sugar intake

Nikkismission
Nikkismission Posts: 54 Member
in Food and Nutrition
ok needing suggestions, I think i'm on the right track to losing the weight healthy, but now I need to start watching my sugar intake so that I don't become a diabetic. I've been border line and although i'm loosing the weight and exercising, I need to make sure that the foods i'm eating are helping me to move away from that category as well. I've printed out my meals for the past month so I can look at the foods that I have consumed that were high in sugar and see who to make those changes, but I can use any other suggestions from the real experts at this. thanks in advance.

Replies

  • bostonwolf
    bostonwolf Posts: 3,038 Member
    I'd advise not watching it, but attempting to eliminate it altogether.
  • drmerc
    drmerc Posts: 2,603 Member
    I'd advise not watching it, but attempting to eliminate it altogether.

    Sounds like a great way to set yourself up for failure
  • Firefox7275
    Firefox7275 Posts: 2,040 Member
    It's blood glucose peaks and troughs and other unhealthy choices that set you up for type 2 diabetes, not simply dietary sugars. All carbs convert to blood glucose, some FASTER than table sugar so cause bigger spikes. Read up on the glycaemic index and exercise portion control.
  • Nikkismission
    Nikkismission Posts: 54 Member
    I'd advise not watching it, but attempting to eliminate it altogether.

    That's kind of hard to do. Everything has sugar in it as I look back at my food diary
  • Nikkismission
    Nikkismission Posts: 54 Member
    It's blood glucose peaks and troughs and other unhealthy choices that set you up for type 2 diabetes, not simply dietary sugars. All carbs convert to blood glucose, some FASTER than table sugar so cause bigger spikes. Read up on the glycaemic index and exercise portion control.

    Thanks
  • helhedded
    helhedded Posts: 14 Member
    Eat foods with natural sugars and I think you'll be fine. Stay away from foods that have sugar added to them. If you have a sweet tooth turn to fruit.
  • Nikkismission
    Nikkismission Posts: 54 Member
    Eat foods with natural sugars and I think you'll be fine. Stay away from foods that have sugar added to them. If you have a sweet tooth turn to fruit.
    [/quote

    My doctor said, I can only eat 1/4 of fruit bc of the sugar level in them.]
  • drmerc
    drmerc Posts: 2,603 Member
    Eat foods with natural sugars and I think you'll be fine. Stay away from foods that have sugar added to them. If you have a sweet tooth turn to fruit.

    What makes fruit sugar superior to other forms of sugar?
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    It's blood glucose peaks and troughs and other unhealthy choices that set you up for type 2 diabetes, not simply dietary sugars. All carbs convert to blood glucose, some FASTER than table sugar so cause bigger spikes. Read up on the glycaemic index and exercise portion control.

    Do you eat all your foods in a fasted state and isocalorically?
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,454 Member
    I'd advise not watching it, but attempting to eliminate it altogether.

    That's kind of hard to do. Everything has sugar in it as I look back at my food diary
    [/quote]

    Well, that's going to be a problem then, isn't it? Start replacing whatever you've been eating with other stuff.
  • richardheath
    richardheath Posts: 1,276 Member
    ok needing suggestions, I think i'm on the right track to losing the weight healthy, but now I need to start watching my sugar intake so that I don't become a diabetic. I've been border line and although i'm loosing the weight and exercising, I need to make sure that the foods i'm eating are helping me to move away from that category as well. I've printed out my meals for the past month so I can look at the foods that I have consumed that were high in sugar and see who to make those changes, but I can use any other suggestions from the real experts at this. thanks in advance.

    What do you mean by borderline? Have you been diagnosed prediabetic?

    No-one knows exactly what causes diabetes, although there is a definite correlation between being overweight/obese and having type II diabetes. But to say "sugar" is going to make you diabetic is too simplistic. Or that by cutting out sugar, you will prevent diabetes. Sugar is simply a carbohydrate.

    If you are (pre)diabetic, you have to watch your TOTAL carb intake, and try and spread them out evenly throughout the day. To make sure I'm not getting too much in any one sitting, I eat 3 meals plus 3 snacks a day to meet my overall calorie goals, trying to balance all the macros in each meal/snack. (Or I try anyway - having been doing quite so well recently).

    Many people find they can control their blood sugar levels by losing weight and exercise. But the overall diet has to be watched too. And yes - some fruits will push you over. I can't eat a whole banana in one sitting - it spikes my blood sugar every time. Processed carbs are worse than complex carbs. But in part that is going to mean finding things you can eat - by logging and by checking your fasting and post prandial blood sugar. You don't necessarily need to cut anything out - just limit the amount you eat of it, and add in fresh veggies to make up the bulk.
  • Firefox7275
    Firefox7275 Posts: 2,040 Member
    It's blood glucose peaks and troughs and other unhealthy choices that set you up for type 2 diabetes, not simply dietary sugars. All carbs convert to blood glucose, some FASTER than table sugar so cause bigger spikes. Read up on the glycaemic index and exercise portion control.

    Do you eat all your foods in a fasted state and isocalorically?

    Straw man.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    It's blood glucose peaks and troughs and other unhealthy choices that set you up for type 2 diabetes, not simply dietary sugars. All carbs convert to blood glucose, some FASTER than table sugar so cause bigger spikes. Read up on the glycaemic index and exercise portion control.

    Do you eat all your foods in a fasted state and isocalorically?

    Straw man.

