Sugar Count & Exercise Question

mizyvee

So here is my question? If you exercise and get more calories that you allow you to consume additional food (or require you to consume more food if you had a great extensive workout), how does this relate to the other nutritional values. I am mainly concerned about sugar but am curious about the other nutritional values as well.

Could it be safe to say that I can go over my sugar allotment and be ok or is that still a bad thing? Shouldn't working out affect the other nutritional values along with the calorie count?

pmjsmom

When I add in my exercise all my numbers go up--not just the total calories.

It should be the same for you, too.

Almost forgot--if your sugar is coming from fruit then I wouldn't worry to much about it--MFP has a really low sugar allowance.

mizyvee

Thank you pmjsmom, the sugar allotment is always so low that I didn't even notice it goes up a bit when I workout. I usually just glance in that area to see if it is RED glaring at me or not. I went back and looked over my past days and did see that it fluctuated. :embarassed: :laugh:

suzi67

I looked over mine, total carbs changed, but not sugars. Hmmm...

mizyvee

Suzi67, you are right. I was looking at my own fluctuating sugar intake. So I guess my question still stands.

TMDRyan

Aside from the numbers, after a good workout, you do need to replenish your muscle's glycogen stores - and a little sugar (in the form of good carbs) helps your post-workout protein efficiently repair your muscles. So have a balanced snack - think hard boiled egg and a handful of carrots, or a handful of nuts. But, be very careful with straight-up sugars, even if they come from fruit. It's a common misconception that just because it's fructose, it's okay to have as much as you want. It's still sugar! And we weren't meant to eat fruit year-round, constantly. Stick to your MFP number if you want your hard work to pay off.

pmjsmom

I don't actually count sugar as all my sugars come from fruit and I don't eat things that have added sugar. It's weird that it wouldn't go up, though, since fats and carbs go up.

pmjsmom

And we weren't meant to eat fruit year-round, constantly.

I have never heard this before. Where did you get this information from? I'm asking because people who live in the warmer areas of the world eat fruit year-round and appear to do just fine.

ElmFive10

And we weren't meant to eat fruit year-round, constantly.

I have never heard this before. Where did you get this information from? I'm asking because people who live in the warmer areas of the world eat fruit year-round and appear to do just fine.

Actually those people are typically large/overweight. Hawaii, Samoa, even Mexico eat EXTRA sugary fruits like pineapples and mangos everyday and they are naturally big people. Not to be a huge jerk, but think of your stereotypical Hawaiian -- fat!

pmjsmom

And we weren't meant to eat fruit year-round, constantly.

I have never heard this before. Where did you get this information from? I'm asking because people who live in the warmer areas of the world eat fruit year-round and appear to do just fine.

Actually those people are typically large/overweight. Hawaii, Samoa, even Mexico eat EXTRA sugary fruits like pineapples and mangos everyday and they are naturally big people. Not to be a huge jerk, but think of your stereotypical Hawaiian -- fat!

I would still like to know your source for this, as all I can find are studies that show that these people are now fatter because of the of the types of foods that have been introduced since the mid 20th century, not because of their traditional, largely fruit-based diet. (I'm not saying you are wrong--I just like to know the sources for these things.)

TMDRyan

Aside from general common sense - fruit is seasonal in most areas of the world, and in tropical regions, unless farmed, is not wildly abundant (one must climb a tree for a banana/pineapple), several articles in the Journal of Nutrition have investigated the increased consumption of fructose in the American diet (National Estimates of Dietary Fructose Intake Increased from 1977 to 2004 in the United States1–4, Bernadette P. Marriott5,7,*, Nancy Cole6 and Ellen Lee6 ) and the effect of an UNBALANCED high sugar (including fructose) diet (Considerations for Future Research on Its Effects on Adipose Distribution, Lipid Metabolism, and Insulin Sensitivity in Humans1,2. Kimber L. Stanhope and Peter J. Havel)
Both articles are from J.N. 2009.

