SUGAR!!!

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carajo
carajo Posts: 532 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I am always going over the amount of sugar allowed per day....Looking into my food journal i think most of it is coming from eating apples...2 sometimes 3 a day!! I AM losing and i feel great...but i didn't know if anyone else is going over, is the sugar set really low...and how much should you consume in one day? THANKS to anyone who may know ;)

Replies

  • sanrog
    sanrog Posts: 68
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    I go over my sugar everyday - I eat a lot of fruit also. I think as long as it is coming from fruit and you are still losing then keep doing what your doing. :smile:
  • Amarillo_NDN
    Amarillo_NDN Posts: 1,018 Member
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    I have the same problem. In the past I never cared how much sugar there was as long as I did not go over my Cals and total carbs. Then I found how how sugar acted on the brain like a drug. So as I started tracking just how much sugar is in the simple things I thought are healthy, which they are, but surprised me just how much sugar is in all natural as well as man made food.
  • lloydrt
    lloydrt Posts: 1,121 Member
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    Carajo, wow, I didnt know that there was a certain amount of sugar for daily consumption? Is this processed / refined sugar?

    I know that fruit has sugar, but when I first started this change, all I did was live on fruit and tons and tons of vegetables, and thats what really helped......The fruit is the best for digestion, so I was literally eating 2 - 3 cups of berries, and one canaloupe ,and maybe an apple a day........6 to 8 servings and even more

    Iknow its kinda alot, but I said I rather get used to eating healthy fruit which is better than driving to Walgreeans for candy........that was my old life style

    If you find out, let me know, but if its manye 3 - 4 servings, I think its a good thing. Here is a site I used , sponsored by the US Govt........check it out, see if it helps.......Lloyd
    here is the site below

    http://www.mypyramid.gov/
  • daj150
    daj150 Posts: 815 Member
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    Sugar is rather tricky. Many diets try to limit fruit consumption due to the high sugar content. Many health advocates state that it's fruit and healthy sugars. Sadly, sugar is sugar is sugar. Although bodies will process it a little different from person to person, it still, for the most part, gets processed the same.

    The first thing to note is that fiber helps offset both carbs and sugars. So, if you are going over and really don't want to, increase your fiber to compensate for the sugars. You may not want to do a 1 to 1 though...for obvious reasons. :-P

    Second, I checked out your log. You definitely love your fruit. Although fruit is healthy and contains many nutritionally beneficial components, they are still food. And too much of almost any food or drink is never good. You may want to cut back a hair on the fruit. Maybe substitute some type of vegetable instead. I always loved snacking on red bell peppers, although I haven't recently...not looking so good at the markets lately.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    Sugar from fruit is okay as it is combined with fiber and will not spike you blood sugar. That being said 3 apples a day is quite a bit. It is suggested that you get 5-7 servings of fruit an veggies and most of these should come from the veggie side. So if you are at 5 servings the most from fruit should be 2 and 3 veggie, if you eat 7 servings 3 fruit is fine, just make sure you get more veggies than fruit.

    I believe the number on MFP relate to added sugar, but the database does not distinguish between natural and added, which is why I don't track sugar.
  • katkat987
    katkat987 Posts: 100 Member
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    Thats the reason i removed my sugar goal, all my food is homemade, no salt or sugar added, and i no longer have sugar in my tea. But i believe that natural sugar from fruit is good for you, so 2 pieces a fruit a day isnt a bad thing.. its good for you!
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    Thats the reason i removed my sugar goal, all my food is homemade, no salt or sugar added, and i no longer have sugar in my tea. But i believe that natural sugar from fruit is good for you, so 2 pieces a fruit a day isnt a bad thing.. its good for you!

    Her diary suggests 4-6 servings of fruit per day, which is quite high.
  • nursevee
    nursevee Posts: 344 Member
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    The nutritional values set here are based on an ideal daily quantity. Whilst sugar from fruit is naturaL, it's still sugar so perhaps try replacing one or two of those apples with carrot or celery sticks? Raw veggies don't have that sugar quantity. Be careful of any pre-packaged foods because they're always high in sodium and sugar. For awhile I didn't really mind as long as I was staying under calories but then my personal trainer said that sometimes it's more important to watch for fats/sodium/sugar/carbs than it is calories!
    I think you'll find that it's OK to go slightly over, just don't make that deficit huge.
  • Beebee78
    Beebee78 Posts: 703
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    As one poster said before. sugar is sugar. I try and limit myself to 2-300g of fruit a day max and try and stick more with berries xxx
  • Paige1108
    Paige1108 Posts: 432 Member
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    All sugar is not the same.

