Sugar from fruits!

Don't worry about it. Eating three servings of fruit a day isn't going to make you fat.

I always eat fruits during the day and since I started MFP I noticed that I am always "red" on sugar...I had a look from were it came and most of it comes from the fruits....I always eat a banana for breakfast and for my 2 snacks during the day I usually eat an apple, orange, kiwi or melon. My question for u guys, do you think that's too much sugar from 3 fruits a day?
Banana in the morning, 1 fruit around 12:00 and second around 16:00.
I try to have a clean diet most of the time so I am talking about days when I really eat healthy and I don't eat any other sweets.

I wouldn't necessarily worry about the sugar from the fruits. More importantly though, do some research on your servings as it relates to the acidity of the fruit. For example, oranges and kiwis have a high amount of acid and several servings will start to eat away your stomach lining over time and create ulcers. While I subscribe to the 3 fruits a day theory as good, just make sure you are getting the right content.

oranges and kiwis have a high amount of acid and several servings will start to eat away your stomach lining over time and create ulcers

Can you PLEASE post SOME kind of evidence to back up a statement like this? Unless one has gastritis, gastric reflux or some other issue already present, I have never heard of such a thing.

Everyone knows that over consumption of fruit is what has caused the obesity epidemic in this country...

/sarcasm

Seriously though, the MFP recommendation for sugar is based on the AHA's recommendation for added sugar. Sugar in fruit is still fructose, but unlike sugar in a piece of cake or candy or soda or something, the fructose in fruit is wrapped in a lot of fiber, so your body metabolizes this differently (more slowly) and the insulin spike isn't so...spikey.

Regular consumption of fruit has numerous health benefits as many fruits and berries are very nutrient dense...2-3 servings per day is excellent along with 4-6 servings of veg.

If you're eating an abnormal amount of fruit, it may be something to cut back on, but from your comments it doesn't seem like that's all you're eating. There have been many comments before from people about how the sugar limit is low, especially since fruit is counted on there. I make sure that the sugars I am eating primarily come from healthy sources (read: fruit ), and just ignore it otherwise. Mostly I use it to help indicate what foods I'm eating that are contributing to that macro.

We need some fruit. Of course, like with all foods it should be in moderation. But fruit is an excellent source of antioxidants, vitamin C and other good things and we need several servings a day. It's hard to keep the sugar in the green because so many packaged foods have lots of sugar. If you eat organic and less processed food, that should stop.

I had a situation occur where my buddies were taking off weight and I wasn't although I worked out harder and ate better on a consistent basis (pre MFP)...my trainer took a look at my food log on my computer and suggested I eliminate fruits (which I love and know they are good for me)...I bulked but took the suggestion and the results were amazing!

You have to do what works for your body. There is no cookie cutter answer to this. If you are still taking weight off and feel great, I wouldn't worry about it, if not, consider eliminating them from your diet for a while and see how it goes. Veggies and a pure 6 oz glass of fruit juice are enough for me on a daily.

Good Luck!

I always eat fruits during the day and since I started MFP I noticed that I am always "red" on sugar...I had a look from were it came and most of it comes from the fruits....I always eat a banana for breakfast and for my 2 snacks during the day I usually eat an apple, orange, kiwi or melon. My question for u guys, do you think that's too much sugar from 3 fruits a day?
Banana in the morning, 1 fruit around 12:00 and second around 16:00.
I try to have a clean diet most of the time so I am talking about days when I really eat healthy and I don't eat any other sweets.

I wouldn't necessarily worry about the sugar from the fruits. More importantly though, do some research on your servings as it relates to the acidity of the fruit. For example, oranges and kiwis have a high amount of acid and several servings will start to eat away your stomach lining over time and create ulcers. While I subscribe to the 3 fruits a day theory as good, just make sure you are getting the right content.

two comments:
1- Sugar from the whole fruit are totally acceptable as long as it is the WHOLE fruit, and not juice. The fruit also contains fiber which allows the body for a slow release of sugars so you do not get the insulin spike, and crash which causes you to overeat.

2- again the whole fruit will help to prevent the acid build up, as long as you are putting variety in your diet, and eating alkalizing veggies too (dark greens esp.) these help to neutralize an over abundance of acid build up that causes problems. It is all about balance.

Suggestion on how to measure foods: your palm (size and thickness) protein portion, size of two fists for veggies, size of one fist for fruit portion, size also one fist portion for grains, and size of thumb (base to tip) for healthy fat portion. Really easy to measure no matter where you are at.


Sugars to avoid: Lactose (milk sugar) no fiber in milk to slow absorption ( or drink with caution, it is also a food choice not a drink choice), fruit juices (see above), artificial sweeteners ( can cause other health issues), corn syrup ( again stripped of natural casing {corn it is derived from} ), agave nectar ( can be just as caloric as refined white sugar), and refined white sugar.

Acceptable sweeteners: Stevia (hardwood or birch varieties), coconut palm sugar, honey, or agave (as long as you are aware of how much your using)

Best option get use to not adding sugar to things, and just enjoy natural sweetness of things. Once the crap is out of your diet you really start to taste the good stuff.

I always eat fruits during the day and since I started MFP I noticed that I am always "red" on sugar...I had a look from were it came and most of it comes from the fruits....I always eat a banana for breakfast and for my 2 snacks during the day I usually eat an apple, orange, kiwi or melon. My question for u guys, do you think that's too much sugar from 3 fruits a day?
Banana in the morning, 1 fruit around 12:00 and second around 16:00.
I try to have a clean diet most of the time so I am talking about days when I really eat healthy and I don't eat any other sweets.

