Sugar from fruit
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Your body metabolizes fruit sugar differently than added sugar, so, do not be concerned about fruit sugar unless you have insulin resistance.
I agree that sugar from fruit (or any intrinsic sugar) is nothing to worry about unless it is crowding out protein or healthy fats, the fruit is leading to excess cals, or there is some specific health reason (it raises blood sugar in a problematic way for a particular person with uncontrolled T2D, for one possible example).
However, your reason is wrong--"fruit sugar" is in reality a mix of different sugars, mainly fructose, glucose, and sucrose (and sucrose is just glucose + fructose, 50/50). The particular mix differs from fruit to fruit. "Added sugar" is normally sucrose (table sugar), which as noted is glucose + fructose. Some foods might have HFCS (they usually taste worse to me, but YMMV), and that is just sugar from corn and again glucose + fructose (55% fructose in that one).
Fructose and glucose are processed somewhat differently, glucose is the one that tends to make blood sugar rise, so is more problematic for diabetics (but no more so than many starches in many cases), and fructose is processed by the liver, so if one consumes ridiculous amounts (which is unlikely when one is getting it mainly from fruit, vs pounding crazy amounts of soda) it might be something to watch for liver health.
The more significant difference has nothing to do with the sugar at all, but what it comes with -- fruit has lots of micronutrients, lots of water, and in many cases a good bit of fiber, so that makes it often (not for all) more filling and less caloric for the amount normally eaten and it gives you good things WITH the sugar.
On the other hand, foods with added sugar SOMETIMES can threaten to crowd out more nutritious foods or make it harder, especially if someone is not tracking cals, to stick to a good calorie level. This is because MANY foods with added sugar have lots of fat too, and high cals, or many fewer micros, and they may be foods that are hard to avoid overeating which is more problematic given how calorie dense they are.
So it's reasonable to say "limit added sugar," and it's reasonable to say "don't worry about fruit if overall diet, cals, and protein are in check," but it is not accurate to claim that there's some difference between "fruit sugar" and "added sugar" as if they weren't both basically the same fructose + glucose, and as if table sugar inherently had some bad effect in any dosage that fruit sugar did not (table sugar actually often is fruit sugar in that it can come from sugarbeets).
Also, it's not uncommon for people to use a bit of sugar in a food that has micros, fiber, etc., so that isn't meaningfully different from fruit (i.e., adding some sugar to oatmeal or to some rhubarbs, or the many other ways people might use sugar in cooking).
The issue with added sugar is more dosage and how many calories consumed with it, not that it on its own is different and scary.
Yeah, what she said.3 -
melinalosada wrote: »Hi! I need help. Iam Melina from Argentina. Two days ago I started a lowcarb and today feel whit low energy.
Its normaly? Thanks
Hi Melina - welcome!
Please start a new thread as this is a completely different topic. (Back out of this thread and use the Create button.)5 -
Cavallaro65 wrote: »I eat 3 bananas a day, I do not count them or don't care about the sugar from them. Natural sugar and I don't care about it. That's just my take on that.
You don't count them toward your calories?
No I do, I just discount that it puts me over on sugar sometimes.5 -
I also am in the don't count sugar camp.
Unless you need to for a specific reason.
And technically speaking sugar is sugar blah blah, but fruit sugars I don't care about, whereas refined donut sugar for example, can give me a a bit of a headache. Like if I eat something super sugary I sometimes get a bit of a mild feeling in my head.
However, if I've been eating lots of refined sugar thingies over a period of time, that disappears, it's only if I've been limiting those things and then eat it one day.
I don't have that problem with fruit sugars or honey though. I never cut fruit sugar or honey.
I only reduce cakey goodness type sugars when I have to reduce my calories for weight loss - not worth the caloric expenditure for something that doesn't keep me full. They come back on the menu when I am in maintenance or bulking.2 -
Cavallaro65 wrote: »Cavallaro65 wrote: »I eat 3 bananas a day, I do not count them or don't care about the sugar from them. Natural sugar and I don't care about it. That's just my take on that.
