How bad is sugar for you?

lmiedema
lmiedema Posts: 36 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hey, I rather enjoy my fruits and by the end of the day I usually go WAY over my sugar limits set by the site. Is it something that I should watch or is it okay to go over your limit?

Replies

  • Jester522
    Jester522 Posts: 392
    Under no circumstance is sugar required in human diet. The only time it's beneficial is when immediate energy source would be needed to improve performance such as before exercise or an exam.

    Sugar = insulin secretion. Frequent induced insulin sensitivity = insulin resistance = chronic health conditions.
  • katevarner
    katevarner Posts: 884 Member
    Fruit is fine--it has fiber which you need and your body uses the sugar as fuel. Processed sugar isn't great for you, but you can still lose eating it. Don't cut out all fruits, but see if there are other sugars you can cut out.

    Your diary is closed, so can't give any better advice than that.
  • tamba01
    tamba01 Posts: 110 Member
    I have to disagree with Jester, sugar in fruit help maintain a good glucose level. It has fiber and it digest slower due to that fact that is does have fiber. I was type two diabetic and fruit helped me maintain a good glucose level. You have to watch how much you have though. I love fruit too, but I limit it to two servings per day unless I have exercised quite a bit that day and then 3 serving is ok for me. But not everyone is the same, so just figure out what is good for you. :) But I have eliminated processed sugars.
  • ahamm002
    ahamm002 Posts: 1,690 Member
    Don't worry about naturally occurring sugar in fruits. Epidemiology links high fruit intake with longer life. While it's just epidemiology, it would still be pretty silly to avoid fruit for health reasons.

    It's foods with added sugar that you have to worry about.
  • tamba01
    tamba01 Posts: 110 Member
    Don't worry about naturally occurring sugar in fruits. Epidemiology links high fruit intake with longer life. While it's just epidemiology, it would still be pretty silly to avoid fruit for health reasons.

    It's foods with added sugar that you have to worry about.

    completely agree
  • Jester522
    Jester522 Posts: 392
    Don't worry about naturally occurring sugar in fruits. Epidemiology links high fruit intake with longer life. While it's just epidemiology, it would still be pretty silly to avoid fruit for health reasons.

    It's foods with added sugar that you have to worry about.

    completely agree

    Agree with circumstances. Yes, lots of benefits to fruit - I (usually) eat 2-3 servings worth. But epidemiology also links constant insulin release induced by foods with coronary heart disease, diabetes, hyperinsulinemia, high blood pressure, and a plethora of other things. Sugar is sugar it doesn't matter where it came from. All carbs are sugar just some in more complex forms and are broken down as such. With that being said:

    "I see carbs as elective macronutrients, in general. I don’t elect to eat all that many of them, personally, but that’s because I’ve tailored my lifestyle such that this is the healthiest way for me to eat. Eat more if you’re going to be burning glycogen. Eat fewer if you’re not. Eating too few carbs while working out with high intensity and high volume will ruin your adrenals, depress your thyroid, and stall weight loss. Eating too many carbs without putting them to good use or enjoying exercise-induced insulin sensitivity will promote hyperinsulinemia and weight gain." - Mark Sisson
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    Sugar is awesome. I'll eat yours for you, if you want.
  • californiagirl2012
    californiagirl2012 Posts: 2,625 Member
    Hey, I rather enjoy my fruits and by the end of the day I usually go WAY over my sugar limits set by the site. Is it something that I should watch or is it okay to go over your limit?

    I don't worry about fruit. I have health issues and cutting out processed sugars except as an occasional treat has taken care of my issues. For weight loss all that matters is calories, but you want to be healthy and well balanced, enough protein, enough carbs for energy, fruits, veggies, fiber.

    But everyone is different. If your doctor thinks fruit is good for you and you are still within the calorie budget then I wouldn't worry.
  • RoadsterGirlie
    RoadsterGirlie Posts: 1,195 Member
    I eat about 5 servings of fruits per day, and 2 to 3 servings of vegetables.

    I couldn't have done this journey without it.
  • invisibubble
    invisibubble Posts: 662 Member
    Unless you have health issues that require you to cut sugar or you eat massive amounts per day, it's not important. Honestly I lost the majority of my weight while eating probably too much of the stuff. MFP sets sugars and proteins stupid-low.
  • sister_bear
    sister_bear Posts: 529 Member
    I wouldn't worry too much about the sugar in fruit, especially if you're not having an issues. You might consult with a dietician though if you have a family history of diabetes though.
  • got3beauties
    got3beauties Posts: 2
    Watch out for those sneaky sugars, like fruit juice, orange juice, granola, and breads even so-called whole wheat (unless it's sprouted grain breads). I lost about 15lbs just by cutting those things out of my diet.
    I not only have a family history of diabetes but I also had gestational diabetes with all 3 of my pregnancies. So I've cut out a lot of sugar from my eating habits. The one weakness I have is coffee. Gotta have sugar & cream.
  • Jester522
    Jester522 Posts: 392
    Unless you have health issues that require you to cut sugar or you eat massive amounts per day, it's not important. Honestly I lost the majority of my weight while eating probably too much of the stuff. MFP sets sugars and proteins stupid-low.

    It does set protein stupid low. And sets carbs stupid high.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    Hey, I rather enjoy my fruits and by the end of the day I usually go WAY over my sugar limits set by the site. Is it something that I should watch or is it okay to go over your limit?

