Good sugars vs. bad sugars?

ItsDiana
ItsDiana Posts: 60
in Food and Nutrition
I'm watching my sugar intake, but as I eat at least 2 pieces of fruit a day, I tend to get over it a lot! Isn't there a difference between good sugars (fruits, vegetables) and bad sugars (soda's, sweets etc.)?

Replies

  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,956 Member
    Sugar is broken down the same exact way in the body regardless of source.

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  • Fit4Evolution
    Fit4Evolution Posts: 375 Member
    The glycemic index (GI) is a ranking of carbohydrates on a scale from 0 to 100 according to the extent to which they raise blood sugar levels after eating. Foods with a high GI are those which are rapidly digested and absorbed and result in marked fluctuations in blood sugar levels. Low-GI foods, by virtue of their slow digestion and absorption, produce gradual rises in blood sugar and insulin levels, and have proven benefits for health. Low GI diets have been shown to improve both glucose and lipid levels in people with diabetes (type 1 and type 2). They have benefits for weight control because they help control appetite and delay hunger. Low GI diets also reduce insulin levels and insulin resistance.

    Recent studies from Harvard School of Public Health indicate that the risks of diseases such as type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease are strongly related to the GI of the overall diet. In 1999, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) recommended that people in industrialised countries base their diets on low-GI foods in order to prevent the most common diseases of affluence, such as coronary heart disease, diabetes and obesity.

    all about the good the bad and the worst sugars!
    http://www.glycemicindex.com/index.php
  • leomom72
    leomom72 Posts: 1,797 Member
    i thought fruits and veggies had better sugars, but i guess i dont really know..good luck
  • grinch031
    grinch031 Posts: 1,679
    Sugar is sugar. However when you eat fruits you get other nutrients like fiber that help slow down the digestive process and satiate you to keep you from overeating it. The problem is really processed sugary foods or straight sugar without the other nutrients (ie. soda). With processed foods you get lots of sugar, often with bad fats (trans of omega-6), and other chemicals along with it.
  • joejccva71
    joejccva71 Posts: 2,985 Member
    As long as you track your intake, then it does not matter.
  • meg7399
    meg7399 Posts: 672 Member
    I know they say that all sugars are broken down the same. It is true...but think about how you get that sugar. I always go over in sugar due to fruit. I would feel MUCH better knowing my sugar is in the red because I ate an apple when I was hungry as opposed to a McFlurry. Sugar is the one thing I don't worry about as I know that most of the time it is do to healthy food choices. Maybe I am wrong to think this way, but I do. Suggestions to my train of thought are welcome.
  • UponThisRock
    UponThisRock Posts: 4,519 Member
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/UponThisRock/view/sugar-219993
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
    It's not the sugar itself that matters, it's what comes with it
  • mtaylor33557
    mtaylor33557 Posts: 542 Member
    So am I doing my 2.5 year old a disservice by giving him fruit at snack time?

    Is it spiking his blood sugar like a cookie or candy would?
  • phillieschic
    phillieschic Posts: 615
    I track, but don't really concern myself with, natural sugars from fruits and vegetables. I eat two apples almost every day...I'm always over on my sugars. I'm still losing and the added nutrients and fiber are a huge help.

    Besides, I'd rather enjoy the natural sugars from fruit and feel good about my eating than go nuts on "bad" sugars and feel disgusting -- because that's what happens when I DO overindulge on them.

    It's all about choices. Just make good ones. :drinker:
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    The sugars concerned are usually fructose, glucose and sucrose. You'll find the same molecules in fruit as soda as candy as......
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    So am I doing my 2.5 year old a disservice by giving him fruit at snack time?

    Is it spiking his blood sugar like a cookie or candy would?

    depends what the fruit and the cookie are. The glycemic index linked above is a measure of how fast the sugar and other carbohydrates in the food become glucose in the blood.

    Berries for example are fairly low sugar / low carb and fairly low glycemic index. A melon or a banana probably isn't either.
  • UponThisRock
    UponThisRock Posts: 4,519 Member
    It's not the sugar itself that matters, it's what comes with it

    or doesn't come with it
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,200 Member
    GI of a food is very misleading and for the most part irrelevent. If I eat an average piece of watermelon (portion) which is considered a high GI food the total amount of sugar and the impact it has on insulin is minimal when compared to pasta which is a low GI food.......as far as insulin response is concerned it's the total amount of carbs in a single meal that is the main factor, and where these carbs come from (low or high GI food) really doesn't matter, especially when in combination of other foods that will be consumed in conjunction with those carbs. The reference to diseases of influence is about the SAD diet and it's shortcomings and shouldn't specifically demonize 1 particular food based on it's GI, in my opinion.
  • UponThisRock
    UponThisRock Posts: 4,519 Member
    depends what the fruit and the cookie are. The glycemic index linked above is a measure of how fast the sugar and other carbohydrates in the food become glucose in the blood.

    Why should we be concerned about acute affects in the post feeding period?
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    Why should we be concerned about acute affects in the post feeding period?

    Pass, the lady asked if fruit would cause a sugar spike.
  • Crawflowr
    Crawflowr Posts: 106 Member
    This report covers the UK recommendations for diet:

    http://www.fdf.org.uk/publicgeneral/gdas_science_jul09.pdf

    The take home message is that you can and should eat your 5-A-Day portions of fruit and veg without worrying about the sugar content, as they are intrinsic sugars and not Non-Milk-Extrinsic-Sugars (NMES) which really need to be limited. They recommend 19% of your diet coming from Sugars with a max of 10% from NMES and the other 9% coming from Milk and Intrinsic sugars (note fruit juice is an extrinsic sugar as the sugar is no longer bound into the fabric of the fruit and is digested really quickly as a result). This is a lot higher than the 8% total sugar MFP recommend which is far too restrictive in my mind.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    GI of a food is very misleading

    I find the numbers quite useful, but I agree that the use of "low" and similar words are misleading.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,200 Member
    GI of a food is very misleading

    I find the numbers quite useful

    So does every association that uses the GI for leverage.
  • Fit4Evolution
    Fit4Evolution Posts: 375 Member
    the lady asked if some sugars are worse than others , and by the way some foods effect your blood glucose levels according to the GI index there is a definite difference.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,200 Member
    the lady asked if some sugars are worse than others , and by the way some foods effect your blood glucose levels according to the GI index there is a definite difference.

    This is a decent read.

    http://www.alanaragon.com/elements-challenging-the-validity-of-the-glycemic-index.html
  • ItsDiana
    ItsDiana Posts: 60
    Thanks for explaining guys :) I thought fruit/veggie sugars where different (healthier) from sweets etc.!

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