Are sugars in fruit bad?

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PibblesRun
PibblesRun Posts: 236 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I know processesd sugars are bad and I stay away from any processed sugars as much as possible...but do you count fruit sugars towards your daily sugar allowance? How many grams of sugar do you allow yourself every day?

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  • socialdeee
    socialdeee Posts: 87 Member
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    I know processesd sugars are bad and I stay away from any processed sugars as much as possible...but do you count fruit sugars towards your daily sugar allowance? How many grams of sugar do you allow yourself every day?

    That is a really good question that id like to know the answer to aswell. Ive eaten 220 calories worth of fruit today and they contain a lot of sugar. Is thet bad?? I hope it isnt because fruit is the only think that stops me reaching for sweets and chocolates.
  • emnk5308
    emnk5308 Posts: 736
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    Sugar from fruit is NOT BAD! :smile:
    Honestly, unless you are diabetic or for some other health reason, there is no need to watch your sugar, I wouldn't even track it. I did start tracking mine.. and I go way over when I eat fruit. It isn't a big deal... I keep meaning to take it off my diary..but I forget :tongue:
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
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    This comes up fairly often, so there should be a good number of fairly recent threads on it.

    Sugar is, by and large, sugar. You don't want to be eating tons of sugar, no matter how good the source. However, fruits also generally leave the sugars attached to the fiber they grew on, lowering their glycemic impact on the body. Also, fruits frequently come with vitamins and minerals that your body needs.

    I eat 3-5 pieces of fruit a day, and it routinely drives me above my MFP sugar allotment. I focus more on controlling processed sugars, which have been separated from their fibers and are therefore absorbed more rapidly. I find this works fine for me in terms of weight loss and overall health.

    But if you're eating 10 pieces of fruit a day and struggling with weight loss, it may be worth experimenting with cutting back.
  • bbaker172
    bbaker172 Posts: 93
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    I just heard on TV (which is crazy because it was like...10 minutes ago) that eating a half a pound of grapes has the same amount of sugar as a can of pop.

    Even though it is "natural sugar", your body still only knows of it as "sugar" and will store it for later use.

    SO...now that I seen it on TV, and answered this questions, all in the space of 15 minutes, I know this is not just some coincidence and need to investigate what else I can't eat.
  • Lina4Lina
    Lina4Lina Posts: 712 Member
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    Fruits are full of antioxidants and healthy phenols. I try to limit my fruits as I could easily eat 10 fruits/day so I eat 2-4 servings per day.
  • supergirl6
    supergirl6 Posts: 224 Member
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    My doctor told me I should be eating fruit, despite the sugars. It's still sugar, but when you EAT the fruit (not drink it) you get all the fiber and vitamins and minerals that come along with it and these are things your body needs. And you should be getting them right from the fresh source, not from a vitamin pill.

    My husband's diabetes doctor told him about the same thing, though he has to watch how much of it he eats.

    That being said, I eat bananas semi-regularly for the potassium, but I have to be careful they aren't TOO regularly because they do slow my weight loss. If that becomes a problem for you, try experimenting with the fruits you are eating and how much.
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
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    If you're diabetic or pre diabetic, it could be a problem. Otherwise it should be fine. I don't put a cap on my sugar from fruits.
  • LATeagno
    LATeagno Posts: 620 Member
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    Also, the type of sugar in question should be taken into account. Fruits like strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, cherries, apples, pears, peaches and plums have glycemic indexes in the low and medium ranges, while things like watermelon, cantaloupe, pineapple, grapes and mangoes have high glycemic indexes. The higher the index, the more quickly if affects your blood sugar. Stick to the lower GI fruits and you'll be better off.


    Also, I remember learning in a nutrition class my freshman year that fruit should most always be eaten with a protein or a healthy fat to balance out the sugar. When you add protein or fat to a carb like fruit, it slows its digestion rate and thus slows or wards off large blood sugar spikes.
  • futureMACH
    futureMACH Posts: 6
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    I figure I didn't get fat from eating fruit.

    I got fat eating donuts and McFlurries.