    It's entirely relevant to your suggestion to read up on the GI Index
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    I'd advise not watching it, but attempting to eliminate it altogether.

    Sounds like a great way to set yourself up for failure

    ^^ No kidding!

    OP, eating sugar does NOT cause diabetes. That's a myth!
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    isocalorically

    Love this word! It rolls of the tongue. (I had to look it up. I love adding to my vocabulary.)
  • Pepper2185
    Pepper2185 Posts: 994 Member
    If you are worried about diabetes or have family members who re diabetic, a healthy diet and regular exercise will help hold it off.

    The key is maintaining consistent blood sugar levels - choose foods with protein and fibre to balance out your carbs.

    Obviously refined sugar should be avoided, but that stuff isn't good for any of us.

    Everyone's body reacts differently to different foods. For example, the fruit I eat could spike my blood sugar, but not affect yours. Instead of eliminating everything with any form of sugar (a bit extreme for your current state), focus on hitting your protein and fibre goals and include lots of fresh veggies :)
  • helhedded
    helhedded Posts: 14 Member
    Eat foods with natural sugars and I think you'll be fine. Stay away from foods that have sugar added to them. If you have a sweet tooth turn to fruit.

    What makes fruit sugar superior to other forms of sugar?

    I should have gone more into depth. It's what comes along with the sugar in fruit (vitamins and fiber) therefore making it a healthier option compared to a bag of skittles or something alike. Foods that are high in added sugar usually don't carrry much nutritional benefit i.e foods like candy, sodas, baked goods and what not. So to answer your question.. nothing. It's all sugar at the end of the day. I'm just a nitpicker on where that sugar comes from.
  • koshkasmum
    koshkasmum Posts: 276 Member
    Diabetic weighing in on the sugar discussion here. (Sorry about the pun) I have been a controlled diabetic for 20 years.

    Eating sugar will not make you diabetic. Eating unhealthily, being overweight and underexercised and getting an unlucky dip from the gene pool will make you diabetic. So. Get into a healthy weight range, through exercise and eating healthily - that means avoiding processed sugars and starches and sticking with food as close to the way nature made it as possible (oranges, not orange juice; whole grain, not refined flour breads; corn, not high fructose corn syrup. - you get the idea..)

    As far as your body is concerned sugar metabolizes as sugar whether it starts out refined sugar, sugar in fruit, or sugar your body makes out of other carbohydrates - and your body needs it - sugar is what your brain needs to function. The key is to ensure your body is not flooded with (and your insulin response ovewhelmed with) easily digested sugars. Eat balanced - eating protein, fiber and evey some fats with your carbs will slow down absorption of the sugars and prevent the sugar flood (blood sugar spikes) and spread your intake out over the day (eat 3 balanced meals and a couple of balanced snacks) .

    Finally, diabetes is not a fate worse than death. Its a very treatable chronic condition that is largely manageable by eating as outlined above. Start now and you may never develop full blown diabetes (or you may develop it very late in life as did my grandmother, my mother, and a passel of aunts and uncles - the gene pool thing).
  • jilliew
    jilliew Posts: 255 Member
    Eat foods with natural sugars and I think you'll be fine. Stay away from foods that have sugar added to them. If you have a sweet tooth turn to fruit.

    My doctor said, I can only eat 1/4 of fruit bc of the sugar level in them.

    This. Limit processed sugars (which all of us should be aspiring to anyway) and listen to your doctor.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    Eat foods with natural sugars and I think you'll be fine. Stay away from foods that have sugar added to them. If you have a sweet tooth turn to fruit.

    My doctor said, I can only eat 1/4 of fruit bc of the sugar level in them.

    This. Limit processed sugars (which all of us should be aspiring to anyway) and listen to your doctor.

    Because you know metabolically the processed ones are so much different than the natural ones
  • blackiris49
    blackiris49 Posts: 128 Member


    What do you mean by borderline? Have you been diagnosed prediabetic?

    No-one knows exactly what causes diabetes, although there is a definite correlation between being overweight/obese and having type II diabetes. But to say "sugar" is going to make you diabetic is too simplistic. Or that by cutting out sugar, you will prevent diabetes. Sugar is simply a carbohydrate.

    If you are (pre)diabetic, you have to watch your TOTAL carb intake, and try and spread them out evenly throughout the day. To make sure I'm not getting too much in any one sitting, I eat 3 meals plus 3 snacks a day to meet my overall calorie goals, trying to balance all the macros in each meal/snack. (Or I try anyway - having been doing quite so well recently).

    Many people find they can control their blood sugar levels by losing weight and exercise. But the overall diet has to be watched too. And yes - some fruits will push you over. I can't eat a whole banana in one sitting - it spikes my blood sugar every time. Processed carbs are worse than complex carbs. But in part that is going to mean finding things you can eat - by logging and by checking your fasting and post prandial blood sugar. You don't necessarily need to cut anything out - just limit the amount you eat of it, and add in fresh veggies to make up the bulk.

    This ^

    Look at this site bloodsugar101.com

    Everyone is different and how sugar and carbs affect you will be different to another diabetic/prediabetic. You need to find out what works for you. If you can afford it get a blood glucose meter and test after different foods or meals to see how they affect your blood sugar. This way you can avoid foods which cause you to spike. I found that I can't eat white bread at all and even whole wheat only in small amount. Oats by themselves also spikes my sugar, but if mixed with protein powder it's OK. You need to experiment. What works for me may not work for you. Most important work with your doctor. Good luck.

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