Sugar

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OK I'm trying to have healthy snacks like fruit, but I'm exceeding my sugar grams.

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  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,182 Member
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    Fruits have fructose.
    Fructose is sugar.

    What is your budget for sugar grams?
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,008 Member
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    Do you have a medical reason to limit sugar?
    If not, don't worry about it.
  • DorothyM11
    DorothyM11 Posts: 22 Member
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    My budget is 50. I like OJ with breakfast but I don't have it every day, only when hubby cooks!
  • AntsyAngler
    AntsyAngler Posts: 58 Member
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    I find mixing soda water with a couple tablespoons of fruit juice gives me the juice fix without all the sugar.
  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
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    Are you within your daily calorie goal? If that's the case, I wouldn't worry too much. If you have a medical reason to reduce sugar, then you'll have to study where you can limit it. Look closely at your food diary and substitute.
  • kpsyche
    kpsyche Posts: 345 Member
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    I should also add that before I gave up my soda addiction my GGT was 250... basically a level that could be expected if I was an alcoholic but that was just from sugar! (My GGT was back down to 70 after two weeks)
  • netitheyeti
    netitheyeti Posts: 539 Member
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    unless you're diabetic (or have other medical reasons to try and limit sugar) I wouldn't worry about it, if it's part of a balanced diet.. I'm almost always over my sugar limit, just through eating fruit and vegetables and my occasional glass of milk
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited April 2018
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    kpsyche wrote: »
    I don't really understand the sugar per day recommendation that MFP uses and where it comes from/what it's based on.

    Nowhere important, IMO. I don't think there's a credible source for a need to limit total sugar to 15% of calories, which is what the MFP limit is. In fact, I think the only necessary limit on total sugar is whatever amount allows you to hit your protein and fat goals and fiber goals and have an overall balanced, nutrient-dense diet without exceeding calories. For example, I wouldn't eat fruit (the largest source of intrinsic sugar, probably) to the expense of vegetables or even having a diverse diet that includes some whole food starchy carbs (beans, potatoes, sweet potatoes) or whole grains, or to the point where my diet was unbalanced and low protein or super low fat (or did not include sources of essential fats or omega 3s, especially). But that still means I can eat plenty of fruit and on high fruit days I might be well over my sugar goal (I track at Cron, though, so it's different anyway).

    MFP's problem is that it's not currently possible to track added sugar (it's not on most labels), so they make a (lowball, IMO) assumption about how much sugar people are getting from fruit, veg, and dairy (and things like sweet potatoes) and then add on to that to cap at 15%.

    My own approach has always been just to look to see if my added sugar seemed out of whack (I tend to think the WHO recommendation is reasonable and try to keep added sugar to below 5% on average, but I am not particularly concerned about it since I know it is usually pretty low, for me, because I don't have tons of extra calories for those kinds of foods when I focus on eating the foods that provide nutrients I want, basically eating a normal balanced diet).

    So for OP, no, if your sugar is really mostly from fruit, I wouldn't worry about it, so long as you are hitting reasonable protein goals, getting in some good sources of fat, are hitting your fiber goal, and eating your vegetables. Those are better signs of a diet that will support good health than the total sugar number.
  • fb47
    fb47 Posts: 1,058 Member
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    DorothyM11 wrote: »
    OK I'm trying to have healthy snacks like fruit, but I'm exceeding my sugar grams.

    Unless your diabetic, sugar isn't the root of all evil like people claim....as long as you hit your carbs macros and not go way over on a daily basis, you will be fine.
  • DorothyM11
    DorothyM11 Posts: 22 Member
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    Thanks everyone! My last few blood tests my doc was very happy with my blood sugar levels. I had done a pre diabetes course and lost 30 lbs. Unfortunately my weight has crept up over the holidays so I'm back on a food plan. My blood sugar is fine, just wondered about those red numbers! All of your input is helpful.