carbs versus sugars

jeniferklingerman

I always thought that carbs and sugars were the same thing. Little did I know when I changed my food tracking to both they are completely separate things and I am definitely overeating on my sugars. It is almost impossible to eat the amount of sugars that MFP says which is less than everything on my list. By breakfast I am over the sugars already. Also, I hate vegetables and my dietician suggested I drink V8 everday but that has a lot of sugar in it too. I am shocked at the amount of sugar in foods. I always just looked at the carbs and thought that was sugar.

ObtainingBalance

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_noob_

Fruits, vegetables, and dairy all have a good amount of natural sugars.

As a general rule, any sugars you eat that are coming from whole foods probably aren't a problem in a diet. Too much fruit juice and sweetened drinks may pose a problem.

BamaGirl777

Carbs turn to sugar.... There are good carbs and bad carbs... you have to be very careful. As a diabetic it can be
very frustrating....

weatheredcheese

Same as there are good carbs and bad carbs there are good sugars and bad sugars as others have said about fruit and veg etc being the good sugars. It is ok going over the sugars with good ones (and a few bad ones) but going over it by a riduculous amount of good sugars is also bad for you.
On top of them being full or sugars fruit and juices have alot of acid which by having too much can affect your teeth let alone your diet.

Dulcemami4ever

If you count your total carbs, you shouldn't even have to worry about the sugars. Because you probably won't be intaking "bad sugars" anyway if you limit the amounts of carbs you are having. Veggies net carb's but they are part of the good one's that the body processes differently. I don't bother watching sugar, I watch my total carb's only and I usually have good glucose readings.

Bettyeditor

I always thought that carbs and sugars were the same thing. Little did I know when I changed my food tracking to both they are completely separate things and I am definitely overeating on my sugars. It is almost impossible to eat the amount of sugars that MFP says which is less than everything on my list. By breakfast I am over the sugars already. Also, I hate vegetables and my dietician suggested I drink V8 everday but that has a lot of sugar in it too. I am shocked at the amount of sugar in foods. I always just looked at the carbs and thought that was sugar.

Hi Jenifer,

I was amazed too by what I discovered when I started tracking my food! Are you diabetic? I have type 2 diabetes, but I have it very well under control, but I got that way by just eating a certain amount of carbs for each meal and 3 carb snacks a day. And I was never a big vegetable fan either, but now i have veggies with every lunch and dinner. My secret is Green Giant frozen veggies in the little single-serve boxes (their larger bags are good too). They are pre-cut with seasoning and sauces, ready to heat and serve. Its amazing how good corn and peas and even broccoli and cauliflower can taste with a basil butter sauce. So many yummy varieties... I even emailed Green Giant to thank them for turning me into a veggie eater! :P

I'm not sure why your doctor or dietitian is having you track sugars. My doctor and nutritionist never had me track them, only net carbs. When you read a nutrition label, sugars and fiber are part of the total carb number. I was taught to subtract the fiber from the total carb number to get the net carb number, and to focus on just that for meal planning: 30-45 net carbs for breakfast, 45-60 for lunch and dinner, and 15 net carbs for my 2-3 snacks between meals.

Looking at your diary it seems to me that you are doing pretty good. You have better breakfasts than most people: same carbs/calories as other meals and especially you get good amount of protein, at least 20 grams, for breakfast which is AWESOME. If you are diabetic, your carbs look pretty good but you don't display fiber so hard to calculate net carbs. You spread your carbs out pretty evenly between meals and snacks though which is GREAT for keeping your blood sugar even.

_Elemenopee_

wut?

Hadabetter

Technically, sugar is a carbohydrate. Sugar is a simple carbohydrate and what we think of as "carbs" are complex carbohydrates.

They both have 4 calories per gram.

Jacwhite22

Not all carbs are sugars but all sugars are carbs.

