Secrets to sugar intake?

sittingduck180
sittingduck180 Posts: 64
edited September 27 in Food and Nutrition
Now that I'm actually tracking sugar intake I am SHOCKED by how much I get! MFP set me up for 39 grams, but already by noon I have tripled that with milk and sugar in my oatmeal (among other smaller items)! Is 39 reasonable? And how do I avoid having small amounts of sugar (5-8 grams) several times per day (vegan corn dogs, oatmeal, etc). Is it really just as simple as "don't eat that?

Replies

  • edyarn
    edyarn Posts: 12
    I have the same problem. I try to eat alot of fruit & veggies but by the time I do that, I have gone way over the MFP sugar recommendation.
    Perhaps they should specify the difference by adding a new nutrient category...
    Thoughts?
  • jhoffman27
    jhoffman27 Posts: 55 Member
    I just read this article it might help :smile:
    http://www.livestrong.com/related-blog/?bbPostId=B18v1vJrF5caCzExEgKMOSvH3Cz9XAR62fqNOvB40sVTW0iHOF&bbParentWidgetId=B8DOeeeSU6aS5m8hqMUbQ0u&utm_source=maynewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=110524
  • henney16
    henney16 Posts: 288
    I am pretty much the same way. I put 1/4 of raisins in my oatmeal at breakfast everyday and I am already past the halfway mark for my daily intake. I just try to make good decisions and it fruits and what not that naturally have sugar in it.
  • Sasha_Bear
    Sasha_Bear Posts: 625 Member
    Nothing wrong with natural sugar found in fruit and dairy, it's the added sugar you need to stay away from.
  • barbacasec
    barbacasec Posts: 106
    you really need to only watch "added" sugar.
    no you dont want to eat 10 servings of fruit a day but if you dont count the naturally occuring sugar in fruit the count is more accurate - "wish the seperated it on MFP"
    again you still need to watch the amt of fruit you have - I limit it to 1-2 servings per day.....

    you need to watch for things that have "added" sugar... lots of low fat stuff has added sugar and research all the different ways they list sugar.... sneaky little buggers!!!

    not sure why you need to add sugar to oatmeal if you are adding milk... ;) maybe replace the sugar with some berries? natural sugar and low on the GI index just a suggestion....
  • allisoncook87
    allisoncook87 Posts: 160 Member
    I feel as long as it's from fruits and veggies don't worry about it. You just don't want a bunch of refined sugars I.E. Grains, alcohal, candy, etc.
  • allisoncook87
    allisoncook87 Posts: 160 Member
    I feel as long as it's from fruits and veggies don't worry about it. You just don't want a bunch of refined sugars I.E. Grains, alcohal, candy, etc.
  • Cletc
    Cletc Posts: 352
    Is it really just as simple as "don't eat that?

    There is sugar in dairy.
    Eat veggies instead of fruit

    How many grams of sugar are you Wishing eat per day?

    My log is public. you can view mine. I don't know how many I eat
  • Kiwi_09
    Kiwi_09 Posts: 65
    I'm in the same boat. I only get 35g of sugar and I'm already over it today from what was in some fruit I ate and my muffin with breakfast.

    The sugar levels aren't something I'm watching too closely but It shocks me to see it being over every day.
  • Cletc
    Cletc Posts: 352
    I just went to

    REPORTS
    NUTRITION
    SUGAR

    and saw me weekly sugar intake.

    have you all tried doing that?
  • jarrettd
    jarrettd Posts: 872 Member
    I struggle with sugar, too. I've found several reduced sugar or sugar free versions of things I like. Most are fairly good, like Heinz reduced sugar ketchup. I'd rather save my sugar grams for fresh fruit to get the nutrients. I tend toward raspberries and strawberries alot; they are lower in sugar. But I don't stress the extra sugar from fruit too much, because I feel the good outweighs the bad.
  • hpsnickers1
    hpsnickers1 Posts: 2,783 Member
    you really need to only watch "added" sugar.
    no you dont want to eat 10 servings of fruit a day but if you dont count the naturally occuring sugar in fruit the count is more accurate - "wish the seperated it on MFP"
    again you still need to watch the amt of fruit you have - I limit it to 1-2 servings per day.....

    you need to watch for things that have "added" sugar... lots of low fat stuff has added sugar and research all the different ways they list sugar.... sneaky little buggers!!!

    not sure why you need to add sugar to oatmeal if you are adding milk... ;) maybe replace the sugar with some berries? natural sugar and low on the GI index just a suggestion....

    I agree with the berries thing. All sugar (in fact all carbs) cause your blood glucose levels to spike and the body to secrete insulin. The more carbs/sugars you digest the more insulin that needs to be secreted to take care of those carbs. The body's preferred fuel source is fat, not carbs. It's just that when we ingest carbs the body has to stop the fat burning to take care of those sugars and get them out of the bloodstream.
  • eMV5LBS
    eMV5LBS Posts: 5 Member
    I had this book called the belly fat diet and it discusses it in length. I stopped having milk in my diet as well as the fruits and vegetables that are higher in sugar. I still eat blueberries, red rasb., and other fruits that are better on the sugar scale. I still have my dairy in cheese and heavy cream (zero sugar). If I want cereal (which is always processed and not good for you) i will have it with almond milk. There are healthier options out there.

    Another problem that you may have is if you are consuming low fat products. The manufacturers usually add sugar in when the fat is removed so people would eat it. In other words, the low fat craze has lead to huge amounts of sugar in our diets.

    I hope this helps you on your journey.

    Cheers,

    Mel
  • sittingduck180
    sittingduck180 Posts: 64
    MFP sets me off at 39... today I'm already over 100. My new goal is definitely to watch and plan my sugar intake. Thanks every body... I think I'm learning milk isn't the best option for me. Good info!
  • Seajolly
    Seajolly Posts: 1,435 Member
    I never watched my sugar before MFP. Now I'm kind of obsessed with watching my sugar intake, but I think that's good! I usually go over a little but as long as most of my sugar is from fruit, I'm okay with that!
  • TheBraveryLover
    TheBraveryLover Posts: 1,217 Member
    This info is just a generalization of my daily intake. I do have some days that I deviate from this just so you know. But anyway, I usually have fruit just a few times a week and very rarely more than once a day. I never add sugar or honey to anything. I don't drink milk unless I add a tiny bit to my egg whites and the last time I had cereal was months ago. These are all things that I do on a regular basis that helps my sugar intake to stay below 28 grams everyday. Sugar is addictive and can easily become just as unaddictive (not a word, lol) once you stop eating as much. Trust me, I used to have loads of sugar too in things I never thought had it but once you cut a bit of it out, after a few weeks it gets easier to not have it.
  • Cletc
    Cletc Posts: 352
    It's just that when we ingest carbs
    the body has to stop the fat burning to take care of those sugars and get them out of the bloodstream.

    Ack !!
    Don't stop the fat burning... (for me anyway!) :laugh: :laugh:

    I'm watching Carbs, and by default Sugar grams from any source.

    My log is public - I did a Report-Nutrition-Sugar for the "last 7 days" -- nice feature, to see that graph like that!

    :drinker:
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