    The sugar in fruit - fructose (not high fructose corn syrup) regular fructose from fruits and vegetables is sent to the liver to be converted into glucose. This slows the sugar absorption rate and gives the body time to adjust. This puts a lot less stress on the pancreas. In the liver the glucose is either used to give the body a sugar boost or more likely it is used to make glycogen, the bodies short term energy chemical.

    Sucrose, table sugar, Is broken down in the stomach into half glucose and half fructose. The half that is made into glucose in the stomach spikes the bodies insulin levels on the spot. Because the pancreas needs to produce insulin to deal with that glucose right now. And because the body feels flooded with glucose, and it knows more is coming from the liver soon, it tents to convert this type of glucose directly into long term energy ie fat.

    Yes you can eat to much fruit, you can eat to much of anything. But all sugar is not the same.
  • lloydrt
    lloydrt Posts: 1,121 Member
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    Hey, thanks Paige1108........sounds like youve done your homework in regards to sugars....

    Ill cut back on my fruits as well, I love em, esp the berries, but like you said, in moderation. I only substituted them for candy and calorie laden snacks............It worked, seems like they really really helped my digestion and those, along with vegetables really filled me up

    OK , so back to 2 - 3 servings of fruit a day for me............thanks again, youre really on the ball......Lloyd
  • Paige1108
    Paige1108 Posts: 432 Member
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    Hey, thanks Paige1108........sounds like youve done your homework in regards to sugars....

    Ill cut back on my fruits as well, I love em, esp the berries, but like you said, in moderation. I only substituted them for candy and calorie laden snacks............It worked, seems like they really really helped my digestion and those, along with vegetables really filled me up

    OK , so back to 2 - 3 servings of fruit a day for me............thanks again, youre really on the ball......Lloyd

    Thanks Lloydrt, I did a lot of reading before I gave up processed sugar. I don't restrict my fruit intake, I just eat it as I feel like it. I did eat more right when I gave up the processed sugar, as you noticed it takes the edge off the cravings. I'm glad my info was useful to you. Good luck with your journey.
  • gibsons
    gibsons Posts: 24
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    I believe the number on MFP relate to added sugar, but the database does not distinguish between natural and added, which is why I don't track sugar.

    I concur; and if you look at the USDA recommendations for sugar (which MFP appears to be based upon) they very clearly make a distinction between added sugars and naturally occuring sugars that coexist with fiber and nutrients.

    So, yes, moderation in everything, but I would not beat myself up over sugar from fruit, veggies, or skim milk. Each plays a role in a healthy diet. But skip food with added sugars whenever possible.
  • tater8589
    tater8589 Posts: 616
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    Thank you Paige 1108 you answered my question too.

    I will add that some berries help with metabolism, though i can't at the moment remember which ones... google time :)
  • carajo
    carajo Posts: 532 Member
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    Thanks for the replies!! My sugar is coming from strawberries and banan in my smoothie...then an apple with lunch and sometimes another in the afternoon...no candy or anything, i just added the sugar tab to my diary i have never thought about it much...trying to stay under a certain number, but looking at most days the sugar i do eat is not added sugar from junk food, so i was just curious! thanks again!
  • austinusn
    austinusn Posts: 38
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    Some great replies here and thought I'd add my experiences... Like everyone here, I generally agree that sugar from natural sources like fruits/veggies are a good thing. Unlike processed sugars, fruits come with other benefits (mostly fiber, vitamins, etc).

    I use to monitor only Fat/Calories/Carbs and though I worked out like crazy, I was just not dropping the weight. Under the advice of a personal trainer, I started monitoring sugar and the weight started coming off.

    Of course, you have to experiment with what your body responds too. Everyone is different :)

    Good luck!!

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