Tracking sugar but loving fruit

missblondi2u
missblondi2u Posts: 851 Member
edited November 28 in Health and Weight Loss
Greetings! I have been retooling my diet to cut added sugar as much as possible, with a goal of staying under about 20 grams per day. Now that I've found good low sugar substitutes for my bread, salad dressing, etc., and adapted to black coffee, it's actually been easier than I anticipated. Without having to make room for all the sweet treats I used to enjoy daily, like the 300+ calorie Haagen Daz I would eat after dinner, I feel like I can eat so much more food while staying in my calorie budget.

I've never been much of a fruit eater, but now that my palate is changing I'm starting to crave so many new things, and I'm reaching for the fruit bowl more and more. The tree-ripened peach I had the the other day, for example, was one of the most heavenly things I've ever eaten, but it weighed in at over 9 ounces and had over 20 grams of sugar by itself. I know that eating fruit is good for me, and I don't want to obsess so much over the number in my sugar column that I deprive myself of the nutritional joy that is fruit, but that number is still important to me.

The solution I've come up with is to edit entries for the fruits I eat by deleting the number in the sugar column. It will still log the carbs, but my sugar total will more accurately reflect added sugar, which is what I'm really interested in. I realize there is also natural sugar in things like nuts and dairy, but I'm less worried about those because the amounts aren't nearly as high as for fruit.

I'd be interested in people's thoughts on this strategy. Thanks!
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Replies

  • biscuitforcefield
    biscuitforcefield Posts: 46 Member
    For me personally, I watch my sugar/carbs, and don't obsess too much about the final number each day under the Sugar column. Unless it's to control a medical issue or something serious like that, the best thing is to unlearn that sugar = bad.

    Most stuff has sugar in and to be honest fruit is generally more filling (due to fibre, etc.), so you're probably not going to match the sugar output in a pint of ice cream with fruit alone.

    It's just a number on your MFP diary (same as when MFP tries to predict your weight in 5 weeks' time and is almost always wrong). Enjoy your fruit, it's good for you :) And if it helps, by all means delete the sugar total, sometimes it's good to have mental strategies to cope with eating less.
  • missblondi2u
    missblondi2u Posts: 851 Member
    ccrdragon wrote: »
    Cutting added sugar is great and will save you calories in the long run. but unless you have a medical reason to avoid sugar (like T2 diabetes), there is no real reason to obsess over sugar.

    I get that. I'm cutting sugar to cut calories, not because of any underlying medical condition. I don't think sugar is some kind of boogey man. But I still want to track it without having to subtract the fruit from my total manually.
  • missblondi2u
    missblondi2u Posts: 851 Member
    biscuitforcefield wrote: »
    For me personally, I watch my sugar/carbs, and don't obsess too much about the final number each day under the Sugar column. Unless it's to control a medical issue or something serious like that, the best thing is to unlearn that sugar = bad.

    Most stuff has sugar in and to be honest fruit is generally more filling (due to fibre, etc.), so you're probably not going to match the sugar output in a pint of ice cream with fruit alone.

    It's just a number on your MFP diary (same as when MFP tries to predict your weight in 5 weeks' time and is almost always wrong). Enjoy your fruit, it's good for you :) And if it helps, by all means delete the sugar total, sometimes it's good to have mental strategies to cope with eating less.

    Thanks. I am enjoying the fruit! For the first time in my life, I feel like I'm really tasting it. But 1/2 cup of ice cream does have about the same amount of sugar as my peach did.
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
    kimny72 wrote: »
    missblondi2u wrote: »
    Greetings! I have been retooling my diet to cut added sugar as much as possible, with a goal of staying under about 20 grams per day. Now that I've found good low sugar substitutes for my bread, salad dressing, etc., and adapted to black coffee, it's actually been easier than I anticipated. Without having to make room for all the sweet treats I used to enjoy daily, like the 300+ calorie Haagen Daz I would eat after dinner, I feel like I can eat so much more food while staying in my calorie budget.

    I've never been much of a fruit eater, but now that my palate is changing I'm starting to crave so many new things, and I'm reaching for the fruit bowl more and more. The tree-ripened peach I had the the other day, for example, was one of the most heavenly things I've ever eaten, but it weighed in at over 9 ounces and had over 20 grams of sugar by itself. I know that eating fruit is good for me, and I don't want to obsess so much over the number in my sugar column that I deprive myself of the nutritional joy that is fruit, but that number is still important to me.

