How important is it to watch sugar?

ishtar13

The upper recommendation for sugar for a healthy person, from all sources, including fruit, dairy, and discretionary is about 100 grams a day.

What about an insulin resistant person?

Doc and nutritionist just tell me "total carbs" is what counts, not sugar - but they tell me to eat 50-55% carbs, which seems high to me.

reyopo

I'm diabetic. It's not important for me to watch sugar - it is important for me to strictly watch carbs. By restricting my carbohydrates, I naturally reduce my sugar intake.

Yeah, because it's the same thing... Refined carbs such as white flour baked goods, white rice, and refined cereals have the same effect as refined sugar. Energy surge followed by energy drop as the body scrambles to balance blood sugar levels. Glycemic Index...

Actually, I've found the glycemic index fairly useless in gaining control of my BG levels. Refined carbs or those wonderful "whole grains" ...doesn't matter. Fructose has an effect similar to sucrose ... for me. Oatmeal might as well be white rice (or brown rice) A sweet potato has the same effect as an Idaho potato. I can eat about 1/4 c of berries or beans without an appreciable rise in BG. I concentrate on hitting my macros for protein and fat and staying under my limit for carbs. YMMV, of course.

Thanks for the perspective...very interesting! Not necessarily the typical experience of most of my diabetic clients (all type 2), but I will certainly be careful recommending lower GI foods to them in the future. The most important thing for me to remember is that everyone's bodies are different. Another thought I had was food allergies/sensitivities. I personally am extremely sensitive to sugars (but only the high GI ones, and refined sugar is off the charts!), I also can't have gluten, corn, soy or dairy...I've known this for 25 years...but recently my symptoms were getting worse. I was having oatmeal for breakfast every weekday and a fair amount of brown rice and millet in my diet as well. I was always tired, REALLY tired, bloated, and would get gas pains so bad I couldn't walk. First I eliminated oatmeal since it was the biggest constant and my chronic eczema went away. Then i decided to go grain-free and see what happened. Well, it has been amazing! I feel positively bionic! I have almost too much energy sometimes! My workouts feel the same, but I don't get the afternoon slump at all now. I'm not saying you have food sensitivities, but it might be interesting to get tested sometime if you haven't already.

And to the tiger guy and the bicep guy who question refined sugar/carbs being inherently bad for you. I trust my "outdated" (sometimes this means established and substantiated) sources (Patrick Holford, Linus Pauling, Dr Andrew Weil), as well as my own body and how it reacts to different sources of sugar, my crusade to cure my eczema and gastrointestinal issues, my clients and my education (GCNM). I will always practice from an integrative holistic perspective, it's who I am and how I think. I appreciate your input, and your beliefs. I always collect as much information as possible, especially conflicting opinions. So thanks, agree to disagree on that topic...moving on.

SalishSea

I don't track my sugar. I try to not eat refined sugary, carby foods. I only know a little bit about sugar but what I know is...

1. The health and medical community is stating, "sugar kills slowly over time." I'm not going to take the time to find the references now, but you are welcome to research into this statement.

2. Somewhere someone once told me sugar with fiber has a different effect than pure sugar. Hence, fruit is good.

Also...

For me refined sugar is addictive. There is a YouTube video regarding the bad effects of sugar. It is referred to on mfp from time to time. I've always been meaning to watch it. Now maybe is that time.

Also...

I cannot cut out particular foods. My Mom is an award-winning pie baker. She made a fresh, homegrown, organic rhubarb pie and I had two pieces. It was so good and I accounted for it in my calorie total.

taso42

watch protein, fat, and calories. everything else sorts itself out.

zariok

A bit long, but *very* informative:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM

JaceyMarieS

Thanks for the perspective...very interesting! Not necessarily the typical experience of most of my diabetic clients (all type 2), but I will certainly be careful recommending lower GI foods to them in the future. The most important thing for me to remember is that everyone's bodies are different. Another thought I had was food allergies/sensitivities. I personally am extremely sensitive to sugars (but only the high GI ones, and refined sugar is off the charts!), I also can't have gluten, corn, soy or dairy...I've known this for 25 years...but recently my symptoms were getting worse. I was having oatmeal for breakfast every weekday and a fair amount of brown rice and millet in my diet as well. I was always tired, REALLY tired, bloated, and would get gas pains so bad I couldn't walk. First I eliminated oatmeal since it was the biggest constant and my chronic eczema went away. Then i decided to go grain-free and see what happened. Well, it has been amazing! I feel positively bionic! I have almost too much energy sometimes! My workouts feel the same, but I don't get the afternoon slump at all now. I'm not saying you have food sensitivities, but it might be interesting to get tested sometime if you haven't already.

Interestingly enough , I have been tested and have intolerances/sensitivities to wheat, corn, soy, peanuts and shellfish. Eliminating those in January at the same time I began following a low(ish) carb diet has results in a 57 pound weight loss, blood glucose levels in the normal range ( Average 90 fasting and 105 post-prandial), MUCH better energy, much better "digestive health" (which was the original reason I went to a doctor to begin with) and coincidentally my chronic eczema has also disappeared! There's been a huge learning curve. I've found I must test BG levels after eating a food, regardless of whether an "expert" recommends it. The GI and the suggestion to eliminate the 'whites" is a good starting place for diabetics ( I dropped from 180 to the 130's doing so), but encouraging them to eat to their meter is, IMO, more helpful if they want to get to truly normal readings and avoid complications.

ninick

For the record, I don't have any sugar "issues" - just trying to lose weight. I "eat clean" mostly - RARELY have processed sugar/flour products (seriously, less than once a week I'll have half a whole wheat pita or something) and I couldn't tell you the last time I had candy, ice-cream, cake, or even dried fruit (which is usually sweetened, too)... my sugar almost entirely comes from fruits and veggies. My concern was really about an overall healthy amount... for instance... today, I made a smoothie using 8oz almond milk, some strawberries and blueberries, later had a banana for a snack, then a salad for lunch - at which point I was already at 30g of sugar according to MFP.

So, I was wondering if I shouldn't eat any more veggies and/or fruit for dinner or an evening snack... seems crazy.

Regarding "eating clean". I read the "clean eating" magazine every month and there's a 2-week menu in each issue. If you do look carefully. the sugar for each day is at least 60g and sometimes goes up to 100g. Seems like as long as the sugar is from natural sources they still consider it "clean"

I do track my sugar intake, but am no too concern even if I go over it because I eat a lot of yogurt and drink milk or even... eating carrots! However, I do limit my intake of refined sugar to minimal though.

ChrisGoldn

A bit long, but *very* informative:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM

Exactly the things i was referring to.... I'm pretty certain that Alan Aragon destroyed this video and Lustig with the slanted opinion and studies this video presented.

Yes, This is Alan's Video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMc0_s-M08I
(((( Very long ))))

714rah714

Keep in mind that there is a difference in the way your body uses natural sugar versus refined sugar. If you include natural sugar in the 25 grams, then it is very difficult to strive for. Google Jillian Michaels for info on this. I have read some good articles on her site. She even tells you which fruits to not pick as your first choices, due to sugar.

Good luck.

P.S. I have a lot of trouble controlling my sugar. This is a daily issue for me.

This is false. Sugar is sugar. Sugar in fruit and refined sugar are the exact same sugar molecules, and they are processed by the body in the exact same way. The human body doesn't recognize "fruit," it recognizes individual molecules. Sugar from a candy bar looks exactly the same as sugar from an apple.

There's just a sh?tload more sugar in a candy bar, have the apple instead said Eve.

lblosinglbs

I go over a lot, but it's from eating fruit so I don't worry about it too much. I eat almost no refined carbs and have pretty much cut out sweets, so I know it's all coming from fruit and I'm getting all the nutrients and fiber along with the fruit as opposed to just straight up sugar.