The obesity researchers who are looking into the connection between fructose and obesity believe that it is important for obese individuals to restrict fructose (the primary sugar in fruit) to 15 grams a day. They recommend that non-obese individuals restrict their fructose to 25 grams per day. Having said that, the primary source of fructose, in the standard diet, is from eating sugary foods (sucrose, i.e. table sugar is 50% fructose) and processed foods (which virtually all contain added sugars). The amount of fructose in a can of "orange" soda is roughly equivalent to the amount of fructose in 10 oranges. It is important to remember that the fructose in fruits is encased in fiber and it is released more slowly into the bloodstream because of that. It isn't that our bodies are not capable of dealing with fructose, it is that large amounts at once seem to overwhelm the body's capacity to deal with it. Fructose is metabolized in much the same way as is alcohol, by the way. A little alcohol in one glass of wine does not harm the body (and some studies suggest it may well be beneficial). But drinking a bottle of wine overwhelms the body's ability to handle it and the deleterious effects are quite obvious rather quickly. The same is true of eating a lot of fructose in the form of sugar consumption.

I would say that a normal intake of fruit is probably quite safe (although there is some evidence that "fruitarian" diets--where nothing but fruit is eaten---are problematic). But, if you are obese and trying to lose weight, it may be wise to limit the amount of fructose to 15 grams per day. Glucose and galactose (the other two monosaccharides contained in our diets) do not seem to have the same deleterious effects as does too much fructose. Unfortunately, MFP does not have a separate tracking of fructose in the database. I calculate mine manually. Hope this has been helpful.

I know in Paleo I was only allowed certain fruits because they were "better" for you. Anything "tropical" (banana, pineapple, Mango, Guava, etc) are EXTREMELY high in sugar (this was according to the diet plan and my trainers) - granted, it's natural sugar, but your body processes it differently.

I eat one banana and my sugar levels for the day are pretty much shot. Just with one banana.

But with Paleo I could eat all the berries I wanted. And the fiber from them is good too.

You just need to find what works best for you.

Try cycling your higher sugar fruits to days you do cardio, and limit them. to one choice a day. Your very right too many high sugar fruits not good, but they are still important to the body on a nutrient level. I mean two kiwi's a day, and you have way more potassium than the banana, and less fat. Again I will stress lots of alkalizing veggies to counter act the fruit. I go for two veggies to every one portion of fruit.

What is with all the sugar postings lately??!! If all your sugar is coming from fruit, then that's fantastic! (note: some vegetables have sugar in them too.) But it still counts as your sugar intake! DO NOT eat foods with added sugar. Make your own sauces. There is no reason for sugar to be found in bread or pasta sauce. Sugar is sugar and too much of anything is not good for you!! (Ok, rant over.) But seriously, if your sugar levels are not elevated, if you are losing weight and you feel well, then keep doing what you're doing. If you begin to stall and everything else in your diet is healthy, cut back on the fruits. By the way, one banana = 2 fruits. So really, you are eating 4 fruits a day on top of whatever other sugar is in your food ("natural" or not). For me, that would make my weight loss stall.

I know in Paleo I was only allowed certain fruits because they were "better" for you. Anything "tropical" (banana, pineapple, Mango, Guava, etc) are EXTREMELY high in sugar (this was according to the diet plan and my trainers) - granted, it's natural sugar, but your body processes it differently.

I eat one banana and my sugar levels for the day are pretty much shot. Just with one banana.

But with Paleo I could eat all the berries I wanted. And the fiber from them is good too.

You just need to find what works best for you.

Try cycling your higher sugar fruits to days you do cardio, and limit them. to one choice a day. Your very right too many high sugar fruits not good, but they are still important to the body on a nutrient level. I mean two kiwi's a day, and you have way more potassium than the banana, and less fat. Again I will stress lots of alkalizing veggies to counter act the fruit. I go for two veggies to every one portion of fruit.

Very wise advice.

The body doesn't differentiate. Sugar is sugar. All pretty much broken down the same way be it an apple or a snickers.

But at the same time, unless there is a medical reason to do so, you don't need to track sugar anyway.

Again it does make a deference, because the snicker is not the proper portion, or housing for the sugar. Nature has this great way of packaging the proper portion of sugars in with the proper portion of fiber, and other nutrients so it is distributed properly into the body. Sugars out of their natural casings are absorbed too quickly, and stored in the white fat that so many people have trouble losing. To say sugar is sugar in any form is true, and false at the same time. sugar spikes insulin if not consumed properly. Then, even if you are not diabetic that sugar crashes, because you are missing the part that slows absorption (fiber). This causes you to overeat because your body has to try to even out the sugars. What is even worse is if you do this too much your body has a hard time using it's insulin. Then you will be a diabetic. Best way to stop this is to eat regular meals. Spaced three hours apart. Eat things that natural ( I mean whole food form) Eat the proper portions (your hand, fists, and thumb) {individualized portion control}, and move your body!

Sugar is just a carb. As long as you're eating enough fats and protein, your carbs/sugar aren't particularly important unless you have a medical issue that requires carbs/sugar to be monitored.

However, it should be noted that fructose and sucrose can only be stored as liver glycogen and not muscle glycogen. The liver can hold 100-120g glycogen so anything more than that will be converted to triglycerides. As long as you still have a calorie deficit this will even out. Just try to make most of your carbs glucose and not sucrose or fructose. Fructose in particular has been shown to decrease exercise performance, increased likelihood of gastrointestinal distress, and increase perception of exertion.

Here are some studies:
http://www.setantacollege.com/wp-content/uploads/Journal_db/the effects of glucose....pdf

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3592616


As long as you're under your calorie goal, you'll lose weight. Some people find that sugar (even from fruit) causes them to have more sugar/carb cravings so keep that in mind.

For information on setting your macro target, read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/911011-calculating-calorie-macronutrient-needs?page=1#posts-13821336