Sugar intake

sannsk

Hi,

I've been using this website along with the mobile app for about a week now, and have since today found that I can change the food diary setting, so that I can now see how much sugar I have eaten per meal/day/...

I just had breakfast and have already gone over the daily amount of sugar I can eat! how is that possible?
I felt like I had a rather healthy breakfast... Two wholegrain crackers (Wasa) with homemade raspberry jam and a banana. I have also seen that I have exceeded my sugar ration for every day in the past week. I feel it's impossible to eat only 29g of sugar a day. One banana already has 19g of sugar. Is anyone really able to do this? And what do you eat for breakfast then?

Have already lost 1 kg (2 lbs I think it is? ) since one week

Keiko385

I dont worry over sugars that come from fruits as you have found out 1 piece at breakfast can put you over, I'm not giving up my fruit. I do try and watch the added sugars in other foods though.

shelbyfrootcake

I go over my sugar every day. I stopped tracking it when it was telling me I was over for eating two pieces of fruit. Heaven help me if I ate some chocolate or a couple of biscuits.

sannsk

That's a good approach I will change the settings back so I don't have to look at the sugar intake every time I log in... It's very not-incouraging...

Danied13

Are you trying to maintain a low carb diet? If so, even the sugar from fruit is important to track. If not, enjoy your fruit :-)

sannsk

Right now, I'm just trying to go low-fat, and to stay under the daily carb that MFP has set for me. I'll see if it works, but my eating habit is already not very high in carbs as it is. (apart from the fruit )

PNJB796

For 63 years, I have ignored my sugar intake but tried to eat healthily, but like everyone else have got overweight. I realised too late that daily excess sugars were being stored as adipose tissue (fats) on my back , belly, bum and thighs. Recently my GP confirmed diabetes, Now my diet is planned daily to eat things which do not exceed my sugar ration while still allowing me a healthy diet. The lesson to be learned is NOT I am eating too much sugar in my food, but what can I eat instead that is healthy and satisfying. The only aspect I allow to go negative on my daily intake is Protein. I do not exceed any of the other categories. In my youth I was tall and willowy. When I stopped growing up, I started growing out, and did not recognise the dangers. Hope this helps others here to see the light.

SairMadam

Personally I'd swap the crackers and jam for wholemeal toast and poached eggs, or have wheetabix with my banana. There is next to zero nutrition in jam and you'll just be hungry again before lunch.

blackcoffeeandcherrypie

For breakfast I have a bowl of museli and a cup of tea, which totals 5g of sugar.

You can easily change the setting so you don't see how much sugar you are eating, but it doesn't change that you are eating it, and the effects it can have on you. My advice is that you either come to terms with having a high sugar intake, or you do something about it. Either way, staying in denial is not going to help!

mizfrankie

I track my sugar. I find that if I stay at the recommended amount or maybe 10g above it then I will drop weight. If I don't track it, my loss grinds to a stand still.
That being said - even carrots and plain yogurt contain sugar!!
If your sources are complex carbs containing naturally occurring sugars and you're over by a bit then I wouldn't worry too much but if your sources come from refined & processed foods then it would be worth cutting down.
Don't be discouraged by it!

mizfrankie

For breakfast I have 2 boiled eggs on 2 or 3 Ryvita crackers and a mug of peppermint tea. This totals 2 grams of sugar.

helenwilliams78

I have mini shredded wheat with strawberries or raspberrries for breakfast and that logged 11g for my sugar intake.

I go over on sugar a little bit most days. If it's mainly due to fruit and vegetables I don't worry too much but I like to track it to make sure I see all the hidden sugars in things.

Alpina483

I try to watch my sugar intake and usually stay within recommended amounts. But then again food manufacturers here usually do not print sugar contents on labels specifically, just total carbs, so it's not that accurate for me.

laurwillbelovely

This happened to me as well and I had a bit of a freak out because most (definitely not all!!) of my food intake is extremely healthy.

But, I discovered that MFP doesn't just calculate refined sugar, but also looks at lactose, fructose and any other "oses" under the heading sugar, so it does make my diet look unhealthier than I think it is...for instance my wholegrain bread has 10 grams of sugar in it! II've lost about 10 pounds and a few inches and I'm often (read: everyday!) over my sugar intake, I just make sure any sugar I do have is the GOOD kind!

sannsk

Thanks for all the replies, I will definitely try some of your breakfast ideas.I'm a little concerned about eating 2/3 eggs a day, though :happy: I've been brought up learning you should only eat on egg once a week (most of the time on sunday morning :laugh: )

I have never heard of wheetabix, either. I'll have to google that and check out what it means

shelbyfrootcake

Thanks for all the replies, I will definitely try some of your breakfast ideas.I'm a little concerned about eating 2/3 eggs a day, though :happy: I've been brought up learning you should only eat on egg once a week (most of the time on sunday morning :laugh: )

I have never heard of wheetabix, either. I'll have to google that and check out what it means

One egg a week? I would cry if i could only have one egg a week. Cry like a child.

sannsk

How many eggs do you think you should eat a week? I don't want to go from 'hardly ever' to 'daily' to fast, and I am a little concerned about cholestorol and stuff. Also, If you've got some tips on eating more calories during breakfast, shoot! I can't seem to get to my required daily calorie level...

I altered my breakfast routine this morning. I had 2 wasa crackers (1 wholegrain and 1 fiber), topped with a sliced tomato and a sliced hard boiled egg (man, do these take long to boil :-D 9 minutes is more time than I usually spend on eating my breakfast). And the usual half a lemon sqeezed in a glass of water. I don't care to much for tea in the morning.
I think replacing my morning fruit with vegetables will help me more to maintain a healthy sugar level.
I feel really full now, Hopefully untill lunch...

queensturg

I've noticed that once I have a yogurt and a piece of fruit (which I have just about every day) that takes me to my limit of sugars per day, so it's been pretty much impossible not to go over it.

Alpina483

@queensturg: is that a plain yogurt or flavoured?

SairMadam

Food standards don't recommed limiting eggs to one a week or even one a day:

http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/diet/healthy_eating/how_many_eggs.htm

For most people, high colesterol comes from bad diet and a their body's inability to reguate their PRODUCTION of colesterol, not their intake. Eggs are healthy, low fat and full of protein so keep you full longer. Just ike lean meats, fish, seafood and low fat dairy. So it's perfectly 'safe' to eat two eggs a day, just have them poached, boiled or cooked some other way (omelet/scrambled in a non-stick pan) that doesn't require oil or butter.

TheSink

To be fair, reading some of these posts might make a person believe that they became grossly overweight eating oranges, peaches and apples every day. That's simply not the case.

Fruits are extremely high in nutrients that you need for a strong immune system, and for daily functioning. I personally believe fruit is essential for a healthy and nutritious diet. Nobody became morbidly obese from eating fruit. And I defy anybody to find someone who did.

Processed foods, soft drinks and juices, candies, baked goods....all come with high amounts of sugar, and should probably be avoided as much as possible if you're trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle or lose weight. But if you're under your caloric intake during the day and want to have a cookie...have a cookie.

Last comment from my soap box. It is possible to eat a lower carb diet and still have a piece of fruit. Unless you're doing paleo or atkins or something, I suppose not. But 40% C during the day can still be acheived even if you're eating a little bit of fruit.