Sugars in fruit?!?!

2

Replies

  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    I ignore all sugar from natural fruit. By this I mean I won't count an apple but I will count apple juice. It's one of the things that most people wish MFP could do but can't, distinguish between natural and added sugar.

    And metabolically speaking what would be the difference from let's say natural and refined sucrose?

    I have no idea scientifically speaking but I couldn't follow a plan that wouldn't let me pick apples from a tree and eat them.

    Guess what? Your body can't distinguish between the sugars just like mfp can't

    Do you have evidence to substantiate this claim?

    Sure, tell me below if it is refined or natural sucrose

    1294895917UA3r2E.jpg
  • lhalket
    lhalket Posts: 75 Member
    I ignore all sugar from natural fruit. By this I mean I won't count an apple but I will count apple juice. It's one of the things that most people wish MFP could do but can't, distinguish between natural and added sugar.

    I guess using the word "count" is not right. I log everything but I just ignore the sugar column if it came from a natural source.

    I do the same thing - sugar from fruits is digested more quickly and turned to energy vs processed sugars from sodas, candy, etc.
  • evileen99
    evileen99 Posts: 1,564 Member
    I don't know anyone who got fat from eating too much fruit.
  • ItsCasey
    ItsCasey Posts: 4,021 Member
    What is your goal? Weight loss? Fat loss? I think you should probably take everything off your diary except protein, carbs, and fats until you learn how to eat properly. The question of whether you should stop eating fruit because of the sugar makes it pretty obvious that you need to take a higher level look at this whole nutrition thing.
  • While sugar is sugar, the vitamins, minerals and fiber in fruit make it way better than refined sugars. The fiber and water content of fresh fruit will make you feel more full than say a candy bar of equal calorie. Only in extreme conditions would eating too much fresh fruit actually be bad. This doesnt apply to dried fruits or fruit juices though as they tend to have added sugar and are more calorie dense.
  • Heypapajinx
    Heypapajinx Posts: 12 Member
    I ignore all sugar from natural fruit. By this I mean I won't count an apple but I will count apple juice. It's one of the things that most people wish MFP could do but can't, distinguish between natural and added sugar.

    And metabolically speaking what would be the difference from let's say natural and refined sucrose?

    I have no idea scientifically speaking but I couldn't follow a plan that wouldn't let me pick apples from a tree and eat them.

    Guess what? Your body can't distinguish between the sugars just like mfp can't

    For a second suppose your succinct answers can be confusing to people who attempt to do their own research and find things like this:

    http://www.livestrong.com/article/546655-does-the-body-process-fruit-sugars-the-same-way-that-it-does-refined-sugar/

    ...telling them that their body will have a more difficult time breaking down and metabolizing refined sugars. Perhaps being helpful could be more, oh, I don't know, informative and less like sarcasm.
  • jonibc
    jonibc Posts: 104 Member
    I've been trying to eat nothing but fruits and vegetables for breakfast and lunch.


    You need to incorporate some protein with your fruits and Veggies. You may be new to losing weight so I suggest googling (or reading the forums here) why and how much protein your body needs ;) I am not being rude I just don't know how long you have been on this journey and maybe you don't know :)

    I am amazed by how much protein I consume just through veggies (2 Roma tomatoes have 7 grams! 1/2 of an avocado 10 grams. Who knew?) and a few seeds and nuts in very small portions. With no animal products at breakfast or lunch, I still easily get my protein in every day. I'm exceeding sugar when I eat fruits, since I eat so many veggies and most of those have some sugar, but I'm going to eat nutritious foods in moderation and not worry about it.
  • lizsmith1976
    lizsmith1976 Posts: 497 Member
    Anyone looking for a scientific study can google metabolic reaction to fructose, glucose and get many, many studies saying that basically your body treats them the same. There are a few that suggest maybe, for some diabetics, the insulin spike is lower with fructose than added sugar. Notice that there is still a spike :) I wasn't sure so I just checked.

    But, like many people above, I love to eat fruit and will continue to do so for taste, fiber, vitamins, etc. When I was chubby it wasn't because I had berries in my high-fiber cereal for breakfast and then a banana before going to the gym, it was because I had McDonald's for breakfast, followed by Sonic for lunch, followed by sitting on the couch.

    I'm going to continue to eat my fruit and not monitor my sugar intake (as I have no medical reason to do so).

    :flowerforyou:
  • kitigonkukoo
    kitigonkukoo Posts: 218 Member
    If you have 2 pieces of fruit or so and go over, don't worry about it. If you are eating 8 bananas a day, ok, you'd need to cut back.

