What's the real deal with sugars?
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hethbabe
Posts: 7
I have read several conflicting things about good sugars/bad sugars as far as in fruits. What is the real deal with that? Should I actually be counting them in my sugar intake or not? 2 apples a day eats nearly all of my sugar for the day. I've also read several times now that bananas should not be eaten because of the sugar content.
If the sugars in fruit are to be counted, what are better fruits to eat? If they are not to be counted, then what IS the deal with bananas?
I would appreciate any feedback with reliable information, or any reliable sources to get the answers.
Thanks.
If the sugars in fruit are to be counted, what are better fruits to eat? If they are not to be counted, then what IS the deal with bananas?
I would appreciate any feedback with reliable information, or any reliable sources to get the answers.
Thanks.
0
Replies
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I wouldn't worry about sugar from fruit unless you have diabetes or a serious candida issue.0
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There is NO good or bad sugar. It is fuel for the body and has the same amount of cal per gram as every other carb you eat.0
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You don't really need to worry about the sugar in fruits. Your body knows how to break down and use natural sugar. It's the processed, refined stuff that your body has no real use for.
As for bananas, and other high sugar fruits (pineapples, mangoes, etc), they are better eaten early in the day as they do have a lot of sugar and it gives your body more time to use it.
I eat a lot of fruit, so I changed my settings on my food diary to show cholesterol instead of sugar, because I barely eat any refined sugar, so i don't worry about it... it was annoying to see that number go in the red every day after breakfast, so I decided to change it up.0 -
I posted the same question in another form today.. and from the answers, I'm still confused. Most say not to worry about naturally occurring sugars, like in fruit and dairy. But then some say a sugar is a sugar and your body treats it as such...which does make some sense to me. If I go as low as the sugar on my goals I'm basically on an Atkins type diet and I don't want that.0
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They're delicious. Unless you're diabetic, don't worry about natural sugars that much. MFP has sugars set very low, anyway.0
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Your body doesn't treat all sugars the same.
Basically, fructose (sugar from fruit) has a low glycemic index, meaning it breaks down slower, and provides energy longer giving our bodies time to burn it off, rather than store it.
Sucrose (refined sugar) has a high GI, it's broken down very quickly, and whatever isn't burned off in a short period is stored as glycogen. When the glycogen stores are full, it is then stored as fat. Sucrose also causes blood sugar to spike and an immediate release of insulin. Your body doesn't really know how to react to it, because it's not something your body easily recognizes, because it's unnatural.
So natural sugars won't make you fat, but refined sugar will.0 -
Thanks everyone for your responses. This helps a lot.0
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If the idea of sugars in fruits keep you from eating fruits, then no. Do not pay attention to them. If you are going over your caloric goal for the day because you're eating a crap ton of fruits, then yeah, maybe you should keep track of it.0
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try to avoid added sugars. like sugar you add into your coffee, sugars in cakes, sugars where there arent naturally supposed to be sugars.0
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Your body doesn't treat all sugars the same.
Basically, fructose (sugar from fruit) has a low glycemic index, meaning it breaks down slower, and provides energy longer giving our bodies time to burn it off, rather than store it.
Sucrose (refined sugar) has a high GI, it's broken down very quickly, and whatever isn't burned off in a short period is stored as glycogen. When the glycogen stores are full, it is then stored as fat. Sucrose also causes blood sugar to spike and an immediate release of insulin. Your body doesn't really know how to react to it, because it's not something your body easily recognizes, because it's unnatural.
So natural sugars won't make you fat, but refined sugar will.
No. Unless you have a medical condition that dictates you watch sugar, it's not that important. Stay wiyhin your caloric goals and you'll be fine.0 -
Your body doesn't treat all sugars the same.
Basically, fructose (sugar from fruit) has a low glycemic index, meaning it breaks down slower, and provides energy longer giving our bodies time to burn it off, rather than store it.
Sucrose (refined sugar) has a high GI, it's broken down very quickly, and whatever isn't burned off in a short period is stored as glycogen. When the glycogen stores are full, it is then stored as fat. Sucrose also causes blood sugar to spike and an immediate release of insulin. Your body doesn't really know how to react to it, because it's not something your body easily recognizes, because it's unnatural.
So natural sugars won't make you fat, but refined sugar will.
No. Unless you have a medical condition that dictates you watch sugar, it's not that important. Stay wiyhin your caloric goals and you'll be fine.
Yup0 -
Sugar, whether from fruit or cookies, is like Chinese food for me - I eat it and am hungry again an hour later. I try to limit myself to some dark chocolate and a cup of fruit. Your mileage may vary.0
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Watch the documentary 'Hungry for Change'... then let me know what you think about sugar. I JUST watched it yesterday - so it's fresh in my mind. Very eye opening.
Sugar, in it's natural state (such as in corn, fruit, etc) is fine. But the refined, white sugar that is added into almost everything we eat and drink-- not so good.
