Foods Low in Sugar?

christianclovers

I’ve been really good about staying under my calorie goal and protein goal, but I eat lots of fruits so I’m having a hard time staying under my sugar goal. What foods are low in sugar?
TIA!

lemurcat2

Foods with significant intrinsic sugar are fruit and dairy. Veg have some, but not a lot because overall cals are so low, foods like sweet potatoes have some, not a lot.

So other than fruit and dairy, anything without much added sugar.

That said, if you are getting enough protein, healthy sources of fat, and fiber, there's no particular reason to worry about sugar that's intrinsic in higher nutrient foods like fruit and veg and dairy. The MFP goal is 15% of total calories, but there's no credible source that says it's necessary or beneficial to limit sugar from fruit, etc. The reason the WHO and other organizations suggest that ADDED sugar should be limited to 10 or 5% of calories is because added sugar tends to be associated with weight gain and can crowd out nutrients that are in many other foods (and often the added sugar comes with lots of added fat and calories).

If you aren't eating a lot of veg it might be a good idea to switch up some of the fruit for veg, but there may be no reason to make a change if your overall diet is varied and nutrient dense and calorie-appropriate.

kimny72

If you don't have a medical reason to avoid sugar, I wouldn't worry about it too much, unless the fruit is also making it difficult for you to stick to your calorie goal. Most recommendations out there are about added sugar.

The beauty of logging accurately and consistently here is you get used to looking at all the numbers. So keep logging, and if you feel like you are eating too much sugar and it's pushing good stuff out of your diet, look back at your logs and see where all the sugar is coming from. Then go from there.

With the spring starting to show up, I look forward to going over my sugar goal with lots of fresh yummy fruit soon! For me personally, as long as I make sure I hit my protein and fiber goals (and there's fiber in fruit!) I know I'll still feel great at the right calorie level.

christianclovers

Thank you!!

kshama2001

Yes, I don't eat a lot of foods with added sugar, and don't worry about the intrinsic sugar in fruit, veg, and dairy, so swapped out Sugar (and Sodium) for Fiber and Iron, which are more important for me to track.