The fruit in sugar... is it bad?

kellyahanley

I'm dealing with an auto immune condition (psoriasis) and was told to eat fruit (berries, banana), protein, vegetables...fitness pal says I'm over my sugar goal by approx. 40 grams/day but I'm being told this is okay because it's natural sugar. Is there a nutritionist in the group who can weigh in here? My calories and fats are within goal. I'm so confused by the information overload available online about dieting and psoriasis.

estherdragonbat

MFP can't differentiate between naturally occurring sugar and added sugar. If you don't have a medical reason to restrict your sugar intake, don't worry about it. Most reputable sources tell you to watch your added sugar intake.

Healthline.com draws a distinction between natural and added right at the beginning of the article: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-much-sugar-per-day

Greatist.com (haven't heard of them before, but they're citing the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and include a PDF link in the article) also mentions that it's added sugar that needs to be restricted: https://greatist.com/eat/recommended-sugar-intake-what-it-looks-like

Heart and Stroke Foundation? Also comes down on added sugar and states that naturally occurring sugars "should be included in a healthy diet in reasonable quantities": https://www.heartandstroke.ca/get-healthy/healthy-eating/reduce-sugar

I don't know enough about psoriasis to know if sugar period is a problem for the condition. That's one to ask your doctor. But if you're not on a medical restriction, you can completely disregard MFP's sugar limit. I switched it out for iron tracking on my dietary diary page ages ago.

SouthernCountryGirl

I ran into the same issue especially during the summer when all the good fruits are at their peak. I love fruit but it used to freak me out seeing the red negatives in my sugar limits. After some research I began to understand it better (as poster above detailed) and I relaxed some. Plus a friend suggested going into my settings and changing that number myself. So I did. Now it’s not in the red anymore and I’m not stressing anymore lol

MikePTY

Advice you were given by a medical professional overrules MFP every time.

cwolfman13

MFP doesn't differentiate naturally occurring sugars in fruit vs added sugars...neither does your body.

MikePTY wrote: »

Advice you were given by a medical professional overrules MFP every time.

And this...

hypocacculus

If you were told to eat a specific amount of fruit in particular, then eat it and don't worry. On the other hand, if you were given general advice to increase the amount of fresh fruit and vegetables in general, I think the guidance is that two portions of fruit as part of your 5 per day is best. It's OK to eat lots of fruit, but not if you are using it to avoid eating fresh veg.