    So, IMHO, have a banana.
  • JustJennie1
    JustJennie1 Posts: 3,843 Member
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    Healthy benefits aside, fruit is laden with sugar. I do not agree that "only diabetics" need to watch their sugar intake. EVERYONE does. Sugar is sugar is sugar and it's not good for your body regardless of the form (ie fruit) and it will impede your weight loss.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    I don't track sugar. I only try to make sure to get enough protein and fiber while staying under my caloric daily max. No sugar is harmful, so long as you are getting enough nutrients in your daily diet.
  • AlabasterVerve
    AlabasterVerve Posts: 3,171 Member
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    Healthy benefits aside, fruit is laden with sugar. I do not agree that "only diabetics" need to watch their sugar intake. EVERYONE does. Sugar is sugar is sugar and it's not good for your body regardless of the form (ie fruit) and it will impede your weight loss.
    I agree with you but the delivery system matters too. Take cocaine for example:

    "When cocaine it smoked, it first enters the lungs and then is immediately delivered to the brain. Smoking is a much faster drug delivery system than snorting cocaine. Injecting cocaine is the fastest delivery system, and is highly addictive."

    http://www.recoveryconnection.org/cocaine-addiction-withdrawal/
  • Mistyblu08
    Mistyblu08 Posts: 580 Member
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    look for low glycemic fruits and you should be fine :) my favs are unfortunately on the high list lol
  • myofibril
    myofibril Posts: 4,500 Member
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    Forget fruit, have you heard about carrots !?!?

    This is a question of context and the overall structure of your diet. Usually the answer is there is nothing to be concerned about. If you can plough through 7 - 8 servings of fruit per day then you may have something to worry about. Is that the vast majority of people?

    Ummmmmmmm.

    No.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    Healthy benefits aside, fruit is laden with sugar. I do not agree that "only diabetics" need to watch their sugar intake. EVERYONE does. Sugar is sugar is sugar and it's not good for your body regardless of the form (ie fruit) and it will impede your weight loss.
    I agree with you but the delivery system matters too. Take cocaine for example:

    "When cocaine it smoked, it first enters the lungs and then is immediately delivered to the brain. Smoking is a much faster drug delivery system than snorting cocaine. Injecting cocaine is the fastest delivery system, and is highly addictive."

    http://www.recoveryconnection.org/cocaine-addiction-withdrawal/

    So tired of seeing cocaine used as an example on sugar threads. Are you suggesting that no one should snort or inject sugar? If so, I agree with that advice. That could be dangerous. :tongue:
  • AlabasterVerve
    AlabasterVerve Posts: 3,171 Member
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    Healthy benefits aside, fruit is laden with sugar. I do not agree that "only diabetics" need to watch their sugar intake. EVERYONE does. Sugar is sugar is sugar and it's not good for your body regardless of the form (ie fruit) and it will impede your weight loss.
    I agree with you but the delivery system matters too. Take cocaine for example:

    "When cocaine it smoked, it first enters the lungs and then is immediately delivered to the brain. Smoking is a much faster drug delivery system than snorting cocaine. Injecting cocaine is the fastest delivery system, and is highly addictive."

    http://www.recoveryconnection.org/cocaine-addiction-withdrawal/

    So tired of seeing cocaine used as an example on sugar threads. Are you suggesting that no one should snort or inject sugar? If so, I agree with that advice. That could be dangerous. :tongue:
    No. I'm suggesting that the delivery system matters i.e. eating fruit is not the same as drinking soda regardless of the sugar content. Just like with drugs -- you know that.
  • super_monty
    super_monty Posts: 419 Member
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    The way I see it is that they are good cals from fruit. There is a big difference of eating 200 cals of fruit and 200 cals of empty coke drink, crisps or chocolate.
  • jillbeanschoop
    jillbeanschoop Posts: 61 Member
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    I"m diabetic - sugar is not the enemy. All sugar is treated as carbs in your body. You need a balanace of carbs, proteins, and fats each day and throughout the day - don't pile up on protein in the morning and sugar in the afternoon - keep it balanced at all meals as much as you can. My take on it is that we should eat with moderation, As far as sugars are concerned I avoid sugars outside of their natural state; I eat whole fruit and not fruit juice for example and I avoid foods with added sugar, such as soda. It's the added sugar and sugars without their natural packaging that cause me problems.

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