Food Diary Question....

AliciaBeth78
AliciaBeth78 Posts: 437 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Which is more important to track: FIber, Sugar, or Sodium? And why?

The problem is MFP only allows you to track 5 things. I'm already tracking protein, carbs, and fat and have room for 2 more! Help!

Replies

  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    I don't track any of those on a daily basis. So on my food diary, you will only see calories, protein, fat, and carbohydrates. Then when I do the weekly/monthly reports, I look at the micronutrients, but I don't add them to my spreadsheet.
  • edennew
    edennew Posts: 231 Member
    If you are shooting for low sugar, don't bother tracking it. I think fiber is very important if you have any digestive issues and sodium will help you if you see a water gain or loss. I track them both and avoid any obvious and most hidden sugars.
  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
    I say it just depends on if any of those are an issue for you. Do you bloat from high sodium? If yes, track it. Do you gain if you overdo sugar for a length of time? Then track it. If you don't have regular BM's then track fiber. Iron is a good one for women to track.
  • AlabasterVerve
    AlabasterVerve Posts: 3,171 Member
    I think it just comes down to personal preference and what's important to you. I track sugar and fiber. Sugar in order to keep my fruit and dairy consumption in check and fiber is handy to have if I'm interested in what my net carbs are.

    I stopped tracking sodium when I stopped eating so much packaged food, I'm sure I go over on occasion but it's just not something I'm concerned about especially since I've been following a low carb diet.
  • Railr0aderTony
    Railr0aderTony Posts: 6,803 Member
    I am hoping someone would answer it was a great question that i have wondered about myself, I have changed mine a bunch of times because I too do not know what i should watch.


    So
    Bump
  • alisiaendris
    alisiaendris Posts: 213 Member
    I track Carbs, Fat, Protien, Fiber (I have GERD), and Sodium (as I like to weigh every day and this can explain daily fluxuations).
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    Unless you have a medical issue, none are really necessary if you are getting a balanced diet.

    Sugar is a subset of carbs to that is not necessary to track separately. Sodium is useful to explain why you may have retained water and fiber is useful to track for 'regularity'. I don't track any of them (I do have sodium tracking in my diary but pay it no attention).
  • AliciaBeth78
    AliciaBeth78 Posts: 437 Member
    I am hoping someone would answer it was a great question that i have wondered about myself, I have changed mine a bunch of times because I too do not know what i should watch.


    So
    Bump

    I'm so glad I'm not the only one flipping back and forth with those! I feel like they are ALL important in their own way! I wish MFP let gave you 6 options! BOOOOOO!!!!!
  • slowturtle1
    slowturtle1 Posts: 284 Member
    I am hoping someone would answer it was a great question that i have wondered about myself, I have changed mine a bunch of times because I too do not know what i should watch.


    So
    Bump

    I'm so glad I'm not the only one flipping back and forth with those! I feel like they are ALL important in their own way! I wish MFP let gave you 6 options! BOOOOOO!!!!!

    I think I've changed mine a few times, but the only ones I really look at are protein and fat. I started tracking fiber when I realized I wasn't getting enough. I quit tracking sugar because I'm aware of where most of mine comes from--fruit--and it always shows up high. I quit tracking sodium because I eat very little processed foods and don't really have a problem with sodium sneaking up on me. I know when I've had too much and I try to chug the water to flush it out. Some women track iron which may be good if you don't get enough.
  • MAponte73
    MAponte73 Posts: 46 Member
    I agree with slowturtle1.
    Protein, fat, Fiber (because I wasn't getting enough either), I also keep an eye on my total calorie count.

    Since Oct. I have lost 12 pounds, so I just keep doing what works :-)
  • saraann4
    saraann4 Posts: 1,296 Member
    If you have high blood pressure or borderline, track sodium. If you are a diabetic or even borderline, track sugar.
  • CkepiJinx
    CkepiJinx Posts: 613 Member
    If you go to your home page where you see the pie chart for your macros there is a button under it that says "see all nutrients". Hit it and you see them all. ;)
  • AZKristi
    AZKristi Posts: 1,801 Member
    I would track saturated fat instead of total fat plus fiber and sodium
  • julieh391
    julieh391 Posts: 683 Member
    I track carbs because I generally like to avoid flour/processed stuff (keeps me in check if I want a carby snack in the evening but have already had a lot), protein because I like to make sure I get lots, and fiber with a general goal of at least 25g. I don't track fat because I'm always over with avocado and nuts, etc. which is absolutely a good thing. And I don't track sugar or sodium because I eat pretty "clean" and drink a lot of water, and I refuse to feel guilty for eating fruit sugar.
  • Lesa_Sass
    Lesa_Sass Posts: 2,213 Member
    My preference for people just starting out in this journey is to track sodium to. This helps people that are still consuming prepackaged foods to start making better choices.
  • 120weeks
    120weeks Posts: 242 Member
    I just track carbs, protein, calcium and fiber.

    Calcium because I can supplement if needed. Fiber because I care about my GI health.

    Carbs and protein for the reasons stated above.
  • jmc0806
    jmc0806 Posts: 1,444 Member
    I pay the most attention to calories, protein and sodium...the first 2 are pretty obvious but I know when I'm over on sodium, I usually retain water weight and I'm prepared for weighing in the next day
  • peanutbutterrunner
    peanutbutterrunner Posts: 85
    I track calories, carbs, sodium, fat, saturated fat, and protein just because I like to.

    But on the phone app you can see everything: sat, sat fat, polyunsat, monounsat, cholesterol, sodium, carbs, fiber, sugar, protein, vitamins, calcium,and iron. So I check that sometimes, again, just because I like to and I'm curious.
  • callmemaam
    callmemaam Posts: 3 Member
    Personally - I added on sugar and sodium.

    Sugar because diabetes runs in my family. I'm usually over the suggested "goal" amount, but I use the tracker to see where excess sugar is slipping into my diet. I found that I can't enjoy very much fruit if I eat a 6-oz. cup of fruit-flavored yogurt. But I'd rather have the protein, calcium and the pro-biotics so it's a fair exchange. And I found that sugar starts racking up in places I don't expect - like some "diet friendly" fast food options.

    Sodium is key for me because I'm trying to break out of my sedentary lifestyle. All the sitting I do (about 14 hours per day) creates water retention in my feet and ankles (edema). When my sodium is not well managed, the water retention becomes very uncomfortable when I need to get on my feet to workout. Conversely, aerobic exercise helps to move the water more quickly than not exercising (which I have directly experienced).

    I say consider your personal nutritional goals for maintaining whatever is normal and regular for you (or whatever you want to improve upon).

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