81Katz

I personally am not too concerned with the sugar I get from fruits and veggies. I do not eat 100% clean, I would say my diet is usually 70/30 (70 clean/fresh food, about 30 still some processed food such as jello cups, bars, some cereal, etc.) I feel like the sugar in an apple plus the nutrients that apple gives you are FAR better than eating a candy bar which is high in processed ingredients and has little to none nutritional value.

Just my two cents.

amillee

Thanks everyone... I think I'm doing okay, then. I eat almost no refined sugar/carbs - 90% of my total carbs comes from fruits and veggies. I was just trying to keep under 25-30g INCLUDING F&V and this seemed almost impossible. At the end of a "typical" day, I usually have less than 10g that come from anything OTHER than F&V. And even with my F&V, I'm still staying under 40g almost ALL of the time.

Yesterday, I only had 26g of sugar all day - only 6 came from anything OTHER than natural sources (F&V and natural peanut butter) - those 6 came from my protein shake mix (1g x 2 shakes) and a few reduced fat wheat thins (4g).

ellel1234

As mentioned already: Sugar leads to insulin peaks. That's not so much the problem. The problem is followed by this is drop in insulin.
A drop in insulin will then lead to tiredness and you will become more hungry and overeat. It just happens. It will usually lead to you eating more foods with lots of sugar and this may lead to a binge.
That's the real problem.

Try your best to stay under sugar intake!! This is similar to the problem of processed foods, those empty calories will just leave you more hungry and will lead to binging.

Stay away from processed junk foods and too much sugar and your diet will go smoothly!

belladonnablue

Chipping in on the "added sugar BAD" "natural sugar OK" front.

Everything I've read indicates that the natural sugars in fruit and lactose (milk and yogurt and stuff) are fine unless you're seriously overdoing it. The 25g a day limit really only refers to added sugars in sweets, condiments, drinks, breads and stuff.

There are people who are very sensitive to sugar REGARDLESS of the source. So be aware of how your body responds and adjust accordingly.

It's frustrating that I can't flag MFP to track the sugar I get from fruits/dairy separately from the added sugar I get in my coffee, for example. But when I'm inevitably over, I just eyeball my food and usually (unless I'm being naughty and having a soda or something) I notice almost all my sugar's coming from milk, yogurt and fruit.

I think I gave up on it and started tracking my iron instead.

vingogly

There's just a sh?tload more sugar in a candy bar, have the apple instead said Eve.

From http://nutritiondata.self.com:

Apple - 13g sugar, 17g carbs, 0g fat, 3g fiber
2 oz Snickers Bar - 29g sugar, 35g carbs, 14g fat, 1g fiber

I tend to choose low-sugar snacks, but I'm not fanatic about it ... I figure an occasional candy bar or dish of ice cream won't kill me if I'm not diabetic. I track calories, and that's it. I choose snacks with good fats and/or protein most often, because they're filling and are good for me. I don't believe refined sugar is "evil", I don't believe any food is "evil" or that making a bad choice once in a while will make me fat again. The problem is the "once in a while", not the occasional less-than-optimum choice.

amillee

From http://nutritiondata.self.com:

Apple - 13g sugar, 17g carbs, 0g fat, 3g fiber
2 oz Snickers Bar - 29g sugar, 35g carbs, 14g fat, 1g fiber

I tend to choose low-sugar snacks, but I'm not fanatic about it ... I figure an occasional candy bar or dish of ice cream won't kill me if I'm not diabetic. I track calories, and that's it. I choose snacks with good fats and/or protein most often, because they're filling and are good for me. I don't believe refined sugar is "evil", I don't believe any food is "evil" or that making a bad choice once in a while will make me fat again. The problem is the "once in a while", not the occasional less-than-optimum choice.

LOVE this.

As I've said, I don't eat junk-food (okay, okay... TODAY, I had a bag of Baked Lays - first something like that in 3 months) or drink sodas (never was a big soda drinker)... most my sugar comes from fruit & veggies.

I, too, snack on nuts, hummus w/ veggies, string cheese 1-2x a week and fruit... this was my concern. Think I'm good now.