Sugar intake

HildeTinyViking

My fellow gainers, aren't you concerned about your sugar intake? I have to ask because I've seen that some of you go way over your daily recommended intake, especially with added sugar as opposed to for example sugar found natural in fruit. I know the kind of havoc excess sugar can do to the human body and it doesn't matter if you're slim or overweight. I'm not saying my own sugar intake is perfect, though I try to keep it as low as possible. Just concerned for you guys, please look after your blood sugar and insulin levels... Conditions like diabetes, insulin resistance and high/low blood sugar (so low you faint) are no joke and the more sugar you add to your diet the closer you get to having these conditions. One thing to note also is that many foods on MFP doesn't have the correct sugar amount added in the nutritional info, and in many cases it hasn't been added at all.

Sorry if I sound weird or preachy in this post, at the end of the day it's not my business what you eat. I'm just trying to help and I really want you guys to be alright. Remember that too much sugar is not healthy even if you're slim! Be good to yourself

Here's an article on the subject for those who are interested: http://chriskresser.com/think-skinny-people-dont-get-type-2-diabetes-think-again

KaraAlste

I agree and I do go over my sugar often. Thanks for the good reminder.

BeefSushi

great point - sometimes its hard not to just dive into a bag of oreos when trying to put on weight!!

sum1s

What is the "right amount" of natural sugars? I know they have a recommended number, but is that sugar in take for "bad" processed sugars or natural sugars as well? I've been told by my doctor to not worry about how many natural sugars I'm eating because most of them have lots of fiber (like plums, apples, etc) which makes you digest slower, keeping your blood sugar levels steady so therefore I shouldn't worry about them. I don't know whether to trust his judgement on this, since I think it does matter how many you eat. Any advice?

HildeTinyViking

I'm sure that the "right amount" of natural sugar per day can be debated endlessly. For me personally I go by the 35 grams of added sugar per day recommendation, and as for natural sugars I try to keep it low as well.

This is even more important to me because I have a condition in which I have to watch my sugar intake a little extra. Basically I try to avoid fruit that I know are high in natural sugars, such as pineapple, mango, grapes, figs, all dried fruits etc. Can't keep away from bananas though, but I don't go all monkey mode on them either :P There are varying charts to find online but they all give a good guidance as to which fruits are low in sugar and which fruits are high in sugar

JisatsuHoshi

I try to stay from foods with natural sugars. Only fruit I really eat is a handful or berries or a slice of an apple but that's it. not a huge fan of fructose...

eireannyoung

I know what you mean. I don't have high blood sugar, but I have the opposite problem - hypoglycemia. Reactive hypoglycemia, I'm guessing.

I still eat too much sugar, but I am a lot better than I used to be. Even though I indulge in fruit and some chocolate and treats every day, I still keep my carbs around 45% of my total calories, and simple sugars are only part of that. The hypoglycemia is, I think, damage from when I consumed insane amounts of sugar throughout childhood and into my mid-twenties. I had an unhealthy pattern going where I wouldn't eat for half the day, and then I would go on sugar binges at night. You know those surveys that ask if you ever ate a whole box of Oreos in one sitting? I've actually done that (nowadays, I have no idea how I managed that, but things change). This kind of thing is much less of a problem since I have changed to a high fat diet (based on the Paleo diet, it seems to suit me best).

I still have to eat more sugar than I would like to, though. Last spring, right before I found MFP, I tried to cut sugar out from my diet and I lost too much weight even though I was eating so much in fats. Now I try to be moderate about it, and eat enough fats, protein, and fiber so that it doesn't dump into my bloodstream at once. I would recommend for others to eat some amount of sugar, but here are some things to keep in mind - some I figured out for myself, and some I learned in my Nutrition classes:

-Eat whole fruit instead of juice. The fiber in the whole fruit will slow the absorption of the fructose
-Use berries in smoothies. Berries have the lowest sugar content of any fruit.
-Some vegetables have a lot of sugar. If you're juicing vegetables, go easy on the high-sugar veggies such as beets and carrots.
-Start your morning off with a good source of protein, and the same thing at night, especially if you like to eat sugary things at night.
-It's good to snack on natural fats throughout the day, and they will help regulate your blood sugar while adding much-needed calories: avocado, olive oil, coconut anything, flax, nuts/seeds, etc.

eireannyoung

I didn't know that skinny people could get Type 2 Diabetes! A friend of mine once went to the emergency room and they tested her blood sugar, and it was really high at the time. She is stressed all the time and is having kidney problems. I didn't think that she would have diabetes because she is really thin, but maybe I'll suggest that she get her sugar tested again.

Leijing

Are you sure it was Type 2 Diabetes? I have a professor who was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in her mid-30s. It's not so much a matter of juvenile or adult as it is the cause. A Type-1 diabetic has to have insulin because their pancreas stops making insulin, while a Type 2 diabetic still produces insulin but their cells need more to open the channels to take in glucose out of the blood.

Leijing

It's sometimes hard to stay within the "sugar limit", especially if you aren't accustomed to it. I just decided to start again on here and discovered that my one glass of Dr. Pepper a day takes up most of my sugar for the day (and I've cut back on my sodas).