Did you know that a medium sized apple has 21g of carbohydrates, 15g of which are sugar? (cite: USDA SR21)

I'm not saying "don't eat fruit" - I'm saying be smart about it, know what you're putting in your body. Aim for vegetables and berries (lower sugar percentage).

pmjsmom

Aside from general common sense - fruit is seasonal in most areas of the world, and in tropical regions, unless farmed, is not wildly abundant (one must climb a tree for a banana/pineapple), several articles in the Journal of Nutrition have investigated the increased consumption of fructose in the American diet (National Estimates of Dietary Fructose Intake Increased from 1977 to 2004 in the United States1–4, Bernadette P. Marriott5,7,*, Nancy Cole6 and Ellen Lee6 ) and the effect of an UNBALANCED high sugar (including fructose) diet (Considerations for Future Research on Its Effects on Adipose Distribution, Lipid Metabolism, and Insulin Sensitivity in Humans1,2. Kimber L. Stanhope and Peter J. Havel)
Both articles are from J.N. 2009.

Did you know that a medium sized apple has 21g of carbohydrates, 15g of which are sugar? (cite: USDA SR21)

I'm not saying "don't eat fruit" - I'm saying be smart about it, know what you're putting in your body. Aim for vegetables and berries (lower sugar percentage).

Excellent articles. However, they are referring to high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and fructose sweetened drinks and foods--NOT naturally occurring fructose (ie: fruit).

Specifically, from the first article cited:

"The high-fructose corn syrup percentage of sweeteners increased from16%in 1978 to42%in 1998 and then stabilized. Since 1978,meandaily intakes of
added and total fructose increased in all gender and age groups, whereas naturally occurring (N) fructose intake decreased or
remained constant."

I believe that all natural foods are good for you but you are right--moderation is the key. We all must be careful about foods with added sweeteners--and added sodium (that's the one I have to be careful with, especially as I get older).

And, let's face it--our ancestors (and native peoples) could get away with eating more of anything than we can because they lived a much more active type of lifestyle. There was no need for them to have to fit a workout into their day--the whole day was a workout!

TMDRyan

Ok, last post on this topic, because my point is again being missed. (I see that you quoted only the article abstracts). Fructose is a naturally occuring sugar. It's a very simple sugar. Just as high-fructose corn syrup is derived from a natural source - then added to a whole bunch of foods it shouldn't be. The articles themselves are not dedicated to HFCS, but do look at a variety of sugar sources. My point with the first article was to address the increase in sugar in the American diet. My point with the second one was to address the physiological effects of a hugh sugar diet. Simple sugar is not a healthy base to build one's diet off of (unless, say, you're running marathons all day, every day). Even fruit sugars (Fructose). Both articles address the two different parts of my point.

I am unsure why this is such a personal issue for you. Please, take or leave any advice that is given on these boards. Feel free to eat as much fruit as you feel fits into your diet plan and lifestyle goals.

pmjsmom

Ok, last post on this topic, because my point is again being missed. (I see that you quoted only the article abstracts). Fructose is a naturally occuring sugar. It's a very simple sugar. Just as high-fructose corn syrup is derived from a natural source - then added to a whole bunch of foods it shouldn't be. The articles themselves are not dedicated to HFCS, but do look at a variety of sugar sources. My point with the first article was to address the increase in sugar in the American diet. My point with the second one was to address the physiological effects of a hugh sugar diet. Simple sugar is not a healthy base to build one's diet off of (unless, say, you're running marathons all day, every day). Even fruit sugars (Fructose). Both articles address the two different parts of my point.

I am unsure why this is such a personal issue for you. Please, take or leave any advice that is given on these boards. Feel free to eat as much fruit as you feel fits into your diet plan and lifestyle goals.

Actually, you are the one who made this personal. I simply advised the OP to not worry too much if the sugar came from a naturally occurring source. I never advised her to eat more sugar OR fruit and, for your information, I eat ONE serving of fruit a day. I do NOT base my diet on fruit!