You don't count them toward your calories?
No I do, I just discount that it puts me over on sugar sometimes.
Ah, yeah, me too -- I look at total sugar out of interest, but don't care about it. I do limit added sugar.1 -
Cavallaro65 wrote: »Cavallaro65 wrote: »I eat 3 bananas a day, I do not count them or don't care about the sugar from them. Natural sugar and I don't care about it. That's just my take on that.
You don't count them toward your calories?
No I do, I just discount that it puts me over on sugar sometimes.
Ah, yeah, me too -- I look at total sugar out of interest, but don't care about it. I do limit added sugar.
Even though I am diabetic I do not track sugar. I do not use insulin (no medications, I manage it with diet and exercise only) so the only thing I need to focus on is limiting my total carbs to 150 g or less per day.
I do try to reduce the sugar I eat even though I do not track it. I eat more veggies and less fruit. I only eat a sweet when I am low in carbs for the day (or it is a special occasion). I drink diet soda if I want a soda. Once in a while I go crazy with the carbs but it is OK as long as it is only occasionally. All of this is with the OK of my PCP who is a Certified Diabetic Educator.2 -
Cavallaro65 wrote: »Cavallaro65 wrote: »I eat 3 bananas a day, I do not count them or don't care about the sugar from them. Natural sugar and I don't care about it. That's just my take on that.
You don't count them toward your calories?
No I do, I just discount that it puts me over on sugar sometimes.
Ah, yeah, me too -- I look at total sugar out of interest, but don't care about it. I do limit added sugar.
Exactly, same thing with me. There is no way bananas are bad for you. I mean it just is common sense to me. A lot of eating right is common sense, for the most part you don't need a PHD.2 -
Cavallaro65 wrote: »Cavallaro65 wrote: »I eat 3 bananas a day, I do not count them or don't care about the sugar from them. Natural sugar and I don't care about it. That's just my take on that.
You don't count them toward your calories?
No I do, I just discount that it puts me over on sugar sometimes.
Ah, yeah, me too -- I look at total sugar out of interest, but don't care about it. I do limit added sugar.
Y'know, I don't even limit it, because it just isn't something I tend to overeat.
I stopped tracking sugar in my diary here when I realized I was going over the default every single day, and the only added sugar in my day was a tiny bit of concentrated fruit juice that was not even the top ingredient in my 30-calorie daily tablespoon of all-fruit spread. (The rest was all from whole fruit, some veggies, and no-sugar-added dairy products).
Even now (4+ years later), my daily routine includes a little blackstrap molasses (added sugar but with useful-to-me iron and potassium) and some lightly-sweetend kefir, plus every once in a while (not daily) I might eat a dessert, a Yasso Greek Yogurt bar, a piece of chocolate, or something like that. It's minor.
I watch protein (don't want to undereat it, and I have a medium-high goal), fats (would eat less than my goal routinely if I didn't watch that), my veggie/fruit servings (going for 5 minimum, 10 or more ideally). If I get those, and maintain my weight over time, I just don't see why I need to worry about added sugar specifically, or sugar/carbs generally. I have no idea how much sugar I eat (added or inherent) and only know that I run around 200g carbs most of the time because I've looked on account of questions in other threads.3 -
Cavallaro65 wrote: »Cavallaro65 wrote: »I eat 3 bananas a day, I do not count them or don't care about the sugar from them. Natural sugar and I don't care about it. That's just my take on that.
You don't count them toward your calories?
No I do, I just discount that it puts me over on sugar sometimes.
Ah, yeah, me too -- I look at total sugar out of interest, but don't care about it. I do limit added sugar.
Y'know, I don't even limit it, because it just isn't something I tend to overeat.
I stopped tracking sugar in my diary here when I realized I was going over the default every single day, and the only added sugar in my day was a tiny bit of concentrated fruit juice that was not even the top ingredient in my 30-calorie daily tablespoon of all-fruit spread. (The rest was all from whole fruit, some veggies, and no-sugar-added dairy products).
