Sugar

jaimrlx
jaimrlx Posts: 426 Member
edited December 2024 in Food and Nutrition
Just out of curiosity:

I hear people talk about how they don't count sugar in fruit because it's natural sugar, as opposed to processed sugar. What's the difference? I allow myself 40g of sugar per day (I am NO expert, feel free to suggest otherwise).. does that count for natural AND processed sugars? Could use some help here.

Example:

I like to drink Naked brand juice. The one I'm drinking now has 46 grams of sugar in the bottle. Of course with these juices there is no 'added' sugar. Set me over my sugar intake (after workout) by 35 grams. Is that okay, because it's unprocessed... or not okay? Thanks!

Replies

  • SoozeE512
    SoozeE512 Posts: 439 Member
    My understanding is that sugar in fruit is still counted as sugars that you should be careful to limit, but because whole fruits tend to have fiber in them, they help process the sugar slower so your blood sugar will not spike as fast.

    However, fruit juices, while they may be natural, also lose all that good fiber you get from eating the fruit itself, so your blood sugar spikes faster - and because the juices need to fill up those big bottles, you get way more sugar in the drink than in an individual piece of fruit, sometimes doubling or tripling the amount.

    All in all, when it comes down to it, cut down on any sugary drinks and choose to eat a piece of fruit and drink some water with it.
  • jaimrlx
    jaimrlx Posts: 426 Member
    My understanding is that sugar in fruit is still counted as sugars that you should be careful to limit, but because whole fruits tend to have fiber in them, they help process the sugar slower so your blood sugar will not spike as fast.

    However, fruit juices, while they may be natural, also lose all that good fiber you get from eating the fruit itself, so your blood sugar spikes faster - and because the juices need to fill up those big bottles, you get way more sugar in the drink than in an individual piece of fruit, sometimes doubling or tripling the amount.

    All in all, when it comes down to it, cut down on any sugary drinks and choose to eat a piece of fruit and drink some water with it.

    This is extremely insightful. Thank you! :happy:
  • Glucocorticoid
    Glucocorticoid Posts: 867 Member
    It's all okay. "Natural" sugar still has calories. Count the calories and don't worry about limiting sugar intake.
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