    If you are closer to the 2 or 3 pieces a day, then just focus on keeping sugar from non-fruit sources as low a syou possibly can. It's been very effective for me.
  • odusgolp
    odusgolp Posts: 10,477 Member
    mmmmm..... fruit!

    fruitsalad3.jpg
  • DRJ311
    DRJ311 Posts: 58 Member
    Sugar in fruit is not harmful. You benefit from a lot of other wonderful properties like antioxidants, fiber, vitamins and minerals. You won't get these compound bonuses from eating a danish or a piece of candy. Focus on consuming your daily recommended servings of fruits which are 2 cups per day. You can always substitute for lower sugar fruits like green apples and berries.




    ^^ THIS. I'm totally being a creep, but it's true :)
  • As long as you don't have a medical condition that requires you to limit your sugar intake, you are fine. If anything, watch your unnatural sugar intake, not natural. Sugars from fruit are fine. I go over my sugar limit daily and it hasn't stopped me from becoming a healthier, smaller me.

    I totally agree with this. I have PCOS and my body does not break down any form of sugar very easily, so my doctor told me to eat fruits, just not too many ( 2 or 3 servings, tops) It's the same with veggies. Veggies also have natural sugar, but not nearly as high as fruit. I have to watch fruits, veggies and refined sugar (which I never touch!!). I LOVE fruit, so it's hard for me to not devour it with every meal. The best thing you can do is to know your body!
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    I ignore all sugar from natural fruit. By this I mean I won't count an apple but I will count apple juice. It's one of the things that most people wish MFP could do but can't, distinguish between natural and added sugar.

    And metabolically speaking what would be the difference from let's say natural and refined sucrose?

    I have no idea scientifically speaking but I couldn't follow a plan that wouldn't let me pick apples from a tree and eat them.

    Guess what? Your body can't distinguish between the sugars just like mfp can't

    For a second suppose your succinct answers can be confusing to people who attempt to do their own research and find things like this:

    http://www.livestrong.com/article/546655-does-the-body-process-fruit-sugars-the-same-way-that-it-does-refined-sugar/

    ...telling them that their body will have a more difficult time breaking down and metabolizing refined sugars. Perhaps being helpful could be more, oh, I don't know, informative and less like sarcasm.

    Going to post something valid instead of livestrong articles? And guess what fruits contain other sugars than fructose
  • ItsCasey
    ItsCasey Posts: 4,021 Member
    Focus on consuming your daily recommended servings of fruits

    Recommended by whom?
  • mforsis
    mforsis Posts: 41
    I was told years ago (I am old) that we all need 3 fruits a day plus a banana (for the potassium). That was because my nails had white streaks in them - an indicator I wasn't eating enough fruit. I am aware MFP counts all sugars not just the unhealthy ones. So you need to adjust your thinking and not worry. Fruit is very important for healthy balanced nutrition. Of course, fruit juice is like eating several fruit so you have to watch that.
  • carrieous
    carrieous Posts: 1,024 Member
    i limit fruit to 2 pieces or less per day. Veggies are better anyway
  • thisismeraw
    thisismeraw Posts: 1,264 Member
    I've been trying to eat nothing but fruits and vegetables for breakfast and lunch.


    You need to incorporate some protein with your fruits and Veggies. You may be new to losing weight so I suggest googling (or reading the forums here) why and how much protein your body needs ;) I am not being rude I just don't know how long you have been on this journey and maybe you don't know :)

    I only consume fruit for mainly two meals a day yet I still manage to get in more than enough protein in a day (and I don't consume meat, fish or most animal products).
  • MikeInAZ
    MikeInAZ Posts: 483 Member
    no one has ever gotten fat from fruit.
    period.

    See the quote above you from "ldrosophila" she ballooned up to 440lbs on fruit!
  • saralayne42
    saralayne42 Posts: 27 Member
    However, think of it this way - when you eat an apple, along with those sugars you're getting vitamins, minerals, fiber, antioxidants, etc. If you ate that sugar in the form of a candy bar, you'd get little to none of that. The other health benefits of fruit outweigh the negative impact of the sugars (when eaten in moderation, of course).
    [/quote]


    ^^^^this
  • albertabeefy
    albertabeefy Posts: 1,169 Member
    I ignore all sugar from natural fruit. By this I mean I won't count an apple but I will count apple juice. It's one of the things that most people wish MFP could do but can't, distinguish between natural and added sugar.

    And metabolically speaking what would be the difference from let's say natural and refined sucrose?

    I have no idea scientifically speaking but I couldn't follow a plan that wouldn't let me pick apples from a tree and eat them.

    Guess what? Your body can't distinguish between the sugars just like mfp can't

    Do you have evidence to substantiate this claim?
    http://advances.nutrition.org/content/4/2/236.full
    there is broad scientific consensus that there are no significant metabolic or endocrine response differences or differences in health-related effects between HFCS and sucrose.
    What we do know, however, is the overall increase in consumption of sugar (of all kinds) in our diets does directly correspond to the increase in both obesity and Type II diabetes.

