Sugar!!

I've been a faithful tracker now for almost 2 1/2 months. I really feel like this app has helped me stay on track and eating right. Being accountable for what I eat helped me lose almost 15 pounds before I joined MFP.
My problem now that I've begun tracking here is the amount of sugar I seem to consume. I don't feel like I eat excessively sweet foods and when I do it's never in large quantities. I do eat my fair share of fruits and vegetables, but I don't feel like these should put such a large dent in my daily totals. I feel as though my daily intake of sugar is always through the roof. I can't think of a single day that I have been under in terms of allotted grams of sugar.

Does anyone have any advice on how to reduce my sugar intake??

Replies

  • ShmoozyQ
    ShmoozyQ Posts: 390 Member
    Honestly, unless you have a reason to monitor sugar intake levels (pre-diabetic), don't even worry about it. Obviously that's not a pass to eat a bunch of sugary junk food. As long as you're eating a balanced diet that includes fruits in moderation, the natural levels of sugar in real food aren't something to worry about!
  • What I've found is that when a food is "fat-free" they will sometimes replace the fat with sugar so the food still tastes somewhat good. If you eat fat-free foods, I would check out the labels first. Also, fruit does contain a whole lot of natural sugar. Do you find yourself eating fruits like nectarines with a higher sugar level than say a Granny Smith apple?
  • mhomarie19
    mhomarie19 Posts: 8 Member
    Thanks for the feedback y'all!
    I'm definitely not at risk for diabetes or anything...at least I don't think I am. It just always concerns me to see those red numbers keep popping up on my sugar intake.

    As far as fruits go, I find myself eating lots of citrus. Grapefruit mainly. I love them and they're SUPER cheap here in TX. Is there a case for expanding my fruit horizons and trying different things?

    Lately my (lack of money imposed) diet has consisted mainly of raw fruits and vegetables, yogurt, and occasionally bread and/or pasta. I get my protein from beans and tuna. I don't mean to be any sort of form of vegetarian, it's just what I've been able to afford as of late. I don't buy many pre-packaged items so I limit my intake of added sugars to whatever is in the bread and pasta...and the occasional Girl Scout cookie..only one at a time though :)

    Anyway, I guess that whole paragraph was just my thoughts on my current sugar intake so far. I'm open to any and all suggestions though!!
  • uberkrafty
    uberkrafty Posts: 38 Member
    It's quite difficult for me to stick to my sugar intake as well if you take fruits into account. I totally agree -- eating fruits/veggies shouldn't put a dent on your totals. I normally focus more on sugars in other items coz let's face it, eating an apple and a glass of carrot juice would put you over the limit in no time but it's definitely not the same as eating 3 girls' scout cookies :tongue:
    I've been a faithful tracker now for almost 2 1/2 months. I really feel like this app has helped me stay on track and eating right. Being accountable for what I eat helped me lose almost 15 pounds before I joined MFP.
    My problem now that I've begun tracking here is the amount of sugar I seem to consume. I don't feel like I eat excessively sweet foods and when I do it's never in large quantities. I do eat my fair share of fruits and vegetables, but I don't feel like these should put such a large dent in my daily totals. I feel as though my daily intake of sugar is always through the roof. I can't think of a single day that I have been under in terms of allotted grams of sugar.

    Does anyone have any advice on how to reduce my sugar intake??
  • zkss27
    zkss27 Posts: 62
    I am ALWAYS over on sugar too!
  • IliN82
    IliN82 Posts: 108
    I am usually way over double on sugar but a lot of it comes from fruit and honey(ok and the odd cookie too :) )! I don't worry about it, I think you can actually switch it off if you want.