Sugar and fruit

sarahenagy

I have a question about sugar intake...I know most people eat way too much sugar, so I have recently tried to improve this aspect of my diet by making it one of the nutrients I track on MFP. MFP recommends 25 grams of sugar for me and I have a REALLY hard time sticking to this, but most of the sugar in my diet comes from fruit. I thought most healthy diets were based on fresh fruits and vegetables? Should I cut fruit out of my diet in order to reduce the amount of sugar?

jackie8506

No definately not!
The sugar in fruit is natural, it's the refined sugar in food that is bad for you.

nquirico

If given the choice between pure sugar (candy, refined flour products) or fruit, take the fruit. The dietary recommendations include 'fruits and vegetables' because the powers that be know that getting people to eat 6 servings of vegetables a day is very difficult, so at least micronutrients and fiber can be obtained by eating fruit, but you are correct, there is ALOT of sugar in fruit. It is in the form of fructose, which the body processes a tiny bit slower than straight glucose, but ultimately it all winds up the same. There are some misconceptions about the types of sugar that are 'bad' or 'good', and granted refined or processed sugar, like in candy and ho-ho's is 'bad' because it is really just empty calories and has no nutritional value, but ALL sugar, even the sugar in fruits wind up causing a release of insulin in the body and insulin aids in the process of laying down fat. Lower glycemic index foods release the sugar more slowly, the insulin more slowly, less fat gets formed from the sugar. If the fat is not the problem for you and you are more concerned about just the 'addictive' properties of sugar (neurochemically), then just avoid the refined, empty calorie desserts and such and keep eating the fruit. The best thing to do if you are trying to cut out sugar is to eat a diet that is primarily vegetables, whole grains (and other complex carbs) and proteins. hope that helps.

luv2ash

I don't eat fruit, but I take plenty of vitamins. The fruit just raises my blood sugar level, which does not help me lose weight. My goal is to keep my blood sugar level even all day long--no spikes, no crashes--this keeps me from feeling hungry or craving more sugar.

You have to do what works best for you---