Even now (4+ years later), my daily routine includes a little blackstrap molasses (added sugar but with useful-to-me iron and potassium) and some lightly-sweetend kefir, plus every once in a while (not daily) I might eat a dessert, a Yasso Greek Yogurt bar, a piece of chocolate, or something like that. It's minor.
I watch protein (don't want to undereat it, and I have a medium-high goal), fats (would eat less than my goal routinely if I didn't watch that), my veggie/fruit servings (going for 5 minimum, 10 or more ideally). If I get those, and maintain my weight over time, I just don't see why I need to worry about added sugar specifically, or sugar/carbs generally. I have no idea how much sugar I eat (added or inherent) and only know that I run around 200g carbs most of the time because I've looked on account of questions in other threads.
Yeah, it's not like I count added sugar except occasionally for curiosity I might look at total and added sugar. Mostly I eat almost none, but occasionally if I want I'll have a serving of some dessert item, and I use some condiments with a bit of added sugar. I don't think it's particularly hard to see if you are getting more added sugar than you want (you obviously are not), and I find that if my calories are reasonable and I get in the veg, fruit, protein, fiber I want, that there's no question that my added sugar won't be especially high, even if it's a day on which I had ice cream. Since there are so many days on which I don't eat much (I just don't want a dessert type food most days), I don't particularly bother worrying about it if I occasionally have more than normal.
I think I was eating a lot of added sugar on some days when I was fat (not so much when I was gaining, but when I was fat and figured it doesn't matter, I'm already fat). It was hardly my biggest contributor to weight gain (I don't have the hugest sweet tooth), but it was an easy way to overeat and one reason my calories were higher than I realized without thinking about it. Quitting snacking (which I find unsatisfying) was really what ended that and absent snacking I'm just naturally pretty limited in the added sugar I eat (occasionally dessert after dinner).
I mostly wanted to make the point that not caring about intrinsic sugar doesn't mean one also eats unlimited added sugar. My view is that if you eat a good overall diet with reasonable cals, healthy fats, sufficient protein, and lots of veg, some fruit, sufficient fiber, there's no need to worry about added sugar since it will be in check, but sometimes people assume otherwise and make assumptions that if you say "I don't worry about sugar" you must be eating stupid amounts of dessert foods.2 -
https://healthyeating.sfgate.com/glucose-fructose-metabolism-6981.html
The information at this link regarding fructose is something I had not be familiar with. That is, the sugar from fruit, fructose, can bypass the cellular mechanism which burns it, and instead be converted directly to fat.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHmAARLd4yE
This explains that in more detail.0 -
When I was a runner I ate a ton of bananas. Never a problem, until recently. I have autoimmune disease and chronic skin infections. For ME, any sugar causes a flair and inflammation. For medicial reasons ( Mixed connective tissue disease, SLE Lupus, Arthritis plus osteoporosis) I have gone to low carb.
For someone who eats healthy and includes fruit, aiming for calorie goals with no medical reasons, I would not wprry or cut put fruit. Remember this app calculates both according to a set standard and does not differentiate sources of sugar.
I ave switched from bananas to avocado. Its actually made a world of difference.2 -
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I mostly wanted to make the point that not caring about intrinsic sugar doesn't mean one also eats unlimited added sugar. My view is that if you eat a good overall diet with reasonable cals, healthy fats, sufficient protein, and lots of veg, some fruit, sufficient fiber, there's no need to worry about added sugar since it will be in check, but sometimes people assume otherwise and make assumptions that if you say "I don't worry about sugar" you must be eating stupid amounts of dessert foods.
Thank you for underscoring that. Obviously, I agree.
I think I should've made my main point more explicit, too: I think it's much more useful to worry about getting the right things into my eating, than it is to worry about getting less-useful things out.
If one looks for the caloric room to add in more elements of good nutrition, it will almost automatically result in cutting the less-nutrient-dense foods that are the least important to the happiness of that particular individual, I think. Happiness is a long-term compliance factor. Just "getting rid of bad foods" can backfire, from the standpoint of balancing any given individual's needs for nutrition with desires for pleasure.
