Fruit/Sugar

Recently, i've noticed that my daily intake for sugar has been high. I'm allotted 34 grams. Most of the sugar comes from fruit. Should i be monitoring my sugar more or not be worried about it because it comes from fruit? I don't like the idea of cutting it out, but i'm definitely going over my daily limit. Obviously, things like oatmeal and yogurt i could pick lower sugar brands. I dont know if i should be concerned with it or not.

Replies

  • BootyShakingBadAss
    BootyShakingBadAss Posts: 350 Member
    I'm by no means any kind of professional on this but I would think it would be something you would want to watch. It's great it's coming from fruit as opposed to candy bars but from what I've heard/read too much sugar is not good for anyone.

    Again, this is only a guess :)
  • Check out this thread .... very informative on the topic. Very simple bottom line: sugar is sugar and should be kept to a minimum in your diet. Fruit should be a treat, not a consistent food item at each meal. Fructose is marginally better than sucrose, but in the long run has the same impact on glucose, insulin and fat storage as sucrose and carbs do unless you are talking about very moderate amounts of fruit.

    Here's the thread to read:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/607012-is-fruit-sugar-different-than-processed-sugar
  • Reza151
    Reza151 Posts: 517 Member
    Check out this thread .... very informative on the topic. Very simple bottom line: sugar is sugar and should be kept to a minimum in your diet. Fruit should be a treat, not a consistent food item at each meal. Fructose is marginally better than sucrose, but in the long run has the same impact on glucose, insulin and fat storage as sucrose and carbs do unless you are talking about very moderate amounts of fruit.

    Here's the thread to read:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/607012-is-fruit-sugar-different-than-processed-sugar

    *clap* TRUTH. Foods high in sugar (and carbs) spike your blood sugar which causes you to stay hungry and crave more carbs and sugar. Maybe go by it's rating on the glycemix index? what do you all think?
  • angela9887
    angela9887 Posts: 26 Member
    Thanks!!! i'm thinking that might be the reason why i'm not losing as much weight as i think i should. I'll have to do some more research and cut back.
  • angela9887
    angela9887 Posts: 26 Member
    Check out this thread .... very informative on the topic. Very simple bottom line: sugar is sugar and should be kept to a minimum in your diet. Fruit should be a treat, not a consistent food item at each meal. Fructose is marginally better than sucrose, but in the long run has the same impact on glucose, insulin and fat storage as sucrose and carbs do unless you are talking about very moderate amounts of fruit.

    Here's the thread to read:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/607012-is-fruit-sugar-different-than-processed-sugar

    *clap* TRUTH. Foods high in sugar (and carbs) spike your blood sugar which causes you to stay hungry and crave more carbs and sugar. Maybe go by it's rating on the glycemix index? what do you all think?

    I haven't done much research on glycemic index, but i'm definitely going to look into it. This whole sugar thing has been disturbing me.
  • hendinerik
    hendinerik Posts: 287 Member
    While for example having 3 bananas in a day may be overdoing it, my nutritionist(quite well known and schooled) would totally disagree that fruit is sugar in the same way that the other junk is... She always told me to pair protein and fiber(including in the form of fruit) and that has worked well for me. For instance I had a banana and two hard boiled egg whites this morning.

    Now to be my own devil's advocate I had a trainer(a bodybuilder) who saw all of it as sugar, plain and simple. But my nutritionist was also very educated on things like acid reflux and diabetes (which was a concern because when I first came to her I was pre-diabetic, and I am not now thanks to lifestyle changes and better habits.

    Don't live on fruit, sure, but me personally fruit has been very helpful in at least partially avoiding the processed crap(for a sugar junkie like me that becomes important). The acid is something to watch for in some of the more acidic fruits though, like oranges, grapefruits etc..

    Now of course there are other sources of fiber than fruit. Anyway I am pretty much in my goal range(lost 25 pounds between April and Sept 2012 and am still at that loss now) and I don't think the fruit is the culprit, but I have not seen just how much you are eating.

    I also did not do this by eating fruit alone! Protein is what I look for and fruit has been a nice healthy snack for me.

    Good luck! Interesting to see the different viewpoints.
  • Firefox7275
    Firefox7275 Posts: 2,040 Member
    If the sugar bothers you switch to low sugar fruits like berries, red and black currants, rhubarb, grapefruit.
  • *clap* TRUTH. Foods high in sugar (and carbs) spike your blood sugar which causes you to stay hungry and crave more carbs and sugar. Maybe go by it's rating on the glycemix index? what do you all think?
    Per advice from my doctor, I use the following test for whether I should eat something. Take the total carbs, in grams, for the serving. Subtract the total fiber, in grams, for the serving from the carbs. If the net carbs are 5 grams, or less, eat and enjoy. If the net carbs are between 5 and 10 grams, it's a treat, but not to be eaten regularly at every meal. Over 10 grams net carbs in the serving, don't eat it. Add to that, if it is refined sugar in a processed food, don't eat it.

    This basically means that I sometimes eat berries or grapefruit, I eat no pasta, breads, or cakes, and I eat a ton of green, leafy vegetables. Sweet potatoes, root vegetables and tomatoes are a 3-4 times a week thing. I've lost 25 lbs and got my blood sugar and insulin spikes under control.