Tips to cut down on sugar...

daviesap
daviesap Posts: 7
in Food and Nutrition
Hello

So I have just had breakfest and logged it on the excellent MFP.

Bowl of Bran Flakes with semi-skimmed milk, low fat yoghurt, instant coffee with semi skimmed milk and some grapefruit and I am already well over my sugar goal! (52g consumed - 44g allowance)

I have recently realised (thanks to MFP) that low fat yoghurts are more evil than they like to make out - but really?

I am generally well under my calorie goals - how are calories related to sugar? How can I be over on sugar, yet under on calories?

Andrew

Replies

  • SenseiCole
    SenseiCole Posts: 429 Member
    I have found that with a lot of """ low fat / cals """"" items

    I use light blue milk, which is would be like normal milk and non fat milk mixed

    my yoghurt is not non fat and Has a low sugar/carb count

    I normally go over the "sugar" allowance, I don't take any "sugar SUGAR" in my lifestyle, apart from the odd bit of honey, (maybe tsp once a month if I am luck)
  • fitshaper
    fitshaper Posts: 5
    Thanks dude for sharing this one.
  • 999peanut
    999peanut Posts: 14
    Low fat items tend to add sugar to make them taste good, something has to replace the fat..

    If you look at diabetic chocolates, they have less sugar but high fat content...

    The sugar allowance on here is notoriously low... unless there is some reason for you to keep below it , I personally see no reason to keep to it, if I am in my calorie allowance then I don't worry... there are a lot of natural sugars in foods .
  • Shadowknight137
    Shadowknight137 Posts: 1,243 Member
    Eat about two bananas and an apple an you have exceeded your sugar intake according to MFP, but will be well under on calories.

    Sugar is not evil. Unless you're diabetic, don't even bother tracking.
  • tekwriter
    tekwriter Posts: 923 Member
    I am a diabetic and I do not track sugars. They are meaningless to me. I track my carbohydrate count. I try to maintain 60 grams of carbs at meals and under 30 for snacks. I will be attempting to follow this pattern until I can go to the nutritional counselor set up by my new PCP, it was okayed by the PA when I was there last. I have seen many posts on sugar and do not understand the reasoning myself, I do not think I could cut my fruit out like that.
  • fittzman
    fittzman Posts: 2
    Wonderful. thanks for sharing.
  • Mutant13
    Mutant13 Posts: 2,485 Member
    The MFP setting for sugar is very low. Personally I think where your sugar is coming from that is more important. If its mostly from fruit/dairy/veg I wouldn't be too concerned
  • allshebe
    allshebe Posts: 423 Member
    I track my sugar only to stay mindful of when I might be eating something with an excess of added sugar. When my sugar total goes over the MFP advisory level, I look at what I've eaten and if it's mostly coming from fruit and milk and other natural sources, I don't worry about it. It does clue me in when I've elected to eat something of a "processed" or "commercial" nature that has a lot of "hidden" sugar and then I'll try to make a better choice next time I want that kind of food item. I eat very little candy/dessert, so that 's not usually a worry.

    It's probably a good idea to track sugar if you're hypoglycemic or diabetic, as an aid to keeping sugar and insulin stable, but even then, the glycemic index can vary from food to food with the same amount of sugar, so it's just a tool to help you see what's going on and learn to make "better" choices.
  • fittpalboy
    fittpalboy Posts: 2
    This is the good thing I hear today. Health tips, thanks for sharing.
  • jdad1
    jdad1 Posts: 1,899 Member
    As has been stated prior, unless you have a medical need, your sugar is not really relevent.
  • Cheval13
    Cheval13 Posts: 350 Member
    Unless you have a medical emergency, nothing needs to be watched. However, if you are concerned about being a healthy individual overall, you should consider some of the negative side effects of too much sugar from sources like high fructose corn syrup et al. While cutting the extra sugar won't help you with your weight loss goals overall if your other eating habits (like snacking too much during the day etc.) are not amended, the same is true when you do follow a healthy lifestyle and diet, not cutting it won't hurt you. However, a healthy lifestyle is easier when you don't consume too much energy from sugar and look towards whole foods for nutrition. That being said, sugars from fruits and natural (processed as little as possible) dairies are considered okay by most dietitians no matter what your diet goal is, and MFP should really just separate those kinds of sugars from say, those in twinkies, nutella, and skittles in our food diaries.
  • jdad1
    jdad1 Posts: 1,899 Member
    Unless you have a medical emergency, nothing needs to be watched. However, if you are concerned about being a healthy individual overall, you should consider some of the negative side effects of too much sugar from sources like high fructose corn syrup et al. While cutting the extra sugar won't help you with your weight loss goals overall if your other eating habits (like snacking too much during the day etc.) are not amended, the same is true when you do follow a healthy lifestyle and diet, not cutting it won't hurt you. However, a healthy lifestyle is easier when you don't consume too much energy from sugar and look towards whole foods for nutrition. That being said, sugars from fruits and natural (processed as little as possible) dairies are considered okay by most dietitians no matter what your diet goal is, and MFP should really just separate those kinds of sugars from say, those in twinkies, nutella, and skittles in our food diaries.


    He said Nutella.............i got hungry.........
  • purplelizzard
    purplelizzard Posts: 93 Member
    I used to keep track of sugar, but after seeing that I was over on just an orange, banana, and two apples...I said forget this. As long as a majority of my sugars are natural (from fruits) I don't even bother taking notice.
  • mounty89
    mounty89 Posts: 41
    I used to keep track of sugar, but after seeing that I was over on just an orange, banana, and two apples...I said forget this. As long as a majority of my sugars are natural (from fruits) I don't even bother taking notice.

    Pretty much this. I watch my sugar level as the majority comes from sources other than fruit. Just know where its coming from is a good source and happy days.
  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
    Having tackled the sugar demons, to answer the question regarding calories.

    Carbs that are not sugar, also have calories, are you under on total carbs?
    Fat also has calories, are you under on total fat?
    Protein also has calories, are you under on protein?

    Alcohol also has calories, but now you can hopefully see how you can go over on sugar, but still have calories left for carbs, protein and fats.

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