    The solution I've come up with is to edit entries for the fruits I eat by deleting the number in the sugar column. It will still log the carbs, but my sugar total will more accurately reflect added sugar, which is what I'm really interested in. I realize there is also natural sugar in things like nuts and dairy, but I'm less worried about those because the amounts aren't nearly as high as for fruit.

    I'd be interested in people's thoughts on this strategy. Thanks!

    If it works for you, it's fine, just please don't make those entries you are deleting the sugar from "public".

    I personally don't pay attention to the sugar number in my diary. I do try to choose items at the grocery with less or no added sugar when realistic, and I figure if I'm hitting my calorie, protein, and fiber goals then sugar is probably falling in line anyway.

    You've come up with a pretty creative way of dealing with the situation, it would probably confuse the heck out of me :lol: but if it makes sense to you that's what matters!

    This is what I was thinking too. There are enough incorrect database entries without people intentionally messing them up.

    I also think it's creative, and if it works for you, then great.

    I personally don't worry about sugar. It's counted in my carbs (not that I worry about those either). I find that when I focus on getting enough fat and proteins, my sugar levels are naturally lower.
  • missblondi2u
    missblondi2u Posts: 851 Member
    No, I didn't make my entry public, just saved under "My Foods."
  • missblondi2u
    missblondi2u Posts: 851 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    The reason major health entities (World Health Organization, U.S. Dept of Agriculture, etc.) suggest limiting added sugars is that those tend to have lots of calories, and consuming them either drives out needed nutrition, or - if nutrient goals are achieved - causes people to exceed sensible calorie levels.

    This is exactly why I'm cutting sugar.
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
    missblondi2u wrote: »
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    elsie6hickman wrote: »
    Rather than cutting sugar, perhaps you should be cutting carbs which turn to sugar in the body. Good fresh fruits for that are peaches, cherries, grapes, oranges, apples, pears. Until my husband was diagnosed with Type 2, and we went to a class that spent 4 hours on food, measuring, weighing and correctly reporting, I was never so aware of the need for healthy sugars, which create energy.

    Why does OP have to cut either one?

    I don't HAVE to do anything :) I CHOSE to cut sugar to help cut my calories.

    We're aware of that. She was responding to the poster who suggested that you cut carbs rather than focusing on sugar.

    It sounds like you have an idea that will work for you. All the best.
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,966 Member
    Sounds fine to me. Whatever works for you! I love me some fruit
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    missblondi2u wrote: »
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    elsie6hickman wrote: »
    Rather than cutting sugar, perhaps you should be cutting carbs which turn to sugar in the body. Good fresh fruits for that are peaches, cherries, grapes, oranges, apples, pears. Until my husband was diagnosed with Type 2, and we went to a class that spent 4 hours on food, measuring, weighing and correctly reporting, I was never so aware of the need for healthy sugars, which create energy.

    Why does OP have to cut either one?

    I don't HAVE to do anything :) I CHOSE to cut sugar to help cut my calories.

    I was responding to someone saying that you should be cutting carbohydrates. However you want to cut calories by eliminating foods you don't think are worth it, I support that. I just don't think people should feel that they *have* to cut sugar or carbohydrates in order to be successful.
  • missblondi2u
    missblondi2u Posts: 851 Member
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    I was responding to someone saying that you should be cutting carbohydrates. However you want to cut calories by eliminating foods you don't think are worth it, I support that. I just don't think people should feel that they *have* to cut sugar or carbohydrates in order to be successful.

    Thanks for the clarification. I lost almost 70 pounds here without ever looking at my sugar intake, so I get it. I'm just giving this a try, and so far there's been nothing but good coming from it. Well, except for the near-riot caused by my refusing the obligatory office birthday cake :) But that's a different story.
  • Psychgrrl
    Psychgrrl Posts: 3,177 Member
    I track fiber instead of sugar. Most people don't get enough fiber and it is important for health. Most of my sugar comes from fruit, so I don't worry too much. Which is good because summer fruit!
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,428 MFP Moderator
    elsie6hickman wrote: »
    Rather than cutting sugar, perhaps you should be cutting carbs which turn to sugar in the body. Good fresh fruits for that are peaches, cherries, grapes, oranges, apples, pears. Until my husband was diagnosed with Type 2, and we went to a class that spent 4 hours on food, measuring, weighing and correctly reporting, I was never so aware of the need for healthy sugars, which create energy.

