Sugar help!

miche_smash

I've easily been going over on what MFP says my daily sugar goal is- 32 grams. I'm not dumping sugar or honey on my food. I'm trying to be careful about eating things that don't have a ton of sugar in them- I know sugar is hidden in lots of foods.

But I make a smoothie with a banana and blueberries then I'm at my daily sugar goal! So I'm wondering what is a good daily sugar goal for someone eating around 1300 calories a day? Is 32 grams a day really a reasonable number?

tigersword

If you aren't diabetic, sugar doesn't really matter. Then again, it doesn't really matter for diabetics, either. You're already tracking carbs, sugar is just a type of carb, silly to track it twice.

hendinerik

If they are "good" sugars like in fruit I wouldn't worry about it unless there is diabetes at work.

I have to say I lowered my a1c score out of the diabetes range through diet and exercise and that included plenty of fruit...

tigersword

There's no such thing as "good" sugar or "bad" sugar. They are all saccharides with the same chemical formulas and are processed by your body in the same way. Glucose, fructose, sucrose, maltose, galactose, etc. are all the same to your body, regardless of whether they come from apples or candy bars.

cometjunior

You know, I've been wondering this myself since I go over my suggested sugar limit everyday. I'll have a serving a fruit with a granola bar or yogurt for breakfast and that's all my sugars for the day in one meal. I'm not a diabetic so it's not a big health concern, I just didn't know if it was "bad" for my diet to go over so often on sugars.

And no, I'm not scarfing down candy bars and soda everyday...

deb3129

I also go over my MFP sugar limit every single day, but it comes from fruit. I do not worry about it. I am still losing weight, and my lab work is fantastic. My doctor said that as long as it comes from whole foods, not to worry about it.

princessage117

Try using some of the fruits lower in sugar rather than bananas sometimes,
Fruit is an area where some of the low-carb diets part company, as some depend more upon glycemic index or glycemic load (South Beach, Zone), while others just look at total carbs (Atkins, Protein Power). Also, some diets (Atkins, South Beach) don't allow fruit at all in the first phase. In general, your best bet fruits are the ones near the top of this list, but do check carb counts (alphabetical list). These are roughly arranged by sugar content - where the information is available, based on a half-cup serving of fruit. However, since carb counts vary, all nutritional information is always approximate.
Good news: the fruits lowest in sugar are some of the highest in nutritional value, including antioxidants and other phytonutrients.

If you are considering using organic vegetables, check out this list of which fruits and vegetables have the most and least pesticides to help you guide your choices.

Quick Tip to Help you Remember Fruits High and Low in Sugar

Fruits Lowest in Sugar

Small Amounts of Lemon or Lime

Rhubarb

Raspberries (more about berries on low carb diets)

Blackberries

Cranberries
Fruits Low to Medium in Sugar

Strawberries

Casaba Melon

Papaya

Watermelon

Peaches

Nectarines

Blueberries

Cantaloupes

Honeydew melons

Apples

Guavas -- Pineapple Guavas (Feijoa) and Strawberry Guavas are probably similar, but information that directly compares them is not available

Apricots

Grapefruit
Fruits Fairly High in Sugar

Plums

Oranges

Kiwifruit

Pears

Pineapple
Fruits Very High in Sugar

Tangerines

Cherries

Grapes

Pomegranates

Mangos

Figs

Bananas

Dried Fruit, such as dates, raisins, dried apricots, and prunes

princessage117

Also, some foods that are made into fat free such as yogurt have more sugar to make up for the taste,

miche_smash

Thanks everyone for your thoughts! I was thinking that if most of the sugar is coming from healthy foods like fruit it was OK... Knowing which fruits are lower in sugar is definitely helpful!

tigersword

Where did you get that list? Watermelon is definitely not low in sugar.