other people out there like me, but we're few in number compared to the legions.

    I don't like Nutella.

    Nope, me either. I also tried TJS cookie butter and threw it away-waaaay to sweet.
  • pennygm72
    pennygm72 Posts: 179 Member
    Been eating very low fat since Jan 17 as awaiting gallbladder removal, lost 52lbs since then and I am very close to goal, I have been advised to eat refined sugar by two registered dietitian to allow me to meet my calorie goals.
  • Roosh513
    Roosh513 Posts: 57 Member
    If you use it to make the seasonings in your food pop, or make your oatmeal a bit sweeter, it's fine. People tend to demonize ingredients as evil. When people say "avoid sugar" what they really should say is "eat less or avoid baked, boxed goods". It takes one glance at a cook book on baking to understand why candies, cookies, and cakes in large quantities cause people to gain weight. If a recipe calls for 3-5 cups of sugar, 2 sticks of butter, etc... the calories add up quick. A single slice of cake or 2 cookies ends up being close to 500 calories because of all that sugar! Most people don't stop at 2 cookies ;)

    Moderation is key.
  • miguelacp83
    miguelacp83 Posts: 2 Member
    The question is what are your specific goals, how do you quantify "a little", and do the numbers from that specific quantification fit into the goals (for example I consume a calorie-exact diet with exact macros, so as long as my numbers add up I can eat anything). You also need to be strategic about not feeling deprived, or that will derail your eating plan.
  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,283 Member
    Actually, when I make desserts, I find that the lower-calorie ones tend to cut back primarily on three ingredients. Sugar is one, but oftentimes, the recipe calls for honey, maple syrup, agave, or some other sweetener, and/or plenty of (naturally sweet) fruit to compensate. Note that I am not calling fruit bad. I'm just pointing out that even recipes that cut back on refined white or brown sugar are making up the sweetness in other ways. This is not necessarily a negative.

    The other two? Oil/butter and flour. In fact most of the desserts I make, with an arbitrary limit of 200 calories per serving, tend to have minimal flour. Oil may or may not be switched out with unsweetened applesauce. Usually? They're pretty sweet. And then don't need 3-5 cups of sugar. 1-2 for 8 servings is pretty normal.

    Granted, if you're looking at one of those catering-type cookbooks with marzipan wrapped around layer cakes beneath the frosting, it may be a different story. But generally, even in baking, a little sweetener goes a long way.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,701 Member
    Nothing wrong with a bit of sugar. :)
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    edited July 2017
    Sugar is sugar, sugar isn't toxic or fattening, but you need a certain amount of a range of nutrients every day without going over on calories over time, and foods with added sugar tend to be both easy to like and easy to overeat, and overeating low-nutrient foods makes it harder to get in enough nutritious foods - so it's best to limit intake of so-called junk foods.

    Bad nutritional advice, as in random advice without context, is what's bad. It can make you anxious and the anxiety can lead you to make overall bad decisions.

    A little sugar makes your Greek yogurt palatable enough so you actually eat it.

    I hope that what you got out of this, is that you need to be critical to what you read, and that you can and should make your eating decisions yourself, freely and without guilt.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »
    I know there other people out there like me, but we're few in number compared to the legions.

    I don't like Nutella.

    I've never had it.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,179 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »
    I know there other people out there like me, but we're few in number compared to the legions.

    I don't like Nutella.

    I've never had it.

    Best not to tickle the dragon.
  • Crowned_Clown
    Crowned_Clown Posts: 9 Member
    edited July 2017
    Sugar is, like all indulgences, not really bad so long as you consume it in moderation. I have a personal rule where I try to eat things where I can actually read the ingredients and know what I'm consuming - as such, I try to make sure that sugar isn't at the top of the list for most of my meals, especially since I have a sweet tooth and could eat my weight in pudding and cakes without a buzz.

    There's no hard-set rule on how much is okay. Just use your judgement and exercise self-control. :wink:
  • Wtn_Gurl
    Wtn_Gurl Posts: 396 Member
    edited July 2017
    trixxxeee wrote: »
    For instance, blended Greek yogurt. I've heard it's better to buy plain yogurt and add stuff to make it taste better. But, no matter what I put in it, it just doesn't taste that good to me. I like the blended yogurt better. There's 6 grams of sugar in the container I ate. Is it REALLY that bad for you?