It's also IMO true that each of us has things we tend to over- or under-eat, that might color which categories we pay closer attention to. Identifying those is also a by-product of diary review and the gradual revamping of eating in a more overall nutritious direction. Fats are one of those for me, and it was a bit of a light-bulb to realize that by default I may under-eat them, as I think it may've been one (of several) factors behind my past IBS-C symptoms. From reading others' posts here, fat seems not to be the most common thing to accidentally under-consume.4 -
<snip for reply length>
I mostly wanted to make the point that not caring about intrinsic sugar doesn't mean one also eats unlimited added sugar. My view is that if you eat a good overall diet with reasonable cals, healthy fats, sufficient protein, and lots of veg, some fruit, sufficient fiber, there's no need to worry about added sugar since it will be in check, but sometimes people assume otherwise and make assumptions that if you say "I don't worry about sugar" you must be eating stupid amounts of dessert foods.
Thank you for underscoring that. Obviously, I agree.
I think I should've made my main point more explicit, too: I think it's much more useful to worry about getting the right things into my eating, than it is to worry about getting less-useful things out.
If one looks for the caloric room to add in more elements of good nutrition, it will almost automatically result in cutting the less-nutrient-dense foods that are the least important to the happiness of that particular individual, I think. Happiness is a long-term compliance factor. Just "getting rid of bad foods" can backfire, from the standpoint of balancing any given individual's needs for nutrition with desires for pleasure.
It's also IMO true that each of us has things we tend to over- or under-eat, that might color which categories we pay closer attention to. Identifying those is also a by-product of diary review and the gradual revamping of eating in a more overall nutritious direction. Fats are one of those for me, and it was a bit of a light-bulb to realize that by default I may under-eat them, as I think it may've been one (of several) factors behind my past IBS-C symptoms. From reading others' posts here, fat seems not to be the most common thing to accidentally under-consume.
Couldn't agree more.0 -
JeromeBarry1 wrote: »https://healthyeating.sfgate.com/glucose-fructose-metabolism-6981.html
The information at this link regarding fructose is something I had not be familiar with. That is, the sugar from fruit, fructose, can bypass the cellular mechanism which burns it, and instead be converted directly to fat.
What do you think the significance of this is? You seem to be suggesting that fructose can make you fatter even in a calorie deficit, which of course is not true. I'm going to not assume that's what you are saying, then, and let you elaborate if you wish.
Also, it is simply not true that "fructose" = fruit sugar as if it's all that's in fruit and distinct from sugar found elsewhere. Sucrose (common table sugar) is 50% glucose, 50% fructose. HFCS is 45% glucose, 55% fructose. Fruits vary. 100 g of banana has about 12 g of sugar, of which 2 g are sucrose, 5 g are fructose, and 5 g are glucose.
A 150 g peach has about 12.5 g of sugar, of which 7 g are sucrose, 3 g are glucose, and 2 g are fructose.
A 100 g plum has about 10 g of sugar, of which 2 g are sucrose, 5 g are glucose, and 3 g are fructose.8 -
I think I should've made my main point more explicit, too: I think it's much more useful to worry about getting the right things into my eating, than it is to worry about getting less-useful things out.
This is how I think about sugar too. As a diabetic I have slightly different goals but the main one is to stay under 150 g of total carbs per day. Whether those carbs come from simple (sugars) or complex (starches) has little effect on my blood glucose overall. Simple carbs will cause a spike and crash while complex carbs will cause a more gentle rise and fall but over a longer period of time. The AVERAGE over the day will be the same.
This fits into your point in that I have a limited budget for carbs so I need to spend them in a way that gets the most nutrition in, instead of just keeping sugar out. Eating a high sugary treat or drinking juice or a regular soda does not do that so they need to be limited, but not because of the sugar. I eat more veggies and less fruit for the same reason. I look for carbs that have fiber because it is harder to get enough fiber when reducing carbs.
I don't track sugar because, in the end, it is a meaningless number for me.