    I would not consume sugar willy-nilly but if you're using some common sense with food selection and your macros are set up reasonably well to align with your goals, I'd not really worry about it.

    Leisure reading on Insulin:
    weightology.net/weightologyweekly/?page_id=319
  • invisibubble
    invisibubble Posts: 662 Member
    Unless you have health issues that require you to cut sugar or you eat massive amounts per day, it's not important. Honestly I lost the majority of my weight while eating probably too much of the stuff. MFP sets sugars and proteins stupid-low.

    It does set protein stupid low. And sets carbs stupid high.

    Yup.
  • bilberryjam
    bilberryjam Posts: 72 Member
    Fruit is good for fibre and vitamins, but you can find that fibre and vitamins in vegetables, which generally have less sugar.

    Also, some fruit has less sugar than others. Berries have less sugar than bananas.

    The key is balance and moderation.

    I'll give you an example from my life - last week I ate a whole pan of roast veg (parsnips, swede, onion etc.) for dinner, just by themselves, by myself. You might think, 'that's really healthy, eating all those veggies!' But it amounted to 22g of sugar. Those veggies were intended as a side for 4 people and it would have been a much more balanced meal if I'd had a quarter of them with a slice of roast beef, a portion of green beans and a Yorkshire pud.

    So if you're reaching for your fourth or fifth portion of fruit of the day, maybe a bowl of almonds (protein, calcium, magnesium, vitamin E etc.) would be a better option.
  • paijing
    paijing Posts: 184 Member
    Check out this NYT article on the topic:

    Is Sugar Toxic?
    http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/magazine/mag-17Sugar-t.html?pagewanted=all
  • Jade021996
    Jade021996 Posts: 26
    fruits are perfectly fine, it's processed sugar that's bad. oh but who am i to tell you such. i eat something with processed sugar everyday. from white bread to candies. it's kinda ok if you ask me, just don't overdo it. and one more thing, as long as you eat those kinds of sugar, you'll never get rid of cellulites :D
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    Hey, I rather enjoy my fruits and by the end of the day I usually go WAY over my sugar limits set by the site. Is it something that I should watch or is it okay to go over your limit?
    If you're diabetic, it can be deadly.

    If not, don't worry about it, especially if your main source of sugar is fruit.

    Any diet that says you shouldn't eat fruit is a stupid diet, IMO.
  • likemeinvisible
    likemeinvisible Posts: 309
    Sugar is bad, the glucose drives the hormones wild for no reason and makes your skin look old (reducing elasticity) etc. Fruit can even be worse, some fruits contain high fructose to glucose ratio and the fructose metabolize straight into fat. That being said, I eat tons of sugar.....most of my carbs are either straight sugar or other simple sugars like lactose in milk. If it makes it easy to maintain your goals, have some sugar. The caloric value isn't that high and in moderate amounts it does no damage. Certainly a single fruit isn't bad for you !
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    Don't worry about naturally occurring sugar in fruits. Epidemiology links high fruit intake with longer life. While it's just epidemiology, it would still be pretty silly to avoid fruit for health reasons.

    It's foods with added sugar that you have to worry about.

    completely agree

    Agree with circumstances. Yes, lots of benefits to fruit - I (usually) eat 2-3 servings worth. But epidemiology also links constant insulin release induced by foods with coronary heart disease, diabetes, hyperinsulinemia, high blood pressure, and a plethora of other things. Sugar is sugar it doesn't matter where it came from. All carbs are sugar just some in more complex forms and are broken down as such. With that being said:

    "I see carbs as elective macronutrients, in general. I don’t elect to eat all that many of them, personally, but that’s because I’ve tailored my lifestyle such that this is the healthiest way for me to eat. Eat more if you’re going to be burning glycogen. Eat fewer if you’re not. Eating too few carbs while working out with high intensity and high volume will ruin your adrenals, depress your thyroid, and stall weight loss. Eating too many carbs without putting them to good use or enjoying exercise-induced insulin sensitivity will promote hyperinsulinemia and weight gain." - Mark Sisson

    I elect to get 50% of my calories from carbs. That's working well for me. Forty-three pounds down in four months! :wink:
  • paijing
    paijing Posts: 184 Member
    Another take on sugar, basically saying that a high-sugar diet by itself does not lead to obesity or other diseases of affluence.

    Sugar Intake and Body Fatness in Non-industrial Cultures
    http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2012/06/sugar-intake-and-body-fatness-in-non.html#more

    Excerpt:

    "A high-sugar diet is not sufficient to produce obesity and other disorders of affluence in humans adhering to a mostly traditional diet and lifestyle, particularly if the sugar is coming from unrefined sources such as fresh fruit. This is consistent with other reports of beneficial weight loss in people eating a whole food diet centered around fruit.

    "That being said, I think everyone can agree that added sugar almost certainly plays a role in obesity and disease in affluent societies such as the US. Added sugars increase the energy density, seductiveness and palatability of foods, favoring fat gain. In large amounts, refined fructose-containing foods such as added sugar can also promote harmful metabolic changes. However, controlled diet trials have shown that this applies mostly in the context of excess calorie intake (which, to be fair, is the typical dietary context in the US).

    "The broader point is that added sugar is part of a dietary pattern that also includes added fats, flavorings, refined and engineered foods in general. This pattern includes the fact that foods are easier to obtain than ever before, often require no work to prepare, and advertising and our cultural milieu encourage overeating. And that’s not even getting into the differences in lifestyle patterns such as physical activity and sleep between traditional cultures and our own, which also play an important role."

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