    It's not what sugar we eat, it's that we're continually eating more of it in a linear fashion.
  • albertabeefy
    albertabeefy Posts: 1,169 Member
    no one has ever gotten fat from fruit.
    period.
    People gain fat from eating an excess of calories above their TDEE. It wouldn't matter if their diet was 100% fruit or 100% meat.

    The science is extremely clear in this regard.
  • Heypapajinx
    Heypapajinx Posts: 12 Member
    Going to post something valid instead of livestrong articles? And guess what fruits contain other sugars than fructose

    What I'm suggesting is that you simply post informative responses instead of attempting to belittle everyone with your apparent WEALTH of knowledge by trailing commentary that reeks of sarcasm. Why not share that wealth of information and actually EXPALIN what you mean. Even in your response to me, "going to post something valid instead of livestrong articles. And guess what..." could have been more imformative. You could have responded with "the reason that this article can not be taken at face value is... I hope this helps to clear things up." But instead, you chose a more confrontational approach and rather less constructive. I don't know what the difference is, just like the person who started this thread and is asking these questions, that's why I came in here. What they are looking for educated answers, not someone to talk to them like they're stupid.
  • MikeInAZ
    MikeInAZ Posts: 483 Member
    Although your body will breakdown natural sugars easier than HFCS or other man made sugars, you still need to be aware of sugar in fruit.

    You won't see a diabetic eat a bowl full of grapes and say "oh the sugar in here doesn't count". 10 grams of sugar is 10 grams of sugar and will spike your blood sugar levels. You either need to use it (exercise), or metabolize it with insuline.

    Part of an over all healthy diet is a healthy level of sugar. So if you consume 100 grams of sugar from some oranges is that better than 100 grams of sugar from M&Ms? No it's not.

    I'm quoting from WikiPedia Here. "The glycemic response to a food is the effect that food or meal has on blood sugar (glucose) levels after consumption. A low glycemic food will release glucose more slowly and steadily, which leads to lower postprandial (after meal) blood glucose readings. A high glycemic food causes a more rapid rise in blood glucose levels after meals. High glycemic foods are idea for energy recovery after exercise or for a person experiencing hypoglycemia".

    Most fruit high in glucose has a high glycemic index level, so eating large portions of it WILL indeed spike your blood sugar levels and make your pancreas work extra hard to level it out. Until there is a cure for diabetes, do yourself a favor and try not to spike your blood sugar often unless you plan on heavy exercise. Body parts do wear out.
  • TheCaren
    TheCaren Posts: 894 Member
    Refined sugars are your enemy. Fruit sugars, not so much. Unless you have a medical condition where sugar is sugar and you have to keep them low. I have reactive hypoglycemia so for me the fruit is okay, coupled with a protein. I don't sweat sugars coming from natural sources. Now, that doesn't mean skip the veggies and eat all fruit. That's no good either.
  • MikeInAZ
    MikeInAZ Posts: 483 Member
    However, think of it this way - when you eat an apple, along with those sugars you're getting vitamins, minerals, fiber, antioxidants, etc. If you ate that sugar in the form of a candy bar, you'd get little to none of that. The other health benefits of fruit outweigh the negative impact of the sugars (when eaten in moderation, of course).


    ^^^^this
    [/quote]

    So it's ok to eat Lucky Charms cereal because they fortify it with vitamins and minerals and fiber? No it's not. The trick is to not spike your blood sugar. So you need to chase that apple with some protein and some exercise.
  • TrailRunner61
    TrailRunner61 Posts: 2,505 Member
    Calories in/calories out. If you don't do this everyday I don't see why it matters. Fruit is good for you.
  • avocado22
    avocado22 Posts: 19 Member
    bump
  • Kryxx
    Kryxx Posts: 34
    Is this thread for real?
  • bawlzz
    bawlzz Posts: 12 Member
    The lack of knowledge in these threads just like these that pop up every single day on MFP is ****ing scary man. At some point you have to blame the people and not just the misinformation out there. IM OUT THIS *****
  • cljabusc
    cljabusc Posts: 48
    -yes fruits have sugar.... but there's no such thing as 'bad' sugar and 'good' sugar... sugar is sugar my friend.

    -no you shouldn't stop eating fruit. It is packed with nutrients, incluting fibre and vitamins. i try to set my limit at 2-3 servings of fruit a day.....because i love it and would eat it all the time if i could.

    -eat more vegetables than fruit, I only eat about 3 servings but i know i should be eating 5-6.

    -take sugar intake off of your food calculator.... i think its a pretty low goal, and it discouraged me even though i was eating pretty well.

    -if you're really worried about sugar intake, look up fruits with high sugar and only have them once a day, or every couple days (oranges, banana, apples, grapefruits, etc.) and eat low sugar fruits instead (black berries, strawberries, blue berries)

    :) hope that helps.