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Surprised by the 30 'disagree' on my (not very controversial )comment about too much fruit not being good for teeth.
(It was just another way of noting the point above about the body not caring where the sweetness comes from.)
Although it is nutritious, fruit really isn't good for teeth because of its sugar and its acid. It is not a perfect food and not a perfect alternative to 'bad' sugar. Glucose, fructose and sucrose are all sweet to tooth bacteria
Dentists don't ban it but do suggest moderating consumption, drinking juice through a straw to avoid contact with teeth, drinking water after eating fruit and of course, not eating it many times a day.
Eat it if you like it and it fits into your plan but don't nibble it all day if you love your pearly smile or need to keep your blood-sugar steady.1 -
This is just the question I was going to ask - glad I searched the forum first!
My understanding is that sugar from fruit is less bad than refined sugar because your body has to work harder to break down and digest the raw fruit.
A few responses suggest swapping out the sugar count for fibre - is this done on the app or do people mean to just ignore the sugar total and take more notice of the fibre?
Thanks0 -
donnadean3337 wrote: »This is just the question I was going to ask - glad I searched the forum first!
My understanding is that sugar from fruit is less bad than refined sugar because your body has to work harder to break down and digest the raw fruit.
A few responses suggest swapping out the sugar count for fibre - is this done on the app or do people mean to just ignore the sugar total and take more notice of the fibre?
Thanks
Sugar is sugar. Your body treats all sugars the same. The argument against sugar is that some people can't afford to eat too many sugary foods and on a smaller calorie budget and prefer to eat more nutrient dense foods. It's also why some people prefer fruits as a source of sugar (they have some important nutrients). For dieting purposes, your sugar count doesn't really matter because it's all about calories. If a food fits into your calorie budget it's perfectly okay to eat it, be it fruit or any other food. Mathematically, weight change depends on calories and calories only. Anything else you do with your diet is jut tweaking to make dieting easier.1 -
donnadean3337 wrote: »This is just the question I was going to ask - glad I searched the forum first!
My understanding is that sugar from fruit is less bad than refined sugar because your body has to work harder to break down and digest the raw fruit.
A few responses suggest swapping out the sugar count for fibre - is this done on the app or do people mean to just ignore the sugar total and take more notice of the fibre?
Thanks
To the bolded: It's done in the app. Even in the free version, you can customize the columns that appear on your diary page.
To the not-bolded: The sugar in fruit and refined sugar are quite similar in how your body processes them. The difference is in the fiber that comes with the sugar in the fruit, vs. some highly-processed mostly-sugar foods when eaten on their own. The idea is that the fiber will kinda slow down how fast the sugar is metabolized. However, if your highly-processed sugary thing has proteins, fats, and fiber (like, say, a protein granola bar), or is eaten in conjunction with other foods that have them, the difference is pretty moot/trivial.
Sugar is a problem if (1) an individual must limit it due to a medical issue (such as diabetes), or (2) it's eaten in such excess that it either drives out nutrition at appropriate calories, or causes one to eat excess calories while getting adequate nutrition. Oh, and, if you let it cause dental caries (brush your teeth!). Otherwise, NBD.
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donnadean3337 wrote: »This is just the question I was going to ask - glad I searched the forum first!
My understanding is that sugar from fruit is less bad than refined sugar because your body has to work harder to break down and digest the raw fruit.
A few responses suggest swapping out the sugar count for fibre - is this done on the app or do people mean to just ignore the sugar total and take more notice of the fibre?
Thanks
The sugar in fruit is no different than any other sugar and your body processes it the same. What you are referring to is the effect of the fiber in many fruits. Soluble fiber can help slow the release of glucose into the bloodstream. This is the same no matter if the glucose is the result of sugars or starches. Insoluble fiber does not affect the absorption of nutrients but is important to help eliminate waste.
Many people do not track sugars as a separate nutrient but lump all carbs together. Getting enough fiber has been shown to be beneficial and even can help prevent some cancers (especially colon cancer) so many track fiber instead.4
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