The Truth About Sugar

Hawkins8782

I read something about this on sparkspeople.com today. It said not to count natural sugars, only to count added sugars. Check it out!

_GlaDOS_

The 24g limit here is based on the recommended daily allowance by the USDA for added/refined sugars. This does not include so-called "natural" sugars found in fruits and vegetables.

However, in terms of weight loss, it doesn't really matter, and there is debate of course over not only what the recommended intake should be limited to, but what is truly "healthy". We will likely never get to the bottom of that, and even the "experts" will likely not figure it out.

Hit your macros, eat fruits and vegetables, and stop tracking sugar. That's my advice.

grinch031

People keep talking about only if you have a medical condition. Well last I checked, obesity was a medical condition. And not only that, many of the associated symptoms of obesity like insulin resistance aren't even diagnosed. So if someone is serious about improving their health, they would be smart to watch their sugar intake.

My1985Freckles

People keep talking about only if you have a medical condition. Well last I checked, obesity was a medical condition. And not only that, many of the associated symptoms of obesity like insulin resistance aren't even diagnosed. So if someone is serious about improving their health, they would be smart to watch their sugar intake.

I agree completely. I lost 30 pounds no problem without tracking sugar and went over every single day, then BAMMO! 5 month long plateau. Started tracking sugar and the weight started coming off. I relapsed for 2 weeks and STALL.... Tracking sugar is a wise thing (at least for someone like me who seems to be especially sensitive to it.)


ETA: My God! I need a proofreader LOL

OnceAndFutureAthlete

I try to keep my sugar @ <24g and net Carbs (=total carbs - fiber) at 50-75g per day. This is because I've found that this is when I feel best and lose the most. (I'm 50, female and insulin resistant).

This means that I don't eat ANY added sugar and not a lot of fruit, mostly just a lot of vegetables and protein.

When I started I went VERY low carb for a couple weeks and this really killed my sugar cravings, which has been terrific.

I was surprised to learn (via MFP!) how much sugar is in some vegetables - especially tomatoes (I know, I know - it's really a fruit.) and onions! (carrots, too.)

Eating little fruit, I find that I rarely go over the 24g of sugar, and usually keep within the carb limits. I do miss it sometimes.

Again, this is for me, as I've found that sugar - in whatever form - doesn't benefit me and my diet goals. I guess it's really a trial and error thing over time.

shar140

Just because the sugar in fruits is all natural that doesn't mean it is a brilliant idea to go overboard on them either. Go for lower sugar fruits or veggies to get your 5 a day.

I would tend to agree.

Part of the sugar in fruit is fructose, which is not processed the same by the body as other sugars. Rather than being taken up by insulin like some other forms of sugar (there is sucrose - which most people associate with "sugar", as well as fructose, lactose, glucose, galactose, and a few others I'm forgetting), fructose is processed in the liver first. And it *is* possible to be fructose intolerant, but you may not even know. It can cause NAFLD - non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, if you are fructose intolerant.

And if you want to take it a step further (assuming your body can process fructose normally), fructose is then converted into FAT:
"Indeed, studies in human subjects have shown that fructose ingestion results in markedly increased rates of de novo lipogenesis (29, 30), whereas de novo lipogenesis does not increase in response to eucaloric glucose ingestion (31). Thus, fructose is more lipogenic than is glucose, an effect that might be exacerbated in subjects with existing hyperlipidemia (32) or insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes (33). " (http://www.ajcn.org/content/76/5/911.full)

lipogenesis=The metabolic formation of fat.

So, not all sugars are the same, and fruit doesn't exactly contain "healthy" sugars. Just my 2 cents.

OnceAndFutureAthlete

So, not all sugars are the same, and fruit doesn't exactly contain "healthy" sugars. Just my 2 cents.

My understanding is that it's not so much fructose vs. glucose that makes fruit a "good" sugar, but that the fruit also tends to have fiber, whereas, say, a candy bar does not, and that fiber helps mitigate the blood sugar impact of the sugar in the fruit, making it better or "good."

Sharonks

I'm diabetic. i don't track sugar, just carbs.