    I do try to steer clear of most processed foods in general. My sugar is usually below goal, most of that coming from fruits and other natural sources. But if I eat a blended yogurt or some salad dressing with a bit of added sugar, is it honestly that harmful?

    i cannot stand plain yogurt, and even with fresh fruit, its not good. so i choose Fage or Danon Fit and Lite - delicious and i fit it in perfectly with my macros per day. I'm not going to buy something healthy and then squirm around to force myself to eat it.. coz i wont eat it and it will be a waste. so i just allow for those calories and love my food.

    I have a little bit of brown sugar that i add to oatmeal to make it taste better. i just record it in my MFP calories.

    some foods have high calories and they can be tricky and add up, i.e. mayo has too much calories for me, so i have to watch that i dont easily eat 5 TBS of salad dressing on a salad. so you just have to account for all these things in your foods.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    I think there is nothing wrong with small amounts of sugar until suddenly there is. Some will be fine with sugars and others no longer are. TBH, I wish I had cut back decades before and then perhaps my middle aged health would be better.

    The only way to truly know if added sugars are not a problem for you is to use a glucose monitor. Test before eating and then 30, 60, 90, and 120 minutes after eating. If you just experience a mild rise in BG, you are fine. If it is going up quite a bit and into the 6s and higher, your body is not handling it well. Repeated high, and prolonged high, BG can lead to health problems.

  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    HeidiCooksSupper wrote: »
    So, using those Australian figures we can guess that Nutella is two-thirds sugar and palm oil. Yummy.

    I have stopped eating Nutella and most commercial peanut butters. It has nothing to do with the sugars. The palm oil production is the main contributor to deforestation of the orangutan's habitat so I no longer buy anything with palm oil in it. Personal thing, I just love orangutans :D
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    earlnabby wrote: »
    HeidiCooksSupper wrote: »
    So, using those Australian figures we can guess that Nutella is two-thirds sugar and palm oil. Yummy.

    I have stopped eating Nutella and most commercial peanut butters. It has nothing to do with the sugars. The palm oil production is the main contributor to deforestation of the orangutan's habitat so I no longer buy anything with palm oil in it. Personal thing, I just love orangutans :D

    Nuttvia... It's a palm oil free alternative to Nutella. And I've never seen PB with palm oil! Do you not have natural ones available in your supermarket?
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    livingleanlivingclean wrote: »
    earlnabby wrote: »
    HeidiCooksSupper wrote: »
    So, using those Australian figures we can guess that Nutella is two-thirds sugar and palm oil. Yummy.

    I have stopped eating Nutella and most commercial peanut butters. It has nothing to do with the sugars. The palm oil production is the main contributor to deforestation of the orangutan's habitat so I no longer buy anything with palm oil in it. Personal thing, I just love orangutans :D

    Nuttvia... It's a palm oil free alternative to Nutella. And I've never seen PB with palm oil! Do you not have natural ones available in your supermarket?

    We do and I will buy it for a recipe but I read labels closely and don't buy it often. Basically, most of the blended ones have palm oil, even the spreadable "natural" ones. Jif is one of the few that use cottonseed and/or rapeseed oil instead of palm fruit oil. Earth balance, Skippy, and many others use the palm oil.
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    earlnabby wrote: »
    livingleanlivingclean wrote: »
    earlnabby wrote: »
    HeidiCooksSupper wrote: »
    So, using those Australian figures we can guess that Nutella is two-thirds sugar and palm oil. Yummy.

    I have stopped eating Nutella and most commercial peanut butters. It has nothing to do with the sugars. The palm oil production is the main contributor to deforestation of the orangutan's habitat so I no longer buy anything with palm oil in it. Personal thing, I just love orangutans :D

    Nuttvia... It's a palm oil free alternative to Nutella. And I've never seen PB with palm oil! Do you not have natural ones available in your supermarket?

    We do and I will buy it for a recipe but I read labels closely and don't buy it often. Basically, most of the blended ones have palm oil, even the spreadable "natural" ones. Jif is one of the few that use cottonseed and/or rapeseed oil instead of palm fruit oil. Earth balance, Skippy, and many others use the palm oil.

    I'm in aus.... We have lots of palm oil free options!
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