    Just to be clear, your body can and does, convert fats and proteins into glucose. Its through a process called glucenogenesis.

    OP, you are doing a great job. Try not to overly stress on this.
  • missblondi2u
    missblondi2u Posts: 851 Member
    Psychgrrl wrote: »
    I track fiber instead of sugar. Most people don't get enough fiber and it is important for health. Most of my sugar comes from fruit, so I don't worry too much. Which is good because summer fruit!

    See, most of my sugar did not come from fruit. It came from things like Snickers and Dr. Pepper (of course), but also from salad dressings and peanut butter and other places I didn't even think about. So taking the time to pay attention to my sugar total has proven useful to me.
  • Millicent3015
    Millicent3015 Posts: 374 Member
    The naturally occurring sugar present in fruit is processed more slowly than added sugar, and releases glucose gradually, which is why you don't get sugar highs from fruit. You're also taking time to eat the whole fruit which has fibre and vitamins. I have 2-3 portions of fruit a day, occasionally 4, and I do look at the total from the Sugar column, but as most of mine comes from naturally occurring sugars I don't get too wound up over it. I'm T2 diabetic so I have to watch my added sugars, but if you don't have any medical issues, aren't on a very low carb diet (where you have fruit and veg low in natural sugars), and just want to lower your added sugars intake, you don't really have to restrict fruit, veg, milk or complex carbs. I wouldn't have too many bananas in a day, as they're high in potassium, but two to three portions of fruit a day, eg a natural handful of grapes, strawberries or cherries/a medium apple, orange or pear/two average size plums or satsumas, should be fine.
  • missblondi2u
    missblondi2u Posts: 851 Member
    Millicent3015 wrote: »
    if you don't have any medical issues, aren't on a very low carb diet (where you have fruit and veg low in natural sugars), and just want to lower your added sugars intake, you don't really have to restrict fruit, veg, milk or complex carbs.

    I agree with this, but how do you track that added sugar when fruit is part of your diet. You have to take the total sugar number and subtract out all your fruit, which is a pain. If the sugar from fruit isn't something I'm worried about, why not just take that sugar out of the equation by not logging it under sugar?
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,428 MFP Moderator
    missblondi2u wrote: »
    Millicent3015 wrote: »
    if you don't have any medical issues, aren't on a very low carb diet (where you have fruit and veg low in natural sugars), and just want to lower your added sugars intake, you don't really have to restrict fruit, veg, milk or complex carbs.

    I agree with this, but how do you track that added sugar when fruit is part of your diet. You have to take the total sugar number and subtract out all your fruit, which is a pain. If the sugar from fruit isn't something I'm worried about, why not just take that sugar out of the equation by not logging it under sugar?

    You cant track the difference until the food labels are updated to show the difference.
  • missblondi2u
    missblondi2u Posts: 851 Member
    psuLemon wrote: »
    You cant track the difference until the food labels are updated to show the difference.

    Well, that's why I, in my original post, my strategy is to log the fruit but delete the sugar in the log entry. That gives me a more useful number to work with.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,428 MFP Moderator
    missblondi2u wrote: »
    psuLemon wrote: »
    You cant track the difference until the food labels are updated to show the difference.

    Well, that's why I, in my original post, my strategy is to log the fruit but delete the sugar in the log entry. That gives me a more useful number to work with.

    You can create a food category for fruit and another for others. So like a breakfast, lunch, dinner, fruit/veggies, and than treats. Than you can kind of look at the categories.

    Where it gets a little unique is things like flavored Greek yogurts, etc where its a mox of both.
  • missblondi2u
    missblondi2u Posts: 851 Member
    psuLemon wrote: »
    You can create a food category for fruit and another for others. So like a breakfast, lunch, dinner, fruit/veggies, and than treats. Than you can kind of look at the categories.

    Where it gets a little unique is things like flavored Greek yogurts, etc where its a mox of both.

    I like the idea of separating my fruits and veggies, especially to see what percentage of my calories they represent. I would still have to subtract the sugar from my fruit/veg from the total, but it would be easier with them all grouped together. Thanks for the suggestion!
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