XXXMinnieXXX

Sugars are a carb. There's just different carbs. I do 30g of sugar per day and 120g carbs. I don't eat much fruit, but max out on veggies (especially green ones) and salad instead! I do find if they run higher natural or not it has a bad effect on my losses..

DavPul

Personally, I wouldn't worry about it. I just make sure my total calories are within my budget and that I'm getting enough protein. Works for me

MadameMoustache

Not all carbs are sugars but all sugars are carbs.

But all carbs turn into sugar in your body.
You have to get good carbs with a low GI, so your body has more time to burn it.
Eating simple carbs is like eating simple sugars. Stay away from white flour, white bread, white rice, all refined processed grains products. Also, get your fruits fresh, and not dried (normally, those are sweetened).

DebbieLyn63

All carbs turn into sugar in your body, but simple carbs and sugars, (processed, with no fiber or protein) break down a lot more quickly and will cause insulin spikes. This is especially bad for those with diabetes or insulin resistance, but also for everyone who is trying to lose weight, as you body cannot burn fat efficiently when your insulin levels are high.

Whole fruit sugar is much better than fruit juice, as the fiber has been removed. Whole grains are better than processed white flour products because the fiber slows down the rate that sugar is dumped into your bloodstream.

Protein also helps slow the breakdown, so the sugar in milk is preferable to the sugar in a soda. (but don't go overboard with it)

If you have diabetes, or a family history of it, then you really need to keep the sugars lower, especially the processed sugars and carbs, but don't worry about the sugar in non-starch veggies, or moderate amounts of whole fruits.

And learning to like veggies will help you have an easier time staying under calorie goal without starving, altho there are people who manage weight loss without eating them. Make sure you are taking a multi vitamin to be sure you get your micronutrients in.

Ninabee150

Yes it can Bama!! Very frustrating!

luvred51

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K_Serz

I always thought that carbs and sugars were the same thing. Little did I know when I changed my food tracking to both they are completely separate things and I am definitely overeating on my sugars. It is almost impossible to eat the amount of sugars that MFP says which is less than everything on my list. By breakfast I am over the sugars already. Also, I hate vegetables and my dietician suggested I drink V8 everday but that has a lot of sugar in it too. I am shocked at the amount of sugar in foods. I always just looked at the carbs and thought that was sugar.

Glad you havent looked at the sodium content of the food. Its waayyyy higher than all the sugar.

Muddy_Yogi

I hurt my head when I read this. Just sorry.

issyfit

All carbs turn into sugar in your body, but simple carbs and sugars, (processed, with no fiber or protein) break down a lot more quickly and will cause insulin spikes. This is especially bad for those with diabetes or insulin resistance, but also for everyone who is trying to lose weight, as you body cannot burn fat efficiently when your insulin levels are high.

Whole fruit sugar is much better than fruit juice, as the fiber has been removed. Whole grains are better than processed white flour products because the fiber slows down the rate that sugar is dumped into your bloodstream.

Protein also helps slow the breakdown, so the sugar in milk is preferable to the sugar in a soda. (but don't go overboard with it)

If you have diabetes, or a family history of it, then you really need to keep the sugars lower, especially the processed sugars and carbs, but don't worry about the sugar in non-starch veggies, or moderate amounts of whole fruits.

And learning to like veggies will help you have an easier time staying under calorie goal without starving, altho there are people who manage weight loss without eating them. Make sure you are taking a multi vitamin to be sure you get your micronutrients in.

Well said. This is pretty much the basis of the South Beach eating plan which aims to keep your blood sugar even throughout the day, thus preventing cravings and hunger.

bcattoes

Technically, all carbs are sugar. The basic building block of every carbohydrate is a sugar molecule, a simple union of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Starches and fibers are essentially chains of sugar molecules.

It is important to watch your total sugar intake, but more important is the source. Generally speaking, it's a good idea to eat less added sugars such as sweeteners, table sugar, honey, etc. , while sugar found naturally in fruits, vegetables and whole grains can be eaten more freely.