It's a great doc, and is on Netflix. Check it out!
(and don't even get me started on MSG and aspartame!)0 -
Watch the documentary 'Hungry for Change'... then let me know what you think about sugar. I JUST watched it yesterday - so it's fresh in my mind. Very eye opening.
Sugar, in it's natural state (such as in corn, fruit, etc) is fine. But the refined, white sugar that is added into almost everything we eat and drink-- not so good.
It's a great doc, and is on Netflix. Check it out!
(and don't even get me started on MSG and aspartame!)
0 -
Watch the documentary 'Hungry for Change'... then let me know what you think about sugar. I JUST watched it yesterday - so it's fresh in my mind. Very eye opening.
Sugar, in it's natural state (such as in corn, fruit, etc) is fine. But the refined, white sugar that is added into almost everything we eat and drink-- not so good.
It's a great doc, and is on Netflix. Check it out!
(and don't even get me started on MSG and aspartame!)
:laugh:
Thank you.0 -
Your body doesn't treat all sugars the same.
Basically, fructose (sugar from fruit) has a low glycemic index, meaning it breaks down slower, and provides energy longer giving our bodies time to burn it off, rather than store it.
Sucrose (refined sugar) has a high GI, it's broken down very quickly, and whatever isn't burned off in a short period is stored as glycogen. When the glycogen stores are full, it is then stored as fat. Sucrose also causes blood sugar to spike and an immediate release of insulin. Your body doesn't really know how to react to it, because it's not something your body easily recognizes, because it's unnatural.
So natural sugars won't make you fat, but refined sugar will.
You are misinformed. Fructose doesn't break down slower, it's a monosaccharide so it's absorbed immediately in the intestines. Sucrose is a disaccharide and requires the enzyme sucrase to break down the molecule into fructose and glucose.
Both fructose and sucrose will cause weight gain if you consume more calories than you burn. Both contain 4 kcals/gram0 -
Watch the documentary 'Hungry for Change'... then let me know what you think about sugar. I JUST watched it yesterday - so it's fresh in my mind. Very eye opening.
Sugar, in it's natural state (such as in corn, fruit, etc) is fine. But the refined, white sugar that is added into almost everything we eat and drink-- not so good.
It's a great doc, and is on Netflix. Check it out!
(and don't even get me started on MSG and aspartame!)
:laugh:
Thank you.
So... you're saying the heaping teaspoonfuls of sugar added in the kids milk, and the sugar in soda and cereal and bread and peanut butter and ketchup and just about EVERYTHING ... is good for us? Consuming 150+ lbs of sugar a year is good?
That must be why we're all so lean, and fit, and healthy and not overweight. And on this site because we're not addicted to crappy processed food and sugar and salt that we've been fed all our lives. We're not overweight as a nation because of all this crap... Riiiight.
g'nite!0 -
the real deal is that sugar taste good, and i eat it.0
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ftwYour body doesn't treat all sugars the same.
Basically, fructose (sugar from fruit) has a low glycemic index, meaning it breaks down slower, and provides energy longer giving our bodies time to burn it off, rather than store it.
Sucrose (refined sugar) has a high GI, it's broken down very quickly, and whatever isn't burned off in a short period is stored as glycogen. When the glycogen stores are full, it is then stored as fat. Sucrose also causes blood sugar to spike and an immediate release of insulin. Your body doesn't really know how to react to it, because it's not something your body easily recognizes, because it's unnatural.
So natural sugars won't make you fat, but refined sugar will.
You are misinformed. Fructose doesn't break down slower, it's a monosaccharide so it's absorbed immediately in the intestines. Sucrose is a disaccharide and requires the enzyme sucrase to break down the molecule into fructose and glucose.
Both fructose and sucrose will cause weight gain if you consume more calories than you burn. Both contain 4 kcals/gram0 -
Watch the documentary 'Hungry for Change'... then let me know what you think about sugar. I JUST watched it yesterday - so it's fresh in my mind. Very eye opening.
Sugar, in it's natural state (such as in corn, fruit, etc) is fine. But the refined, white sugar that is added into almost everything we eat and drink-- not so good.
It's a great doc, and is on Netflix. Check it out!
(and don't even get me started on MSG and aspartame!)
:laugh:
Thank you.
So... you're saying the heaping teaspoonfuls of sugar added in the kids milk, and the sugar in soda and cereal and bread and peanut butter and ketchup and just about EVERYTHING ... is good for us? Consuming 150+ lbs of sugar a year is good?
That must be why we're all so lean, and fit, and healthy and not overweight. And on this site because we're not addicted to crappy processed food and sugar and salt that we've been fed all our lives. We're not overweight as a nation because of all this crap... Riiiight.
g'nite!
You can't blame any single (type of) macronutrient for the obesity epidemic. (80's was fat, 90's was carbs, 00's was GI BS)
too many calories in, not enough calories out = get fat.0
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